As Julio McWilliams states, it IS possible to contact a marine operator with your hand-held VHF! However, when you are asked for your vessel numbers or account numbers (as I was while off Cape Lookout this last summer) be prepared for a rather abrupt "dial tone" followed by the hiss of your squelch when you begin to explain that you are in a kayak. No matter, the pizza deliver person would not possibly find you while the pizza was hot and they never have a good red wine anyway! Maybe better on the Pacific coast - "Chateau McWilliams" in a brown paper bag? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 12/16/1998 7:34:44 PM EST, juliom_at_cisco.com writes: << Say that you left a float plan at home (and if you did not, please do it next time), that says to call the Coast Guard for help if you are not back by, say, 9pm. You are delayed by repair in the kayak hull, and then the wind picks up against you. You have your night lights with you and are just a few yards from the Golden Gate bridge at 8:50pm. You are fine, but your significant other is about to call the Coast Guard, or even 911. If you have a VHF radio, tune to channel 28, and transmit: operator-operator-operator An operator will answer, and will connect you with the local phone company's marine operator. Tell the operator to place a collect call to your residence phone number. Now tell your significant other that you are fine, and that you will be on your way home as soon as you paddle a few more yards and tie your kayak to your car's rack. The cost of such a call, according to Pacific Bell, is $2.55 for the first 3 minutes, and 85 cents per minute after that. It is also possible to call from land to a vessel. Dial 0 to get the operator, and tell her/him that you want to make a marine call. They need to know (provide as much information as you can): Vessel's name Vessel's ID number Captain's name Closest port The charges are the same. If you are calling from out of the area, say from San Jose to a vessel close to the Golden Gate, then the usual long distance charges apply in addition to the $2.55/3min of the actual marine call. I think I am going to test this next time. - Julio >> Julio, No need to test it next time (but you should) because you have it exactly right. You can call any telephone in the world from your kayak via Marine VHF FM. The only thing you forgot is to "take a number and geet in line" The service has limited resources and getting less and less as marine interests move more to cell phone service. I use it often adn have found that especially in the evening it is crowded with every homesick mariner calling home in the evenings. The key thing to remember is that it is NOT of a timely nature. As I said "take a number adn get in line". Sometimes the line is short, sometimes it is long. By the way, most Coast Guard stations only accept missing boater reports when they are more than 24 hours overdue unless there is an indication that life or property is in danger. Simply being late comming in does not qualify. Another point in using teh marine operator is your call is simplex meaning that the person on the phone must understand that they have to "take turns" listening and then talking. This takes some getting used to. I suggest that you and the person you will call try a "test" call to work out teh bugs. It is a little different. Also, unless you like to broadcast a credit card number to the world, make arrangements with your phone company for marine calls or either always make a collect call. I NEVER give out a CC number over the air for obvious reasons. Other than the above mentioned limitations, it works great. I have called home to report the fish are still biting and we will be several hours late getting in many times and the comfort level at home is really worth it. As my daughter once told me "effective communications is teh key to family living". This is a "payback" statement from her for whenever I don't report in when running late. I expect her to! She expects me to also! John LeBlanc John LeBlanc *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Dennis Higgins wrote: > > As Julio McWilliams states, it IS possible to contact a marine operator > with your hand-held VHF! However, when you are asked for your vessel > numbers or account numbers (as I was while off Cape Lookout this last > summer) be prepared for a rather abrupt "dial tone" followed by the hiss > of your squelch when you begin to explain that you are in a kayak. No > matter, the pizza deliver person would not possibly find you while the > pizza was hot and they never have a good red wine anyway! Maybe better > on the Pacific coast - "Chateau McWilliams" in a brown paper bag? This reminds me of an experience here in NYC on a round Manhattan trip. It was early in the realm of cellular phones. We were most of the way around when we were alerted by people on shore to a would-be suicide in the river just ahead of us. I thought they were joshing us but went in closer to look and indeed it was the bobbing head of a man trying to submerge himself. I was in a single and decided to send in two guys in a double in case the suicide-inclined person tried to defy his rescue and try to tip a boat. Meanwhile one fellow among us had one of those new fangled cell phones. He dialed 911 for help to be waiting when we got the guy back to shore. I could only here his side of the conversation but clearly his saying that he was calling from a kayak on the Hudson was being dismissed as a crank call. Our guy shouted his address, social security number, mother's maiden name, etc. anything he could think of to establish credibility. The cops did respond. :-) ralph > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Yet another from the Miami area...several years ago. Seems a guy in a kayak was knocked over by someone in a cigarette boat. Paddler rights his kayak and paddles on around the tip of a key. There he sees the cig boat next to another exchanging packages. A call on his cel phone resulted in two reasonabally large druggies getting busted. rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com wrote: > This reminds me of an experience here in NYC on a round Manhattan trip. > It was early in the realm of cellular phones. > > We were most of the way around when we were alerted by people on shore > to a would-be suicide in the river just ahead of us. I thought they > were joshing us but went in closer to look and indeed it was the bobbing > head of a man trying to submerge himself. I was in a single and decided > to send in two guys in a double in case the suicide-inclined person > tried to defy his rescue and try to tip a boat. > > Meanwhile one fellow among us had one of those new fangled cell phones. > He dialed 911 for help to be waiting when we got the guy back to shore. > I could only here his side of the conversation but clearly his saying > that he was calling from a kayak on the Hudson was being dismissed as a > crank call. Our guy shouted his address, social security number, > mother's maiden name, etc. anything he could think of to establish > credibility. The cops did respond. :-) > > ralph > > > > *************************************************************************** > > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > > *************************************************************************** > > -- > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter > PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 > Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com > "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > > *************************************************************************** > PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List > Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net > Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ > *************************************************************************** -- Mike Hughes Arch Curmudgeon "For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the protected never know." USMC 65-68 Mailto:mike.hughes_at_pressroom.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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