Welcome to NCI Swanage lookout station

                      Channel 65

NCI Swanage is a recipient of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.

Swanage NCI is one of the oldest stations, opening on this site on 15 April 1995. The current lookout was built by the members in 2001 under the guidance of Ian Surface, the station's first manager, a local builder.

The National Coastwatch Institution (NCI) has been allocated a national licence by OFCOM for the use of VHF Channel 65. This dedicated channel has been granted to NCI with strong support from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
Channel 65 facilitates communications between NCI lookouts and seafarers on a variety of routine matters. Stations can respond to requests from passing, as well as local sailing craft and fishing vessels for radio checks as well as actual weather and sea state conditions. They are also be able to provide on request information on a range of local facilities including, for example, local moorings, charted anchorages, water taxi contact details and local hazards.
The facility became operational on 1 October 2014 when National Coastwatch stations went live for the first time on Channel 65. All stations are equipped with a dedicated radio for this purpose and the service has in some cases replaced the practice of some stations holding a licence to operate on Marina Channel 37. Accordingly all NCI Marina Channel licences have been surrendered.