Marine transceiver for monitoring only ? Help!

[hill]

You are correct that the most of the Handheld VHF-FM marine radios don't have DSC capability. In order to have true DSC the radio needs to be connected to a GPS and that is harder to do with a handheld then fixed mount VHF. The ones that do are only connected to the GPS when in a cradle that will inable you to send a DSC mayday call before getting out of a sinking vessel.

Larry Hill
Fifth District Southern
Assistant District Staff Officer Communications
US Coast Guard Auxiliary

 

[N_Jay]

You are correct that the most of the Handheld VHF-FM marine radios don't have DSC capability. In order to have true DSC the radio needs to be connected to a GPS and that is harder to do with a handheld then fixed mount VHF. The ones that do are only connected to the GPS when in a cradle that will inable you to send a DSC mayday call before getting out of a sinking vessel.

Larry Hill
Fifth District Southern
Assistant District Staff Officer Communications
US Coast Guard Auxiliary

Not going to argue with you (Mostly because of your sig line), but the manual I read on one of the units (forget which one) made it sound like it would send a DCS call, but would not include the location information (obviously) if a GPS was not connected.

Might be a manufacturer/model specific thing?

 

[Castlekingside]

I think it works this way: All console units have a panic switch that sends a signal through channel 70 with or without GPS equipment connected to it. This is the loud alarm mentioned by Jack in his posting. This happens at the touch of a buttom, the so called "Distress Buttom" IN THE EVENT that such console/mobile unit is connected to a GPS trans. it will also send the ship's location to de CG. 99% of the portable units do not have this feature and to me look safer for monitoring only. My early conclusion is : Stay away from mobiles if you plan on using the transciever for listening only. That 1% left in my calculations would be the Horizon brand unit.

 

[Castlekingside]

Without question the Marine VHF Radio is one of the most valuable pieces of safety equipment on board. With channel 16 (for voice) and channel 70 (for digital DSC) being monitored 24 hours a day by the US Coast Guard, the VHF Radio can deliver a call for assistance, allow you to listen to the latest weather report, or simply keep you in touch with other boats on the water. (From a manufacturer's website) ..................................

 

[n8emr]

That is right, but I'm only interested in "standard" marine and weather monitoring because a live near a busy marina and for the price of a low end all-band scanner I can get an Icom marine transciver. My concerns are legal only. I ASSUME that if ownership of the unit is legal using it in rerceiving mode only must also be legal. It's unbelievable that nowhere in the net you can find a straight legal answer to my question by an expert, needless to say the Coast Guard or FCC websites. Where are the FAQs when we need them?

Hence my question about the scanner. While its not illegal to listen, it is illegal to transmit. To avoid any confusion getting a receive only scanner eliminates any ISSUES with transmitting on purpose or accidentally. A new marine radio is going to cost you more than a new scanner that will receive marine frequency.

 

[Castlekingside]

Hence my answer.............this is a quote from Jack not my own although I eco his comments. In addition cost is aprox. the same.
As to whether a scanner will do an equivalent job of monitoring the marine bands, my experience is they will absolutely not. While the scanner is generally much faster in scan-mode than marine transceivers can scan, the front ends of all scanners are designed to reject nothing, and they will be plagued by interference from pager-systems that affect all U.S. coastal areas.

 

[Grog]

Hence my question about the scanner. While its not illegal to listen, it is illegal to transmit. To avoid any confusion getting a receive only scanner eliminates any ISSUES with transmitting on purpose or accidentally.

Remove the mic & secure the DSC button, monitor away

A new marine radio is going to cost you more than a new scanner that will receive marine frequency.

New marine radios are dirt cheap now, and the RX would almost always be much better than any "hobby grade" scanner.

 

[Grog]

Buy an old maxtrac off ebay and have it programmed for your channels of interest. if you get your hands on a 99ch maxtrac you can have all the marine channels in the radio and it can be programmed not to Tx. Maxtrac's have one of the hottest receivers available which is why 2 meter ham's love em for repeater receivers.

You mean the 99ch Canadian loband maxtracs? I bet they work wonders at 157mhz

 

[n8emr]

Hence my answer.............this is a quote from Jack not my own although I eco his comments. In addition cost is aprox. the same.
As to whether a scanner will do an equivalent job of monitoring the marine bands, my experience is they will absolutely not.

but since all he wants to do is listen to boats in the harbor and not DX the marine band, crank up the squelch and you will hear all you need to hear.

 

[Grog]

but since all he wants to do is listen to boats in the harbor and not DX the marine band, crank up the squelch and you will hear all you need to hear.

Uh, the "he" he is referring to is the OP, I would think he knows what he wants to listen to

 

[n8emr]

Uh, the "he" he is referring to is the OP, I would think he knows what he wants to listen to

Again the high powered station that will most likely not be trampled by intermod.

 

[kc8gpd]

You mean the 99ch Canadian loband maxtracs? I bet they work wonders at 157mhz

I had a 99ch conventional 800mhz maxtrac here once and i was aware of the lo band one also.

I thought there was a mod out there to make a VHF into 99ch. Oh well my bad

well you could get an older marine radio that does not have DSC or any of that other crap on it. Again ebay is a wonderful resource for this.

 

[Castlekingside]

http://www.radiomarine.org/4U-1.html This will take you to a restore 4U console marine transceiver from the wreck of the SS Rider Victory. Wow!!!!!!!!