VHF-MARINE RADIO
Kentuck/Tennessee Edition
May 21, 1993
by Byron Hill, WBC3204 "Second Child" (Ham Call: KD4KMQ)
P.O. Box 120603, Nashville, TN 37212
INTRODUCTION
Though licensing your boat's station is voluntary, you may
not legally transmit on VHF Marine radio without a license,
and you are required by law to know the FCC rules if you are
using VHF Marine radio. In other words, you can have a VHF
Marine radio on board, but if you intend to transmit on it,
you must license your station, and know the rules. Getting
a license is simple. You can write and order your Ship
Station License Application (Form 506) from: FCC Forms
Distribution Center, 2803 52nd Avenue, Hyattsville, MD
20781, phone 202-632-3676. (Note: This is an private forms
distribution center under contract with the FCC, and the
word is that they are slow.) You can get faster service by
ordering Form 506 direct from the FCC by calling 717-337-
1212. There is a processing fee of $35 dollars payable with
the application. Your Ship Station License will be mailed
back to you in a few weeks. The FCC will assign your boat a
call sign which is clearly printed on the license. The
license is good for five years. If you are planning on
leaving U.S. waters and making contact with foreign ports,
you must also obtain a Restricted Radiotelephone Operator's
Permit. The application for this permit is Form 753,
available from the same sources mentioned above. This will
allow you to operate any licensed ship station outside of
U.S. waters.
The radio frequencies for the VHF Marine band lie between
156 and 158 MHz, with some land based stations located
between 161 and 163 MHz. Communications over distances are
essentially "line of sight", meaning range will depend on
antenna type and height more than the power of the
transmitter. Generally the signals travel only twenty-five
percent further than optical line of sight. There are times
of freak atmospheric conditions when VHF signals can be
heard from as far away as 200 or 300 miles, but reliable
communications will rarely be possible under those
conditions.
A few minor notes about your radio. Make sure your radio is
set for "United States" frequencies. Most of the top brand
VHF Marine radios come with a selector for "international"
frequencies. If your radio is set to "international" you
will not be able to receive transmissions on a few important
channels, especially on the main Coast Guard working
channel, Channel 22A. Also, be aware of your output power.
Boats in close proximity to the station they are calling
should switch their radio to low power. This is especially
important when you are in a marina. High power in close
transmissions in close proximity to the station you are
calling can garble your sound quality, and will
unnecessarily clutter the airwaves. Otherwise, it's a good
idea to keep your radio on high-power. This will enable you
to quickly respond with a full radio signal to any emergency
situation. Some boaters leave their radio off for fear that
the battery drain may be a problem. This is simply not so.
Battery drain by a VHF Marine transceiver while receiving is
very slight, roughly one-half ampere. This is not enough to
cause concern over running down your boat's battery. For
safety reasons, every boater should be encouraged to have
their radio on. This is safety courtesy that all boaters
should extend to each other. What good is a VHF Marine
radio in an emergency situation, if no one is monitoring?
There are two major reasons for communications afloat:
safety and convenience. Safety of course comes first, but
your VHF Marine radio can greatly add to your convenience
and pleasure on the water. Most of this article deals with
safety use of VHF Marine. The FCC rules are pretty clear
about communications of convenience. They must be
necessary. That is, they must be communications that cannot
be delayed until they can be carried out by other means.
Within these limitations for example, you can call a marina
requesting information on fuel or dock space, but if you ask
the marina restaurant what is on the menu for dinner, you
could get into trouble with the FCC. Social conversations
on VHF Marine radio are prohibited as well, except for those
conversations that are on the "public correspondence"
channels connecting your boat with land telephones via the
marine operator. Marine operators are discussed later in
this article.
THE IMPORTANT CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS
The band is divided into channel numbers. You need to be
especially familiar with some of these when operating your
VHF Marine radio. Below are the main channel numbers that
are used by non-commercial vessels. Attached later in this
article is the complete list of channels, frequencies, and
usage for the VHF Marine band.
Channel 16
This is the main calling and distress channel. Always make
your initial call to a boat or to shore on this channel,
then after contact is made immediately switch to one of the
working channels; 9, 68, 69, 71, 72, or 78A, further
described below. Proper contact language should be used to
minimize how long you are on Channel 16. Emergency calls to
the Water Patrol or the Coast Guard are made on this channel
as well. (Note: that state Water Patrols vary greatly as
to which channels they monitor for emergency calls. The
Kentucky Water Patrol monitors Channel 16 but mostly
monitors Channel 19; the Tennessee Water Patrol turns off
Channel 16 at times when the frequency is crowded and can
always be reached on Channel 6). Never converse on Channel
16 beyond the initial contact. This is the FCC designated
distress and safety channel that must remain as clear as
possible for emergency contact. By law, all recreational
vessels are required to monitor Channel 16 when their radios
are on and they are not communicating on another channel.
Channel 22A
This is the general working channel for the U.S. Coast
Guard/Ohio Valley. They monitor Channel 16 for distress and
safety situations, but will normally ask you to move to this
working channel for conversations. Also, important local
area river stage and hazard information is broadcast on this
channel by the Coast Guard at 0400, 1100, 1600 and 2200 hrs.
Central Time. These broadcasts are announced briefly on
Channel 16 just moments before they start on Channel 22A.
You will find this information helpful and necessary if you
are traveling long-distance on the rivers, or if you have a
sailboat and the height of your mast is a concern for
crossing under bridges. Use of this channel is restricted
to the Coast Guard, and you may not use this channel unless
directed so by the Coast Guard. This channel will appear on
your radio as Channel 22. The "A" only designates the
United States frequencies. Note that if your radio is set
on "international" frequencies, you will not be able to
receive transmissions on Channel 22A. Remember, always call
the Coast Guard on Channel 16, not on Channel 22.
Channel 6
For ship-to-ship safety messages, and U.S. Coast Guard
search and rescue, and monitored by the Tennessee State
Water Patrol. (See Emergency Calls below).
Channel 9
This is one of the working channels that you may use for
conversations ship-to-ship, or ship-to-shore. This channel
is shared with by non-commercial vessels and commercial
vessels.
Channel 13
Though tug boats and commercial shipping sometimes monitor
Channel 16, they mainly monitor Channel 13, and it can be
the best way to get their attention in an emergency or any
situation. This is a working channel for commercial vessels
and is used by the tug boats on inland rivers and lakes. It
is also used by draw bridges and some locks. For bridge to
bridge communications it can be used by non-commercial
vessels, but only when contacting a commercial vessel. Do
not use call signs on Channel 13, and your power must be
limited to 1 Watt. This low power output on Channel 13 is
usually pre-programmed on most radios. If not, your radio
will have a power select button for switching to low power.
Channel 14
This channel is sometimes used by the Locks, and though they
usually monitor Channel 16, they can be sometimes be reached
on Channel 14. This is the working channel that they use
once initial contact is made.
Channel 19
Monitored by the Kentucky State Water Patrol.
Channel 68
Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel 9).
Channel 69
Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel 9).
Channel 71
Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel 9).
Channel 72
Another non-commercial working channel, but for ship to ship
use only. You may not establish ship to shore communications
on this channel.
Channel 78A
Another non-commercial working channel. (Same as Channel
9). This channel will appear on your radio as Channel 78.
The "A" only designates the United States frequencies. Note
that if your radio is set on "international" frequencies,
you will not be able to receive transmissions on Channel
78A.
Channel WX-1, WX-2, WX-3
One of these channels will be your continuous local area
weather broadcast (receive only).
INITIAL CONTACT AND GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS
Proper words and contact procedures are necessary to
minimize the use of Channel 16, and to best facilitate
general communications. Though there are no set rules
regarding the order of words you use, below is a suggested
contact procedure as described in many publications.
Remember that it is better to name the boat you are calling
first as follows:
"Doo-Wah, Doo-Wah, Doo-Wah......this is the Plankwalker
WZC5044"
If there is no response, there are procedural rules that say
you must wait two minutes before calling again. If there is
no response after three calls, the rules say you must wait
fifteen minutes before starting another series of calls to
the same boat, unless "there is no reason to believe that
harmful interference will be caused to other communications
in progress". In this case, the fifteen minute delay can be
reduced to three minutes. None of the above limitations
apply in emergencies. Once the initial contact is made, the
next action to take is for one of the boats to establish a
working channel. This is usually done by the boat answering
the initial call as follows:
"Plankwalker, this is the Doo-Wah.....let's switch to
channel 68, channel 68"
Plankwalker should then answer back:
"Plankwalker switching to channel 68"
Once you have moved to a working channel, each skipper
should initially call using their boat names, but the use of
call signs is not required. After that, transmissions from
each craft need not be identified. Your conversation on the
working channel should be limited to the basic necessary
communications relating to the needs of the ship. This can
be general information about where to meet, provisions
needed, or relaying messages etc., but superfluous
communications are strictly prohibited. Each transmission
as a whole should be as brief as possible.
At times you will hear communications between boaters
sounding a lot like Citizens Band (CB) radio. The
deregulation of CB Radio has allowed a lot of undesirable
language and communication procedures to abound on that
band. Unfortunately some of this undesirable language has
found it's way onto VHF Marine. It is illegal to call on
Channel 16 with time-wasting superfluous jargon like:
"How 'bout ya Ironsides....how 'bout ya Ironsides .....this
is The Lucky Lou.....you got your ears on?......Come back."
You must remember that Channel 16 is not just for pleasure
boating contact. It is the FCC designated Distress, Safety,
and Calling and Answering channel used by commercial and non-
commercial shipping. The Coast Guard, the Water Patrol,
Locks, Marinas, and many other concerns use Channel 16.
The above type calling procedure would be considered
at least incorrect if not illegal. Also, general calls
not to a specific station are illegal, except in cases
of an emergency.
Procedural words like "over", "clear", "out", "roger",
"break", "affirmative", and "negative" , are not
necessary, but can reduce the length of conversations and
are therefore sometimes helpful. Often times these words
are used too much, or are misused. The word "over" is best
used only when communicating with someone who is not
experienced with radio communications, or when radio
reception conditions are bad. The word "break" is often
misused as a way to break into someone else's transmission.
The proper use of the word "break" is for when you are
communicating with more than one boat and want to change
your transmission from one station to another. It can also
be used to mark a separation between formal messages if you
are transmitting more than one message in a row. Generally,
the work "break" is not used very much.
Requests for a "radio check" or signal report on Channel 16
is a clear violation of the FCC rules and subjects the radio
operator to citation by the FCC. Any signal report returned
by a station on Channel 16 is also a separate violation
subject to citation by the FCC. Most calls for a "radio
check" are unnecessary, but if you must obtain a report on
your transmission, certain procedures and limitations are
prescribed. To get a report on your signal, make initial
contact with another station on Channel 16 and switch to a
working channel, then make your request for a signal report.
Do not ever call the Coast Guard for a radio check or signal
check.
Hand-held VHF Marine radios are quite popular. All of the
same rules apply. A hand-held unit may be used as the main
ship radio or be used as an "associated ship unit", off the
main vessel, but in the vicinity, such as on a dinghy. When
using your hand-held radio as an "associated ship unit",
your call sign is that of the parent vessel followed by the
designator "mobile". Legally, an "associated ship unit" may
only be used for contact with the parent vessel, and may not
be used on shore even to call the parent vessel.
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
There are three different levels of emergency calls as
defined by the FCC.
The Distress Call
The highest priority is a Distress Call, limited to
situations which a vessel is "threatened by grave and
imminent danger and requests immediate assistance". This
type of distress radio traffic is identified by the word
"mayday". Do not call mayday if you are only out of fuel or
having engine trouble. Use your radio to call for help on
Channel 16, but do not include the word "mayday" in the
transmission. If you must make a distress call, the
procedure is as follows:
"Mayday.....mayday.....mayday......this is [your boat name
spoken three times and your call sign]".
After a brief pause the following:
"Distress Message.....Mayday.....[your boat's name, your
position, the nature of your distress, the kind of
assistance requested, and any other useful information such
as your boat's description or conditions on board]".
Then say:
"I will be listening on Channel 16.....[the name of your
boat and your call sign]".
Monitor for a reply.
If you hear someone sending a distress call using the word
"mayday" on Channel 16, do not immediately respond. Listen
carefully for the Coast Guard or other authorities or a
closer vessel to answer first, then if you hear no response
within 30 to 60 seconds, respond to the distress call and
offer help. Your boat can be vital assistance to a vessel
in distress even if you cannot get to the vessel. For
example, the position of your boat may be an important radio
link for the vessel in distress, by relaying the distress
information to authorities that may lie out of range from
the distressed vessel. When the Coast Guard or other
authorities take over the communications in a distress
situation, all traffic on Channel 16 is usually silenced,
and you should voluntarily maintain radio silence until the
situation is cleared.
(Note: that state Water Patrols vary greatly as to which
channels they monitor for emergency calls. The Kentucky
Water Patrol monitors Channel 16 but mostly monitors Channel
19; the Tennessee Water Patrol turns off Channel 16 at times
when the frequency is crowded and can always be reached on
Channel 6).
The Urgent Call
The second highest emergency call is an Urgent Call. A
typical urgent situation would be running aground in
deteriorating weather. Such transmissions are initiated
with the urgent signal "PAN-PAN" (pronounced "pahn-pahn")
spoken three times. An urgent call would be transmitted on
Channel 16 as follows:
"PAN-PAN....PAN-PAN...PAN-PAN... all stations....this is
[your boat name followed by the nature of the emergency and
other useful information]."
End with your boat name and call sign.
Sometimes an urgent situation may be best handled
by a call to a local marina. This of course depends on the
nature of the situation.
The Safety Call
The third highest emergency communication is the Safety
Call, preceded by the word "securite" (pronounced say-
curitay) spoken three times, and is most often used by the
Coast Guard to alert vessels of safety changes on the water
such as lost buoys, weather alerts, dangerous floating
objects, missing craft, etc. You may also transmit a safety
call. This call is made on Channel 16 as follows:
"Securite...securite...securite all stations....[your boat
name and call sign]...listen to channel 6 for a
message...[your boat name] out."
Switch to Channel 6 and begin your message the same way:
"Securite...securite...securite all stations.....[your boat
name and call sign]...[the safety message]...[your call
sign]...out."
Also alert the Coast Guard of the problem direct by calling
them on Channel 16. They will instruct you to go to Channel
22 so that you can report the details of the problem to
them.
BRIDGE TO BRIDGE COMMUNICATIONS WITH COMMERCIAL VESSELS
These calls are made on Channel 13. Do not call bridge to
bridge to a commercial vessel on Channel 16 and switch to
Channel 13. Make your initial contact on Channel 13 and
continue your communication there.
MARINE OPERATORS:
You can make telephone calls with your VHF Marine radio by
contacting the local area Marine Operator on Channel 16. It
is best though to know the working channel of your local
area Marine Operator and make your initial contact on that
channel. Marine Operators monitor both Channel 16 and their
working channel. The VHF working channel assignments for
Marine Operators are: 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 84, 85, 86, 87,
and 88. Making calls through the marine operator is simple,
and the charges show up on your normal home or office
telephone bill. For marine operator frequencies and
information near you, contact your local marina.
COMPLETE VHF MARINE CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS FOR U.S. WATERS
Channel TX (MHz) RX (MHz) Purpose w/(footnote
numbers)
------------------------------------------------------------
01A 156.050 156.050 Port Operations-
Commercial Intership &
Ship to Coast (1)
05A 156.250 156.250 Port Operations-
Commercial Intership &
Ship to Coast (2)
06 156.300 156.300 Intership Safety
Only/USCG Search &
Rescue
07A 156.350 156.350 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast
08 156.400 156.400 Commercial-Intership
09 156.450 156.450 Commercial & Non-
Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast
10 156.500 156.500 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast
11 156.550 156.550 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Shore (1)
12 156.600 156.600 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast (3)
13 156.650 156.650 Navigation-Bridge to
Bridge (4)
14 156.700 156.700 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast (3)
15 N/A 156.750 Environmental
Information
(Receive Only) (5)
16 156.800 156.800 Distress, Safety,
and Calling &
Answering (5)
17 156.850 156.850 Maritime Control/
Great Lakes Weather
& Safety (6)
18A 156.900 156.900 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast
19A 156.950 156.950 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast
20 157.000 157.000 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
21A 157.050 157.050 USCG Internal working channel
22A 157.100 157.100 USCG Liason & working
channel
Maritime Safety
Broadcasts
23A 157.150 157.150 USCG Internal working channel
24 156.200 161.800 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
25 156.250 161.850 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
26 156.300 161.900 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
27 156.350 161.950 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
28 156.400 162.000 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
63A 156.175 156.175 Port Operations-
Commercial-Intership &
Ship to Coast (1)
65A 156.275 156.275 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
66A 156.325 156.325 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
67 156.375 156.375 Navigational-Bridge
to Bridge (7)
68 156.425 156.425 Non-Commercial-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
69 156.475 156.475 Non-Commercial-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
70 156.525 156.525 Digital Selective
Distress, Safety,
Calling & Answering.
71 156.575 156.575 Non-Commercial-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
72 156.625 156.625 Non-Commercial-
Intership only
73 156.675 156.675 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
74 156.725 156.725 Port Operations-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
77 156.875 156.875 Port Operations-
Intership (8)
78A 156.925 156.925 Non-Commercial-
Intership & Ship to
Coast
79A 156.975 156.975 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast (9)
80A 157.025 157.025 Commercial-Intership
& Ship to Coast (9)
81A 157.075 157.075 USCG Internal
working channel
82A 157.125 157.125 USCG Internal
working channel
83A 157.175 157.175 USCG Internal
working channel
84 157.225 161.825 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
85 157.275 161.875 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
86 157.325 161.925 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
87 157.375 161.971 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator)
88 157.425 162.025 Public Correspondence
(Marine Operator) (10)
88A 157.425 157.425 Commercial-Intership
(11)
WX-1 N/A 162.550 Weather (Receive Only)
WX-2 N/A 162.400 Weather (Receive Only)
WX-3 N/A 162.475 Weather (Receive Only)
WX-4 N/A 162.425 Weather (12)
WX-5 N/A 162.450 Weather (12)
WX-6 N/A 162.500 Weather (12)
WX-7 N/A 162.525 Weather (12)
FOOTNOTES AND DEFINITIONS FOR CHANNEL ASSIGNMENTS
(1) Available for port operations and commercial
communications only within Vessel Traffic Services (VTS)
areas of New Orleans and Lower Mississippi River.
(2) For VTS use in the Seattle Area.
(3) For VTS use in designated port areas, and in the Great
Lakes primarily for Ship Movement Service in the St.
Lawrence Seaway; may be used in other areas on non-
interference basis.
(4) Primarily for navigation safety between ships;
available for VTS in Great Lakes, also used at
drawbridges and canal locks. Power limited to one watt,
call signs omitted. Not used in Lower Mississippi River.
(5) Also used by Class C EPIRBs.
(6) Used by State and Local Governments, power limited to
one watt, may be used for Great Lakes Weather broadcasts.
(7) Navigational Safety between ships in Lower Mississippi
River.
(8) Limited to communications with pilots regarding
movement and docking of ships. Power limited to one watt.
(9) Also available for shared use by non-commercial vessels
on the Great Lakes only.
(10) In Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca and
approaches only.
(11) Only outside area of Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de
Fuca and approaches.
(12) Very seldom used.
RX = Receive frequency.
TX = Transmit frequency.
MHz = Megahertz
USCG = United States Coast Guard
RESOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE:
Federal Communications Commission/Gettysburg, PA
The United States Coast Guard/Ohio Valley
The United States Army Corp. of Engineers
Ingram Industries/Nashville
Kentucky Water Patrol/Frankfort, KY
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency/Nashville, TN
Tennessee Valley Authority/Golden Pond, KY
Tennessee Valley Authority/Nashville, TN
Standard Radio Products, Inc.
"All About VHF Amateur Radio" by William Orr
"Communications Afloat" by Elbert S. Maloney
"Practical Sailor" by Belvoir Publications
For typeset versions of this article, contact the
author: Byron Hill P.O. Box 120603, Nashville, TN
37212. Phone: 615-298-1694 or Fax: 615-385-4058.
RETURN