Marine Radio and hunters

[Arizona_Scanner]

People use marine radios for everything under the sun around here. Day to day business operations, hunting, family time at the fair....even street racers use them. I have heard the emergency / coast guard channel used by kids playing hide and seek. These radios are very cheap now. I keep the frequencies in regular rotation and catch interesting things at times.

[riccom]

Is it a violation of the law to use them on land, non boating purposes?

[nd5y]

Is it a violation of the law to use them on land, non boating purposes?

Yes.

[Arizona_Scanner]

Yeah, it's illegal. But these things are cheap and abundant now, and they buy the (non-caring / pirate) user a little bit quieter radio operation, without the constant call tones from the bubble pack GMRS pirates.

[ropin4gold]

Ive heard hunting traffic on 66 67 68 and 88

[w4wxp]

Originally Posted by kb9ygd

We as a species seem to just do what ever we can whether its right or wrong.I for one think that the marine radio frequencies were made for marine use& marine use ONLY.Some people will do anything if they can get by with it and that is why we as a nation have over 1 million people incarcerated.Just look at the ham bands they have professional no code techs that have been waiting for 20 yrs for them to drop the CW requirment so they can upgrade & now they have and im sure it will be mass chaos.Im of the opinion that you should do what is right and what socitiety expects of you.We would all benifit.Norm/Kb9ygd

Yes, because the people on 14.275, 14.313, and some of 75 meters are 'no code techs'. Oh wait, that's right, they've been around WAY before the code was dropped.

[Viper652]

All the hunters Ive ever heard in my area use the "lower channels" on export CB radios.

[elk2370bruce]

Originally Posted by kb9ygd
We as a species seem to just do what ever we can whether its right or wrong.I for one think that the marine radio frequencies were made for marine use& marine use ONLY.Some people will do anything if they can get by with it and that is why we as a nation have over 1 million people incarcerated.Just look at the ham bands they have professional no code techs that have been waiting for 20 yrs for them to drop the CW requirment so they can upgrade & now they have and im sure it will be mass chaos.Im of the opinion that you should do what is right and what socitiety expects of you.We would all benifit.Norm/Kb9ygd

Yeah! Those darned no-coders are responsible for global warming, the national deficit, chronic middle-aged flatulence, the decline in spark gap cw,as well as the decline and fall of western civilization. Some of the worst operators on hf have been licensed since Noah was an altar boy with closed QSO circles. I might add that the prime offenders on 14.275 were long-time licensees and not the verblungent "no-coders" These curmudgeons can't accept anyone licensed after 1960. Grand and sweeping false assumptions such as this one abound with us old poops who are still seeking the elusive callsign to begin our Worked All Silent Keys award. Some the most proficient people that I've worked on cw have been relative newbies. If us old timers would help teach newly minted amateurs, instead of the usual derisive behavior, there might be a bit more of them getting on QRP cw if they had an elmer that would actually step down from Mount Olympus where the Gods and OO's still reign and teach them. I guess that it's easier to ***** and moan than actually make a positive contribution to our hobby.

[robertmac]

Ignorance is no excuse

[gewecke]

Originally Posted by elk2370bruce

I made the distinct mistake of getting on QRZ.com in the naive belief that hamsters on the net were as friendly and supportive as the ones that I've met in person or on the air. Boy was I wrong. Self-serving elitism and just snotty attitudes within a closed inner circle left a bad taste. I'm sure that they are glad that I'm gone as well. While there are some nice people there, the majority treat anyone who is new or recently returned to the hobby as human offal - worthy only to be flushed down the porcelin bathroom utencil. From a potential friend, they chose to activate my Marcus Vindictus defenses. Yes, I left and the swinging doors didn't smak me in the keester. Morale of the story. Don't go there. You will not be welcomed.

I'm a member on QRZ, but only occasionally. They have yet to give me grief, but if the day happens then a *smackdown* will occur spot on!

73,
n9zas

[990adv]

Pretty sure I posted this somewhere else on here but here goes.

This past October I took my father down to the Smokey Mountains to show him around. While back in the boonies we came across some bear hunters. They were using marine radios. Stated that cell phones would not work back in the woods.

While illegal I highly doubt they caused any interference with any licensed user.

[riccom]

Well I know that it correct, that it is, and sime marine frequiencies, do fall on the upper band of the public service bands, (ie 156.225 mhz) and if they fall on that frequiency, could cause some issues.
So thats why in my mind that land use is prohibited.

Sent from my SGH-T759 using Tapatalk 2

[WQFM513]

There's a few drivers in the company I drive for that use marine radios. Doesn't make sence to me why though, we have company vhf radios, 3 repeater channels with repeaters at 3 different sites, and 2 direct channels.

[Robinsmark]

Riccom: At one time years ago the Juno Beach FLA Police were licensed on 156.000 MHZ. They were an Oceanside town with a marina and the boats would drive them nuts. Eventually they migrated to 800 band and that cured the problem.

[HometownWarrior]

I don't know if this is still the case, but a while back a church I belonged to had a fairly large security staff, of which I was a member . The pastors of the church were looking for a lot quantity of waterproof radios. They choose 15-20 Cobra model portable Marine Radios. In my radio ignorance I thought nothing of it. Now that I have both a GMRS and Amateur radio licence, I realize there are some issues here. (The church is obviously not holding services aboard ship.) After I confirm that this is still the practice, how do I respectfully approach the pastors and inform them of the legalities of this operation. I would need to cite specific statues and/or regulations and offer a reasonable strategy to get back to legal dry ground. (pun intended).

[mikepdx]

Originally Posted by Dave13

To purposelly interfere and break-in on illegal frequencys
wouls place "US" in the abusers catagorys, right?
Just maybe we ought to Key-Up and repremand abusers...

Originally Posted by ac7nu

Once in a while I will get on the radio and advise the them
of what channel they are on, and suggest that they move to another one.

I always find it a bit hypocritical when people on our local
ham repeaters complain about unidentified, perhaps unlicensed stations,
then turn around and communicate with them.
They then become violators of the rules themselves.

It is unlawful to communicate with an unlicensed and/or
unidentified station as an amateur licensee.

As for getting on a VHF marine channel and advising those who
shouldn't be there: If you are on land, YOU are also breaking the law.
Do some people actually keep ready an illegal VHF coast station to give such advise??

Originally Posted by HometownWarrior

how do I respectfully approach the pastors and inform them of the legalities of this operation.
I would need to cite specific statues and/or regulations and offer a reasonable strategy to get back to legal dry ground. (pun intended).

You could print out this FCC page with info on the subject:

FCC: Using Hand-Held Marine VHF Radios on Land

[robertmac]

But a GMRS licensed user was fined $24000 for interfering with a licensed frequency user. Only a matter of time for more fines will be appearing.

[Bazel]

Sure it's illegal for people to be using non marine radios for hunting or what not, but when you get down to FRS is a waste of time in hunting terrain. So, they got nowhere to go! Okay, so what are you going to do, hire more FCC cops? My guess is they could drag people in right and left and the judge would listen to the offenders BS on how they didn't know and then the judge would say ignorance is not excuse you bought the radio you should learn about then fine them 200 bucks.

In the end you would burn up a lot of money chasing offenders around with no return to pay for it. It's the same thing with poaching, there are now so few game wardens because of budget cuts poachers are decimating sturgeon, deer herds, elk , bear and you name it.

In the end it all comes down to priorities When I see someone on a marine radio I always tell them to stand in a river or lake while they talk!

[Arizona_Scanner]

Originally Posted by robertmac

But a GMRS licensed user was fined $24000 for interfering with a licensed frequency user. Only a matter of time for more fines will be appearing.

Fines from the FCC are few and far between in my view. My experience tells me they ignore the VAST majority of complaints, and with the new budget cuts, I can't imagine things have gotten any better.

Enforcement is for the most part, "token", unless you are interfering with something important or involving money. GRMS / FRS is a wasteland these days. Even kids (who used to annoy everyone with call tones) all have cell phones now. I have not seen anyone using a GMRS / FRS radio for anything in quite a while. The band is nearly silent in Phoenix. I cannot imagine that in our current federal fiscal crisis, the FCC is making any priority out of finding illegal GMRS / FRS users. Token / random enforcement only. And I've dealt with them and this issue several times over the years, so I know of what I speak.