marine radio use in a small boat

[jholovacs]

I have a NY-State registered fishing boat, a 16' aluminum v-hull. It is not documented with the Coast Guard.

I just got this boat, and I'd like to have a good understanding of how and when to use my marine radio. The internet has some good info about what to do in an emergency, but is that the only purpose of a marine radio?

My understanding to date is that channel 16 is emergency, and channel 9 is for non-emergency contact to CG authorities, and that you identify your vessel by type and name. Lots of stuff on the internet about that.

What if your vessel does not have a name? Are you supposed to use your state registration number? That can be a mouthful.

Also, what constitutes an emergency, and what would you use channel 9 for? For that matter, what would you use any of the other channels for? Are they for official use only, or can 2 boaters BS with each other on another channel? Is there an etiquette, official or otherwise?

I spent some time in the military, so I'm pretty familiar with what I would consider "official" 2-way radio conversations, but there does not seem to be a lot of guidance out there about what is cool and what is not cool for this. Links to any good official guides for radio use would be welcome.

Thanks!

 

[matt167]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

Yes, if your vessel is unnamed, you can use your registration numbers in a distress call, also hailing marina's and locks.. Don't hail marina's or locks on 16. That won't end well
Channel 9 is the calling channel ( i think ) and 16 is the distress channel ( channel 16 monitored at all times except when used for another channel/ talking )
Channel 22 is a switchover channel to speak to CG after distress call on 16

Channel 68,69 and 71 can be used for vessel-vessel communication

 

[agallant80]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

Here you go from the USCG themselves.


U.S. VHF Channels

 

[Geko45]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

Seems like proper radio etiquette is one of those areas that's not well understood in the pleasure boat world. Here's a good article that lays out what most recreational boaters need to know.

BoatUS - BoatTech - VHF Basics by Don Casey

 

[shrew]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

This is covered in a safe boating class. That may be the best place to start.

The post states it is a NY registered vessel, but not what state your located in. In NY a boating certificate is required.

How to Apply For a Boating License in New York | DMV

 

[NYBo]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

This is covered in a safe boating class. That may be the best place to start.

The post states it is a NY registered vessel, but not what state your located in. In NY a boating certificate is required.

How to Apply For a Boating License in New York | DMV

Not exactly. Completion of an acceptable boating safety course, not a license as the title of the link implies, and only if you are under 18 or operating a PWC.

 

[NYBo]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

BTW, welcome to iboats!:welcome:

 

[jholovacs]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

In NY a boating certificate is required.How to Apply For a Boating License in New York | DMV

Actually, if you are over 18, the certificate is unnecessary unless you are on a jetski or other personal water craft.

Granted it's not a bad idea to attend one of those classes, but I'm not a huge fan of classroom learning, and I try to avoid it if I don't need to spend 8 hours of my weekend listening to some guy drone on, reading out of a textbook when I could be pulling bass out of a lake instead.

 

[jholovacs]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

BTW, welcome to iboats!:welcome:

Thanks!

 

[JoLin]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

Actually, if you are over 18, the certificate is unnecessary unless you are on a jetski or other personal water craft.

Granted it's not a bad idea to attend one of those classes, but I'm not a huge fan of classroom learning, and I try to avoid it if I don't need to spend 8 hours of my weekend listening to some guy drone on, reading out of a textbook when I could be pulling bass out of a lake instead.

You haven't been to the right kind of class, obviously. The value of a classroom setting is that you're being taught by, and learning along with, people who boat in the same waters you do/will.

Some clarification on the NY boating certificate as it applies to boats- PWC's are different. So far, only Suffolk County on Long Island, requires that every power boater complete a required safety course and obtain their certificate before the end of 2013. Enforcement will begin in 2014. There is a bill pending in the NYS legislature to make the same/similar requirement mandatory state-wide. It hasn't been signed into law.

 

[NYBo]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

You haven't been to the right kind of class, obviously. The value of a classroom setting is that you're being taught by, and learning along with, people who boat in the same waters you do/will.

Some clarification on the NY boating certificate as it applies to boats- PWC's are different. So far, only Suffolk County on Long Island, requires that every power boater complete a required safety course and obtain their certificate before the end of 2013. Enforcement will begin in 2014. There is a bill pending in the NYS legislature to make the same/similar requirement mandatory state-wide. It hasn't been signed into law.

Absolutely correct on all counts. I have a feeling the recent accident on the Hudson will provide additional impetus to pass that bill.

 

[EricJRW]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

Seems like proper radio etiquette is one of those areas that's not well understood in the pleasure boat world. Here's a good article that lays out what most recreational boaters need to know.

BoatUS - BoatTech - VHF Basics by Don Casey

Very informative read. Thanks for sharing.

So channel 16 is emergency and calling. That was interesting .

 

[jholovacs]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

You haven't been to the right kind of class, obviously.

You're quite right, I haven't... not in my years of grammar school, high school, or college. Nor in my 8 years in the Army, nor in my technology training classes, nor almost all safety briefings that lasted more than 15 minutes.

Once in a great while, there is a class that is both informative and interesting, but it is definitely the exception rather than the norm, and I do not have any confidence that a government-mandated class would be any different. I have never been to a class like that that I did not consider a waste of time and/ or money.

I certainly hope NY does not pass such a bill, but historically our nanny state government has excelled in knee-jerk reactions that do not solve problems, so they probably will. (In the wake of Sandy Hook, legally registered gun owners are no longer allowed to have more than 7 bullets in their handguns... that'll fix the problem!).

Most boating (and other) accidents occur due to lack of common sense or a lapse of good judgement. I sincerely doubt attending an 8-hour government-mandated class will significantly impact the number of boating accidents, injuries, and/ or fatalities that occur each year in NY.

... just my $.02

 

[JoLin]

Re: marine radio use in a small boat

You're quite right, I haven't... not in my years of grammar school, high school, or college. Nor in my 8 years in the Army, nor in my technology training classes, nor almost all safety briefings that lasted more than 15 minutes.

Once in a great while, there is a class that is both informative and interesting, but it is definitely the exception rather than the norm, and I do not have any confidence that a government-mandated class would be any different. I have never been to a class like that that I did not consider a waste of time and/ or money.

I certainly hope NY does not pass such a bill, but historically our nanny state government has excelled in knee-jerk reactions that do not solve problems, so they probably will. (In the wake of Sandy Hook, legally registered gun owners are no longer allowed to have more than 7 bullets in their handguns... that'll fix the problem!).

Most boating (and other) accidents occur due to lack of common sense or a lapse of good judgement. I sincerely doubt attending an 8-hour government-mandated class will significantly impact the number of boating accidents, injuries, and/ or fatalities that occur each year in NY.

... just my $.02

I happen to agree that mandated classes won't resolve the issues associated with drunk and stupid boaters, but one thing that is never taken into consideration are the 'close calls' (both realized and unrealized) that occur every day due to a lack of knowledge. I have no love of mandated classes, but it's the wave of the future.

As far as classroom instruction, I'm a member of the US Power Squadrons. Boater education is our reason for being, and countless boaters have benefitted from classes held in their locales. The personal knowledge and experience of the instructors, and the questions and debates that arise, all are to the good.

Try following the state boat channel from Babylon to the Fire Island inlet without being forewarned about 'Crazy Charlie'**. You'll likely bust a prop or run aground near the Captree boat basin. I've never heard it mentioned outside of a USPS boating class. Did you know that the safe channel through Moriches Bay changes EVERY year, and the markers usually don't? I didn't know it until it came up in a classroom conversation.

Local knowledge is valuable.

(** Crazy Charlie is the red nun that supposedly marks the halfway point between the Fire Island Inlet and the Jones inlet. The guide of red, right, return 'switches' right there. There's no green can in the vicinity, and when you take the red on the wrong side you'll end up outside a narrow channel lined with construction debris.)