Radio traffic pet peave

Carpediem44DB

Well-Known Member
Aug 18, 2015
3,230
Sanfransico Bay area
Boat Info
2000 Carver 506
2006 44 DB Sedan Bridge
Engines
Volvo TAMD 74 P
We went on our club's last calendared cruise out this weekend up the Napa River. The weather was fantastic, mid seventies no wind and no smoke filled skies for the first time in several weeks. The trip was perfect until the cruise home. Our club monitors and communicates on channel 78a. Usually there is very little traffic so its a nice quiet ride. Today there were a few boats out fishing a ways down range because we only heard one side of the conversation but they were just chatting away as though they were on the phone! Every thing from a spouses health problems to who was bringing the coals for the BBQ. I finally got fed up with it and suggested they switch to using their damn cell phone to chat! I did not get a response and the chatter didn't slow either. I finally just turned the volume way down and hoped I did not miss an important call from one of our club cruisers. I spent many years flying privately and either on a boat or in a plane it was always understood that the VHF radio is not a telephone. It is to be used for essential communication only and one should be brief and concise. Am I out of line here? I don't remember reading a thread on radio edicate lately.
First world problem I know but still......
Carpe Diem
 
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We went on our club's last calendared cruise out this weekend up the Napa River. The weather was fantastic, mid seventies no wind and no smoke filled skies for the first time in several weeks. The trip was perfect until the cruise home. Our club monitors and communicates on channel 78a. Usually there is very little traffic so its a nice quiet ride. Today there were a few boats out fishing a ways down range because we only heard one side of the conversation but they were just chatting away as though they were on the phone! Every thing from a spouses health problems to who was bringing the coals for the BBQ. I finally got fed up with it and suggested they switch to using their damn cell phone to chat! I did not get a response and the chatter didn't slow either. I finally just turned the volume way down and hoped I did not miss an important call from one of our club cruisers. I spent many years flying privately and either on a boat or in a plane it was always understood that the VHF radio is not a telephone. It is to be used for essential communication only and one should be brief and concise. Am I out of line here? I don't remember reading a thread on radio edicate lately.
First world problem I know but still......
Carpe Diem
Most times these are people that are uneducated boaters that need to take a boaters safety course and don't understand what the VHF radio is for. We have the same problem here too!
 
You’re not out of line at all. Drives me nuts.

The worst are holiday weekends in the summer. This past Labor Day we took a 3 hour trip down to Roche Harbor. During the 3 hours there and 3 hours back, we seldom had a quiet period longer than 5 seconds without someone looking for someone on channel one six. CG would bark every so often and that wound work ..for about a minute. And then some people would just go ahead and jabber when the person they were hailing would answer ..wouldn’t even switch over to a working channel. Just clogging 16 with their nonsense. This particular weekend was as bad as I could remember it ever being, and it’s always bad ..but wow was it constant chatter. Maybe there’s just more knuckleheads on the water these days.
 
A lot of new boats are sold with VHF radios as standard equipment.
In Canada you are supposed to have a radio licence but I don’t think this is enforced.
Consequently people don’t know and probably don’t care about proper use of their VHF radio.
 
USCG has been pretty diligent in reducing the non hailing/distress messages on 16 on Lake Erie. But on the other hand you can't get a word in edgewise on 9, 68,72. etc. The fishermen in particular thinks it their own private line.
 
USCG has been pretty diligent in reducing the non hailing/distress messages on 16 on Lake Erie. But on the other hand you can't get a word in edgewise on 9, 68,72. etc. The fishermen in particular thinks it their own private line.

Yep, same on Superior. The Coasties will immediately tell you to pick another channel and that 16 is reserved for hailing or distress only.

What I dislike is when someone has a hot mic and doesn't realize it. I assume that's usually from a handheld unit that's stuffed in a bag - kayakers, etc.
 
Yep, same on Superior. The Coasties will immediately tell you to pick another channel and that 16 is reserved for hailing or distress only.

What I dislike is when someone has a hot mic and doesn't realize it. I assume that's usually from a handheld unit that's stuffed in a bag - kayakers, etc.
Or even worse yet - I've heard (little) kids on it.
 
I have my VHF mounted in the upper right hand corner of my dash. Out of reach unless you are at the helm and want to use it. When not underway it is turned off and I keep the handheld on 9/16 scroll mode in case something meaningful comes up.
 
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This issue is just a part of our new modern culture. Lots of people out there who don't know much about anything. When putzing around our inland lake I keep the radio volume way down and the squelch turned up. When cruising we move 15-20 miles offshore and monitor 16 with volume set at a level that insures we hear what we need to hear. Little radio traffic out there except USCG, freighters and the occasional cruiser demonstrating appropriate radio usage.
 
We have a group of 4-6 boats where the VHF would be ideal to "broadcast" where we are all going to meet up for the day, etc. Because of the very limited number of channels we are reluctant to ever use the radio even on the few private channels. My opinion, this is due to the very few number of private channels and we don't really want to bother anyone. Instead we use exclusively cell phones, but it is much more difficult to communicate across multiple parties. This is where a broadcast radio would naturally be ideal. However, the lack of channels pretty much limits the allure of VHF. My guess is that VHF for recreational boaters will go the way of Loran, if it hasn't already. Our group probably just needs to find some useful "broadcast" private phone app.
 
If folks are cruising together on a regular basis and can agree that mostly essential information is broadcast such as docking or mooring information, perhaps make sure everyone uses the low power function if available. I think a lot of folks chatting away are probably with in eyesight of each other and don’t need to be broadcasting at 25 plus watts. It would be great too if the state safe boating courses included radio along with wake rules of the road.
 
On my lake there are two channels that are constantly keyed on. ALL the time. I can never get a full scan around without it stopping on one or both. At that point it requires me to manually advance the station or it just sits there. I've contemplated buying a new VHF that you can program out certain channels. Drives me nuts.
 
I boat on a lake where there's essentially no use of VHF, so I know almost nothing about it.

I'm curious -- is there a channel that's "OK" for nearby groups to use for "low priority" communications? Maybe not actual conversations about Aunt Mable's bowel problems, but something like asking if someone in the group has extra ice, or should the folks on shore with the dinghy bring back some more chips, etc? I can definitely see where using a VHF radio would make more sense than trying to rely on a cell phone, especially if you're in an area with poor/no coverage.

Also the thought occurs that maybe the marine VHF spec needs to be extended somehow, so that one of the non-commercial channels could use coding so that people could pick a code and then others on that channel wouldn't hear transmissions they don't have to -- although it wouldn't solve the problem of hogging the channel.

What about converting some channel space to digital to allow for more selective listening/transmitting or improve the use of the frequency space? Although it looks like the existing channel bands are pretty narrow, perhaps limiting the bang for buck.
 
I boat on a lake where there's essentially no use of VHF, so I know almost nothing about it.

I'm curious -- is there a channel that's "OK" for nearby groups to use for "low priority" communications? Maybe not actual conversations about Aunt Mable's bowel problems, but something like asking if someone in the group has extra ice, or should the folks on shore with the dinghy bring back some more chips, etc? I can definitely see where using a VHF radio would make more sense than trying to rely on a cell phone, especially if you're in an area with poor/no coverage.

Also the thought occurs that maybe the marine VHF spec needs to be extended somehow, so that one of the non-commercial channels could use coding so that people could pick a code and then others on that channel wouldn't hear transmissions they don't have to -- although it wouldn't solve the problem of hogging the channel.

What about converting some channel space to digital to allow for more selective listening/transmitting or improve the use of the frequency space? Although it looks like the existing channel bands are pretty narrow, perhaps limiting the bang for buck.
There are several channels set aside for just that purpose. One typically hails on 16 then switches to a channel like 69 or 78a to have a short concise conversation germane to nautical navigation or pertinent information. That is what the radio exists for. If you are with in eyesight of the individual you are wishing to communicate with you use the 5 watt power setting so as not to step on or broadcast to radios standing by on the same channel that have no interest in your conversation.
Years ago radio operators were required to hail on 16 using their hailing vessel name and signing off with their radio station license number. I think that was a little intimidating to the average novice so the radio was used a lot less. Now no such requirement exists so the VHF has become more like a CB radio!
Carpe Diem
 
Yeah. we share that peeve. A buddy and I often cruise together on separate boats along the San Joaquin. Lots of marinas around here, and lots of unedumacated boaters. We've gotten a pair of FRS radios with private channel codes to avoid all the silliness. VHF is relegated to bridge tenders and emergency use.
 

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