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VHF Radio
VHF radio is one of
the most important safety items on your boat.
Here
is what you need to know about VHF radio
communications.
About
VHF Radio
After lifejackets, VHF radio is the single most important
safety device on your boat. VHF range is, generally
speaking, line of sight or slightly farther. And since all
recreational VHF radios are limited to 25 watts of
transmitting power by law, the quality of your antenna and
its height above the water often determines the actual range
you can transmit and receive. This is the logic behind the
oft-repeated mantra to mount your antenna as high as
possible. In the real world you can expect 5 to 20 miles of
range in boat-to-boat communications.
Towing
companies and the Coast Guard have exemptions from the
recreational power limit of 25 watts. In addition, they
often utilize large transmitting towers. These stations can
easily reach 50 miles out to sea, sometimes even further.
Primary Channels For Boaters
9 Boater Calling. Commercial and Non-Commercial.
13 Navigation Safety (Bridge-to-bridge)
16 Safety, Distress and Calling
22A Coast Guard Maritime Safety Information
68 Pleasure boat communications
69 Pleasure boat communications
71 Pleasure boat communications
72 Pleasure boat communications
78A Pleasure boat communications
70 Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
Handheld to Fixed Mount Hook-Up
While fixed mount radios can transmit with 25 watts of
power, most handheld VHF radios have 5 watts or less. This,
combined with miniscule antennas, limits their effective
range to very short distances. Fine for harbor
communications, but not much else. This is particularly
worrisome if you’re offshore and your fixed mount radio
breaks down or is rendered inoperable by electrical
problems.
To get
around this, you want to be able to hook your handheld radio
up to your fixed mount antenna. This will significantly
improve its range. Ordinarily you need to purchase a small
adapter fitting for connecting the two, it costs less than
ten bucks. Check with your radio’s manufacturer or retailer
for the correct fitting.
Signal
Blocking
Whenever you transmit your signal will block out all other
communications on that channel for as far as your signal
travels. This is particularly true when transmitting on high
power. Known in boating circles as “stepping on” someone
else’s signal, it’s seriously frowned upon. Use low power
whenever possible and keep your communications short and to
the point. VHF is intended for communications, not
conversation.
Radio
Checks
Do not request a radio check from the Coast Guard on any
channel. Do not request a radio check from any vessel on
channel 16.
A Word
of Caution
Transmission of false distress messages or using obscene
language is illegal. There are serious fines and penalties
for such actions. And yes, Coast Guard locations and vessels
do have radio detection finders than can pinpoint the origin
of such messages.
Handheld VHF
Always carry a high quality, submersible handheld VHF as a
back-up to your main unit. The most frequent problems on
powerboats are electrical, which means you may not have
juice for your fixed mount unit. With a handheld, especially
one that runs off alkaline batteries, you will at least have
short-range communications capability. And don't forget the
obvious, plenty of high quality alkaline batteries stored in
a Ziploc bag with the rest of your safety gear.
FCC
VHF Radio License
In most cases you are no longer required to carry an FCC
license to operate a VHF radio. However, vessels traveling
overseas, including the Bahamas, must carry an FCC license.
Vessels over 20 meters regardless of destination must also
carry a license. The license is really just a permit - you
fill out paperwork, pay a small fee and the FCC issues you
the license. There is no test to take or requirements to
meet. To obtain the license call the FCC toll free at
1-888-CALL FCC or www.fcc.gov/wtb/ or http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/
37 miles
offshore, dead engine and bilge 1/3 full of water. SeaTwo
picked up
our
signal and dispatched a towboat.
Important
VHF Calls:
Hailing
Normally you hail another boat on channel 16 or 9. Once you
make contact, you then switch to an agreed upon recreational
frequency (68,69,71,72) to continue communications. Because
channel 16 is the safety / distress channel, you should
limit your hailing time accordingly.
Example:
In this case, the boat Huntress is hailing the boat
Lionfish.
Huntress:
"Lionfish, Lionfish, Lionfish, this is Huntress calling"
Lionfish: "Huntress, this Lionfish, reply on 68”
Huntress: “Roger”
Then both
parties switch to and communicate over channel 68.
Pan
Pan Call
Safety of boat or person is in jeopardy. Pronounced
pahn-pahn.
Securite` Call
Used to pass on navigation information / hazards and weather
warnings. Pronounced suh-cure’-uh-tay’.
Emergency Mayday Call
Imminent
threat to life or serious injury
1. Make
sure radio is on
2. Select channel 16
3. Set transmit power to high
4. Press hold / transmit button
5. Clearly say MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY
6. Then state:
Vessel name and description
Position or location (Lat / Lon if known)
Nature of emergency
Number of people on board
7. Release transmit button
8. Wait 10 seconds, if no reply, repeat MAYDAY
Monitoring Channel 16
You are not required to have a VHF radio onboard your vessel
but if you do, Coast Guard regulations stipulate you
maintain a watch on channel 16.
Channel
16 & 22A – Coast Guard Warnings
Coast Guard Storm Warnings and Urgent Information
Broadcasts. The Coast Guard announces these warnings on
channel 16 and then broadcasts the actual message on channel
22A.
NOAA
Marine Forecast (WX1- WX7)
Marine forecasts are broadcast on VHF weather channels 1-7
depending on geographic location. These broadcasts include
local and coastal marine forecasts and tide data on a
continuous loop. On most VHF radios there is a button marked
“WX” that must be pressed in order to receive these weather
channels. Typical range is 25 to 40 miles offshore but in
many cases further. For instance the Miami station can be
picked up in Bimini in the Bahamas, a range of roughly 50
miles from south Florida. In south Florida, try WX channels
1,2 and 3.
Digital Selective Calling (DSC) – Channel 70
VHF maritime channel 70 is authorized exclusively for
distress, safety and calling purposes using digital
selective (DSC). No other uses are permitted. Channel 70 is
used to send distress alerts, safety announcements and for
calling purposes under the new Global Maritime Distress and
Safety System (GMDSS). The system is not yet fully
operational as of 2006.
Commercial & Gov’t Channels
01A Operations and Commercial, VTS
05A Port Operations, VTS
06 Intership Safety
07A Commercial
08 Commercial (Intership only)
10 Commercial
11 Commercial. VTS in selected areas.
12 Port Operations. VTS in selected areas.
14 Port Operations. VTS in selected areas.
15 Environmental (Receive only)
17 State Control
18A Commercial
19A Commercial
20 Port Operations (duplex)
20A Port Operations
21A U.S. Coast Guard only
23A U.S. Coast Guard only
24 Marine Operator
25 Marine Operator
26 Marine Operator
27 Marine Operator
28 Marine Operator
63A Port Operations, commercial, VTS
65A Port Operations
66A Port Operations
67 Commercial - bridge-to-bridge
73 Port Operations
74 Port Operations
77 Port Operations (Intership only)
79A Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only
80A Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only
81A U.S. Government only
82A U.S. Government only
83A U.S. Coast Guard only
84 Marine Operator
85 Marine Operator
86 Marine Operator
87 Automatic Identification System
AIS 1 Automatic Identification System (AIS)
AIS 2 Automatic Identification System (AIS)
88A Commercial (Intership only)
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