Proper use of your VHF radio.

Morpheus

New Member
May 7, 2007
2,450
Odessa, FL
Boat Info
2006 SeaRay Sundeck 240
Engines
5.0MPI Mercruiser w/ Bravo III
Ok as a newbie this has been on my mind alot. I have a handheld vhf and will be getting a mounted one for the boat eventually (when i figure out what to get and the antenna and where to mount it).

I know 16 is for coast guard and emergencies. I also have GPS so I know my coordiants but what I don't know is proper VHF radio use.

Here are the situations specifically I'd like to know about.

1. I need to have a bridge raised? (probably not gonna happen but I'd like to know) Also if I've behind a bigger boat that is waiting on the bridge to go up can I just go around them?

2. I'm at a lock and need to get in.

3. I've come across a stranded boater or person in the water without a boat or I see a flare. I'd like to be able to help but other then pull the person out of the water what do I do.

4. I'm in trouble myself. Tell me about life threatning and none life (ie boat is dispabled but floating just need tow or gas or something)

5. Like i said I have GPS so I can give cordinantes but what is the proper way to read and verbly tell someone your location?

6. I'd like to contact a friend that might be on the water the same time and raft up but how would I go about contacting them via VHF?

7. Is there any time I would need to talk to another boat for anything if so why and how?

I've read a few things like "Mayday x 3" then followed by "this is the vessel " and your boat name and wait for a response or do I keep going with what the problem is and location.

I just wanna be ready for anything. I'm already hemeraging cash buying things I think I need (2 of everything unless I need then 4 of it)

Call me crazy but I hope one day I do/can help some stranded boater I'm sure it's a wonderful feeling and I'd hope that if I was ever in trouble I could count on a fellow boater.
 
Morpheus,
Suggest you get a copy of Chapman's and read up. They have a chapter on proper marine radio protocol. Also, some radios have protocol pamphlets with them. Please learn to use your VHF properly. I cringe every time I hear a boater on a VHF asking "whats your 20 or do you have your ears on". CB's and the jargon associated with CBs belong on a truck not a boat!!! (rant off)

I was a aviation communications operator in the service and communications protocol is something near and dear to me.
 
Follows are required reading:

USCG on VHF Radios

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/watch.htm

and

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/boater.htm

and

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/vhf.htm

And Mone on asking for assistance

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-pan

And for using VHF to give all boaters notice of a real and serious danger

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Securite


These links should have fille din your gaps on how to use, but I must say that if you venture more than a a mile away from shore or frequent waters with few other boaters around you should consider installing a full 25 watt VHF which will have much greater reach on transmission. A handheld VHF radio is 5 WATTS and that is on full batteries. Let that radio stay on for three or four hours monitoring 16 as you are required and those five watts begind to fade down to something much much less.

In my opinion hand helds are for dingies, row boats and other similar small craft. Once you ge tto the point you can generate 12v to charge batteris, you need a full power VHF. I'm sur eother swill chime in on this as well.

Yesterday (4th of July) a boat was stranded off shore (21 ft OPEN w 3 adults and two children aboard) and out 3 miles fishing when their single engine started blowing oil and the engine froze up. They tried for 2 hours to get someone to hear their calls on their hand held ... even the CG only 7 miles way with thier HUGH High Gain antennas couldn't get a copy on them and it took a boat close to them to relay their distress call to the CG and Sea TOW. This was simply inexcusible for a boat of this size and structure to be 3 miles out without proper equipment for the waters being navigated.

I'll try to address some of your other questions in a separate post as will others as well.


More
 
ImpulseIII said:
Morpheus,
Suggest you get a copy of Chapman's and read up. They have a chapter on proper marine radio protocol. Also, some radios have protocol pamphlets with them. Please learn to use your VHF properly. I cringe every time I hear a boater on a VHF asking "whats your 20 or do you have your ears on". CB's and the jargon associated with CBs belong on a truck not a boat!!! (rant off)

I was a aviation communications operator in the service and communications protocol is something near and dear to me.

Ahh I actually have a copy :) I just didn't think to look in there :smt021

And that is why I'm posting I don't wanna be that boater that uses it wrong. I bought the handheld cause I knew I needed a vhf and i want to install one in the boat but wasn't sure what to get (still not sure) so I got the handheld for now.

Thanks for the tip I'll be looking in that book tonight.
 
Re: Follows are required reading:

Asureyez said:
In my opinion hand helds are for dingies, row boats and other similar small craft. Once you ge tto the point you can generate 12v to charge batteris, you need a full power VHF. I'm sur eother swill chime in on this as well.

Yesterday (4th of July) a boat was stranded off shore (21 ft OPEN w 3 adults and two children aboard) and out 3 miles fishing when their single engine started blowing oil and the engine froze up. They tried for 2 hours to get someone to hear their calls on their hand held ... even the CG only 7 miles way with thier HUGH High Gain antennas couldn't get a copy on them and it took a boat close to them to relay their distress call to the CG and Sea TOW. This was simply inexcusible for a boat of this size and structure to be 3 miles out without proper equipment for the waters being navigated.

I'll try to address some of your other questions in a separate post as will others as well.


More

First off if I was a gabling man I was 99% sure you Chad would respond. From all of the posts between you and Frank. If you were for hire and i had a large boat I'd hire either of you to captain my boat any day. Based on your posts both answering questions and the amazing trips you've taken (I'm very gealous and it gives me bad itis) I truely do appreciate your comments and respect eveything you have to say. I actually wish you and Frank would get together and write a book I know I'd by a copy for me and one for ever boater I knew. You are a wealth of knowledge and you making coming to this board worth it's weight in gold.

That said yes I'm aware of my VHF being pretty much useless more then a mile off shore. If you can't see it they can't hear you basically.

I do plan on installing a vhf onto the boat. I already got the idea of mounting the antenna on the bimini from I believe it was MS Judy's recommendation to get it up high in the air. As for the mounts and what length and type and how I will run the cable I'm not sure yet. I do know I want a VHF to connect to my GPS which most do this now. I'm just not sure which brandy type features of vhf I need.

Thanks for the links I'll be reading them and looking forward to anything else you have to add. Drinks are on me if we ever meet up.
 
MOB Recovery: 12 steps to recovery.

If the individual isin thwe water and alert (Not unconscious) and you believe you can lend assistance withourt endangering your vessel or crew/passengers/ to do so here is a basic method of recovering a person in the water. I'd like for you to imagine this as picking up a water skier except we do not want to drag gthe MOB so we do not want to bring the line to the MOB straight but instead a circle. We do not want to motor up tot he person ever... we can seriously injure the person with our props or they can be swept under our hull. So.

1. Find your throawble floatation device on your vessel, it is probably one of those floating seat chusions with a loop handle on two sides. Tie a line to this floatation device that is atleast three time syour boat length in your case 65 feet. (There is a divice called a Life Sling made for just this purpose, but the following will work if you do not have a LS)

2. Secure the opposite end of the line to a stern cleat.

3. Place your vessel into gear moving away from the MOB and while the boat is going forward stream out the floatation device until it trails your vessel at the full length of of the attached line.

4. Come about and head towards the MOB from the upcurrent/upwind direction so as to pass no closer than 20 feet to the MOB.

5. After having completely passed the MOB turn smartly 90 degrees and proceed about 20 feet,

6. Again turn smartly another 90 degrees in the same direction which has your vessel now having come about, and the line has formed a semi circle around the MOB and the flotation device is closing in on the MOB.

6. Proceed another 20 feet and turn 90 degrees and by know the MOB should have grabbed the Flotation device. If not continue encircling the MOB until the person has grabbed the float and has it firmly in hand.

7. You do not want to drag the MOB so as soon as the person has it, come out of gear and shut down your engine.

8. Go to your stern cleat and begin pulling the MOB to your vessel by hand to bring the MOB along side on the lee of your vessel (down current if current is more pronounced than wind.)

9. Secure the MOB to your boat and get a life perserver on them if possible, add more lines if necessary.

10. Deploy your swim ladder and assit the individual on board.

11. Determine if anyone else is in the water or on the vessel the individual fell from.

12. Administer First Aid if needed and call for assistance from CG if required.
 
Morpheus;

time to go shopping at West Marine.

Like you when I first started I didn't know what I didn't know!!!

I knew I wanted a radio that had a High watt output switch if I needed it. I knew I wanted the DSC capabilites to integrate the GPS and VHF at some point so if I got into distress I could just push a button the distress signal would go out automaticly. I wanted a radio that would scan all channels for active communications and would give me weather alters. this was all easy as most radios today do this and they are budget priced between $100 and $200. So look for something thats a fix mount in you price range that will do this.

the next step is to get one of the guys a West Marine to get you all the antena hardware you need. they should be able to get you set up with an antena (higher is better), mounting base, staneless screws and backing plate/washers, compression fitting (for the cable thru hull) and some 5200 to make the mounting permanent.

you'll also need a sodering gun and soder and some odds and ends from radio shack for wiring up to the grounding bus and the extra power leads.

your boat wiring shematic should show you where SeaRay left a couple of extra power leads open to add just these types of extras.

the hardest thing to do will be to drill a hole in the side of your nice shinny boat. It toke me nearly 3 days to work up the courage. check out my modifications to see the final on the VHF and antena install.
 
Hailing Bridges or Locks

CH 16 is reserved for emergency hailing.

CH 9 is widely used by Bridge tenders and lock masters as their hailing channel. Hailing friends for a meet up on CH 9 might be okay if there is no other traffic on 9 you can hear.

Simply Anounce:

Break, Break Break this is Asureyez hailing Impulse 3, Impluse 3 please switch and answer on Channel 68 (or other).

Monitor your choosen working channel for a few minutes, no answer go back to 9 and try again.

Its is even better when you set up a separate hailing channel between your friends. My YC members use 69, so I scan/monitor Ch 9, 16, 69 all the time.
 
:thumbsup: believe it or not all this new info into my brain gives me a natual high. I love learning stuff like this. Thanks to both of you.

tphinney: I've already installed my GPS so I know exactly where those extra connections are I used one power and ground for the gps so there is one left. I like your install better then mounting it on the bimini pole. My questions though you drill through the outter part of the hull so you have a hole how do you feed the wire to where you want to go do you drill another hold on the inside say behind the helm. for the wire to come back out of that cavaity I assume that's there from the outside part to the inside part? Also is your attenna easy to remove or can it be laid down and secured. Since I trailer I wouldn't want to leave that up so either removing or laying down and securing would work better for me.

To the both of you after reading over chad's links briefly I saw where it said you should monitor more then just 16 and that scanning doesn't cover this that you either have to have 2 radios or a radio with 2 receivers. What are your thoughts on this. Ovbiously this would increase the cost of the vhf radio. Both of you also said 25watt is there something stronger? should I get stronger?

Those links answered alot of questions although I just skimmed them I'll be going back to re-read them more thoroughly.

Also thanks for the great step by step explination of what to do about a man in the water. I was able to complete a picture of in my head of the whole thing.

So I guess if the man/woman/person is injured I should stay put and call the CG and get their instructions as they might flight out a helicopter to pick the guy up OR if it was a boat fire or say I found a boat that had 6 people on it and it wa ssinking I could get them all in my boat but mine is rated to 2000lbs or 12 people (I always say 12 chinese people. Show me 12 american's that would not exceed 2000lbs HA). Having my boat underway would put everyone in danger so I would imagin I should call the CG to have them help get people back.

Am I crazy :smt101 or being to worried or over cautious here. I just like knowing what to do as you never know what you will come up against.

Or even atleast if I know and I need the rescuing and they are doing it wrong I can say HEY your rescuing me wrong :lol:

Thanks for the help guys.
 
Anything can Happen!

Anything can happen and does to somebody every weekend.

This July 4th. weekend here in Lauderdale, As I left the jetties of Port Everglades for a fun day on the water, a 40 ft trimeran was still sunk and hard on the rocks inside the jetties (sunk on 5/31 as I entered the port, saw it happen and reported here earlier in a different thread) I listened to two new distress situations. One boat (Size unknown) was taking on water and sinking 5 miles off Baker’s Haulover (south of Hollywood Florida) and a 22 Ft Open was disabled and needed a tow 3 miles out off Pompano Beach. These things happen.

It’s best to think about these things before hand and prepare and train for such events. That is what is good here. You’re posing several unique and serious circumstances that go far beyond recovering a MOB from your vessel. These are the things that extensive training is necessary to get the skills and the mental toughness to deal with. But I’m going to share with you the “Cliff Notes†so you’ll see what I mean.

When considering lending aid to a stricken vessel or its crew, you must put one priority above all others. You must protect your boat and its passengers and crew as your first duty. NOTE I said DUTY and not desire. We're not talking about heroics or our sense of humanity, we are setting our priorities. That stated a master of a vessel on the high seas is required by law to lend assistance to a MADAY or DISTRESS call. That means you must respond if you are the closest vessel or can arrive earliest (maybe further away than others but are faster and can arrive soonest.) Or, perhaps more than one vessel will be needed. Such a burdened master must alter course and steam at the fastest safe speed to the calling ship. You must log the call, log all communication regarding your efforts and your responses. While en route you must take stock of your ship and the abilities of the crew and needs of those aboard your vessel first. You should begin to make plans and preparations for the aid that seems to be need. Taking survivors from the sea due to fire or sinking, taking a vessel in tow, other life saving. Advise the CG or other civil authorities of your change in course and your ETA to the scene and co ordinate efforts with other craft that are also responding.

Upon arrival to the ship in distress, do not run right along side. Stand off a reasonable distance 200 - 500 feet and slowly circle the craft assessing the situation while your final preparations are made. Establish communications with the distressed vessels master and determine how many people are aboard and their condition if not already aware. If maybe best to remain on station and await a larger vessels to arrive on the scene if there are any on the way ... irrespective of the cries from those aboard the failing vessel.

Let’s say a 22 foot boat pulled along side a 100 foot sinking ferry. What would be the possibility that so many desperate people would charge aboard the small craft they would swamp the small rescue? Since we can't risk our vessel we would elect to stand off and provide our life raft, swim rafts and life preservers to those abandoning ship and advise the CG by radio.

If the distressed ship were on fire, we must stand off, unless we have serious fire fighting equipment aboard that we can get to the other vessel without coming alongside or we access the chance of a explosion setting our ship ablaze is low and that vessels people can't swamp us.

In most cases we would want the distressed skipper to deploy rafts and get his injured and non-able-bodied (non crew and injured crew) into them and set them adrift to which we will stay on station with them. If there are swimmers we can pluck a few survivors from the sea, if doing so will not risk our being swamped. Once taking the survivors we can from the sea, we must protect ourselves from being capsized by all those in the water trying to claw aboard, even if we must push them off with oars. Once clear of danger, it is better to get all our spare preservers in to the water to the swimmers and string out short lines they can cling too, but do not allow people into your boat beyond its safe capacity, if those on the lines pose a threat cut them away and stay on station. If mor ehelp is a long time away, you may bneed to get those previously saved in jackets and back in the water to bring on more seriously injured or in need ie ... a able bodied woman goes back in so you can get a pregnant woman without a preserver on board.

If the distressed vessel is sinking, do we have pumps to spare wich have the capacity to actaully assit aand we can transfer these to the other boat? Can we get them aboard the sinking vessel without a stampede to our boat? Can the sinking skipper have your boat protected by arms if necessary so you can come along side to render desperately needed aid for his ship?

As you see the situations can be desperate and those in desperate conditions will do desperate things to live including killing you if necessary even if unintended. They will have lost their heads and you can't play dice with your ship or the soles aboard. You can't loose your head even if you must stand off and watch others die, because your duty is to your ship first. These situations aren't Hollywood movies, but real life stuff that isn't played to the cameras.

The last possible option I would consider in giving aid to a distressed vessel is to come along side and tie up to take on survivors or set my crew to their decks to render aid, the last thing, no in truth I just wouldn't do it. I'll rescue what I can from the sea, I'll tow if I can safely I'll stay on station and provide what flotation I can, I'll broadcast for assistance and relay messages for help, administer FA to those I take on board that it can help and use my vessels equipment and stores to attract more aid, that’s it.

To a line of question you had on aiding an unconscious person, floating face down or in a life vest face up and non responsive to your nearby calls ... both these are real problems as they can endanger you our your crew when no actaully help can be rendered. First as in the previous discussion, assess your own situation. Then get on CH 16 and HAIL the CG and give them your position and a quick description of the problem, ask for their instructions as to lending further aid. Get someone else in your boat to man the VHF at all times if you must leave the helm to render aid.

If you have someone aboard capable of performing lifesaving efforts set them to it. If you are alone or the only one qualified then determine how you can best help this disabled person. Is the person is in a "dead man" float ... can you even get them aboard your boat without the help of the injured person? A situation involving a person floating face down and you have reason to believe this person has been so for some time lessens the element of urgency vs a person in a preserver face up and unconscious. The odds of # 1 being dead is very high and you can not risk your life or that of crew capriciously in this situation. If the person has only been in the circumstance for a few minutes or at the most less than 12 minutes the chance of reviving them exists, but 30 min or an hour the chance of survival is slim to none.

If a person is face up and unconscious and if you can do so with out injuring the person more than they allready are, then get them aboard. If not wait for CG arrival by bringing that person along side and keep their face above water and protect them from predators. If you have sufficient help onboard to get a 200# person out of the water (takes three men usually) and over your gunnels without injury (A Life Sling or a 5:1 purchase cum-a-long/ block & tackle can save lives) then deploy the throw able float as discussed earlier, deploy the swim ladder, get in a life preserver yourself (DO Not get in the water without donning a life preserver to save someone) and take a spare with you and swim it along the floatation device line to the MOB.

Get them on to their back and attach your preserver if possible, grab the person under the arms or by the hair if necessary and pull you both along the line to your boat. If you have others on board have them pull you to the boat on the line and assist you in getting the injured aboard and on a deck. Immediately administer CPR ASAP. Administer lifesaving First Aid as required. Get an ETA from the CG, Are they sending a boat or chopper? Will you need to get the person back in the water for the chopper or can they lift off your decks?

Some times you must get the person on board and set up a rendezvous with the CG and start steaming toward the CG so two boats close faster and gain lifesaving time when time is of the essence to save the life and the distances are large.

Here is something ever skipper should do. Have a MOB plan and discuss it with your regular crew … Spouse and older children. Devote 30 minutes every now and then and conduct MOB drills by letting everyone know there will be a drill, then at some point durng the day on the water (away from all traffic) throw a floating boat cushion over board while underway and then execute the plan and recover the cushion as if it were an able bodied person. Hold a post mortems on the effort to what could have been improved. Take turns running the ship for the drills so at least two people can save any third one. Yes! skippers fall overboard too! The life you save maybe your own!

Hope this is helpful.
 
Re: Anything can Happen!

Asureyez said:
Hope this is helpful.

WOW I'm speachless. You hope that it is helpful? I hope that every boater on hear reads this thread. You've been boating how long. The fact that you've taken the time to type all of that for some guy you don't know. WOW is all I have.

Thank you very much this is great info.

The only other question still standing is about the having to monitor to channels and according to the links you sent scanning doesn't count it said you need 2 radios or 1 radio with 2 receivers. Does this just apply to commercial boats?

I was looking on westmarine.com and there are 599 vhf radios and $100 radios. There is some for $149 and 199 that look like what I need but I couldn't see what the difference was between them and the 599.

Other then DSC is there anything else I need to make sure it has?

Thanks
 
SearayPaul said:
Morpheus

I am doing better and went out today and got pictures of the antenna install. I still not have been allowed to go back to work. The doctor says maybe in two weeks. It was good timing as I saw your post while I was uploading the pictures.http://www.byowneryachts.com/forums/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4006&highlight=

Hey SearayPaul, glad your doing better. Thanks for that I knew it was someone that put the antenna on the bimini but couldn't remeber.

Thanks for the pictures. Now that I've seen tphinney's setup I'm leaning toward doing that as long as I can remove or lay down the antenna for travel on the trailer.

I was thinkin on yours you used LONG antenna on top of the heights from the bimini but now I see it was short but you get the height you need cause it's above the bimini.

Again that's for the pictures, hope you can go boating soon.
 
Morpheus,
I think the only channel you are required to monitor is 16. All boats with VHF radios are expected to do this. 16 is for Coast Guard traffic, distress and for calling other vessels to establish communications before switching to another channel (Asureyes example). Most VHF radios available today have the ability to scan multiple channels (user selected) so having two (or more) is really not necessary although we carry a handheld as a spare.

Emergency situations at sea require the same common sense that one would use when coming upon an auto accident. Contact the CG, assess the situation, see who needs immediate help, and act in a prudent manor. You'll be fine! Just my $.02.
 
Now that I've had a chance to go back through the urls Chad supplied here is what I read and it doesn't apply to any sea ray I know of.

Vessels 20m in length and greater
Every power-driven vessel of 20m length or greater, every vessel of 100 tons and upward carrying one or more passengers for hire, every towing vessel of 26 ft length or greater, and every dredge and floating plant near a channel or fairway, must maintain a watch on both VHF channels 13 (156.650 MHz) and 16 (156.800 MHz) while the vessel is underway. Persons meeting this requirement must be capable of speaking the English language. Sequential monitoring techniques (scanners) alone cannot be used to meet this requirement; two radios, or one radio with two receivers, are required. Vessels operating on the lower Mississippi River must keep a listening watch on VHF channel 67 (156.375 MHz) in place of channel 13.

20meters would be a 65.6ft boat. I'd definitly need chad on board to drive that around :lol: Even a 60 DA is only 61'6"

So now I'm back to what a 599 radio would have compared to a 149 radio.
 
Just be aware that hand held VHF radios typically have a maximum output of 5 watts. A hardwired VHF has 25 watt output capability coupled with a fairly large antenna thus providing significant additional range (something that may be important when several miles off shore). VHF is line of sight so the higher the transmitting antenna, the further the signal will travel.

Not trying to spend your money but a hardwired VHF is a good investment in safety and piece of mind!

Oh yeah, and if your boat sinks....who cares about the radio....???. :smt101
 

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