Marine Radio Licence

[cabletech]

When all else fails, go to the source. Go to this URL and you can get all the current information.

Basicly, if you have a nocommerical small boat, you do not need a license. ANYWHERE IN THE USA.

Commercial Radio Operator License Program: Commercial Operator Home

Also, read the following:

 

[com501]

It's just scary to think that anyone would have a marine radio mounted in a vehicle unless they were licensed under the authority of a very small minority of circumstances that would permit that.

It's even scarier to think that anyone would use a radio not type accepted for marine use.

It's scary enough that police and fire think it's OK (I am NOT going to get into the Nevada Highway Patrol debaucle a few years back over this) to use those frequencies without the proper authorization.

Does Radio Shack still sell marine radios? Scary.

 

[W9NES]

Thank You Tom, so noted.

 

[cabletech]

I can remember going into RS and buying just about any thing I wished to do a electronics project.

Now its phones and toys.

I do not know about nation wide, but I can tell you the the local RS stores in my area quit selling marine radios about 15 years ago and quit selling Ham radios about 12 years ago, and every once in a while I see a cb but for the most part, if it is not phone related or some toy, then the RS of old is gone.

 

[W9NES]

This should answer the question for all.I just got done talking with the fcc on Fri 10-26-12 and was told that if you own a boat and do not travel outside the US you do not need a license.If your boat is at a marina you can only talk to other boaters on ch 6. A regular person does not qualify for a license for a Priviate coast station unless you are involved in a service.Refer to FCC rule 80.501. I was told by the FCC that a person can LISTEN on 156.800 and if a emergency is heard to call the local 911 center if you do not have a coast guard station in your area.The FCC said there is nothing wrong with calling 911 if you hear a boater calling for help in your area.You are better off just putting 156.800 in your scanner and listening and do not answer the station.This is the main reason why a lot of boaters carry cell phones with them.

 

[com501]

Of course, there are a whole bunch of Coast Guard authorized mobile stations. Just look up the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Anyone else, not so much.

 

[bill4long]

A regular person does not qualify for a license for a Priviate coast station unless you are involved in a service.Refer to FCC rule 80.501

It would appear that a volunteer non-profit group could conceivably get a license for helping out non-commercial boaters in an emergency under provision (a)(10):

80.501(a)(10) "A nonprofit organization providing noncommercial communications to vessels other than commercial transport vessels."

I wonder if anyone has done that.

 

[AF0DJ]

I bet the paperwork would be a *****, not to mention the *quite* expensive license, and speaking of that, I think it's time to renew the license for my sailboat as I take it into Canada (foreign waters) and I mount an HF radio as well (because sometimes I go off shore out of VHF range). Darn .........$$$$.

 

[N8QH]

No license is required for VHF if for recreational use and boat is < 20m; however, if you do have a VHF radio then you must monitor Marine Ch 16 at all times - this is required by the FCC.

(...)

47 CFR 80.148 states: "Each compulsory vessel, while underway, must maintain a watch for radiotelephone distress calls on 156.800 MHz [some exceptions follow]..."

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2011-title47-vol5/pdf/CFR-2011-title47-vol5-sec80-148.pdf

Note the qualifier "compulsory," meaning: "the vessel is required to have a radio."

According to that rule, if your vessel is not required to have a radio, the radio is not required to be turned on and tuned to channel 16.

However, 47 CFR § 80.310 contradicts, saying you MUST maintain a radio watch if you have a radio, even when your vessel is "voluntarily" equipped with a radio. In the case of vessels having limited battery power, I believe it is perfectly legitimate to say that your radio was not on to conserve its batteries for possible emergency need.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2011-title47-vol5/pdf/CFR-2011-title47-vol5-sec80-310.pdf

That rule also states a requirement to monitor 2182 kHz, even though many vessels lack the ability to receive that frequency and even the US Coast Guard has itself stopped monitoring the frequency - a case of the rules not keeping up with the times.

http://alaska.coastguard.dodlive.mi...ast-guard-ceases-monitoring-channel-2182-khz/

I have ample solar power generating ability aboard my sailboat, and since I sail in an area of the Pacific that often puts vessels in peril, I personally consider keeping the radio on and tuned to channel 16 to be a courteous practice and in keeping with the traditional "law of the sea," i.e., the ancient maritime practice of providing assistance to fellow seafarers (which is also the law: 46 U.S. Code § 2304.). But as skipper, you may disagree and prefer to conserve your batteries for your own vessel's emergency use.