Apparently the US rules for monitoring Channel 16 changed a couple years ago. Following is the pertinent language, emphasis added by me; the requirement for recreational vessels to watch 16 arose in 2004, and I missed it. The following is from this site: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/watch.htm U.S. recreational vessels _not_ required to carry radios, _but if they do_, they must be turned on and set to channel 16 Vessels not required to carry a VHF marine radio (e.g. recreational vessels less than 20m length and commercial vessels under 100 GT carrying less than 6 passengers), but which voluntarily carry a radio, must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radio is not being used to communicate. Effective 2004 if a radio is carried, it must be turned on and set to channel 16 whenever the vessel is underway. Source: FCC 47 CFR 80.310 U.S. vessels required to carry a marine radio U.S. vessels required to carry a VHF marine radio, such as commercial fishing vessels, must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHZ) while underway whenever the radio is not being used for exchanging communications. Source: FCC 47 CFR 80.148 I know for a fact this requirement is widely ignored, even by power boaters, who do not have the battery life issues we do. I do not know if the Canadian marine regs on VHF watch have changed. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Kruger wrote: > I do not know if the Canadian marine regs on VHF watch have changed. It appears that the regs for Canada have not changed. It still remains that monitoring channel 16 is only mandatory for vessels that must carry marine VHF equipment. (Based on a check of Transport Canada, Industry Canada and Canadian Coast Guard web sites. TC was the relevant one.) It sounds like you should contact the governing agency (FCC? USCG?) and point out the difficulty in meeting this requirement for sea kayakers on longer trips. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Dave: I checked with dh. Yes 13 is for marine traffic. So if you want help from a tugboat call 13. Dh says while the cg does monitor 16, as do other boaters and good samaritans, if you're really in trouble you want 22. It's a direct line. Of course 22 will end up costing you $. Best, Melinda *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
That's what I love aboug governments; clear and easy-to-follow rules. Can't use a cellphone any more, channel 16 may work but then again it may not but you have to listen to it anyway... and to really get help just give us your credit card. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA On 11/15/06, Bernerts <mbernert_at_comcast.net> wrote: > > Hi Dave: > > I checked with dh. Yes 13 is for marine traffic. So if you want help from > a > tugboat call 13. Dh says while the cg does monitor 16, as do other boaters > and good samaritans, if you're really in trouble you want 22. It's a > direct > line. Of course 22 will end up costing you $. > > Best, > Melinda *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Craig Jungers wrote: > That's what I love aboug governments; clear and easy-to-follow rules. Can't > use a cellphone any more, You can use a cellphone - 911. Just don't use *CG. The USCG is dropping the use of the quick dial code since it's not properly and consistently implemented. Blame the phone companies for that. USCG is _not_ dropping telephone use. VHF is preferred because many can hear the call; with cell phones, only the called person can hear. If the coast guard is an hour away but Joe Boater is two minutes away, you might prefer that he listen in. > channel 16 may work but then again it may not Channel 16 is being replaced with channel 70 - DSC - Digital Selective Calling. DSC provides a digital signal that contains your identifier, your GPS position and your distress signal. That means they can identify you and your registered craft uniquely and know your precise position without having to make a voice call. Altogether a better system, but not widely implemented in handheld units yet. Once DSC is widely used, channel 16 will be obsolete as a distress call channel and can revert to a station-to-station calling channel (like 9 in the US). In some areas, DSC is apparently the only mechanism for making a distress call. I know that the Canadian Coast Guard has guaranteed that they will monitor ch 16 in the Great Lakes for the foreseeable future. Note that, AFAIK, DSC does not replace ch 16 for pan pan and securite calls. Melinda wrote: >> Of course 22 will end up costing you $. Why? 22 is a direct channel to the CG. It is only if you request a phone connect through 22 that you pay - and that goes, in part, to the phone company. If you need to phone someone and you can, use your cell phone instead. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Craig Jungers wrote: > That's what I love aboug governments; clear and easy-to-follow rules. > Can't use a cellphone any more, channel 16 may work but then again it > may not but you have to listen to it anyway... and to really get help > just give us your credit card. > On 11/15/06, Bernerts <mbernert_at_comcast.net> wrote: > > I checked with dh. Yes 13 is for marine traffic. So if you want > > help from a tugboat call 13. Dh says while the cg does monitor 16, > > as do other boaters and good samaritans, if you're really in > > trouble you want 22. It's a direct line. Of course 22 will end up > > costing you $. Melinda's information differs from what the USCG tells us down here. It also differs from what towboat operators may be able to do. USCG says hail them on 16. No ifs ands or buts. I hear calls frequently on 16 to the USCG, Group Astoria, and Cape Disappointment. SOP is to move the hailer to a working frequency, typically 22 or 23, I believe. This changed recently, so I may be off on that. Most of the handling of the emergency is done off 16 to leave it open for other emergencies. Down here, 22 is not a "direct line," and using it may get in the way of other traffic interacting with the USCG. Could be a direct line in the Portland, OR, area, but not here. Towboat operators have hearts of gold, and in my experience will help as best they can, but are often encumbered with a tow. They can not abandon the tow in the channel. They must secure the tow first before responding, so I would not use 13 as my primary emergency channel if I want help in the Columbia. Channel 16 is still the prime route to help locally. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> I know for a fact this requirement is widely ignored, even by power > boaters, who do not have the battery life issues we do. > > I do not know if the Canadian marine regs on VHF watch have changed. Don't know if it has changed here in Canada, but I do know that it is not enforced (and therefore ignored). What monitoring, officer... darn thing doesn't work :-) ... or didn't work when I tried to turn it on an hour ago... No, really - after 2 or 3 days of wearing Icom V5 for many hours on sea trip, I couldn't normally use it, until rinsed it with fresh water (concentric knobs got glued together with salt). *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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