Wicked Tuna

[wb6uqa]

Last night I was watching the tv series Wicked tuna. It is about fishing boats on the east coast fishing for Blue fin tuna. I noticed the fishing boasts had touch tone mikes. I saw they were transmitting on 145.000 on their radios.

 

[mikepdx]

Last night I was watching the tv series Wicked tuna. It is about fishing boats on the east coast fishing for Blue fin tuna. I noticed the fishing boasts had touch tone mikes. I saw they were transmitting on 145.000 on their radios.

Uh, OK...thanks for the info.

 

[robertmac]

Don't know their names on in the US so haven't looked to see if they have amateur license. But is this a case of marine using ham bands? Perhaps someone in their area of operation could mention something to them. I have a tendency to avoid these types of shows so haven't seen it. Will try and watch sometime.

 

[mmckenna]

Not unheard of. Fishing is big business and fisherman don't like to give away their secrets. They know that using standard Marine VHF radios will let anyone in the area listen in. In the desire to have some privacy, some have gone to bootleg amateur radios thinking that going off on a "private" frequency gives them privacy.
I hear it around here when the salmon season opens.
In fact, I knew a guy in high school that sold a bunch of old 2 meter mobiles to some fisherman in the area. He wasn't the type to ask about legalities, in high school you are just looking to make a quick buck.

 

[Jay911]

To a lot of people, what's done in the middle of the ocean (or on the middle of the ice roads) with a radio with nobody else around is about as legally dangerous as ripping the tags off mattresses. And, IMO, might even be justifiable.

Having said that, you have no proof that (a) the guy depicted isn't a ham and thus authorized to transmit on that freq, or (2) the TV production company just put up some stock footage to make it look cooler than the boring display seen in real life.

 

[Token]

To a lot of people, what's done in the middle of the ocean (or on the middle of the ice roads) with a radio with nobody else around is about as legally dangerous as ripping the tags off mattresses. And, IMO, might even be justifiable.

Having said that, you have no proof that (a) the guy depicted isn't a ham and thus authorized to transmit on that freq, or (2) the TV production company just put up some stock footage to make it look cooler than the boring display seen in real life.

Or (3) intentionally misleading frequency shown to not reveal actual operating frequency. This was done several times in the past on shows like Deadliest Catch.

T!

 

[robertmac]

I tried to watch the show tonight, but all I could see was a Yaesu mic.. In looking at the web site there is a radio that appears to be a Yaesu 2900 or 7900 but could not see clear enough let alone see the frequency. I didn't look up on qrz.com if the names of the people on the show are listed as being licensed. On further review definitely not 7900 so more likely a 1900 or 2900. Certainly in Canada I know a lot of fishermen off the Nova Scotia, Newfoundland have ham license and hear them on the IRLP Trans Canada net at times. And when I was out in BC a lot of boats there have ham licenses and active on the VHF/UHF and HF frequencies. So likely one of them is licensed. But these shows are just shows.

 

[13CA350]

I'd like to listen in, but I'm too far away. With them going 30+ miles out and me being 50 miles from the shore there's no way I'd be able to.

I know that a few of the boats are out of Cape Ann marina, if that helps anyone find a frequency


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[k6cpo]

I wonder how far the FCC's jurisdiction extends, the 12 NM Territorial limit, the 24 NM Contiguous limit, or the 200 NM Exclusive economic Zone?

 

[ShawnInPaso]

I used to commute along a stretch of the central coast of California every work day. It was rather common to hear fishing boats using amateur radio frequencies and occasionally hit the input frequency of a repeater causing interference. It was clear that no one on the boats were Amateur Radio operators because they never identified and their random use of frequencies did not correspond to any frequency allocation. This was over a period of twenty years or so.

IMO, the "it's okay because it's in the middle of the ocean" flies in the face of what regulations are all about. If they do not care about their radio usage, what else on board do they not care about (i.e. safety requirements)? The USCG has far reaching and 24/7 monitoring capability of all Marine channels, perhaps they are cognizant of this and want to avoid being overheard by the fish cops. If a bunch of tuna cowboys want to use ham frequencies so be it, no skin off my back. But it reflects an irresponsible behavior which is obviously condoned by their peers and so far the majority in this thread.

 

[ShawnInPaso]

I wonder how far the FCC's jurisdiction extends, the 12 NM Territorial limit, the 24 NM Contiguous limit, or the 200 NM Exclusive economic Zone?

I think part 97 says something to the effect that if your craft is registered in the USA then the rules apply to the licensee no matter where they are on the ocean.

 

[KC4RAF]

+1

with Shawn.

 

[AK9R]

I think part 97 says something to the effect that if your craft is registered in the USA then the rules apply to the licensee no matter where they are on the ocean.

§ 97.5 Station license required.
(a) The station apparatus must be under the physical control of a person named in an amateur station license grant on the ULS consolidated license database or a person authorized for alien reciprocal operation by §97.107 of this part, before the station may transmit on any amateur service frequency from any place that is:
(1) Within 50 km of the Earth’s surface and at a place where the amateur service is regulated by the FCC;
(2) Within 50 km of the Earth’s surface and aboard any vessel or craft that is documented or registered in the United States; or
(3) More than 50 km above the Earth’s surface aboard any craft that is documented or registered in the United States.

If the vessel in question is outside U.S. territorial waters or not registered in the U.S., FCC rules may not apply.

 

[Voyager]

Or (3) intentionally misleading frequency shown to not reveal actual operating frequency. This was done several times in the past on shows like Deadliest Catch.

That's what I was thinking. They could have put a dummy load on the radio, too.

That's the thing about TV/Movies - not everything you see is real. The Terminator didn't actually come back in time. The TARDIS does not actually exist. Luke Skywalker is not a real person. They may not have been using 145.000 MHz.

 

[wb6uqa]

wicket tuna

The vessels are US flagged not sure of distance to shore. No ham call.

 

[rss3781]

today 149.150

they where using 149.150 season 7 episode 5 coms on 149.150

 

[rss3781]

VHF-High Band Bandplans



The primary military-only bands in the VHF high band are 138.00-144.00 and 148.00-150.775. Basic spacing between channel is 25 kHz (USN/USAF). The Army uses 12.5 kHz spacing in their segments of the band. The primary communications mode is narrowband FM, but some AM is used by air units of the various services for tactical air-to-air comms.



Air Force

138.000-138.500

138.875-138.925

139.600-140.000

140.375-140.425

141.525-151.925

142.125-142.300

143.425-143.475

143.750-143.925

148.050-148.250

148.450-148.550

*******149.150-149.325********

149.475-149.550

149.925-150.050

150.150-150.350

 

[robertmac]

I haven't watched too many new shows, but I did observe that they no longer seemed to be using Yaesu Amateur radio so probably business band radios being used.

 

[royldean]

If the vessel in question is outside U.S. territorial waters or not registered in the U.S., FCC rules may not apply.

Don't you mean "and"?

[edit] Maybe not. After re-reading, I must admit I am confused by the law.

 

[Voyager]

I must admit I am confused by the law.

Congrats. You pass the psyche evaluation. Confusion is normal.