Baofeng as a Marine VHF?

[K9CCH]

I know that my Baofeng HT can receive Marine VHF traffic because I've listened to the ships before, but is it open enough for me to transmit? I'm assuming that all the marine channels are simplex right?

[NQ6U]

I'm pretty sure the Baofeng will transmit on the marine frequencies but how efficient it would be I couldn't say. Also, there's the matter of type acceptance. Not that the FCC puts much effort into enforcement these days, but you could be setting yourself up for trouble.

[N8YX]

Is the Baofeng type accepted for use in the service?

Personally, I would look into one of the Standard rigs:

http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1 (http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1)

[KK4AMI]

Is the Baofeng type accepted for use in the service?

Personally, I would look into one of the Standard rigs:

http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1 (http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1)

Needs to be certified under Part 80 or something. In an emergency, who cares. The biggest issue I can see is the Baofeng might not be resistant to warm salt air. I've seen cameras and electronics get eaten up in one summer. I use a waterproof handheld marine radio.

[N8YX]

Needs to be certified under Part 80 or something. In an emergency, who cares. The biggest issue I can see is the Baofeng might not be resistant to warm salt air. I've seen cameras and electronics get eaten up in one summer. I use a waterproof handheld marine radio.
After I posted this I jumped on eBay and looked for the Standard 370. There are quite a few used units going for considerably less than $100. Waterproof, and submersible. AFAIK, these use the same batteries as the VX6/VX7 series of amateur gear and can also be programmed with 2M amateur frequencies.

Based on the performance and durability of the -6 and -7R I own, I recommend that brand. Mine have been "thunderstorm wet" many times and keep on working FB.

[W3WN]

I know that my Baofeng HT can receive Marine VHF traffic because I've listened to the ships before, but is it open enough for me to transmit? I'm assuming that all the marine channels are simplex right?
From what I've heard, the answer to this is, from a technical standpoint, "yes"

That doesn't mean that it would be legal to use, mind you, just that it's capable of it.

[KC2UGV]

Is the Baofeng type accepted for use in the service?

Personally, I would look into one of the Standard rigs:

http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1 (http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=1)

This, because of this...


Needs to be certified under Part 80 or something. In an emergency, who cares. The biggest issue I can see is the Baofeng might not be resistant to warm salt air. I've seen cameras and electronics get eaten up in one summer. I use a waterproof handheld marine radio.

Salt air chews up electronics not designed for it. I'd hate to grab a radio when I need it the most, and it be corroded to shit.

[K9CCH]

I was just wondering. I'm not going for the illegal side of things. I'll get a proper marine radio for the boat.

Now the trailer is a different story. We're living full time in our RV now after selling the house last month and I think I'm on the search for a new VHF mobile to use as a base station in the RV. We're on the coast so I should get some good range to a few repeater networks.

[kb2vxa]

From a legal standpoint, like who cares? For one thing I hear captains on unused restricted USCG channels all the time to get away from the crowd. For a time I even heard them on nearby unused railroad channels. Some years ago when the New York Marine Operator existed and ship to shore full duplex was manual long before DTMF and cell phones I used an old marine brick handheld as a cheap mobile phone, you need a special license to operate a shore station. From a physical standpoint they're right, that Batfang would be quickly destroyed by a marine environment. Not that it matters, it's a throwaway radio, so when you're done with it just toss it overboard and pollute the environment with hazmat. (;->)

Oh you didn't know you have to recycle electronics as hazmat? Like my ex partner in crime Winston, a Jamaican always said "That am the joke."