Marine Radio and its proper use

[n2mdk]

There is a good article on Marine Band shore-station use and liceinsing in the March issue of PopComm.

Whats this coast guard auxillary thing? Some kind of whacker-club with boats? I spend 1/2 the year on the shoreline and never seen such a thing. The view of the beach is better than the view of the water anyways if you know what I mean

Guess you never watched Boston Legal.

 

[scannergoduk]

marine radio and its proper use

hi all well i have bought a midland nautico vhf marine radio from the states and listen in on the coastgaurd etc
i havent heard any illegal traffic yet but i pick up traffic from france which is interesting considering i live along way from france theres a waterway bewteen essex and kent and im in essex side france is further across near dover more which is around 280 miles from where i live
bear in mind that marine radios have around 25 watts of power output on some radios
my handheld i own has 5 watts and is a good little radio
i doubt you will hear any illegal stations but gmrs radios and frs have got good range better than the uk version which is pmr 446 power output of a mear 0.5 watts and the usa version have 20 watts i think it is sometimes more so you must have a good range on them over there

 

[kb2vxa]

Coast Guard Auxiliary is just what the name implies. You usually won't see them unless you're out on the water where they're conducting an exercise but you'll hear the scheduled net traffic. Now here's an interesting one, they transmit from their homes for the most part as do MARS net stations.

 

[ecps92]

Actually CG-Aux is out there routinely, not just for exercises.

Sector Boston is in COMS with them, just like a regular CG Patrol and there is also atleast one regular Air Patrol by the CG Aux on weekends, with COMS back to Sector Southern New England, Sector Boston and Sector Northern New England.

Yes, they have a radio net just like MARS. PS those channels have recently changed, so Searching the VHF 138-151 Mhz band will be advised.

Coast Guard Auxiliary is just what the name implies. You usually won't see them unless you're out on the water where they're conducting an exercise but you'll hear the scheduled net traffic. Now here's an interesting one, they transmit from their homes for the most part as do MARS net stations.

 

[Twister_2]

I heard that in some places it is illeagal on land.

 

[Tfitzmaurice89]

The coast guard aux is really big out here... the cleveland and the fairport harbor stations.

 

[ecps92]

New USCG Aux Channels

Check out, and report back what you might hear on these USCG Aux Channels.

150.7000 Repeater / 149.2000 input
138.4750 Simplex Tac-1
142.8250 Simplex Tac-2
143.4750 Simplex Nationwide Simplex

Actually CG-Aux is out there routinely, not just for exercises.

Sector Boston is in COMS with them, just like a regular CG Patrol and there is also atleast one regular Air Patrol by the CG Aux on weekends, with COMS back to Sector Southern New England, Sector Boston and Sector Northern New England.

Yes, they have a radio net just like MARS. PS those channels have recently changed, so Searching the VHF 138-151 Mhz band will be advised.

 

[Grog]

Wow that's a fairly harsh statement about a very well established and organized volunteer outfit. The Auxiliary teaches boater safety class's and is nationally recognized in each state. If your state requires a boater safety certificate "The Aux." is an accepted coarse. In addition they also perform patrol functions both in the air and on the water. And they do it at their own cost. "Whackers" ??? Hardly. You don't see a bunch of wanabee's with flashing light bars. Maybe that's why you have never seen them. Thousands of people are assisted each year on the water by these folks around the nation. BTW I have no affiliation with their great organization.

Actually, there are wackers in many groups. I Knew a USCG AUX member who had red stobes on the dash of his car, claimed he was allowed to use them in the summer because of his USCG AUX activities.


Then again, my EC/RO has been with the AUX for many years and served in the navy as well. I don't think he's wacking out his truck anytime soon :lol:

 

[kb2vxa]

"I heard that in some places it is illegal on land."

Some people just don't take time to read before jumping in. It's been written right here in this thread it's illegal ANYWHERE on land without a private coast station license.

Now here's an interesting note, while you'll only find VHF coast stations near navigable waterways for obvious reasons HF "coast" stations can be just about anywhere. I stumbled across one in Cranford NJ which is miles from the coast.

"I Knew a USCG AUX member who had red stobes on the dash of his car, claimed he was allowed to use them in the summer because of his USCG AUX activities."

I suppose it was one of these?

 

[ocguard]

Hey, that's my car!?

 

[jcop225]

Often times when a uscg Helicopter files over my house I'll hear an aircomm like call over vhf ch. 81.

I live too far inland to hear any other actual nautical traffic.

On another note of vhf marine use out of water, across the street from a beach house I visit in Onset mass. there is the dock used by the private company; towboat usa. Whenever they respond they do so in a pick-up with a mobile vhf trancever. I was wondering if it would be leagl to transmit from this moblie station.