totally lost

[thabugman]

I am totally new to CB...Total greenhorn here. I have a West Marine VHF 550 that has great reception but will not transmit. I am on channel 21 which reads at the bottom Coast Guard Only...I don't know what this means...If I can even use that channel for general transmission...I know nothing of the legalities of using it...Totally lost as to why it won't transmit...I have called 5 people each with a different answer. If anyone can give assistance it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[ecps92]

CB Radio and Marine Radio are two different Worlds and Marine Radio is not a CB
CB - No License Required
Marine Radio - Base Station Requires a License, some Ships Required to License.

There are many channels in the marine bands restricted in use and will likely get you a visit from the USCG and maybe FCC for using them. 16 and 21 are two of them.

I would suggest if you want a radio to chat on, get a CB or the FRS bubble packs.

I am totally new to CB...Total greenhorn here. I have a West Marine VHF 550 that has great reception but will not transmit. I am on channel 21 which reads at the bottom Coast Guard Only...I don't know what this means...If I can even use that channel for general transmission...I know nothing of the legalities of using it...Totally lost as to why it won't transmit...I have called 5 people each with a different answer. If anyone can give assistance it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[mmckenna]

I am totally new to CB...Total greenhorn here. I have a West Marine VHF 550 that has great reception but will not transmit.

What happens when you try to transmit?
How do you know it's not transmitting?

I am on channel 21 which reads at the bottom Coast Guard Only...I don't know what this means...If I can even use that channel for general transmission...

Where are you located? Your profile doesn't tell us anything. Since the rules for VHF Marine radio vary form country to country, I want to make sure I'm giving you correct information. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you are in the U.S.A., please correct me if I'm wrong.

Channel 21 is for U.S. Coast Guard use only. You are not permitted to transmit on VHF Channel 21.
U.S. VHF Channels

I know nothing of the legalities of using it...Totally lost as to why it won't transmit...I have called 5 people each with a different answer. If anyone can give assistance it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Probably a good idea to stop and figure this out before doing anything else, especially transmitting.
Your post is a bit confusing, and I think we need to work through that, first.
CB and VHF Marine are not the same radio services. Channel 21 on your CB radio will NOT work wiht Channel 21 on a Marine VHF radio. Two completely different frequencies.
There are some very clear rules and regulations that dictate what you are allowed to do and NOT do on the Marine VHF channels. I'd strongly recommend reading and fully understanding the rules before doing anything else.
Radio Information For Boaters
Rescue 21 Distress System Coverage
And the FCC Rules, Part 80. These are the rules from the United States Federal Communications Commission:
eCFR — Code of Federal Regulations

If you are outside the U.S.A. the country you are in will have their own governing body that controls the use of radio frequencies. You can also look up information from the International Maritime Organization.

 

[Darkstar350]

I live in a rather coastal area so im familiar with the marine channels a bit -
channel 16 is ONLY for emergencies - the coast guard monitors this channel constantly and they frown on even just doing radio checks on there
not sure about channel 21 but what i have heard a few times is a ship will call the initial distress call in on channel 16 then the coast guard will ask them to switch to channel "2 3 alpha" for further operations

156.450 and 156.650 im pretty sure are also calling channels but you can do radio checks and other general fishing operations on those channels

but unless you have a boat or live on the water or whatever then i wouldnt reccomend marine radios for general calling
in that case youd probobly be better off with GMRS or the "meter" bands...