Only coastguards or shipowners who meet certain criteria are granted a special licence to own and use these radios. As long as you do not broadcast on maritime frequencies from land, you are not pursuing a “maritime radio” on land. Citizen band (CB) radios are commonly used by truck drivers, but are also available for two-way communication. Previously, we designed two 10-word phrase lists, one for our ground crew and one for the boat crew, and assigned a different phrase to each radio. When looking at GMRS packages in store, it`s not always clear that you need to sign up and pay for an FCC license to legally operate your GMRS. But in fact, you must have a license and if you are caught breaking the law, the fine can be up to $10,000. To find out how the licensing process worked, we hired one of our test administrators to handle the case. In general, a ship station licence is easier to obtain than a radio operator licence – which can be quite difficult. Most of the time, you can get away with an old Motorola radio – PLMRS because there are only 8 frequencies in GMRS. We have many resources on the basics of these radio services that can help you make the best choice for what you need. Here are some of them: You can listen to any channel you wantThere are no regulations to listen to any radio show because it is a passive activity. The transmission of radio signals is regulated by the FCC.
As a group, our test team, all experienced boaters, came to the conclusion that many boaters would find unlicensed FRS radios an interesting means of communication, even if they already have a VHF radio on board and one or two cell phones. Although the FRS is not 100% reliable as a short-range means of communication, it is a cost-effective way for the entire crew to stay in better contact, at sea or on land without the additional cost of the FCC license. Do marine radios work on land? Marine radios can operate on land; However, since marine radios are used by ships in emergency situations, navigational problems, personal communications, and commercial needs, it is not legal for a person to use a marine radio on land without an approved shore station licence. Since the Coast Guard is generally unable to announce an urgent marine information broadcast or weather warning on channel 9, the use of channel 9 is optional. We recommend that boaters tune in and use channel 16 normally in these waters, unless otherwise directed by the Coast Guard. Never think; “How can they catch me?” You may want to reconsider. All radios have a unique electronic signature. There are also devices for recording human “voiceprints” from radio transmissions.
More importantly, depending on the severity of the violation, the FCC, which works with the USCG, will do almost anything to prosecute those who violate the law while using their radio. Amateur radio – radios are not and should not be adapted to the partial type. If it is a new production transceiver, it must be an acceptable type of part. If it is a radio used in another radio service and modified to operate only in amateur bands, then it is an acceptable partial type. If it can run on more than the amateur radio part of the tapes, then it is NOT – NO ACCEPTABLE PART TYPE. Channel 16 is the frequency of calls and very short messages. In large bodies of water where people monitor this channel from land for distress calls, they may tell you to “go up” or stop being talkative on this channel if you keep talking for a while. You can switch to other unused channels like 66, 67, etc.
The Great Lakes and other large bodies of water, you need to monitor your Ps and Qs more closely. In small inland waters where there is no Coast Guard, it is probably acceptable to use any channel, although it is not technically correct. A great way to get an idea of how this is done is to tune in to the navigation frequency from one bridge to another – FM channel 13 (156,650 MHz) or vessel traffic services (frequencies vary) in a busy port and listen! They are, for the most part, professional seafarers and although not all translations are correct, you will quickly find that virtually all communications are short and accurate. This is exactly what the boating community needs on the already crowded and non-commercial frequencies. One of the disadvantages of the purchase decision is the packaging. Each unit is packed with blisters and if the store doesn`t have a demo unit, you can`t take an FRS radio and get the “feel” of it. FRS and GMRS radios are available with a variety of special features. Some had only a few functions and these are listed as “Basic” in the attached table. (See table above). The two Cobra units, with a more ergonomic design, reminded us of our phones. We liked the large screen of the GMRS model with icons for all functions; However, this radio did not approach its claimed distance of five miles. The Cobra FRS unit exceeded its two-mile claim and came in par with the more expensive Motorola FRS.
If you are not eligible for a Coast Station Licence, Ship Station Licence or Marine Radio Licence, there are several other forms of communication in addition to VHF radios that you can use on land. The FCC has decided to allow limited use of portable VHF radios on land. That`s because they want more boaters to take you, making communication easier and less complicated if you`re having problems on the water where cell service may be unavailable or slow. The use should also follow the standard protocol so that everyone can understand what is going on, without hesitation that different radio protocols are also used by other ships in the area! If you need to get in touch with someone else on land or water, the following options are the next best choice: legal to listen toYou can buy cheap FRS/GMRS radios to practice with – my Google says they`re available for less than $30 Radio beacons send a constant radio signal from fixed locations on land, such as lighthouses or buoys in the water, as a navigation reference. As with any two-way communication device, marine radios have different channels that serve unique purposes: However, remember that it`s illegal, so if you notice black helicopters overhead after talking… Well, I hate to say I told you that. The new digital Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is revolutionizing emergency communications and international search and rescue at sea. This unique guide provides a clear and concise overview of what you need to know about using digital marine radios for emergency response and enhanced safety. We carry the Icom IC-F50V here. You can now also listen to an audio sample of the radio and compare it to other radios in its category.
So I searched for both terrestrial FM and marine FM and while browsing Vertex`s standard website, I also looked at standard Horizon radios and found this. www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=EBD61457F117768BB3F44D8AA75A4A0E&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0`s FCC regulatory goal was to reduce congestion, distress, safety, and frequency of FM channel 16 calls. FCC regulations require boaters equipped with VHF radios to stand guard on VHF channel 9 or channel 16 when the radio is on and not communicating with another station. If you are on the lake, near a dock or port, or anywhere else near land, cell phones can be reliable for communicating with people on land. Active satellites are used to provide voice and data communications to satellite phones and terrestrial pagers. Hi all, I`m new to this forum. I found the forums very knowledgeable and friendly.