Charlie Brown wrote:
What is the proper way to do a communications check using a VHF radio?


What station does your marina monitor?

Around here, it is typically 66A.

When ready to leave the slip, hail the marina office.

Stay off the hailing and distress channel. Nothing is more irritating
to hear "Radio Check on 16" followed by eight different guys responding
"loud and clear from Swampy Shoals!" etc. over, and over, and over, all
day long. Plus, these "radio checks" could step on emergency traffic.
One doesn't need to boat very long to encounter situations where the CG
is working an emergency on 16, and in the middle of some 10-15 second
period of silence between inquiry and response some CB oriented yahoo
jumps in with "Breaker, Breaker, 16, anybody got their ears on? Need a
radio check, please...."


Another option is to hail a friend's boat, in the normal manner, at a
time when you know he has his radio on.

I always listen to the weather channel as the boat is warming up and
I'm getting ready to depart. That confirms that the VHF is receiving. I
guess there are conditions under which a radio will receive but won't
broadcast (defective mike, or something), but -knock wood-
I've never personally seen a radio that receives but won't broadcast.
Boats with two helms and two hard-wired VHF radios probably don't need
to do a radio check every time they set out. I have only one hard-wired
VHF, and a hand held backup, and I don't fiddle with radio checks
either. If the hard wired radio eve fails to broadcast, I will use the
hand held.
Odds of them both being gunny sack at the same time are very minute.