VHF Marine radio...

[K9CCH]

I'm about to purchase a boat, and was thinking about VHF marine radios. I've never understood why they were channel numbers on those radios, so I started looking.

I just found This Page (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtvhf), and realized they are all simplex frequencies.

Since you can buy marine radios readily, I'm assuming no license is needed to transmit on them?

[NQ6U]

I'm way out of touch with the current regulations on marine radios but it used to be that you needed a station license. It was just a matter of submitting a form to the FCC, though.

[K9CCH]

Would my amateur license be sufficient?

[NQ6U]

No, it's not valid for transmitting on frequencies outside the amateur radio bands.

[K9CCH]

Ah. I just found this article.

http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/vhf-basics.asp

Which says they've done away with licensing.

[n2ize]

I have a VHF boat radio that a friend gave me some years ago. It was brand new in the box complete with instructions and the FCC license form. The radio looks like it was built in the late 60's or early 70's. The radio has a channel selector with Coast Guard frequencies emblazoned in red. Also has a weather channel. Power output is rated at 25 watts on high and 1 watt on low. Inside the radio there is a bank of crystals. I tersted it a couple of times and apparently it does transmit and receive. Theoretically I could use my Baofeng UV-5R as a marine radio. All I would have to do is program in the vhf marine frequencies and away she goes. That's the nice thing about the Baofeng, you can program it to operate almost anywhere in the VHF/UHF region. In addition to some local public service freqs that I occasionally monitor I also have the FRS, GMRS, and MURS bands programmed in. If you don;t want to transmit on a given channel you can lock out the transmit function for that channel. So for example if I program in the local police I make sure I lock out the transmit function for that freq so I don;t accidentally key up there.

BTW the boat radio I was originally talking about is a brand name called "Cybernet"Model CTX-1200. It has 12 channels. Seem to be a lot of them for sale on ebay. Don't know how useful it would be in todays boating scene.

[wb7oxp]

type acceptence (part 80) is required for LEGAL marine radio use.

otoh, i'm not your mom:)

but i have heard at least on commercial fishing boats the coast guard does get twitterpated about modified ham etc. radios being used by the commercial boats. there was a discussion on "another site" a while back where a guy was given a bunch of modified ham radios that had been removed from a commercial fishing boat at the "recommendation" of the coast guard boarding party.

[kb2vxa]

Marine VHF channel assignments vary, Canada's are slightly different and so are US inland (navigable rivers) waterways. Local use also varies slightly, here for example 6 is intership and 13 is bridges, we have plenty of them. I find listening in summer particularly interesting, weekends more so, that's when the Coast Guard goes fishing and chasing weekend warriors darting around on jet skis and kayaks in the heavily trafficked inlet are particularly troublesome not to say completely idiotic.

[wb7oxp]

That must be kinda fun, does the coast guard usually "win"? They are really friends u need when things go wrong in the water

[VE7DCW]

Marine VHF channel assignments vary, Canada's are slightly different and so are US inland (navigable rivers) waterways. Local use also varies slightly, here for example 6 is intership and 13 is bridges, we have plenty of them. I find listening in summer particularly interesting, weekends more so, that's when the Coast Guard goes fishing and chasing weekend warriors darting around on jet skis and kayaks in the heavily trafficked inlet are particularly troublesome not to say completely idiotic.

This is correct .......... in Washington State waters adjacent to Canadian waters they try to keep channel usage for the same purposes as closely as possible on both sides of the border.Interesting to note that marine VHF operators may use their operating certificates issued by the Canadian government to obtain an Amateur Radio certificate with Basic to allow operation on all Amateur bands above 30 Mhz.

1.2 Certificate EquivalencyThe holder of an Amateur Radio Operator's Certificate or the Amateur Radio Operator's Advanced Certificate issued under the repealed Radio Operator's Certificate Regulations has the same operating privileges as the holder of an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic, Morse code and Advanced Qualifications.
The holder of an Amateur Digital Radio Operator's Certificate issued under the repealed Radio Operator's Certificate Regulations has the same operating privileges as the holder of an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic and Advanced Qualifications.
Persons holding any of the following Canadian certificates may be issued an authorization to operate in the amateur radio service with the same operating privileges as the holder of an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic, Morse code and Advanced Qualifications:


Radiocommunication Operator's General Certificate (Maritime)
Radio Operator's First Class Certificate
Radio Operator's Second Class Certificate

Persons holding any of the following Canadian certificates may be issued an authorization to operate in the amateur radio service with the same operating privileges as the holder of an Amateur Radio Operator Certificate with Basic Qualification:


Radiotelephone Operator's General Certificate (Aeronautical)
Radiotelephone Operator's General Certificate (Maritime)
Radiotelephone Operator's General Certificate (Land)
First-class Radioelectronic Certificate


......... I guess the Canadian government is giving every oppurtunity to allow people to become Hams :yes:

[WØTKX]

And it shows. :neener:

[n0iu]

I'm about to purchase a boat...

Having owned an 18' ski boat, a 24' with a cuddy cabin, and another 24' with a cuddy cabin and a flying bridge, I definitely caught a major case of "one foot-itis" where each successive boat was bigger than the one before it.

But as you see, I used the word "owned" (past tense) because the two happiest days in a boater's life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it!

Good luck. I am sure you will figure this all out for yourself... eventually.

[VE7DCW]

And it shows. :neener:

Ho Ho Hee Hee Ha Ha :mrgreen:

[VE7DCW]

Having owned an 18' ski boat, a 24' with a cuddy cabin, and another 24' with a cuddy cabin and a flying bridge, I definitely caught a major case of "one foot-itis" where each successive boat was bigger than the one before it.

But as you see, I used the word "owned" (past tense) because the two happiest days in a boater's life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it!

Good luck. I am sure you will figure this all out for yourself... eventually.

The term I've heard used by a couple of people I know who used to own larger pleasure craft was "floating money pits" ............ :yes:

[WØTKX]

Owned three boats.

A large flat bottomed canoe for YEARS, never should have sold it. Alumacraft with the squared end to mount a small motor. Picked up a 50's Evinrude Ducktwin 3HP folding portable motor at a garage sale, and had so much fun goofing off, camping and fishing. I think I had the combo for about 15 years.

Sunfish sailboat. Got it for free from a buddy who bought a house and it was left in the garage. Never got really good with it, probably used it 30 times.

Pontoon boat party barge. Overpowered with twin outboards and an outrageous audio system. I quit running lakes and got into river boating. Had it for about 6 years.

I occasionally rent boats now, but I'd really like a small boat with a motor, like that canoe. :)

[n2ize]

That must be kinda fun, does the coast guard usually "win"? They are really friends u need when things go wrong in the water


The Coast Guard always wins.

[KG4NEL]

Sometimes the weather does.

[kb2vxa]

"...but I'd really like a small boat with a motor, like that canoe.
I remember WA2V (SK) Jack's john boat with a 10hp motor, one of those things you'd mix cement in if it didn't have seats. We had so much fun lake fishing with it, more fun running a few minutes until the magneto got hot and quit, fish, run, fish, run... and then came the Van Heusen Man at Round Valley. We found a not so crowded spot to beach it and unload, last was the motor that didn't want to come loose. Since I was looking the other way I didn't notice the boat slid off the sand and drifted out into the lake, when the motor finally came loose I nearly fell over backward. To avoid landing on my back with the motor on top of me I staggered forward, right off and into the lake still holding the motor. I looked around, saw which way to go and walked up onto the beach motor in hand like the guy in the commercial, up the hill and dropped the motor in the back of the truck. Yep, everybody was watching and wondering, some looking around for the camera. Are they filming another Van Heusen commercial or are we on Candid Camera? I guess they figured it out when I swam out to retrieve the boat, just another drunken idiot.

"The Coast Guard always wins."
Not always, like any cops many times they lose. Cops have cars in the area so for them not as frequently, the USCG has a very different "plan of attack". With all the false distress calls and captains venting on the radio they're reluctant to respond to anything but a confirmed distress situation where coordinates are known. Most of the time Station Delaware Bay that controls the coast from Philadelphia to near Sandy Hook will broadcast a pan pan (pron. pon pon) the level between securitay and mayday giving the approximate location concluding with "Mariners transiting the area keep a sharp lookout and report all sightings..." If they have a boat in the water they'll take their time getting to kayaks or jet skis being a pain in the ass, but usually the situation is resolved before they get there, nobody around.

They do have a wicked sense of humor, one of the funniest things came over the radio after a successful SAR that started with something incredibly stupid that got them rather annoyed. The ground units stopped off at a local pizza joint but with nowhere to land the helicopter crew couldn't join them. "If you order another pizza I'll lower the Stokes basket to pick it up." That's when the radio erupted with laughter. Like I said before, during the summer Benny Season marine channels are fun listening when the Coast Guard goes fishing.

"Sometimes the weather does."
Not where the USCG is concerned, I've seen videos (they always shoot video) of their boats taking on heavy seas that would scare the shit out of Poseidon. Hi RRRAAALLLPH. What's up Chuck? <barf>


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4lA6UcYKTw

[n2ize]

When you come on in a Van Heusen shirt the rest come off like a bunch of stiffs.

[K9CCH]

Having owned an 18' ski boat, a 24' with a cuddy cabin, and another 24' with a cuddy cabin and a flying bridge, I definitely caught a major case of "one foot-itis" where each successive boat was bigger than the one before it.

But as you see, I used the word "owned" (past tense) because the two happiest days in a boater's life are the day you buy the boat and the day you sell it!

Good luck. I am sure you will figure this all out for yourself... eventually.


The only reason that we're buying it is because its a 19' Cajun center console bay boat with a Johnson 130 on the back. We're buying it for $1800, but once we get it cleaned up and running it will be worth about $8K. My dad knows how to rebuild the engine, so thats the only reason we are buying it. It hasn't ran in 2 years since the owner died. Aside from a little green stuff and some leaves inside, it just needs to be cleaned up and given a little TLC.

[n2ize]

"...but I'd really like a small boat with a motor, like that canoe.
I remember WA2V (SK) Jack's john boat with a 10hp motor, one of those things you'd mix cement in if it didn't have seats. We had so much fun lake fishing with it, more fun running a few minutes until the magneto got hot and quit, fish, run, fish, run... and then came the Van Heusen Man at Round Valley. We found a not so crowded spot to beach it and unload, last was the motor that didn't want to come loose. Since I was looking the other way I didn't notice the boat slid off the sand and drifted out into the lake, when the motor finally came loose I nearly fell over backward. To avoid landing on my back with the motor on top of me I staggered forward, right off and into the lake still holding the motor. I looked around, saw which way to go and walked up onto the beach motor in hand like the guy in the commercial, up the hill and dropped the motor in the back of the truck. Yep, everybody was watching and wondering, some looking around for the camera. Are they filming another Van Heusen commercial or are we on Candid Camera? I guess they figured it out when I swam out to retrieve the boat, just another drunken idiot.

"The Coast Guard always wins."
Not always, like any cops many times they lose. Cops have cars in the area so for them not as frequently, the USCG has a very different "plan of attack". With all the false distress calls and captains venting on the radio they're reluctant to respond to anything but a confirmed distress situation where coordinates are known. Most of the time Station Delaware Bay that controls the coast from Philadelphia to near Sandy Hook will broadcast a pan pan (pron. pon pon) the level between securitay and mayday giving the approximate location concluding with "Mariners transiting the area keep a sharp lookout and report all sightings..." If they have a boat in the water they'll take their time getting to kayaks or jet skis being a pain in the ass, but usually the situation is resolved before they get there, nobody around.

They do have a wicked sense of humor, one of the funniest things came over the radio after a successful SAR that started with something incredibly stupid that got them rather annoyed. The ground units stopped off at a local pizza joint but with nowhere to land the helicopter crew couldn't join them. "If you order another pizza I'll lower the Stokes basket to pick it up." That's when the radio erupted with laughter. Like I said before, during the summer Benny Season marine channels are fun listening when the Coast Guard goes fishing.

"Sometimes the weather does."
Not where the USCG is concerned, I've seen videos (they always shoot video) of their boats taking on heavy seas that would scare the shit out of Poseidon. Hi RRRAAALLLPH. What's up Chuck? <barf>


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4lA6UcYKTw

Yeah but California doesn't get hurricanes.

[K0RGR]

One of my brothers was in the Coast Guard, and spent most of his time on a cutter in the Aleutians. They got into some hairy stuff there with rescues. They also were shot at by fishing trawlers operating in U.S. seas that didn't belong there. The trawlers would open fire on the cutter, hoping the cutter would take evasive action, slowing them down so the trawler could escape over the line into International waters. It was mostly Japanese trawlers that did this, as I recall.