This Short-Hand VHF Stuff is Driving me Insane

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Jonna

DSC is great, but...

While arriving to the Canaries we actually had to turn our VHF off. There was a DSC safety message every 30 minutes. You know, DSC goes much longer way than speech, so we only heard the alarm. While sailing on a relatively small boat it's no way it go if the one off duty wakes up every half an hour.

That is the safety/messaging use of DSC. In the context of this thread, the use of DSC to initiate a boat-boat call would not be transmitted to any boat other than that intended.

Mark

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by colemj

Will you be making it your life mission to equip every restaurant, local fishing boat, local household, etc in every nation/island with these stickers, as well as explain the law to them? After that, you can take care of the crazy driving habits they have in many areas!

Mark

Of course not. Nor should I. (For starters it is illegal to use marine VHF from land, unless you have an additional license )

The point is that just because somebody else breaks the law, for whatever reason (generally ignorance of the law) it doesn't condone your breaking the same law, especially if you know the law.

To be honest, In general I don't really care how anyone else uses there VHF, (insofar as their mis-use doesn't interfere with genuine port control, commercial, or safety of life radio traffic). Nevertheless, my point is that it really, really isn't at all arduous to use a VHF correctly (as most here know), so why wouldn't you, regardless of what others do?

[SimonV]

Originally Posted by colemj

That is the safety/messaging use of DSC. In the context of this thread, the use of DSC to initiate a boat-boat call would not be transmitted to any boat other than that intended.

Mark

Ahh so you say there is correct way to use the vhf. If they don't use the vhf correctly why would they care about DSC protocol.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

The point is that just because somebody else breaks the law, for whatever reason (generally ignorance of the law) it doesn't condone your breaking the same law, especially if you know the law

We do use the vhf correctly. We just aren't all wound up about everyone else's usage modes and don't feel any compulsion to act as deputized citizens - particularly when it comes to the locals or people we do not know.

And this whole thread is about "what others do".

Mark

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

Radio etiquette is not, actually etiquette it is law, just like road rules are not road rules, they are law (how would you go if you started driving on the other side of the road, or ignoring speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights because you couldn't be bothered with road etiquette?).

As far as I can tell, there are a whole bunch of people out there who do just that. Seem to think traffic laws don't apply to them. Pretty sure they are exactly the same people who clutter up the airwaves.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Eh, I really just can't seem to work myself into a lather over VHF protocol. I'd settle for people turning them on and monitoring 16. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to hail another vessel and them apparently not have the VHF on. Interferes with the stereo, I suppose.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

Of course not. Nor should I. (For starters it is illegal to use marine VHF from land, unless you have an additional license )

Really? Tell it to the Bahamians. It was their telephone for years. I can't get too excited with how they use the vhf. All these posts re proper vhf usage is much ado about nothing. Local rules rule. They do usually keep 16 free, but a short message or announcement never hurt anyone.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by SimonV

Ahh so you say there is correct way to use the vhf. If they don't use the vhf correctly why would they care about DSC protocol.

There really isn't any "protocol" to boat-boat DSC calling beyond choosing a working channel. I have found that the majority of people who do know how to use a vhf properly do not know how to work their DSC. Not caring is not confined to just those who use hailing channels incorrectly.

Mark

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by colemj

There really isn't any "protocol" to boat-boat DSC calling beyond choosing a working channel. I have found that the majority of people who do know how to use a vhf properly do not know how to work their DSC. Not caring is not confined to just those who use hailing channels incorrectly.

Mark

Yeah, they leave it on 16 instead of selecting a working channel before initiating the call.

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by colemj

We do use the vhf correctly. We just aren't all wound up about everyone else's usage modes and don't feel any compulsion to act as deputized citizens - particularly when it comes to the locals or people we do not know.

And this whole thread is about "what others do".

Mark

Sure. And I don't get wound up either, with the exceptions noted above re port, commercial and safety of life traffic - i.e where there are potentially serious / dangerous consequences. I just think it is disingenuous of those who seem to be saying that they can't be bothered to use their radio in accordance with the law, even though they know they should, and justify it by saying it is ok because others also don't use their radios correctly either.

I kind of feel the same way about road rules - I generally adhere to them, I know that lots of others generally don't, but I only get wound up when flaunting of the road rules is dangerous to others (in particular me!)

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Really? Tell it to the Bahamians. It was their telephone for years. I can't get too excited with how they use the vhf. All these posts re proper vhf usage is much ado about nothing. Local rules rule. They do usually keep 16 free, but a short message or announcement never hurt anyone.

Yes, really, for all countries that are signatories to the International Telecommunications Union (which does include the Bahamas FWIW) (ref Membership - List (ITUstates) [ITU external] [wind] ). What Bahamians do is a problem (or not) for The Bahamas authorities, not you or I. However what the Bahamians do, or do not do, does not justify what you (or I) do or don't do.

Of course, it is possible that local laws / regulations may take precedence over International conventions, rules and laws (such as is the case, for example, with SOLAS regulations in some cases). I can't really comment though, because frankly I don't know.

In Afghanistan, they murder girls for the crime of going to school. Doesn't mean its ok for you to do so as well.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Used to leave my radio on The Moorings working channel while working on my boat...the "bare-ly boaters" crowd was often good entertainment.

saiing in the BVI one year, listening on the VHF

"Sunsail Base, This is the sunsail yacht xxxxx, come in over"

" Sunsail yachts xxxxx , go ahead"

" Sunsail base, were out of propane"

" Sunsail yacht xxx, where are you , we'll run you out propane in the speed Boat"

" Sunbase, this is yacht xxx, hmmm, not sure, we're behind an island"

" What island"

" don't know, a green one"

"Sunsail yacht xxxx, where have you come from.."

" another island"

The rest of the conversation was missed as I had to be helped off the cockpit floor by SWMBO with the convulsions.

I gather they found the yacht by visiting all the yachts with the same coloured sail bag!!!. I know this cause they stoped by us later with tanks of propane asking were we were the boat ( our sail bag was green too!)

dave

[carstenb]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

saiing in the BVI one year, listening on the VHF

"Sunsail Base, This is the sunsail yacht xxxxx, come in over"

" Sunsail yachts xxxxx , go ahead"

" Sunsail base, were out of propane"

" Sunsail yacht xxx, where are you , we'll run you out propane in the speed Boat"

" Sunbase, this is yacht xxx, hmmm, not sure, we're behind an island"

" What island"

" don't know, a green one"

"Sunsail yacht xxxx, where have you come from.."

" another island"

The rest of the conversation was missed as I had to be helped off the cockpit floor by SWMBO with the convulsions.

I gather they found the yacht by visiting all the yachts with the same coloured sail bag!!!. I know this cause they stoped by us later with tanks of propane asking were we were the boat ( our sail bag was green too!)

dave

Might have been easier to just the ask the boater to read off the GPS data displayed on the VHF (if they have a distress button - they have a GPS hook-up)

[GordMay]

This occurred on the Chesapeake in 1992:
A US Army barge was transiting upbound, and trying to make VHF contact with the US Navy. No answer to repeated hails on Ch 16.
Finally, in frustration, the Army barge asked: “Does anyone know where the Navy is?”
Now if you’ve ever sailed the Chesapeake, you know there’s always radio “chatter”. After a very long, unheard of, silence, some wag commented: “The Army can’t find the Navy, God, I hope were’ not under attack!"

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by carstenb

Might have been easier to just the ask the boater to read off the GPS data displayed on the VHF (if they have a distress button - they have a GPS hook-up)

They didnt have a GPS. Sunsail didn't install them across the board 14 years ago. Anyway they were opposite Road town it turned out !!

Dave