Radio Etiquette and the lack thereof...

[dana-tenacity]

[quote=rebel heart;121877] That's one of the realities of people screwing around on 16: more and more mariners turn off their radios because they don't want to hear your kids saying "HELLO??" blaring through the cockpit.

quote]

That's me, hate the thing, seldom turn it on.

[David M]

Want to know a secret? Lots of the commercial guys don't monitor 16, like they are supposed to, or turn it way down because of all the noisy amatures on it. This happens especially on weekends when every other Bubba with a yacht is on 16 doing an illegal radio check. Try them on Ch 9 or 13 first if you need to reach them right away.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Therapy

You mean beta for bravo?

Hehehe

LOL...you made me look twice.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Therapy

You mean beta for bravo?

Hehehe

And I suppose VHS for V?

Steve B.

[GordMay]

MARINE RADIO INFORMATION FOR BOATERS
Communications Template - USCG Navigation Center

BASIC MARINE VHF RADIO PROCEDURE
http://www.cfbkyc.com/altformats/pdf/vhf.pdf

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

That's me, hate the thing, seldom turn it on.

I keep a handheld in the cockpit that has a two-channel monitoring ability. It's set to 16 and 68. And the main VHF is usually off or muted.

The key thing is that the handheld has only a relatively short range so if there's a Mayday or Pan Pan, I know it's close by and I should pay attention (and turn on the main VHF.).

If I hear someone say "white sailboat about to be run down by giant tanker" I figure there's a possibility the call refers to me and I stop cutting my toenails and look around.

And it doesn't pick up a lot of the idiots -- just the ones within a mile or so.

Not a perfect solution, but better than shutting the radio off entirely.

And, of course, it complies with the law.


Connemara

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by dana-tenacity

That's me, hate the thing, seldom turn it on.

In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate.

Sources:
FCC 47 CFR §§ 80.148, 80.310,
NTIA Manual 8.2.29.6.c(2)(e),
ITU RR 31.17, 33.18, AP13 §25.2

[AVSkipper]

Just two days ago, some illustrious member of my sailing club was insistent upon a radio check on channel 16. The fleet guy at the club told him it was non-emergency and got him to switch channels. That guy may have been sleeping when they went over radio etiquette. Meanwhile, the CG was trying to sort out a distress call from an unknown vessel near Catalina.

[Pblais]

A Restricted Radio Telegraph License is required by all that operate this equipment.

That is only for commercial use. No one here should ever need one. The basic FCC form 605 does everything a recreational cruiser could possibly have / need except HAM (it's a different additional application form). It's $160 and can be amended for free. You can add all things if you need them or add them later as required once you have a station license. You can file it on line as well as pay by credit card. I takes a couple weeks. It's one piece of paper that does not look like much. It does not expire.

[sluissa]

Originally Posted by GordMay

In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate.

Sources:
FCC 47 CFR §§ 80.148, 80.310,
NTIA Manual 8.2.29.6.c(2)(e),
ITU RR 31.17, 33.18, AP13 §25.2

So no exceptions? My vhf radio drains the battery faster than my little solar panel can keep up with even if it's only receiving. It's nice to have a vhf radio if you need it in an emergency it can be used, but not if the battery is dead from just having it on all the time.

[Pblais]

So no exceptions? My vhf radio drains the battery faster than my little solar panel can keep up with even if it's only receiving.

That is the rule. A radio is for safety and when it's off it is not acting as a safety feature. I've never heard of anyone fined for a violation but if no one has a radio on who will hear the distress call? How will the freighter on your tail contact you?

[fairbank56]

Originally Posted by Pblais

That is only for commercial use. No one here should ever need one.

Once again, if you travel to a foreign port with only a VHF, you must have a station license and operator permit. Neither is required if only operating in the U.S. for voluntary vessels. If you are a voluntary vessel operating only in the U.S. and have an SSB station, you must have the station license and permit.

Eric

[fairbank56]

Originally Posted by Pblais

I've never heard of anyone fined for a violation but if no one has a radio on who will hear the distress call? How will the freighter on your tail contact you?

That is exactly what happened when the American Promise was run into and sunk on the Chesapeake Bay by a tug pushing a barge several years ago. The tug repeatedly tried contacting the Promise on channel 16 but they were not monitoring the channel. If they were, the whole thing could have probably been avoided. I don't recall if they determined if the radio was even on or not.

Eric

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by sluissa

So no exceptions? My vhf radio drains the battery faster than my little solar panel can keep up with even if it's only receiving. It's nice to have a vhf radio if you need it in an emergency it can be used, but not if the battery is dead from just having it on all the time.

I don’t mean to be a smart aleck; but it sounds like you need an electrical upgrade (batteries and/or radio).
A fixed VHF will draw much less than 1.5Amps/Hour average (1.5A @ Max Rx, but 0.05A on standby); which is a lot less than your "standard” anchor light draws (overnight).

[sluissa]

So, legally, it would be better for me to take the radio off completely than to have it on there but not have it on all the time?

I do have one other option that I take advantage of. I have a 2 meter ham radio handheld which happens to be able to recieve on the marine frequencies. In addition to the normal local ham repeaters, I keep it scanning on the channel 9 and 16 frequencies. I can listen to the VHF radio without draining my boat battery and if I need to respond I can turn it on. But, this would only work for a day sail, or possibly overnight because my handheld is only good for 1 day, MAYBE 2 if I don't use it to transmit at all, without a recharge.
I think it's a good law in theory. But as with a lot of laws there are exceptions it doesn't take account of and so someone ends up getting the short end of the stick. People should keep a radio watch if they're able to. But if they're not, it shouldn't keep them from having a radio on board at all. Still, I guess if people rarely if ever get fined for this, then I guess it's not that big of a deal.