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, 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 Equivalency

The 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