Marine VHF radio
Marine VHF radio refers to the radio frequency range between 156.0 and 162.025 MHz, inclusive. In the official language of the ITU the band is called the VHF maritime mobile band.
It's installed on all large ships and most seagoing small craft. It is also used, with slightly different regulation, on rivers and lakes. It is used for a wide variety of purposes, including summoning rescue services and communicating with harbours, locks, bridges and marinas, and operates in the very high frequency (VHF) range, between 156 and 162.025 MHz. Although it is widely used for collision avoidance, its use for that purpose is contentious and is strongly discouraged by some countries, including the UK.[1]
A marine VHF set is a combined transmitter and receiver and only operates on standard, international frequencies known as channels. Channel 16 (156.8 MHz) is the international calling and distress channel. Transmission power ranges between 1 and 25 watts, giving a maximum range of up to about 60 nautical miles (111 km) between aerials mounted on tall ships and hills, and 5 nautical miles (9 km; 6 mi) between aerials mounted on small boats at sea level.[1] Frequency modulation (FM) is used, with vertical polarization, meaning that antennas have to be vertical in order to have good reception.
Modern-day marine VHF radios not only offer basic transmit and receive capabilities. Permanently mounted marine VHF radios on seagoing vessels are required to have certification of some level of "Digital Selective Calling" (DSC) capability, to allow a distress signal to be sent with a single button press.
Marine VHF mostly uses "simplex" transmission, where communication can only take place in one direction at a time. A transmit button on the set or microphone determines whether it is operating as a transmitter or a receiver. The majority of channels, however, are set aside as "semi-duplex" transmission channels where communication can take place in both directions simultaneously.[1] Each semi-duplex channel has two frequency assignments. Semi-Duplex channels can be used to place calls on the public telephone system for a fee via a marine operator. This facility is still available in some areas, though its use has largely died out. Marine VHF radios can also receive weather radio broadcasts, where they are available.
Types of equipment
Sets can be fixed or portable. A fixed set generally has the advantages of a more reliable power source, higher transmit power, a larger and more effective aerial and a bigger display and buttons. A portable set (often essentially a waterproof, VHF walkie-talkie in design) can be carried on a kayak, or to a lifeboat in an emergency, has its own power source and is waterproof if GMDSS-approved. A few portable VHFs are even approved to be used as emergency radios in environments requiring intrinsically safe equipment (e.g. gas tankers, oil rigs, etc.).
Marine radios can be "voice-only" or can include "Digital Selective Calling" (DSC).
Voice-only equipment is the traditional type, which relies totally on the human voice for calling and communicating.
Digital Selective Calling equipment, a part of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS), provides all the functionality of voice-only equipment and, additionally, allows several other features:
- a transmitter can automatically call a receiver equipped with Digital Selective Calling, using a telephone-type number known as a Maritime Mobile Service Identity or MMSI. The DSC information is sent on the reserved Channel 70. When the receiver picks up the call, his active channel is automatically switched to the transmitter's channel and normal voice communication can proceed.
- a distress button, which automatically sends a digital distress signal identifying the calling vessel and the nature of the emergency
- a connection to a GPS receiver allowing the digital distress message to contain the distressed vessel's position
The MMSI is used for seagoing vessels and consists of a nine-digit number identifying a VHF set or group of sets. The left hand digits of MMSI indicate the country and type of station. For example, here are MMSI prefixes of four station types:
- Ship : 232, 233, 234 or 235 are the United Kingdom – e.g. a UK ship : 232003556
- Coastal station : 00 – e.g. Solent Coastguard : 002320011
- Group of stations : 0 – e.g. 023207823
- Portable DSC equipment : for UK 2359 - e.g. 235900498
For use on the inland waterways within continental Europe, a compulsory Automatic Transmitter Identification System (ATIS) transmission conveys the vessel's identity after each voice transmission. This is a ten-digit code that is either an encoded version of the ship's alphanumeric call sign, or for vessels from outside the region, the ship MMSI prefixed with '9'. The requirement to use ATIS in Europe, and which VHF channels maybe used are strongly regulated, most recently by the Basel agreements.
Channels and frequencies
Simplex channels here are listed with the A and B frequencies the same. The frequencies, channels, and some of their purposes are governed by the ITU. For an authoritative list see.[2] The original allocation of channels consisted of only channels 1 to 28 with 50 kHz spacing between channels, and the second frequency for duplex operation 4.6 MHz higher. Improvements in radio technology later meant that the channel spacing could be reduced to 25 kHz with channels 60 to 88 interspersed between the original channels. Channels 75 and 76 are omitted as they are either side of the calling and distress channel 16, acting as guard channels. The frequencies which would have been the second frequencies for simplex channels are not used for marine purposes and can be used for other purposes that vary by country. For example 161.000 to 161.450 MHz are part of the allocation to the American Association of Railroads channels used by railways in the USA and Canada.[3]
| Channel number |
Frequencies (MHz) |  United Kingdom [4] |
 United States |
 Canada |
 Australia |
 New Zealand |
 Finland[5] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Usually ship stations |
B Usually coast stations | |||||||
| 0 | 156.000 | 160.600 | Private, coast guard A | |||||
| 1 | 156.050 | 160.650 | Ship-to-ship/shore, commercial and safety West Coast A |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) BC Coast |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 2 | 156.100 | 160.700 | Public BC Coast |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 3 | 156.150 | 160.750 | A Illegal for public use1 | Public BC Coast/Inland |
Boat to Boat - Kawau | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 4 | 156.200 | 160.800 | Ship-to-ship/shore, commercial and safety East Coast and Inland A
Canadian Coast Guard - public working channel |
Boat to Boat - Tutukaka/Raglan | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 5 | 156.250 | 160.850 | Ship Movements | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 6 | 156.300 | 156.300 | Ship-to-ship + Ship-to-Air A | Ship-to-ship + Ship-to-Air A | Distress - Ship-to-Air | Working - Intership | A Ship-to-ship also SAR: Ship-to-Ship + Ship-to-Air | |
| 7 | 156.350 | 160.950 | General working channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 8 | 156.400 | 156.400 | Ship-to-ship A | Ship-to-ship East and west coasts, Lake Winnipeg A |
Working - Intership | Working - Intership | A Ship-to-ship | |
| 9 | 156.450 | 156.450 | Frequently used by pilots A | Calling A , commercial and non-commercial. | Ship-to-air for maritime support Atlantic and BC coasts A |
Pilots, Port Operations | Port Operations | A VTS (Ship-to-ship + Port Operations |
| 10 | 156.500 | 156.500 | Frequently used by HM Coastguard A | Ship-to-air - SAR and antipollution A General working - Atlantic and BC coasts, Great Lakes |
Port Operations | A Ship-to-ship Port Operations also SAR and oil cleanup only VTS on Gulf of Finland | ||
| 11 | 156.550 | 156.550 | Port Operations | VTS - BC Coast Pilotage A |
Port Operations | A Port Operations | ||
| 12 | 156.600 | 156.600 | Port Operations | VTS - San Francisco offshore Pilotage A |
VTS - BC Coast Port and pilot ops A |
Port Operations, VTS | Port Operations | A Port Operations |
| 13 | 156.650 | 156.650 | Bridge-to-Bridge Working A | Bridge-to-Bridge safety A : Vessels > 20m must maintain watch, Tx limited to 1 watt.
Movable bridge / lock operations. |
VTS - BC Coast Bridge-to-bridge safety A |
Port Operations, VTS | Intership Nav Safety | A Pilots Ship-to-ship Port Operations |
| 14 | 156.700 | 156.700 | Port Operations | VTS - San Francisco Bay and Delta Pilotage A |
VTS - BC Coast Port and pilot ops A |
Port Operations | A Working channel for SAR authorities, Turku Radio (Port Operations) | |
| 15 | 156.750 | 156.750 | On board working (limited to 1 watt) A | A max 1 W Intraship Ship-to-ship Port Operations | ||||
| 16 | 156.800 | 156.800 | All vessels equipped with VHF must maintain watch. | |||||
| 17 | 156.850 | 156.825 | On board Working A | Aquatic Sports Events | A max 1 W Intraship Ship-to-ship Port Operations | |||
| 18 | 156.900 | 161.500 | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||||
| 19 | 156.950 | 161.550 | Landside facilities: harbormaster, marinas. | Canadian Coast Guard - Working Channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 20 | 157.000 | 161.600 | Repeater Operations | Continuous Weather Maritime Safety Service |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 21 | 157.050 | 161.650 | A U.S. Coast Guard Only | Continuous marine broadcasts B (WX 8) | Continuous Weather Maritime Safety Service |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 22 | 157.100 | 161.700 | A U.S. Coast Guard—public working channel2 | Continuous Weather Maritime Safety Service |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 23 | 157.150 | 161.750 | HM Coastguard Maritime Safety Information | A U.S. Coast Guard Only | Continuous Weather Maritime Safety Service |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 24 | 157.200 | 161.800 | UKSAR G/A Winching A UKSAR TWC B |
Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 25 | 157.250 | 161.850 | Maritime Radio Working Channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 26 | 157.300 | 161.900 | HM Coastguard Maritime Safety Information | Public correspondence (marine telephone operator) | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 27 | 157.350 | 161.950 | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||||
| 28 | 157.400 | 162.000 | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||||
| 60 | 156.025 | 160.625 | GOFREP on Gulf of Finland Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||||
| 61 | 156.075 | 160.675 | A Illegal for public use1 | GOFREP (Estonia) on Gulf of Finland Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 62 | 156.125 | 160.725 | UKSAR Calling and Helicopter Channel A UKSAR TWC B |
Boat to Boat - Waiheke/Whangaroa | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 63 | 156.175 | 160.775 | UKSAR TWC (simplex) | Boat to Boat - Manukau | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 64 | 156.225 | 160.825 | UKSAR TWC (simplex) | A Illegal for public use1 | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 65 | 156.275 | 160.875 | Marine Assistance Working Channel | Boat to Boat - Coromandel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 66 | 156.325 | 160.925 | Marinas - BC Coast A | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 67 | 156.375 | 156.375 | UK Small Ship Safety Channel | Working Channel, Marine Weather | Maritime Radio Working Channel | A VTS (Ship-to-ship + Port Operations) | ||
| 68 | 156.425 | 156.425 | Non-commercial A | Maritime Radio Working Channel | A Port Operations | |||
| 69 | 156.475 | 156.475 | Port Operations | Non-commercial A | Australian Navy | Maritime Radio Working channel Surf Lifesaving |
A Ship-to-ship Port Operations | |
| 70 | 156.525 | 156.525 | Digital Selective Calling A | |||||
| 71 | 156.575 | 156.575 | Non-commercial A | Maritime Radio Working Channel | A VTS (Ship-to-ship + Port Operations) Port Operations | |||
| 72 | 156.625 | 156.625 | Ship-to-ship A | Non-commercial ship-to-ship A | Ship-to-ship | A Ship-to-ship Ship-to-air | ||
| 73 | 156.675 | 156.675 | HM Coastguard Safety Broadcasts | Ship-to-ship | Marinas - Working | A Ship-to-ship Ship-to-air (Port Operations) | ||
| 74 | 156.725 | 156.725 | British Waterways/Canal and River Trust Channel (Canal and River System) | Ship-to-ship | Working - Coast/Ship | A Port Operations | ||
| 75 | 156.775 | 156.775 | Navigaton related communications (limited to 1 watt) | A Restricted Ship-to-ship Port Operations | ||||
| 76 | 156.825 | 156.825 | A Restricted Port Operations | |||||
| 77 | 156.875 | 156.875 | Ship-to-ship A | Ship-to-ship | A Ship-to-ship | |||
| 78 | 156.925 | 161.525 | Non-commercial A | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||||
| 79 | 156.975 | 161.575 | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||||
| 80 | 157.025 | 161.625 | UK Marina Channel | Repeater Operations | Coastguard Radio - Working Channel | GOFREP on Gulf of Finland Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 81 | 157.075 | 161.675 | A U.S. Government Use Only | Repeater Operations | Coastguard Radio - Working Channel | GOFREP (Estonia) on Gulf of Finland Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 82 | 157.125 | 161.725 | A U.S. Government Use Only | Canadian Coast Guard - Working Channel | Coastguard Radio - Working Channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 83 | 157.175 | 161.775 | A U.S. Coast Guard Use Only | Continuous Marine Broadcasts B (WX 9) | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 84 | 157.225 | 161.825 | HM Coastguard Maritime Safety Information | Coastguard Radio - Working Channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 85 | 157.275 | 161.875 | UKSAR TWC (simplex) | Radio Telephone - Duplex | Coastguard Radio - Working Channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | ||
| 86 | 157.325 | 161.925 | HM Coastguard Maritime Safety Information | Coastguard Radio - Working Channel | Public Correspondence (Ship-to-Shore Duplex) Port Operations | |||
| 87B | 161.975 | 161.975 | Automatic Identification System B | |||||
| 88B | 162.025 | 162.025 | Automatic Identification System B | |||||
[6] Notes:
1: Some radios enable channels 3A, 61A, and 64A when configured for "USA mode" even though those channels are allocated exclusively for Public Safety use by the FCC. The frequencies 156.075, 156.150, and 156.225 MHz are used for interoperability communication by police and fire departments in many areas.
2: Channel 22A is reserved for communication between the U.S. Coast Guard vessels and private vessels. The Coast Guard does not monitor 22A: Contact must first be established on 16.
3: UKSAR land-based search and rescue teams have access to the simplexed versions of 24, 62, 63, 64, 85 for operational and training needs. These include mountain rescue teams in England, Wales and Scotland.
4: CCG public operations moved from 22A to 04A to avoid interference from USCG stations in northern Washington state.
Operating procedure
The accepted conventions for use of marine radio are collectively termed "proper operating procedure." These conventions include:
- Listening for 2 minutes before transmitting
- Using Channel 16 only to establish communication (if necessary) and then switch to a different channel
- using a set of international "calling" procedures such as the "Mayday" distress call, the "Pan-pan" urgency call and "Securité" navigational hazard call.
- using "pro-words" based on the English language such as Acknowledge, All after, All before, All stations, Confirm, Correct, Correction, In figures, In letters, Over, Out, Radio check, Read back, Received, Repeat, Say again, Spell, Standby, Station calling, This is, Wait, Word after, Word before, Wrong (local language is used for some of these, when talking to local stations)
- using the NATO phonetic alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu
- using a phonetic numbering system based on the English language or a combination of English and Roman languages: Wun, Too, Tree, Fow-er, Fife, Six, Sev-en, Ait, Nin-er, Zero, Decimal, alternatively in marine communication: unaone, bissotwo, terrathree, kartefour, pantafive, soxisix, setteseven, oktoeight, novenine, nadazero
Slightly adjusted regulations can apply for inland shipping, such as the Basle rules in Western Europe.
See also
- 2182 kHz
- Maritime mobile amateur radio
- Radio horizon
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency Marine Guidance Note MGN324
- ↑ Circular letter CM/19-E, International Telecommunications Union, 27 March 2009
- ↑ American Association of Railroads channel allocation accessed 23 September 2013
- ↑ VHF Radio (including GMDSS) (2nd ed.). RYA. 2008. ISBN 978-1-906435-20-2. Unknown parameter
|ditor1-last=ignored (help) - ↑ Kommunikationsverket 2010: Handbok i VHF-radiokommunikation för radiooperatör med kusttrafikcertifikat
- ↑ http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtvhf
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marine radios VHF. |
- US Coast Guard basic radio information for boaters
- Coast Guard marine channel listing (with frequencies)
- US FCC marine channel listing (by function)
- UK MCA advice on use of VHF at sea, including collision avoidance, effective ranges, and International channel usage*
- Canadian VHF Bands in the Maritime Service
- VHF Marine Band Plan in TURKEY (Türkiye'deki VHF Deniz Telsiz Frekans Kanal Listesi)
- Listen LIVE! VHF Marine Radio @ East of Izmit Bay / TURKEY (İzmit Körfezi Doğusu - Canlı VHF Marin Telsiz Dinleme)
- New Zealand VHF Radio Resource Center
- Australian VHF Radio Network locations and How to Make A Distress Call
- Phonetic Alphabet
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