Do you leave your marine radio on while under way?

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Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

I do. My understanding is that you're breaking the law if you don't.

Vessels with VHF radios must monitor channel 16 while underway.....(this is an FCC rule)


§ 80.310 Watch required by voluntary vessels.
Voluntary vessels not equipped with DSC must maintain a watch on 2182 kHz and on 156.800 MHz (Channel 16) whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate. Noncommercial vessels, such as recreational boats, may alternatively maintain a watch on 156.450 MHz (Channel 9) in lieu of VHF Channel 16 for call and reply purposes. Voluntary vessels equipped with VHF-DSC equipment must maintain a watch on 2182 kHz and on either 156.525 MHz (Channel 70) or VHF Channel 16 aurally whenever the vessel is underway and the
radio is not being used to communicate. Voluntary vessels equipped with MF-HF DSC equipment must have the radio turned on and set to an appropriate DSC distress calling channel or one of the radiotelephone distress channels whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate. Voluntary vessels equipped with Inmarsat A, B, C, M or Fleet F77 systems must have the unit
turned on and set to receive calls whenever the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate.

I know that radios are required on boats over a certain size (I forgot the minimum but I think like 16') and was just wondering if people actually turn them on.
I know lots of people on the coast that dont turn them on because THEY DONT LIKE THE NOISE. I was just wondering if when I go inland and I hail a pleasure boat in front of me, will I actually get a reply.

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Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

It's required.

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OLD HOUSEBOATER

I know many boats in our area run without any kind of on-board radio at all myself included except when I'm utilizing the locks. So I went searching a bit and encountered this:

§ 80.308 Watch required by the Great
Lakes Radio Agreement.

(a) Each ship of the United States
that is equipped with a radiotelephone
station for compliance with the Great
Lakes Radio Agreement must when underway
keep a watch on:

(1) 156.800 MHz on board a vessel 20
meters (65 feet) and over in length, a
vessel engaged in towing (See
§ 80.951(b)), or a vessel carrying more
than 6 passengers for hire.

Source

So is their in reality a real length relationship in relation to the requirement?

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Respect Our Outdoor Recreational Resources
Leaving Only "Footprints in the Sand"

2003 5.3 Chevy P/U
1972 35' Crest Pontoon Houseboat
2007 90 hp. Yamaha

I think the only way length figures into this is that you don't have to have a radio unless you're over 20m (65 feet). But if you're 20m or under and have a radio, you have to turn it on. I suppose that's reasonable.

U.S. recreational vessels not required to carry radios

Vessels not required to carry a marine radio (e.g. recreational vessels less than 20m length), but which voluntarily carry a radio, must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radio is operating and not being used to communicate. Such vessels may alternatively maintain a watch on VHF channel 9 (156.450 MHz), the boater calling channel. Note however that urgent marine information broadcasts, such as storm warnings, are announced on channel 9 only in First CG District waters (northern New Jersey, New York and New England).

Source: FCC 47 CFR 80.310

Here's better information abut the rule that says if you have a big boat you have to have a radio.

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.

These rules apply to all foreign vessels, recreational vessels, federal government and military vessels as well as commercial vessels, operating within U.S. territorial waters. These rules also apply to vessels on the Great Lakes and their connecting and tributary waters.

All ships, including foreign ships, are required to carry VHF radios capable of tuning to the following U.S. national channels:

Channel Frequency Description

05A 156.250 MHz VTS (required only in Puget Sound)
22A 157.100 MHz US-wide. CG liaison and maritime safety broadcasts.
Ships participating in a vessel traffic service area must also keep watch on the VTS radio channel designated for that area. Such ships may discontinue their watch on VHF channel 16 while in the VTS area. Ships operating only with VHF handheld bridge-to-bridge radio equipment are not required to keep watch on channel 16. Ships with digital selective calling-equipped VHF radios keeping watch on channel 70 in a GMDSS Sea Area A1 also may discontinue their watch on channel 16.

FCC: 47 CFR 80.148, 80.308-309
USCG: 33 CFR 26
NTIA: NTIA Manual Chapter 8.2.29.7

OK, so now we know or think we know that any boat under 20 meters (65 ft) is not required to cary a radio.
And back to my original question.......
Do you actually monitor a marine radio while you are under way?
All I am trying to do is to find out about what percentage of boaters actually monitor a marine radio while under way.

It seems like most do not by the amount of people that actually answer the radio.
To me, a marine radio is one of the most important pieces of safety equipment on a boat.

Too bad this forum is not set up for Polls.

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Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay

I do. The VHF and the depthsounder go on before I start the engine, and I monitor both.

However on many smaller boats the noise level is such that you couldn't hear the radio anyway.

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Willie
She's a tired old barge but she's paid for! http://s71.photobucket.com/alb...p;current=ef324993.pbw

Always on in my waterways. The Coast Guard gets mighty testy if they try to hail you and you do not reply.

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Banana Tom

Banana Tom, everytime I see your author icon I wish I could see it in more detail. Can you post a larger photo of your boat all decked out with those flags?

I always leave my VHF radio on when I am on the boat, in coves or on the dock. We monitor our local channel plus channel 16. We get the National Park Service reports from Lake Mead, and they will often give us emergency weather reports, and ask us to look for someone who has not shown up.

I enjoy both the depth and breadth of experience on this board. I am particularly grateful when someone takes the time to further one of my questions with a new idea or a facet of the topic I hadn't considered.

From roughly 40 years' experience boating on large inland lakes, I would say that unless you're on a body of water with locks, the chance of your getting a response from hailing a smaller boat is a number that rounds to zero. Your chances greatly improve if you're hailing larger vessels. There are two reasons for that: First, the bigger the boat, the more likely it is that the captain is more seasoned and is not on his first boat; second, if it's a big enough boat, it's the law that they have a radio. If you were to dumb things down to a poll-type response, you wouldn't get that type information and response.

Tony:
You were interested in River Navigating earlier on. You better keep your radio active on the river, where there is barge or commercial boat traffic.
They will tell you what side they will pass you on, most of the time.
clarencio

Roger that.
I always keep my radios on. Generally, down here on the third coast, the commercial traffic is excellent at responding on the radio. It's the pleasure boats that don't respond. That's why I was wondering if pleasure boats respond in other areas. I guess not, as a general rule.
Some of the power jockeys pass us up by a gazillion mies per hour, throw a humongous wake, have loud music and they wave just as if we enjoyed their wake also.
That's life.
Thanks for the heads up.

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Never wrecked a boat while awake or sober

Kemah, Tx. - Galveston Bay