Radio Check ..........

[Pilar]

So, you are heading out on the big adventure and you have a VHF radio. Do you know the basics?

Here's a few things to know. VHF is the preferred communication on the water. CB is also used but VHF is the thing to have. It is strictly line of sight. That's anywhere fron 7 to 15 miles depending on antenna length and signal conditions. You might get a bounce at 30 miles but dont count on it. You will hear official stations much further away because they are transmitting from a high point. They may or not hear you.

Channels are assigned by the FCC and other authorities. You will get stomped on by the Coast Guard or others if you disregard the channel assignments.

CH. 16 and CH. 22 are used by SAR (Search and rescue) and by vessels hailing other vessels. These channels are monitored 24/7 by SAR units. Hail another vessel, when they answer call out another channel to go to. If you chit chat on 16 you will get yelled at.

CH. 9, 11, 13 are used by commercial traffic, IE: river pilots, tugs and bridges. You can use CH. 66 and up. Your radio will only select valid channels and there aren't very many of them. Most are reserved.

A good thing to do when leaving the marina for the open ocean is to request a radio check from a specific party on 16. Then switch to different channel to chat. Example

'Coast Guard, this is the fishing vessel "Pilar" on 16.'

If they can hear you they will respond,

'Fishing vessel "Pilar", Coast Guard Tillamook bay station, we read you loud and clear, switch to channel 22A'

Respond with

'Roger, Coast Guard, "Pilar" switching to 22A'

Switch channels and hail again

'Coast Guard, this is "Pilar" on 22A, requesting a radio check and unofficial bar report.'

They respond with

'"Pilar" this is Coast Guard Tillamook bay station, Unofficial bar report is swell NW 5 ft, seas 2ft, wind 10 kts SSW'

And finally

'Coast Guard, this is "Pilar" I read you loud and clear, thank you, "Pilar" monitoring 16, out.'

22A or 22 alpha is a public channel for the Coast Guard to deal with boaters. This is all real formal but the intent is to be understood.

If you have to ask for help some informality will be tolerated as people in trouble get excited. You should be ready with the following information if you call for help.

1) Number of souls on board.
2) How many are in the water.
3) How much fuel is on the boat.
4) Position and condition of the boat.
5) Your call sign.

Declare an emergency by using 'May day'. If you do that all SAR units will immediately focus on your transmission. Any lesser problem can be declared by requesting assistance on 16. They will ask you to go to channel 22 as soon as the immediate crisis is resolved.

I know I've forgotton something here so help me out if you know what it is. You should have VHF on your boat if you fish in the Ocean as things can go to hell fast and the Coast Guard is your salvation. Don't forget to test it as you head out.
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Hey all, I edited the above to reflect the official policy as explained to me. You will do OK as long as you remember that CH 16 is for emergencies and you respect that.

[ 05-04-2001: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Gizmo Man]

Pilar: nice post. We need more like that. Are Vhf radios only for ship to ship communications or can you use them land to land near water.

Thanks again for taking the time for this informative post.

The Giz...

[DK]

pilar, i'm from washington do you in oregon have to be licensed to operate a vhf, i know in washington you are unless that has recently changed, so asking for raido check without being able to give a license # i believe is a no no, correct me if i'm wrong or this has changed but i'm constanly hearing the people in wash id them self with call #s

[Pete]

VHF is good stuff ... here's a little more that might be useful (you probably know most of it already). You may hear them and wonder what they mean.:

Because reception is sometimes less than perfect, certain words are preferred ..
affirmative, for yes
negative, for no
Out, when you are done and don't expect a reply
Over, when your are done talking and do expect a reply

Emergency calls:
"Mayday" indicates distress and immediate danger to life or property - it should be followed with information including number of persons, description of boat, accurate location and description of the problem.
"Pahn-pahn" indicates non-life threatening emergency requiring assistance such as man overboard, out of fuel, lost in fog, loss of steering or being entangled in a net (hehehe).
"Securitay" is used to indicate a navigational situation such as when a large ship is backing from dock and may not see small boats or to report partially submerged objects in a channel.

Note that it is a federal criminal offense to use profane or indecent words, language or meanings on the VHF.

A false Mayday call is a felony.

It is illegal for recreational users to use a marine VHF on land. Why? I don't know.

[Salmonator]

I have done many reception checks and hails on 16 at Astoria and Yaquina and have never been reprimanded. One time I did forget that while rambling with a friend, we were on 16 and the friendly folks at coast guard Astoria let me know it...

[rcl187]

16 is just fine for hailing and that kind of stuff. Most large boats, commercial netters and ferries always have it on standby. the boat I fish on has 3 radios, on for talking, one for standby and I don't remember the name of the other but it was extrememly powerful and on one night we picked up a guy broadcasting from arizona or nevada from his basement~i was in alaska at the time

[Jennie@ifish]

What is the official ifish channel?
[img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Grits]

Ok you have convinced me I need one.

How much do they cost? What features should I look for? Where do I go to get one?

[Pilar]

Grits,

Go to West marine and look at the 'Standard' radio, its ugly, small and waterproof. It's about $130 and has it all. Mine is 2 yrs old and still works great. Figure $60 for a decent Shakespeare antenna and a mount.

Hand held is good too but I only need VHF in the boat so I got a dash mount unit. Coast Guard group Portland is not responding to phone calls so I'm going to try the web. Back at you later.

[ 05-03-2001: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[boater]

get one that has a hookup to your gps for emergencys, it will have a button you push and sends a mayday to the coast guard with your location..this is an item you dont want to skimp on, get a good waterproof unit that will last.

It's my understanding that you don't need a license to use VHF in US waters.

I've never used mine yet except to listen to the weather forecast. I also put it on "scan" when underway. I'd like to be sure it works but I've heard the same thing about radio checks being frowned on.

[orsturgeon]

I remember the day when we all had one in our boat and one in the truck. But your right I do not think that it is legal on land.

I bought a Uniden MC 1020(triple scan and controls on mike) and 5' Shakespeare antenna for under 200 including S&H. Good radio! http://www.valcoelectronics.com/marine/mc1020.htm

[TW]

I have worked on commercial boats (tugs & fishing), and can add a few things. As far as using the radios on land I was always told only in order to speak to a vessel. In other words you can use your VHF on shore to hail a vessel that is on the water. Most commercial boats will have two radios. One will be on 16, the other typically on 9, 11 or 13. The third radio that somebody mentioned in another post is a single sideband (SSB) which reaches much further.(They are far,far more expensive than VHF and not needed unless you are ocean sailing) If you need to hail a vessel on the water, and you don't know the name a description will often work. For example "Calling the tug and barge coming downstream in the x channel above y point." One last point is if you are out in low visiblity conditions such as fog, you may want to set your radio to scan 16 and the other channels that the commercial boats use (9,11,13). Also in these conditions announcing a crossing is not a bad idea. For example "This is sportfishing vessel Fishcatcher crossing the x channel at y point, any concerned traffic please report on 16 & 9(11, 13 whatever else you are standing bye on. Our small sport boats are often hard to see in good conditions and can be almost impossible in bad ones, letting the other boats know where you are is always appreciated. Hope this helps.
Tom

[ 05-03-2001: Message edited by: TW ]

[dogfishboy]

Hey Pilar,
I thought you were not suppose to do radio checks on 16. Seems like I've heard the coasties scolding folks on the Columbia - but not at the coast - for doing this. You can also use Ch 9 for hailing like on 16. I thought I heard they were trying to get folks to use this to reduce traffic on 16. Need to confirm this.

If boaters are in close proximity to each other and trying to communicate, but are having problems with reception, they should reduce their transmit power to 1 watt. It makes a big diference. If you have a handheld VHF be sure to bring it. Back-up is what it's all about out there.
[img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img] Good post JW.
David

[Pilar]

Ok, I'm on the hot seat now. There is always something to learn and I try to learn at least one thing every day. Good questions all. I can answer a few but must research the license and proper use of CH. 16 or 9 for hailing. So when I get back from chatting with Coast Guard group Portland I'll edit this post with the answers. Keep the questions coming and we'll all learn something today.
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Gizmo Man - Can the marine band VHF be used for land Comm? Yes, but there are issues with grounding the radio and reception suffers as a result. In the water you are grounded, on the beach, who knows.

Also these frequencies are reserved specifically for Marine radio traffic and that should be respected.
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DK - There are alot of licensed hams out there on the water. Most of them get a license for Marine VHF - it's part of the thrill of being a ham I guess. I had a ham explain to me that pleasure boaters are exempt from licensing requirements. I will check on this and report back. You should in any case be ready to give an intelligible call sign, like the name of your boat. The authority involved is Federal so one law fits all. Wa or Or, makes no difference.
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Dogfishboy - Good point on power. Most radios do either 1 watt, 5 watts or 25 watts. 1 Watt is more than enough unless you are out to sea. Terrain and the horizon block the radio signal long before you run out of power at 1 watt. 25 Watts will hit the tower on the 2000 ft. hill, 30 miles away, that the SAR folks are listening with.

In general, chat on 16 is forbidden. Hail your contact and switch to another channel right away. I always try only 3 times, then say 'negative contact so and so, "Pilar" out.' Most folks at the coast are pretty good about this. Here in Portland the doughballs abound and the Coast Guard have a very low tolerance. Just listen in on CH 16 and you will be amazed at what goes on. They will stomp on you quick if you monopolize CH 16 with BS. Let me verify that one too.
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Well, back at you. I'll get the answers shortly.

"Pilar" out.

[Pilar]

OOPS!!!

Bum dope folks ......... I just got the word from the friendly folks at Coast Guard group Portland.

IT IS NOT OK TO GO ON 16 AND GET A BLIND RADIO CHECK!!!

The extra traffic clutters the channel and renders it useless for SAR. You can however hail someone you know and then switch channels. This includes the Coast Guard. You could hail them, switch to channel 22 and then request a bar report. They officially frown on this as it detracts from their official duties.

USING 16 FOR A RADIO CHECK IN AND OF ITSELF IS ILLEGAL. 16 IS FOR HAILING AND DISTRESS ONLY.

Other things learned, No license is required. Unfortunate since knowing the rules would eliminate alot of problems.

You can ask specific questions about boating, inspections, radio use or whatever of the Coast Guard Auxilliary at (503)240-2588.

Sorry about the bum dope. I will quit pinging the Coast Guard tower on my way over the bar.

[ 05-04-2001: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[Salmonator]

Pilar, used CG yaquina today for a radio check from 7 miles out no problems. Maybe on slow days they don't mind? Joe

[Pilar]

I know what you mean, Joe. The Coast Guard at the coast is more laid back. I think the Coast Guard guys around Portland get to deal with alot of doughballs and they are pretty itchy about radio chatter.

What was going on off Newport today, Chinook?

[Salmonator]

A whole lotta blacks, a few blues and one canary. Released a 22" ling. By far the worst day for lings i've had out there. We hammered a spot hard off of Seal Rock that always produces but it was void of lings in 110 feet of water. I have a feeling that we were too deep for this time of year. We did pick up our 40 fish limit on two drifts off of Seal at 70'. One 'but came in off of the lighthouse, a 44"er. [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Looking foward to the 11th... Joe

[ 05-04-2001: Message edited by: Salmonator ]