By Patrick Whittle, The Associated Press
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine - The Coast Guard says the foghorns at 17 lighthouses across the Maine coast will convert to radio-activated signal technology by May.
The Coast Guard is in the process of updating foghorns that were designed to automatically sound in the presence of fog. It says newer technology activated by mariners via radios is safer and more effective. It also tends to result in fewer of the foghorns' familiar blasts.
The Coast Guard already has converted eight lighthouses in Maine and New Hampshire. The plan eventually will leave Maine with no more of the old-time foghorn activation systems.
Capt. Michael Baroody, Coast Guard commander in northern New England, says the old fog detectors ``are prone to failure, expensive to maintain and require specialized training to preserve.''