WHAT EVERY BOATER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT VHF-MARINE RADIO Revised: June 11, 1994 Copyright 1994 by Byron Hill (KD4KMQ) P.O. Box 120603, Nashville, TN 37212 Non-commercial distribution is permitted. Distribution via commercial Bulletin Board Systems is permitted, provided that no fee is charged specifically for this article. INTRODUCTION Though licensing your boat's station is voluntary, you may not legally transmit on VHF Marine radio without a license, and you are required by law to know the FCC rules if you are using VHF Marine radio. In other words, you can have a VHF Marine radio on board, but if you intend to transmit on it, you must license your station, and know the rules. Getting a license is simple. You can write and order your Ship Station License Application (Form 506) from: FCC Forms Distribution Center, 2803 52nd Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781, phone 202-632-3676. (Note: This is an private forms distribution center under contract with the FCC, but the word is that they are slow.) You can get faster service by ordering Form 506 direct from the FCC by calling 717-337- 1212. There is a processing fee payable with the application. Your Ship Station License will be mailed back to you in a few weeks. The FCC will assign your boat a call sign which will be clearly printed on the license. The license is good for five years. If you are planning on leaving U.S. waters and making contact with foreign ports, you must also obtain a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's Permit. The application for this permit is Form 753, available from the same sources mentioned above. This will allow you to operate any licensed ship station outside of U.S. waters. The radio frequencies for the VHF Marine band lie between 156 and 158 MHz, with some land based stations located between 161 and 163 MHz. Communications over distances are essentially "line of sight", meaning range will depend on antenna type and height more than the power of the transmitter. Generally the signals travel only twenty-five percent further than optical line of sight. There are times of freak atmospheric conditions when VHF signals can be heard from as far away as 200 or 300 miles, but reliable communications will rarely be possible under those conditions. A few minor notes about your radio. Make sure your radio is set for "United States" frequencies. Most of the top brand VHF Marine radios come with a selector for "international" frequencies. If your radio is set to "international" you will not be able to receive transmissions on a few important channels, especially on the main Coast Guard working channel, Channel 22A. Also, be aware of your output power. Boats in close proximity to the station they are calling should switch their radio to low power. This is especially important when you are in a marina. High power in close transmissions in close proximity to the station you are calling can garble your sound quality, and will unnecessarily clutter the airwaves. Otherwise, it's a good idea to keep your radio on high-power. This will enable you to quickly respond with a full radio signal to any emergency situation. Some boaters leave their radio off for fear that the battery drain may be a problem. This is simply not so. Battery drain by a VHF Marine transceiver while receiving is very slight, roughly one-half ampere. This is not enough to cause concern over running down your boat's battery. For safety reasons, every boater should be encouraged to have their radio on. This is safety courtesy that all boaters should extend to each other. What good is a VHF Marine radio in an emergency situation, if no one is monitoring? There are two major reasons for communications afloat: safety and convenience. Safety of course comes first, but your VHF Marine radio can greatly add to your convenience and pleasure on the water. Most of this article deals with safety use of VHF Marine. The FCC rules are pretty clear about communications of convenience. They must be necessary. That is, they must be communications that cannot be delayed until they can be carried out by other means. Within these limitations for example, you can call a marina requesting information on fuel or dock space, but if you ask the marina restaurant what is on the menu for dinner, you could get into trouble with the FCC. Social conversations on VHF Marine radio are prohibited as well, except for those conversations that are on the "public correspondence" channels connecting your boat with land telephones via the marine operator. Marine operators are discussed later in this article. THE IMPORTANT CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS The band is divided into channel numbers. You need to be especially familiar with some of these when operating your VHF Marine radio. Below are the main channel numbers that are used by non-commercial vessels. Attached later in this article is the complete list of channels, frequencies, and usage for the VHF Marine band. Channel 16 This is the main calling and distress channel. Always make your initial call to a boat or to shore on this channel, then after contact is made immediately switch to one of the working channels; 9, 68, 69, 71, 72, or 78A, further described below. Proper contact language should be used to minimize how long you are on Channel 16. Emergency calls to inland lake Water Patrols and the Coast Guard are made on this channel as well. Never converse on Channel 16 beyond initial contact. This is the FCC designated distress and safety channel that must remain as clear as possible for emergency contact. By law, all recreational vessels are required to monitor Channel 16 when their radios are on and they are not communicating on another channel. Channel 22A This is the general working channel for the U.S. Coast Guard. They monitor Channel 16 for distress and safety situations, but will normally ask you to move to this channel or another working channel for conversations. Also, in some areas, important river stage, tidal, or hazard information is broadcast on this channel by the Coast Guard at 0400, 1100, 1600 and 2200 hrs central time. These broadcasts are announced briefly on Channel 16 just moments before they start on Channel 22A. You will find this information helpful and necessary if you are traveling long-distance on the rivers, or if you have a sailboat and the height of your mast is a concern for crossing under bridges. Use of this channel is restricted to the Coast Guard, and you may not use this channel unless directed so by the Coast Guard. This channel will appear on your radio as Channel 22. The "A" only designates that it is a United States frequency. Note that if your radio is set on "international" frequencies, you will not be able to receive transmissions on Channel 22A. Remember, always call the Coast Guard on Channel 16, not on Channel 22. Channel 6 For ship-to-ship safety messages, and U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue. Channel 9 This is one of the working channels that you may use for conversations ship-to-ship, or ship-to-shore. This channel is shared with by non-commercial vessels and commercial vessels. Channel 9 was also designated by the FCC in April of 1992 as a second and optional Calling channel. Channel 13 Though tug boats and commercial shipping sometimes monitor Channel 16, they mainly monitor Channel 13, and it can be the best place to get their attention in an emergency or any situation. This is a working channel for commercial vessels and is used by the tug boats on inland rivers and lakes. It is also used by draw bridges and some locks. For bridge to bridge communications it can be used by non-commercial vessels, but only when contacting a commercial vessel. Do not use call signs on Channel 13, and your power must be limited to 1 Watt. This low power output on Channel 13 is usually pre-programmed on most radios. If not, your radio will have a power select button for switching to low power. Channel 14 This channel is sometimes used by the Locks, and though they usually monitor Channel 16, they can be sometimes be reached on Channel 14. This is the working channel that they use once initial contact is made. Channel 68 This is one of the working channels that you may use for conversations ship-to-ship, or ship-to-shore. It is strictly for non-commercial use. Channel 69 Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel 68). Channel 71 Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel 68). Channel 72 Another non-commercial working channel, but for ship to ship use only. You may not establish ship to shore communications on this channel. Channel 78A Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel 68). This channel will appear on your radio as Channel 78. The "A" only designates the United States frequencies. Note that if your radio is set on "international" frequencies, you will not be able to receive transmissions on Channel 78A. Channel WX-1, WX-2, WX-3 One of these channels will be your continuous local area weather broadcast (receive only). INITIAL CONTACT AND GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS Proper words and contact procedures are necessary to minimize the use of Channel 16, and to best facilitate general communications. Though there are no set rules regarding the order of words you use, below is a suggested contact procedure as described in many publications. Remember that it is better to name the boat you are calling first as follows: "Doo-Wah, Doo-Wah, Doo-Wah......this is the Plankwalker WZC5044" If there is no response, there are procedural rules that say you must wait two minutes before calling again. If there is no response after three calls, the rules say you must wait fifteen minutes before starting another series of calls to the same boat, unless "there is no reason to believe that harmful interference will be caused to other communications in progress". In this case, the fifteen minute delay can be reduced to three minutes. None of the above limitations apply in emergencies. Once the initial contact is made, the next action to take is for one of the boats to establish a working channel. This is usually done by the boat answering the initial call as follows: "Plankwalker, this is the Doo-Wah.....let's switch to channel 68, channel 68" Plankwalker should then answer back: "Plankwalker switching to channel 68" Once you have moved to a working channel, each skipper should initially call using their boat names, but the use of call signs is not required. After that, transmissions from each craft need not be identified. Your conversation on the working channel should be limited to the basic necessary communications relating to the needs of the ship. This can be general information about where to meet, provisions needed, or relaying messages etc., but superfluous communications are strictly prohibited. Each transmission as a whole should be as brief as possible. At times you will hear communications between boaters sounding a lot like Citizens Band (CB) radio. The deregulation of CB Radio has allowed a lot of undesirable language and communication procedures to abound on that band. Unfortunately some of this undesirable language has found it's way onto VHF Marine. It is illegal to call on Channel 16 with time-wasting superfluous jargon like: "How 'bout ya Ironsides....how 'bout ya Ironsides .....this is The Lucky Lou.....you got your ears on?......Come back." You must remember that Channel 16 is not just for pleasure boating contact. It is the FCC designated Distress, Safety, and Calling and Answering channel used by commercial and non- commercial shipping. The Coast Guard, the Water Patrol, Locks, Marinas, and many other concerns use Channel 16. The above type calling procedure would be considered at least incorrect if not illegal. Also, general calls not to a specific station are illegal, except in cases of an emergency. Procedural words like "over", "clear", "out", "roger", "break", "affirmative", and "negative" , are not necessary, but can reduce the length of conversations and are therefore sometimes helpful. Often times these words are used too much, or are misused. The word "over" is best used only when communicating with someone who is not experienced with radio communications, or when radio reception conditions are bad. The word "break" is often misused as a way to break into someone else's transmission. The proper use of the word "break" is for when you are communicating with more than one boat and want to change your transmission from one station to another. It can also be used to mark a separation between formal messages if you are transmitting more than one message in a row. Generally, the work "break" is not used very much. Requests for a "radio check" or signal report on Channel 16 is a clear violation of the FCC rules and subjects the radio operator to citation by the FCC. Any signal report returned by a station on Channel 16 is also a separate violation subject to citation by the FCC. Most calls for a "radio check" are unnecessary, but if you must obtain a report on your transmission, certain procedures and limitations are prescribed. To get a report on your signal, make initial contact with another station on Channel 16 and switch to a working channel, then make your request for a signal report. Do not ever call the Coast Guard for a radio check or signal check. Hand-held VHF Marine radios are quite popular. All of the same rules apply. A hand-held unit may be used as the main ship radio or be used as an "associated ship unit", off the main vessel, but in the vicinity, such as on a dinghy. When using your hand-held radio as an "associated ship unit", your call sign is that of the parent vessel followed by the designator "mobile". Legally, an "associated ship unit" may only be used for contact with the parent vessel, and may not be used on shore even to call the parent vessel. EMERGENCY CONTACTS There are three different levels of emergency calls as defined by the FCC. The Distress Call The highest priority is a Distress Call, limited to situations which a vessel is "threatened by grave and imminent danger and requests immediate assistance". This type of distress radio traffic is identified by the word "mayday". Do not call mayday if you are only out of fuel or having engine trouble. Use your radio to call for help on Channel 16, but do not include the word "mayday" in the transmission. If you must make a distress call, the procedure is as follows: "Mayday.....mayday.....mayday......this is [your boat name spoken three times and your call sign]". After a brief pause the following: "Distress Message.....Mayday.....[your boat's name, your position, the nature of your distress, the kind of assistance requested, and any other useful information such as your boat's description or conditions on board]". Then say: "I will be listening on Channel 16.....[the name of your boat and your call sign]". Monitor for a reply. If you hear someone sending a distress call using the word "mayday" on Channel 16, do not immediately respond. Listen carefully for the Coast Guard or other authorities or a closer vessel to answer first, then if you hear no response within 30 to 60 seconds, respond to the distress call and offer help. Your boat can be vital assistance to a vessel in distress even if you cannot get to the vessel. For example, the position of your boat may be an important radio link for the vessel in distress, by relaying the distress information to authorities that may lie out of range from the distressed vessel. When the Coast Guard or other authorities take over the communications in a distress situation, all traffic on Channel 16 is usually silenced, and you should voluntarily maintain radio silence until the situation is cleared. The Urgent Call The second highest emergency call is an Urgent Call. A typical urgent situation would be running aground in deteriorating weather. Such transmissions are initiated with the urgent signal "PAN-PAN" (pronounced "pahn-pahn") spoken three times. An urgent call would be transmitted on Channel 16 as follows: "PAN-PAN....PAN-PAN...PAN-PAN... all stations....this is [your boat name followed by the nature of the emergency and other useful information]." End with your boat name and call sign. Sometimes an urgent situation may be best handled by a call to a local marina. This of course depends on the nature of the situation. The Safety Call The third highest emergency communication is the Safety Call, preceded by the word "securite" (pronounced say- curitay) spoken three times, and is most often used by the Coast Guard to alert vessels of safety changes on the water such as lost buoys, weather alerts, dangerous floating objects, missing craft, etc. You may also transmit a safety call. This call is made on Channel 16 as follows: "Securite...securite...securite all stations....[your boat name and call sign]...listen to channel 6 for a message...[your boat name] out." Switch to Channel 6 and begin your message the same way: "Securite...securite...securite all stations.....[your boat name and call sign]...[the safety message]...[your call sign]...out." Also alert the Coast Guard of the problem direct by calling them on Channel 16. They will instruct you to go to Channel 22 so that you can report the details of the problem to them. BRIDGE TO BRIDGE COMMUNICATIONS WITH COMMERCIAL VESSELS These calls are made on Channel 13. Do not call bridge to bridge to a commercial vessel on Channel 16 and switch to Channel 13. Make your initial contact on Channel 13 and continue your communication there. MARINE OPERATORS: You can make telephone calls with your VHF Marine radio by contacting the local area Marine Operator on Channel 16. It is best though to know the working channel of your local area Marine Operator and make your initial contact on that channel. Marine Operators monitor both Channel 16 and their working channel. The VHF working channel assignments for Marine Operators are: 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 84, 85, 86, 87, and 88. Making calls through the marine operator is simple, and the charges show up on your normal home or office telephone bill. For marine operator frequencies and information near you, contact your local marina. COMPLETE VHF MARINE CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS FOR U.S. WATERS Channel TX (MHz) RX (MHz) Purpose w/(footnote numbers) ------------------------------------------------------------ 01A 156.050 156.050 Port Operations- Commercial Intership & Ship to Coast (1) 05A 156.250 156.250 Port Operations- Commercial Intership & Ship to Coast (2) 06 156.300 156.300 Intership Safety Only/USCG Search & Rescue 07A 156.350 156.350 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast 08 156.400 156.400 Commercial-Intership 09 156.450 156.450 Commercial & Non- Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast. Also secondary Calling. 10 156.500 156.500 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast 11 156.550 156.550 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Shore (1) 12 156.600 156.600 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast (3) 13 156.650 156.650 Navigation-Bridge to Bridge (4) 14 156.700 156.700 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast (3). Locks. 15 N/A 156.750 Environmental Information (Receive Only) (5) 16 156.800 156.800 Distress, Safety, and Calling & Answering (5) 17 156.850 156.850 Maritime Control/ Great Lakes Weather & Safety (6) 18A 156.900 156.900 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast 19A 156.950 156.950 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast 20 157.000 157.000 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast 21A 157.050 157.050 USCG Internal working channel 22A 157.100 157.100 USCG Liason & working channel Maritime Safety Broadcasts 23A 157.150 157.150 USCG Internal working channel 24 156.200 161.800 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 25 156.250 161.850 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 26 156.300 161.900 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 27 156.350 161.950 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 28 156.400 162.000 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 63A 156.175 156.175 Port Operations- Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast (1) 65A 156.275 156.275 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast 66A 156.325 156.325 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast 67 156.375 156.375 Navigational-Bridge to Bridge (7) 68 156.425 156.425 Non-Commercial- Intership & Ship to Coast 69 156.475 156.475 Non-Commercial- Intership & Ship to Coast 70 156.525 156.525 Digital Selective Distress, Safety, Calling & Answering. 71 156.575 156.575 Non-Commercial- Intership & Ship to Coast 72 156.625 156.625 Non-Commercial- Intership only 73 156.675 156.675 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast 74 156.725 156.725 Port Operations- Intership & Ship to Coast 77 156.875 156.875 Port Operations- Intership (8) 78A 156.925 156.925 Non-Commercial- Intership & Ship to Coast 79A 156.975 156.975 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast (9) 80A 157.025 157.025 Commercial-Intership & Ship to Coast (9) 81A 157.075 157.075 USCG Internal working channel 82A 157.125 157.125 USCG Internal working channel 83A 157.175 157.175 USCG Internal working channel 84 157.225 161.825 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 85 157.275 161.875 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 86 157.325 161.925 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 87 157.375 161.971 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) 88 157.425 162.025 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator) (10) 88A 157.425 157.425 Commercial-Intership (11) WX-1 N/A 162.550 Weather (Receive Only) WX-2 N/A 162.400 Weather (Receive Only) WX-3 N/A 162.475 Weather (Receive Only) WX-4 N/A 162.425 Weather (12) WX-5 N/A 162.450 Weather (12) WX-6 N/A 162.500 Weather (12) WX-7 N/A 162.525 Weather (12) FOOTNOTES AND DEFINITIONS FOR CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS (1) Available for port operations and commercial communications only within Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) areas of New Orleans and Lower Mississippi River. (2) For VTS use in the Seattle Area. (3) For VTS use in designated port areas, and in the Great Lakes primarily for Ship Movement Service in the St. Lawrence Seaway; may be used in other areas on non- interference basis. (4) Primarily for navigation safety between ships; available for VTS in Great Lakes, also used at drawbridges and canal locks. Power limited to one watt, call signs omitted. Not used in Lower Mississippi River. (5) Also used by Class C EPIRBs. (6) Used by State and Local Governments, power limited to one watt, may be used for Great Lakes Weather broadcasts. (7) Navigational Safety between ships in Lower Mississippi River. (8) Limited to communications with pilots regarding movement and docking of ships. Power limited to one watt. (9) Also available for shared use by non-commercial vessels on the Great Lakes only. (10) In Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca and approaches only. (11) Only outside area of Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca and approaches. (12) Very seldom used. RX = Receive frequency. TX = Transmit frequency. MHz = Megahertz USCG = United States Coast Guard RESOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE: Federal Communications Commission/Gettysburg, PA The United States Coast Guard/Ohio Valley The United States Army Corp. of Engineers Ingram Industries/Nashville Kentucky State Water Patrol/Frankfort, KY Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency/Nashville, TN Tennessee Valley Authority/Golden Pond, KY Tennessee Valley Authority/Nashville, TN Standard Radio Products, Inc. "All About VHF Amateur Radio" by William Orr "Communications Afloat" by Elbert S. Maloney "Practical Sailor" by Belvoir Publications For printed versions of this article, contact the author: Byron Hill P.O. Box 120603, Nashville, TN 37212. Phone: 615-298-1694 or Fax: 615-385-4058. Copyright 1994 by Byron Hill. Non-commercial distribution is permitted. Distribution via commercial Bulletin Board Systems is permitted, provided that no fee is charged specifically for this article.