Radio VHF marin – Ce trebuie să știți

31 thoughts on “Radio VHF marin – Ce trebuie să știți”

1. It would be nice if you talk about Epirb on future episodes. Great video and thank you!

2. I am not a fan of AIS integrated into the VHF. If the VHF fails you can use your backup hand held but you have no AIS.

3. Two great examples of DSC:

   1 – I'm trying to meet up with a friend's vessel in an anchorage that has a lot of boats. I send a "Position Request" to my friend's boat. His boat automatically returns his lat/lon, and puts a marker on my chartplotter at his location. So, I just use that as a waypoint, and navigate to his boat in time for cocktails.

   2 – I'm sailing from Sandusky to Cleveland along the southern coast of Lake Erie. A friend is 4-5 miles ahead of me. He calls me on my radio, and tells me he just ran into a field of fish nets. He tells me his lat/lon, but rather than write it down and try to find it on a chart, I just send him a "Position Request". This puts a marker on my chartplotter, and as we approach that position, we get out the binoculars and keep a close watch for the nets.

4. Great introduction to DSC and AIS/MMSI. iCom has an affordable hand held VHF with AIS capabilities, the M-94D. I used it extensively in a six month period sailing the Greek waters. It has collision warning and other safety capabilities, although it does not broadcast its own AIS information, unless it sends out a Distress message, which it can. A great safety tool for short handed or night sailing. The question – would the US Coast Guard recognize a distress message from a 235xxxxxx (UK registered) MMSI number I.e. if I used my radio in USA waters?

5. GMDSS/DSC was supposed to be implemented in late 1990's. I've had my licence since then. Here in Aus, the Australian Marine Authority, the coastguard, volunteer rescue and the boaties are dead-set too stubborn or thick to realise that this is a life-saver.
   And they are one of the founders of the UN, as well as the subdivision SOLAS. (Safety of Life at Sea)
   They treat it as if it is an optional inconvenience.
   Also – there is no privacy channel. If you put in your mate's MMSI, everyone will hear the call and be able to chime in. The difference is that your mate's radio set will beep like a phone, but not anybody else's.

6. Hi, I really enjoyed your video and would love to work with you on a marine machine, but I can't find your email. Could you give us a chance to work together!🥰

7. Greate info, Thanks Tim

8. There is a but….. In the Netherlands only people having the Marcom B licence are allowed to use VHF radios with DSC. People with the base licence are not! Something to be aware of here in this region.
   Also ch 16 may only be used in distress. For calling another ship inland use ch 10 , at sea ch 6.

9. Your video is so information dense. It's like going to school. Awesome job man

10. When I was in the Coast Guard in the early 70s, a lot of boat owners, particularly on the Great Lakes use CB radios. So we used to have CB radios at the stations and on the boats not always authorized but we put them in anyway. No radio direction finders or very very few. No GPS made the job a little more difficult, but we still got it done. If you have a boat, get the best radio the best safety equipment that you possibly can. You may need it only once in your life it will more than pay for itself. Who knows it may even save somebody else’s life and there again, it will more than pay for itself. lastly I don’t know how many people do it anymore but a real float plan your boat how many souls on board where are you intend to be and when you intend to get back and leave it with somebody that knows to make that call at 2200 when you’re not back good idea. Remember one hand for the boat.

11. Very informative as always, and quite timely – this sort of system might have made the difference for S/V Theros.

12. One of the times where I cross Atlantic, I was held by there Spanish Coast car off the coast of Western Sahara heading to Canaries to look out for illegal immigrants which was on small boats overfilled with people and children. The Coast Guard ordered me to stay with them, but not approaching them as they would most likely invade my boat until they came and permanently gave the position.

13. I have a crazy problem. My sailboat is registered in Panama. Their bureaucracy is such that I have not been able to find a way to register a MMSI for my boat. The radio that was on it when I bought her has no number. Sailors in the area say nobody has MMSI. I don't quite believe that, but I know the US Coast Guard or American Boating club will only register US registered boats. I'm thinking there is likely an international organization that will register an MMSI regardless of the nation it is registered to? Do you know of such a thing?

14. No that’s not actually correct, 16 is the emergency channel to be used and/or for initial contact. Channels 71,72 and 74 are the channels to be used for conversations be it with other sailors and/or marine safety organisations, like what we have here in Tassie (Tas Maritime radio) who provide weather forecasts, marine hazards info, let alone are the link to rescue organisations.

    While VHF is still one of the most useful communication tools on a boat, its range limitation is one of the downsides of it and as such HF still has a value to have for offshore passage making let alone the newer satellite tools inc Sat ph, iridiumGo and Starlink

15. 01:40 WTF? Bullspit! You do NOT need an MMSI to use a VHF radio! In fact, you have to justify to FCC why you need an MMSI if you're just cruising US waters.

16. Having an emergency button that blasts out a distress call sounds like a great idea, until the manufacturer puts the button right next to a bunch of other buttons that are commonly used. The Coast Guard then has the responsibility to check on all the distress calls originating from accidental presses, and thereby diminishes the sense of urgency. It's no different than all the accidental 911 calls butt-dialers make with their phones. The cops are coming, but they're not coming fast.

17. I just spent the $35 for my MMSI. I never have used DSC but you never know.

18. Great video Tim, perhaps I missed it amongst the great content, but I would suggest that mariners take a recognized VHF/DSC course. I don’t want to split hairs here but the understanding is that if your vessel is equipped with a VHF and or DSC radio you’re obligated to be certified to use it. It’s not a licensed but a certification that allows you to use the equipment on your boat. The course also speaks (no pun intended), to other forms of communication that circle around our beloved SOLAS protected vessels.
    As a sail Canada Sailing instructor teaching Cruising, I stress the importance of etiquette and functionality and all the cool things you spoke to. Thanks Tim, love your content!

19. I still think its annoying that Canada requires more licensing for VHF. I took, and passed (score 100% – im also a ham) the ROC-M through CPS. That allows me to use VHF. But a base station at the cottage requires a station license, including inspection i think – in addition to all users having ROC-M. That barrier to entry means fewer users – they might be more competent, but plenty of marinas and smaller commercial boats no longer use or even have VHF because of the license requirement. As far as i know in the US no license is required for VHF (or HF, unless you traveling outside the US)… And just about every marina, even at Yellowstone, or a state park reservoir marina, will have VHF… In the VI, the Caribbean, etc – everyone has VHF. But not in Canada, at least not in Georgian Bay…

20. IT would be useful to talk about how to change a MMSI on a VHF radio. I had to send mine physically to the manufacturer to change it.. 300 bucks plus…

21. There is a lot to learn and the best way is to do a course and take the exam. In the UK the RYA offer online and classroom based courses.
    Google; RYA Marine Radio SRC Course and Exam
    
    Most important is to practice using the VHF otherwise you'll forget the important stuff when you need it most.

22. This is a customers video: absolutely nothing usefull to maintenance, operation or even vhf improve of eficience. Very poor…

23. Very informative, thank you 🎉

24. Have a mayday cheat sheet next to the radio. In a panic you will forget how to make one.

25. I sail in the lower Chesapeake. Lots of ship traffic. I use ch. 13 bridge to bridge if i have to contact them. I use a phone app to simulate ais so i can call them by name . Works way better than calling "blue hull container ship leaving Norfolk harbor."

26. Are their nautical communication courses available?
    Where are these radios available for purchase?

27. Just came across this edition Tim. Well done! Simply the best short (watchable) video on the importance of the VHF and it's functionality. I can only hope that every boater would watch this. One of the questions I've always had was: Why isn't there a timer on the VHF (particularly channel 16) that cuts off the transmitter after about 1 or 2 minutes, five on the outside? If you haven't relayed your call in that time there is something really wrong! Once the call is terminated after the timer kicks in, you would be able to re-activate by hitting the transmit button again. Such a feature would stop all of these dummies that don't store their microphones properly and create long periods of open microphones that disrupt the channel. I've heard some that literally go on for hours, voices in the background discussing fishing, wives, businesses, etc., all while cutting off communications for everyone around them. The technology should exist that can do that! Keep up the excellent videos (and, of course) the digital magazine.

28. Excellent tutorial. Thank you.

29. Within the first minute bad information. Channel 16 is for emergency use only. Calling the coast guard, harbormaster, declaring an emergency (mayday), non life threatening serious issue(pan pan) or an important navigational issue(security). Hailing other boats should be done on channel 9.

30. Very relevant video.

    Back when I started cruising with my father, back in 1976, we had a vhf radio the size of a small modern drawer fridge lol and the back stay was the antenna.

    It worked great, never missed a beat and for memory it had vhf and AM, VHF was for short distance and AM was for long distance.

    These are very basic pieces of equipment and still fully monitored today.

    Im always concerned when I see new yachting youtube channels basing their navigation on not much more than a cell phone. Its insanity!

    Another basic piece of equipment we used back then was a radio direction finder which proved invaluable when our starter motor broke down and was repaired in the cockpit which absolutely destroyed the correcting magnets for the compass.

    I know that GPS and modern communication makes all these things seem obsolete or "old hat" but when modern communication goes down, which it does, youll thank your lucky stars you had these in the bottom drawer of your nav desk.

    Cheers 🍻🍻

31. DSC almost literally means no one is on the bridge. Distress can be completely automated and it changes listening radios voice channel to 16. At 1 watt, DSC bridge hailing is a casual call that you pick your favorite boat's MMSI number and change their voice channel to one you selected. If you have an older radio, keep it as a second radio at the wheel or near your bunk. It can also be a shore watch. Channels 68, 69, 71,72, and 78 are casual use frequencies. Without them, VHF would be an obnoxious stuffed shirt service. AIS is 2 frequencies and 2 wattages. Big boats run 12 watts. Common boats run 2 watts. They can actually use a common boat antenna, but a slightly shortened antenna is optimal. The real beauty of AIS is that the system is contained in the radios of the boats receiving each other. AIS can work anywhere. Satellites and special stations can piggyback on AIS, without hurting it. A CB radio is a must have fo more utility and fun. You use it skillfully.

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