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Is
it okay to ask for a radio check on VHF Channel 16? K.R., via e-mail
The answer
depends on what kind of radio check you mean and which U.S. Coast Guard
district you’re operating in. Ensuring yourself that your VHF is
transmitting by hailing “any boat out there” on 16 is firmly
prohibited in some U.S.C.G. commands, discouraged in others, and allowed
in yet others. The same variability applies to making radio checks directly
with the Coast Guard, even though it used to be completely outlawed. For
example, U.S.C.G. District One, which extends from Maine to northern New
Jersey, is now answering radio checks on 16, operations permitting. A
representative told me that the policy has been changed because, believe
it or not, some folks have used false Mayday calls to check their radios!
Another
way to be sure that your radio is going to be there for you in an emergency
situation is to call a specific party like a local marina or even a towing
service that monitors VHF full time. Except in a few areas, such as the
Great Lakes, where the Coast Guard is trying to get all recreational-boat
hailing onto channel 9, using 16 for this procedure is okay. However,
it is preferable to use 9 or a working channel like 68 if possible, the
idea being to leave 16 free to serve its primary function as a distress
channel.
Good
citizens of the waterways learn how the channels are used wherever they
boat, transmit on 16 efficiently and properly, and don’t broadcast
over other users. By the way, one of the wonderful promises of DSC is
“quiet watchstanding,” whereby your radio won’t make
a peep until someone calls you specifically or issues a real Mayday (as
easily traceable false ones should become rare). Also, there is a lot
of good information out there about VHF usage. Visit the Web version of
this column for links to good VHF education sites. —B.E.
Got
a marine electronics question? Write to Electronics Q&A, Power
& Motoryacht, 260 Madison Ave., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10016. Fax:
(917) 256-2282. e-mail: PMYElectronics@primediamags.com.
No phone calls please.
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