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Old 06-09-2021, 10:01   #31
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

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Originally Posted by David Mathis View Post
On the Hudson River, New York State Canal System, and Lake Champlain, it's common to hear numerous repeated calls to marinas from boaters looking for fuel, a slip, dinner reservations, etc. Much of the problem is caused by marinas having different contact channels ie: calls on 19 for a marina that monitors 74 or calls on 16 when the marina monitors 68. Much of this could be eliminated by the FCC and USCG getting together to designate a marina contact channel. The old radiotelephone channels 25-28?) which are rarely, if ever, used since cell phone use became common could be designated for this purpose.
If you don't know what the marina's working channel is, hailing them on 9 or 16 and expecting to be switched to a working channel is appropriate.
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Old 06-09-2021, 10:07   #32
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

I understand that the OP is asking about the Caribbean, but I'll just toss this out there for Canadians or people visiting up here.


Canada is... a little different. Our channels and frequencies are slightly different than the USA and "international" standards and therefore our radios have a switch that change the radio between Canada, USA and International modes.


The usage for all channels is specified, and (supposedly) regulated and it differs on what part of the country you're in. Like, why be standard, eh? Let's do everything uniquely and be different between provinces and the rest of the world. Wonderful.


To find out what channels you can and can't use and for what purpose, check out the following link and look for "Schedule I". For those of us that are older, this is the newer version of RIC-13.


https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/smt-gs...11.html#sched1


Basically, find your area of operation, find an X in the column and look for the "NC" (noncommercial) in the next column. In theory, you're supposed to be in a vessel to use the handheld... so step on a floating stick or something and call it a boat. We are allowed to use ch.15 & ch.17 at 1 watt of power, which is good for those dinghy pickups, so you aren't blasting the lake with 25watts of power. Ch.69 is also a popular one for those of us that monitor ch.68 (yacht clubs).

Now... there's some confusion around the channels without a specific designation mentioned. In 2002, Industry Canada said that these channels can be used by boaters...
( https://boating.ncf.ca/vhfletter.html )
It was 2002, so take that with a grain of salt. RIC-13 was updated since then and the unspecified usage is still undefined.


Also... is anyone here able to define the difference between "Public Correspondence" and "non-commercial"? Their documents do not give definitions.
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Old 06-09-2021, 12:11   #33
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

‘Outside the US, it’s largely unregulated.’ That is a very bold statement best ignored by anyone venturing across to Europe. I am based in the UK and I teach marine band radio to a strictly defined syllabus as well as independently examine candidates for a license. Users here are generally meticulous in using the correct channels and procedures.
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Old 06-09-2021, 13:08   #34
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

Once one gets out of the US and Western European areas, the "laws" on trivial issues like this are largely either ignored or only spottily enforced. With the exception of some government or quasi-government users, anybody can, in practice, use whatever channel they want. For example, there might be a requirement about carrying life jackets, but somebody might check every few years. If you don’t have them, maybe they’ll tell you to get them, but they won’t check to see if you did. Very occasionally, you’ll get somebody inspecting an 18’ open launch that never travels more than 1500’ from the dock and ask "Where’s the GPS, compass and life raft The law says you need them." But the following week, they won’t care if there’s a fire extinguisher or life jackets. It’s a constant problems with visitors who expect things to be like they are back home.
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Old 06-09-2021, 13:18   #35
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

The long and short of it is that virtually anyplace in US waters you can use anything except 16. USCG is supposed to enforce the FCC rules but their priority is "off" (i.e, below) the charts.
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Old 06-09-2021, 14:18   #36
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

Bill's quite right about the UK having rules - but sadly, they're self-policed, usually by embarrassment rather than any action. The coastguard will pop up and remind people it's a calling and distress channel - but anywhere else, people who have scraped through the test, or worse, never taken the test do very strange things. In the office, one radio scans the local popular channels and sometimes what you hear is cringeworthy, sometimes even peppered with swearing - but usually somebody makes a call to another vessel properly which reminds the people off-track that it is not private and NOT CB. The standard of radio procedure can be truly dire. Our local harbour control tends to just ask 'chatters' to use a different channel as this is our working channel. Despite going on the course - people still say over and out - always the leisure boaters. The pro boat folk never say over. Listening to the VHF use in general is a mixture of comedy and tragedy. OFCOM, our regulator, will sort out interference, and other critical issues, after a day or two if reported by the coastguard or life boats, but somebody in a marina complaining about something odd on channel 37 would get no response. Nobody in the UK will have issues with people having a chat on any of the unused channels. People do choose the same ones though. I've never heard anybody talk like they do on their test. Most seem to forget it straight away - although I live in Suffolk, where we struggle to speak on dry land. For instance, we're likely to hear "How you doin' on? over" and the response "lovely old job, boy". I'm afraid here people only talk like the test requires, on the test! I was at one course and it went like this.

Candidate "Yacht Finnegan, Yacht Finnigan, Yacht Finnigan, this is Europa, Europa - do you require a tow boy? Over ........."
Instructor "let go of the button"
Candidate "Let go of the button, over"
Instructor "No - you need to let go of the button"

In the exam later on when the examiner arrived, he was presented with the scenario of the other vessel having engine failure, and sent the correctly phrased transmission, but added, do you require a tow? The examiner smiled. He passed. However, what caused the smile was the fact that the vessel he offered a tow to was the Oriana - cruise ship! He was in a 16ft rib.They'd been talking earlier about the different classes of radio between large and small vessels, and figured he'd remember the name - he didn't. Doesn't impact the exam, but funny.
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Old 06-09-2021, 15:15   #37
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

Been using Ch 17 for over 40 years. No problems or complaints. Just make sure you are clear and concise and never chatty.
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Old 06-09-2021, 16:00   #38
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

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Originally Posted by armand.seguin View Post
The long and short of it is that virtually anyplace in US waters you can use anything except 16. USCG is supposed to enforce the FCC rules but their priority is "off" (i.e, below) the charts.
For sure. I'm sure you could use 16 also very safely, but most boaters would prefer you don't. Bahamas cracks me up. VHF is their phone system.
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Old 07-09-2021, 03:28   #39
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Re: VHF Channels for Non-Emergency Use

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Originally Posted by Bycrick View Post
Once one gets out of the US and Western European areas, the "laws" on trivial issues like this are largely either ignored or only spottily enforced. With the exception of some government or quasi-government users, anybody can, in practice, use whatever channel they want. For example, there might be a requirement about carrying life jackets, but somebody might check every few years. If you don’t have them, maybe they’ll tell you to get them, but they won’t check to see if you did. Very occasionally, you’ll get somebody inspecting an 18’ open launch that never travels more than 1500’ from the dock and ask "Where’s the GPS, compass and life raft The law says you need them." But the following week, they won’t care if there’s a fire extinguisher or life jackets. It’s a constant problems with visitors who expect things to be like they are back home.
Adding Western Europe still does not make this statement true.

I can tell you that in the former Soviet Union, the radio spectrum is carefully monitored. Same thing in most of SE Asia. China may be strictest of all.

Radio spectrum is unregulated in relatively few places, mostly undeveloped.

And the U.S. is much looser than most other developed countries, so not good to make the U.S. any kind of standard. In Europe it's a serious process to get a short range certificate; that is, license to use marine VHF.
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