Re: [Paddlewise] VHF legality (was: HX150S VHF)

>From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
>"Shawn W. Baker" wrote:
>
> > What is the standard operating procedure for an American kayaker using a
> > handheld VHF in Canadian waters?

>The legal requirements are that you must have two pieces of paper:  a
>Restricted
>Radiotelephone Operator Permit and a Ship Radio Station License.  I have 
>these
>because when I acquired my VHF, they were required for use in this country.
>Though no longer required here for our service, they are required for use 
>in
>Canada.
>
>However, my understanding (and my experience) is that no one up there cares 
>to
>enforce the licensing rules about use of handhelds by kayakers, unless 
>someone
>flagrantly abuses the privilege.    In addition,
>outfitters in the Charlottes routinely rent VHF's to kayakers with no 
>mention
>of a licensing requirement.

>Someone who lives in Canada would certainly be in a better position to 
>comment
>on this than I am.

Cap'n Canuck here:
At the time I got my VHF, you needed an operator's certificate for yourself 
- a one-shot, life-time certificate for which you took a short course and 
wrote a simple exam.
You also needed a "station license" which was for the radio itself, and 
which was renewed annually, for a fee. The Canadian government is no longer 
requiring this annual renewal and fee (at least not for handheld VHFs).
My guess is that provided you transmitted only in a real emergency, nobody 
is going to fine your ass or refuse to put it in a sling and winch it up to 
the helicopter.
Do note that Canada uses very slightly different frequencies for the same 
"channels" than the US does. Consult your manufacturer's manual; my radio 
has an icon on the LCD display to indicate whether it is in Canadian or 
International (US) channel mode.

>I suppose the practice might be different in more populous areas (viz., the
>harbour at Vancouver).

We had problems a few years back where immigrant fishermen were cluttering 
up channel 16 (the hailing and emergency channel)for hours on end with idle 
chatter in their native tongue, clearly out of a lack of knowledge of the 
protocols. I assume the powers that be must have used direction-finding 
equipment and advised the offenders of the error of their ways, 'cause the 
problem went away.

Philip Torrens
N49°16' W123°06'(Vancouver, BC, Canada)

________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not
to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************