"Doug Dotson" dougdotson@NOSPAMcablespeedNOSPAMcom wrote

So being chewed out by the CG is their form of a response to a request
for a radio check? Isn't that sweet. That certainly encourages folks to
check to see if their rig is working.

Doug,

Unfortunately that's correct. Although the boating public often disagrees,
it is not the USCG's responsibility to provide a means of testing their
radio equipment. A reasonable person will understand that the boater is
responsible and normally capable of making such equipment checks without
interfering with a life-saving and homeland security service. This includes
following the regulated use of marine radios, which prohibit making calls to
a non-specific ("Any Station") unit or vessel for routine traffic, radio
checks, etc. In local VHF use, there are few exceptions to this. One example
could be in winter/heavy-wx, etc (imagine a condition when few pleasure or
commercial activities might be active) and there are no other observed
vessels or monitoring coastal stations available for a radio check prior to
departing. We would all agree a vessel's communications equipment should be
tested by any means available before such activity!

Channel
9 is allocated for both calling/hailing and as an alternate distress
frequency (ship-to-ship only) in most areas now. This was done to
alleviate
the congestion in busy areas on Ch-16. It is also part of an experiment
to
move ALL calling/hailing from Ch-16 to Ch-9, leaving Ch-16 for urgency
and
distress only. Ch-9 is where ship to ship or ship to shore radio checks
should take place.

That's good. Ch9 is where radio check should be made.

Radio operating procedures for VHF-marine do state that
no "any station" type radio checks should ever be made.

You just said that Ch9 is now intended for that purpose!

Indeed. That doesn't provide an excuse to ignore proper marine radio
operating procedures, in which routine calls to unspecific stations are not
permitted. This is not Amateur Radio! we do not "CQ" to chat or see how far
anyone might hear us over the VHF or HF marine bands.

If that activity is going to happen, and certainly it does, it should never
be over the distress/hailing channel (16). I said the Coast Guard always
answers radio checks. Let me be more specific. Over the years the policy on
answering radio checks has changed at least a couple of times. It is current
policy to discourage any vessel from using channel 16 to make radio checks.
They should however be answered, and the sometimes inconsistent results are
simply unfortunate.

I've never heard anyone ask for a radio check from the USCG. Usually they
are asking for a response from anyone that can hear them.

See "This is not amateur radio!" above.

Now if you called a SPECIFIC Coast Guard Group or Station,
asking to switch to their wkg frequency for radio check, they should
accomodate you in a courteous fashion, unless something else urgent is
going
on with their unit.

Fair enough.

I understand a boater ( I am one too btw) wants to know that the ones who
would be called to help them should be able to hear them. It's also ignorant
of the fact that it must be policy to discourage calling the Coast Guard
anytime this emotional desire gets triggered (getting underway, tinkering
with radio system, bored, etc). There are other more practical ways to test
a radio when it is appropriate to do so, which do not interfere with
life-saving and homeland security communications of the USCG.

On HF: Since HF duplex calling channels are no longer guarded
(Jan-1-2005),
and instead the associated simplex voice channels for 4,6,8, and 12 meg
DSC-GMDSS are, I am not sure if that makes them the place for a radio
check
with USCG. It hasn't happened to me yet and I have not seen guidance on
this.

So, if I am heading offshore, how do I find out if the USCG can copy me?

As above, this is not a question that any indivdual vessel operator has a
right to verify with the USCG
directly. They can of course check their systems with any specific station
(no "Any Station" calls) and if the USCG is able to answer, they might. USCG
is not a marine telephone operator, and it would be purely the disgression
of a watchstander, based on other priorities and guided by local command and
service-policies, to respond to a radio check made specifically to his unit
or station. I hope you find this helpful.

Best regards,

Jack Painter
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Jack Painter wrote:

snip

This includes
following the regulated use of marine radios, which prohibit making calls to
a non-specific ("Any Station") unit or vessel for routine traffic, radio
checks, etc. In local VHF use, there are few exceptions to this. One example
could be in winter/heavy-wx, etc (imagine a condition when few pleasure or
commercial activities might be active) and there are no other observed
vessels or monitoring coastal stations available for a radio check prior to
departing. We would all agree a vessel's communications equipment should be
tested by any means available before such activity!



Hello again Jack,

It is the Federal Communications Commission, and not the US
Coast Guard, that promulgates and enforces rules regarding
communication by radio. (The FCC has delegated some
inspection functions to the Coast Guard.)

The FCC rules and regulations are available at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/w...7cfr80_03.html

for anyone who is interested. While lengthy, they are quite
readable.

Regarding your assertion that "making calls to a
non-specific vessel or unit" for radio checks is prohibited,
it would be useful to consider Section 80.89:

Stations must not:
snip
(d) When using telephony, transmit signals or communications
not addressed to a particular station or stations. This
provision does not apply to the transmission of distress,
alarm, urgency, or safety signals or messages, or to test
transmissions.
snip

To some of us, it does matter that your advice and legal
opinions often bear dubious relation to reality.

Regards,

Chuck

"chuck" wrote

in message ...
Jack Painter wrote:

snip

This includes
following the regulated use of marine radios, which prohibit making
calls to
a non-specific ("Any Station") unit or vessel for routine traffic, radio
checks, etc. In local VHF use, there are few exceptions to this. One
example
could be in winter/heavy-wx, etc (imagine a condition when few pleasure
or
commercial activities might be active) and there are no other observed
vessels or monitoring coastal stations available for a radio check prior
to
departing. We would all agree a vessel's communications equipment should
be
tested by any means available before such activity!



Hello again Jack,

It is the Federal Communications Commission, and not the US
Coast Guard, that promulgates and enforces rules regarding
communication by radio. (The FCC has delegated some
inspection functions to the Coast Guard.)

Hello again Chuck.
I never implied otherwise.

The FCC rules and regulations are available at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/w...7cfr80_03.html

for anyone who is interested. While lengthy, they are quite
readable.

Regarding your assertion that "making calls to a
non-specific vessel or unit" for radio checks is prohibited,
it would be useful to consider Section 80.89:

Stations must not:
snip
(d) When using telephony, transmit signals or communications
not addressed to a particular station or stations. This
provision does not apply to the transmission of distress,
alarm, urgency, or safety signals or messages, or to test
transmissions.
snip

To some of us, it does matter that your advice and legal
opinions often bear dubious relation to reality.

Regards,

Chuck


Test transmissions means "Test-1,2,3,3,2,1,Test Out".

That's a legal opinion, and since it did not come from a lawyer, it's worth
what you paid for it, nothing. Then again, you might pay a lot someday for
ignoring it, and that would be unfortunate.

Just so everyone's clear on the meaning of "advice and a legal opinions",
these do not constitute "legal advice". I am simply attempting to clear up
some of the many misconceptions of how the USCG monitors and responds to
pleasure boaters on VHF and SSB radios. I have operated and fraternized with
the boating community for my entire life, and it has only been in the last
several years that I was ever entirely sure how some of the procedures I
explained in this thread really operated. Of course procedures and
equipments can change on a frequent basis, but forty years of anecdotal
stories do not add up to actual qualification on the equipment and
watchstanding positions. It is easier to be empathetic with distressed
parties if you have already heard a lot of the typical difficulties a boater
can get into, and know from experience how stressful an emergency on the
water really is.

Best regards,

Jack

Test-1,2,3,3,2,1-Test Out (followed by Station ID)
================

This is the only kind of radio check you can make without addressing a
specific vessel or station.

Jack

chuck wrote in :

Regarding your assertion that "making calls to a
non-specific vessel or unit" for radio checks is prohibited,
it would be useful to consider Section 80.89:


Channel 9.....

"Wappoo Cut Bridge, this is Lionheart, over?"

"Lionheart this is Wappoo Cut Bridge, go ahead?"

"Can you hear me ok, over?"

"Sure, Lionheart. Sounds great."

"Thank you for a great service to all of us. Lionheart out."

(She usually thanks you for saying something nice.)

Bridgetenders are great people. One of them made all the new cushions and
curtains in her home upholstery business for Lionheart! They don't mind
talking to you from their boring jobs, especially if it's not busy.

Too bad many are losing their jobs they've had for so many years....dumped
for the new high bridges.....

FCC Rules permit you to call your favorite bridgetenders on Channel 9
without the CG bitching you out.....(c;

In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

chuck wrote in :

Regarding your assertion that "making calls to a
non-specific vessel or unit" for radio checks is prohibited,
it would be useful to consider Section 80.89:


Channel 9.....

"Wappoo Cut Bridge, this is Lionheart, over?"

"Lionheart this is Wappoo Cut Bridge, go ahead?"

"Can you hear me ok, over?"

"Sure, Lionheart. Sounds great."

"Thank you for a great service to all of us. Lionheart out."

(She usually thanks you for saying something nice.)

Bridgetenders are great people. One of them made all the new cushions and
curtains in her home upholstery business for Lionheart! They don't mind
talking to you from their boring jobs, especially if it's not busy.

Too bad many are losing their jobs they've had for so many years....dumped
for the new high bridges.....

FCC Rules permit you to call your favorite bridgetenders on Channel 9
without the CG bitching you out.....(c;



Actually you have been able to contact Bridge Tenders on Channel 13
(the Navigation Channel) for MANY years, but a few years back, the FCC
and USCG decided to move those Comms to Channel 9, when they designated
that Channel as a Secondary Calling Channel in the Maritime Mobile Radio
Service. This was advised, so as to free up Channel 13 for strictly
Bridge to Bridge Radio Traffic.


Me

--
Bruce (semiretired powderman & exFCC Field Inspector for Southeastern Alaska)
add a 2 before @
Bruce Gordon * Debora Gordon R.N. Bruce's Trading Post
P.O. Box EXI Excursion Inlet South
Juneau, Alaska 99850 Excursion Inlet, Alaska 99850
www.btpost.net www.99850.net

Bruce Gordon wrote in news:bruceg-
:

Actually you have been able to contact Bridge Tenders on Channel 13
(the Navigation Channel) for MANY years, but a few years back, the FCC
and USCG decided to move those Comms to Channel 9, when they designated
that Channel as a Secondary Calling Channel in the Maritime Mobile Radio
Service. This was advised, so as to free up Channel 13 for strictly
Bridge to Bridge Radio Traffic.


Me


ALL bridges in South Carolina monitor Channel NINE.

By "Bridge to Bridge Radio Traffic", I hope you mean ship bridges, not car-
train bridges....(c;

In article ,
Larry W4CSC wrote:

Bruce Gordon wrote in news:bruceg-
:

Actually you have been able to contact Bridge Tenders on Channel 13
(the Navigation Channel) for MANY years, but a few years back, the FCC
and USCG decided to move those Comms to Channel 9, when they designated
that Channel as a Secondary Calling Channel in the Maritime Mobile Radio
Service. This was advised, so as to free up Channel 13 for strictly
Bridge to Bridge Radio Traffic.


Me


ALL bridges in South Carolina monitor Channel NINE.

By "Bridge to Bridge Radio Traffic", I hope you mean ship bridges, not car-
train bridges....(c;



Yes, I do mean "Bridge to Bridge" Radio traffic as in Bridge to Bridge
Act, which is now Subpart U of Part 90 47CFR.

Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

Bruce in Alaska wrote in
:


Yes, I do mean "Bridge to Bridge" Radio traffic as in Bridge to Bridge
Act, which is now Subpart U of Part 90 47CFR.

Bruce in alaska

Now, if we could only get some ENFORCEMENT to run the MARINAS off the only
pleasure boat to pleasure boat channel.....(sigh)

(She usually thanks you for saying something nice.)

Bridgetenders are great people...

Interesting. Out of all the many bridges on the ICW, the Wapoo Creek
operators (one on the way down, another on the way up) were the only
ones that we had trouble with.

Doug
s/v Callista