Approved by DC-E USCG AuxA, Inc 1 Boating Skills & Seamanship Lesson 13 Your Boat’s 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 Miles Used & Monitored By U.S. Coast Guard 25 Watts Maximum Power Relatively Inexpensive

4 SSB Radios Range Day miles Night 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 Height –Line-of-Sight Higher Is Better Gain –3 db, 6 db, 9 db 6 db Practical Upper Limit 3 db Antennas 9 db 6 db

11 Broadcast Antenna 350 ft NM 6.1 NM LINE - OF - SIGHT 28.9 NM Boat Antenna 25 ft. Curvature Of The Earth 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 OVER End My Transmission- Response Expected OUT End My Transmission – NO Response Expected I SPELL Phonetic Alphabet FIGURES Long Count Short Count Procedure Words (Pro Words)

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, 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 RadiosType Of Radios Function Of Marine RadiosFunction Of Marine Radios FCC LicenseFCC License Selecting VHF-FM RadiosSelecting VHF-FM Radios Calling ProceduresCalling Procedures Distress CallsDistress Calls Urgency CallsUrgency Calls Safety CallsSafety Calls