Boating Skills

1
Boating Skills Seamanship

• Lesson 13
• Your Boats Radio

2
Lesson Objectives

• Types Of Marine Radios
• Purpose Use
• Licenses
• Selection
• Installation
• Operation
• Distress, Urgency Safety Calls

3
VHF-FM Radios

• FM - Static Free
• Line Of Sight - 10-30 Miles
• Used Monitored By U.S. Coast Guard
• 25 Watts Maximum Power
• Relatively Inexpensive

4
SSB Radios

• Range
• Day - 100 miles
• Night - 1000 miles
• A Must For Ocean Operation
• Monitored By U.S. Coast Guard
• More Costly Than VHF-FM
• Must Have VHF-FM Radio

5
Citizen Band (CB) Radio

• Low power - 5 watts
• Limited Range
• Not Monitored By Coast Guard
• Overcrowded
• AM - Susceptible To Static
• Channel 9 - Unofficial Emergency Frequency
• Inexpensive

6
Other Systems

• Licensed Amateur Radio Operators (HAM)
• Several Short Wave Frequencies Available
• Cellular Telephones
• Not Monitored By Others
• Cannot Be Located By RDF
• Call Coast Guard
• GTE-Mobilnet CGS(247), SEND
• Cellular 1 CG(24), SEND

7
Purpose Of Marine Radios

• Safety
• Distress, Urgency Safety Messages
• Operations
• Call Lock Master, Bridge Tender, Marinas, Boats,
  Radio Checks
• Commerce
• Messages Between Commercial Vessels And Stations
• Public Correspondence

8
FCC License

• Required If -
• SSB Radio Is Installed
• Must Also Have VHF-FM Radio Installed
• Boat Is Over 65 feet In Length
• Visit Foreign Ports
• Make International Calls

9
Selecting A VHF-FM Radio

• Sensitivity
• Selectivity
• Audio Output
• Signal Strength
• Signal Suppression
• Type Of Tuner
• Readouts
• Current Usage

10
Antennas

• Height
• Line-of-Sight
• Higher Is Better
• Gain
• 3 db, 6 db, 9 db
• 6 db Practical Upper Limit

11
Line - Of - Sight Transmission
12
Calling

• Select channel usually 16
• Listen determine channel not in use
• Press to talk (PTT) button
• Name Of The Boat You Are Calling
• This Is (Name Of Your Boat)
• Over
• Release PTT button listen
• Change to working channel

13
Calling on DSC Radio

• Digital Select Calling (DSC) radio
• Select working channel
• Press DSC button
• Choose or enter MMSI number to call
• Radio changes to Ch 70 calls
• Radio reaches vessel you called
• Both radios change to working channel
• Radio sounds alert
• Press PTT start communication. Working channel
  may be in use pick another

14
Procedure Words(Pro Words)

• OVER
• End My Transmission-Response Expected
• OUT
• End My Transmission NO Response Expected

• I SPELL
• Phonetic Alphabet
• FIGURES
• Long Count
• Short Count

15
Special Purpose Channels

• CH 16 - Distress, Urgency, Safety
• CH 9 - Alternate Calling Channel
• CH 12 - Port Operations
• CH 13 - Navigation
• CH 22A - Coast Guard Liaison
• CH 68 - Non-Commercial Working
• WX-1, WX-2, WX-3

16
Calling Time Limits

• 1st Call - 30 Seconds Maximum
• Then - Wait 2 Minutes
• 2nd Call - 30 Seconds Maximum
• Then - Wait 2 Minutes
• 3rd Call - 30 Seconds Maximum
• Then - Wait 15 Minutes Before Additional Calls To
  The Same Station

17
Radio Usage Caveats

• False Distress
• 5,000 Fine Plus All USCG Costs
• Obscenity, Indecency, Profanity
• 10,000 - 2 years
• Secrecy Of Communication
• Applies To All But Distress
• Violation Of FCC Rules
• Loss Of License, Fine, Prison

18
During Distress Communications

• Stop All Other Communications
• All Stations
• SEELONCE Mayday
• SEELONCE Distress
• When Distress Is Over
• SEELONCE FEENEE

19
Distress Signal

• Use When IMMINENT Danger Exists
• Call On Channel 16
• Call Format
• Mayday Mayday Mayday
• This Is (Name Of Your Boat)
• State Location, Nature Of Problem, Number Of
  POB, Describe Boat And Condition
• This Is (Name Of Your Boat), Over

20
SUMMARY

• Type Of Radios
• Function Of Marine Radios
• FCC License
• Selecting VHF-FM Radios
• Calling Procedures
• Distress Calls
• Urgency Calls
• Safety Calls