How good a VHF watch do you maintain?

[Anders]

In the summer I switch on the handheld while waiting to be lifted out by the yard.

[JPA Cate]

We mainly monitor 16 and 13, hailing and vessel traffic control. Where we are sailing, this eliminates all the traffic from the people hanging out on chat channels, and people who want to contact us know to call on 16 and we'll take them off to another channel.

We ALWAYS monitor when we are under way. Response bias be damned! It is what I was taught was the law when I started sailing, and i follow it. It is easy to hear in the cockpit, and there is a mike there, for use as needed.

We have been chided for not monitoring while at anchor, especially in the boondocks in foreign countries, where we might be the nearest possible responder to another cruiser in difficulties. However, mostly, at night, the VHF is off. That said, though, if the weather is particularly vile, we will leave it on low, to catch a possible mayday. Additionally, the AIS will also alarm for a mayday, so we would be woken.

Ann

[Jim Cate]

but if you are say 5 miles from the nearest vessel I believe it's not a crime to turn the radio off or down if there is too much chatter

Well Thomm, maintaining a radio watch is a REQUIREMENT in the USA if your boat has one fitted, so yes, not doing so is a crime.

I would have thought one as experienced as you would know that.

Jim

[wingssail]

Here in Mexico Channel 22A is the calling channel so we monitor that. Away from ports we monitor Channel 16, usually both. While sailing we keep the handheld on near the helm.

One aspect you have not addressed is monitoring the radio at night, at anchor and in the marina.

For safety reasons we have always monitored the local calling channels and or 16 any time we are on board, day or night. Several times over the years we have intercepted distress calls and taken action to get assistance for the caller. Since in many third world countries, Mexico included, there is no coast guard or other marine safety authority, it is only passive listeners who might hear a distress call. So keeping the radio on 24 hours a day is good.

And this brings up a pet peeve of mine: My latest radio, a Standard Horizon Matrix 2000, requires a GPS input. If there is no GPS input it puts out a loud, continuing, alarm. You can kill the alarm but it reoccurs every 4 hours. So if it is on at night, and your GPS is not, it will wake you up at zero dark 30. Totally aggravating. So we turn off the VHF when we go to bed. So much for safety.

I complained to Standard Horizon about this, and their response was that this "feature" was a requirement of the ITU, that Swiss operation in the hotbed of sailors, Geneva. So much for the intelligence of swiss bureaucracy.

[Chotu]

Color me a criminal. Ha ha.

I turn on the VHF when I need to use it.

In heavy vessel traffic.
In the ICW for the slow pass dance.
To call marinas and launch drivers.
To coordinate dinghy/mothership.
To listen to NOAA weather radio broadcasts occasionally if out of range for cellular service.
To hail someone in a situation that requires it.

Leaving it blaring all day? Might as well get my relaxation in at a crowded sports bar. It’s endless chatter that doesn’t apply to you 99.99996% of the time. Too annoying to leave on all day long.

I keep a ridiculously serious watch though, so I’m aware of all vessel traffic anywhere around my boat.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Apollo366

...When I got my current boat it had the vhf down in the cabin in the nav table area, totally useless, never understood why anyone would mount a vhf down there, can't be heard at all.
I first mounted it near the companion way hatch, good when sailing, poor when under motor, and hard to use when steering. At a modest expense I had it moved to the cockpit next to the helmsman's seat and a sun cover made for it. It's now easy to hear & use while maneuvering too.

The best place for it is to have it mounted as part of the instrument panel at the wheel, but this is a major project & probably only works for a new or major upgrade of the instrument displays...

Apollo366, I am glad to hear that you are concerned about safety and neighborhood watch.

I would encourage you to reconsider having a radio at the nav station. In bad weather it will be very hard to have a conversation, about safety or otherwise, with a radio at the helm, subject to the noise and motion of sailing. Down below it is quiet and you can hear the other person. Plus, you can jot down information. Of course a radio outside is also essential because you'd often miss traffic if your only radio is below.

The other comment I'd make is about the need of having the radio at the helm. While passage making people are rarely at the helm. In fact on my boat there is no binnacle or pedestal, and anyhow, we're never there steering. The boat is on windvane or autopilot and we are elsewhere in the cockpit.

Wanting to put all instruments and radios at the helm station tell me more about how one probably uses their boat: Sitting at the helm motoring.

I've seen many people install their radio under the dodger near the companionway. Handy and useful and away from the weather.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by wingssail

One aspect you have not addressed is monitoring the radio at night, at anchor and in the marina.

For safety reasons we have always monitored the local calling channels any time we are on board, day or night. Several times over the years we have intercepted distress calls and taken action to get assistance for the caller. Since in many third world countries, Mexico included, there is no coast guard or other marine safety authority, it is only passive listeners who might hear a distress call. So keeping the radio on 24 hours a day is good.

And this brings up a pet peeve of mine: My latest radio, a Standard Horizon Matrix 2000, requires a GPS input. If there is no GPS input it puts out a loud, continuing, alarm. You can kill the alarm but it reoccurs every 4 hours. So if it is on at night, and your GPS is not, it will wake you up at zero dark 30. Totally aggravating. So we turn off the VHF when we go to bed. So much for safety.

I complained to Standard Horizon about this, and their response was that this "feature" was a requirement of the ITU, that Swiss operation in the hotbed of sailors, Geneva. So much for the intelligence of swiss bureaucracy.

I solved the GPS problem by using VHFs with built in gps, so they're happy without anything else powered up.

I don't generally monitor at night, although in bad weather or depending on location I may be inclined to.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well Thomm, maintaining a radio watch is a REQUIREMENT in the USA if your boat has one fitted, so yes, not doing so is a crime.

I would have thought one as experienced as you would know that.

Jim

Well Jim as I said before when there is too much chatter on the VHF with pleasure boaters wanting to hear themselves on air, the thing is turned down or off.

Sometimes you have to use a little common sense.

I don't think not monitoring channel 16 all the time your radio is on is that much of a high crime or misdemeanor but make sure you do it if you are that worried about the laws.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Well Jim as I said before when there is too much chatter on the VHF with pleasure boaters wanting to hear themselves on air, the thing is turned down or off.

Sometimes you have to use a little common sense.

I don't think not monitoring channel 16 all the time your radio is on is that much of a high crime or misdemeanor but make sure you do it if you are that worried about the laws.

Well Thomm, we monitor the radio not because the rules say we should. We monitor it in case someone in distress calls for help.

As I said, we've heard those calls a few times over the years and we were glad to be able to assist, even if it only was to phone or call someone else. I think we've even saved lives.

And once, in the middle of the night, someone called us to tell us we were dragging anchor. I was up and had been watching and I responded that I could still see the Beneteau right off my beam. The caller answered, "He's dragging too".

As sailors we are part of a community, and if listening to the radio might help one of my brothers, I'll do it.

[C420sailor]

I find it moderately hilarious that you can fly an airplane across the US in an airplane that doesn’t even have a radio installed, yet you can’t go on a daysail without monitoring 16

Now I know why the surface warfare guys were so uptight!

[JPA Cate]

We, too, monitor because someone may need help....and some places, we know we might be closest responder.

I don't really care very much about laws , although I try to follow them when a guest in other countries. But in this case, where lives may be saved, I think it is despicably selfish to think one's being "annoyed" out weighs the value of helping others. Just my opinion, but I do feel very strongly about it.

Ann

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

I find it moderately hilarious that you can fly an airplane across the US in an airplane that doesn’t even have a radio installed, yet you can’t go on a daysail without monitoring 16

Now I know why the surface warfare guys were so uptight!

You just hit on a key point. Under 65 feet and recreational, and in the US, you're not required to have a VHF at all. But if you have one, you're required to monitor 16.

Originally Posted by wingssail

Well Thomm, we monitor the radio not because the rules say we should. We monitor it in case someone in distress calls for help.

As I said, we've heard those calls a few times over the years and we were glad to be able to assist, even if it only was to phone or call someone else. I think we've even saved lives.

And once, in the middle of the night, someone called us to tell us we were dragging anchor. I was up and had been watching and I responded that I could still see the Beneteau right off my beam. The caller answered, "He's dragging too".

As sailors we are part of a community, and if listening to the radio might help one of my brothers, I'll do it.

Agreed, listening gives the opportunity to help someone out if needed. And beyond that, it gives some situational awareness when something is going on rather than finding out when it becomes an issue.

Last summer, we were just out for the weekend at one point, sitting at anchor. Some time on Sunday afternoon, we heard some VHF chatter about the local police and USCG responding to a jetski that t-boned a boat right outside the entrance to the bay we were sitting in. That was a good cue to hang out for another hour before pulling up the anchor to head home instead of trying to work around that mess or potentially getting in the way.

We've also towed someone in on a Sunday evening after hearing a VHF call requesting assistance. Could have left them for TowboatUS (they weren't in any danger), but it was shortly before sunset, not many other boats out, and we were close. I didn't hear a VHF response from Towboat, so we went and brought them in, finished up just before dark. If they had waited for the Towboat guy to get to the boat and get out there, they'd have been waiting in the dark most likely.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Sometimes I don't want to hear it and when I'm out where I usually am and there are no vessels in site it's not that big of a deal to have the radio off.

Not sure why I'd want to hear from the authorities ....

I have been boarded by the USCG for a "safety inspection" three times so far and each time, they called me on the VHF to arrange for the boarding. On the Potomac River (in the USA) and other places, there are places where the military tests ammunition and/or practices shooting and bombing and the range boats call boaters on the VHF and direct them to safe areas.

Maybe you don't want to hear from the authorities, but you need to hear from the authorities.

The law says you are supposed to monitor 16, at least in the USA.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by wingssail

Apollo366, I am glad to hear that you are concerned about safety and neighborhood watch.

I would encourage you to reconsider having a radio at the nav station. In bad weather it will be very hard to have a conversation, about safety or otherwise, with a radio at the helm, subject to the noise and motion of sailing. Down below it is quiet and you can hear the other person. Plus, you can jot down information. Of course a radio outside is also essential because you'd often miss traffic if your only radio is below.

The other comment I'd make is about the need of having the radio at the helm. While passage making people are rarely at the helm. In fact on my boat there is no binnacle or pedestal, and anyhow, we're never there steering. The boat is on windvane or autopilot and we are elsewhere in the cockpit.

Wanting to put all instruments and radios at the helm station tell me more about how one probably uses their boat: Sitting at the helm motoring.

I've seen many people install their radio under the dodger near the companionway. Handy and useful and away from the weather.

For the VHF to be of any use, it has to be where you are when operating the boat. If you might be at multiple places (I have an upper and lower helm), you need multiple radios or multiple remote microphones with speakers that allow you to listen, transmit and change channels.

[Scott Berg]

A few comments: 1) you should always have your GPS attached to your Class D VHF (and HF, if fitted) radio. It's a critical part of Area A1 SAR. 2) We keep our nav sta and helm radios to the calling station of the area we're sailing, 16 in the US, and a hand held at the helm to 13 for local bridge to bridge calling. 3) Never turn off the VHF at anchor/etc, just turn the volume all the way down to eliminate the chatter; a DSC distress call will override the volume and sound the alarm.