Radio Listening Watch

[leong]

Do any of you sea kayakers obey the following rule? I don’t.

Vessels not required to carry a marine radio – for example, recreational vessels less than 65 .6 feet (20 meters) in length, but which voluntarily carry a radio – must maintain a watch on Channel 16 (156 .800 MHz) or VHF Channel 9 (156 .450 MHz), the boater-calling channel, whenever the radio is operating and not being used to communicate.

Sometimes when paddling in a group we all monitor a specified channel (usually 69 or 72) to be ready to help each other, if the need arises. Let the large powered vessels fellow the above rule.

[cfolster]

If group is using an open channel like 72 to communicate, I use the dual watch feature to also monitor 16.  Otherwise, I just have it on and tuned to 16, so yes, I do follow that rule.

[leong]

2 hours ago, cfolster said:

If group is using an open channel like 72 to communicate, I use the dual watch feature to also monitor 16.  Otherwise, I just have it on and tuned to 16, so yes, I do follow that rule.

I've used the dual mode as well. But, on weekends, it's disturbing to hear all the traffic on 16. So, I'd rather hear the quiet afforded by the squelch. I'm on the water to relax with friends, not to help the CG. Okay, turn me in. I'm friends with the guys guarding Mar-a-Lago.

 

 

[billvoss]

Yes my standard operating procedure is to follow the monitor 16 rule.

[leong]

42 minutes ago, billvoss said:

Yes my standard operating procedure is to follow the monitor 16 rule.

Just when you're paddling with a group or all of the time? Do you use a scan between the group channel and 16, dual watch or other?

[billvoss]

I do not carry my VHF on Walden Pond or most other bodies of fresh water.  I normally carry my VHF (and PLB) on the ocean.  Whenever I carry my VHF radio I follow the monitor 16 rule. My radio is a DSC VHF radio, so I also automatically monitor for DSC distress signals whenever the radio is on.

I have not yet paddled on the ocean without following the "3 to Sea" rule.  If the group is using a designated channel, I add it to dual watch or multiple channel watch.

I am willing to set the squelch high enough that I only hear Coast Guard and local voice broadcasts.

[leong]

6 hours ago, billvoss said:

I do not carry my VHF on Walden Pond or most other bodies of fresh water.  I normally carry my VHF (and PLB) on the ocean.  Whenever I carry my VHF radio I follow the monitor 16 rule. My radio is a DSC VHF radio, so I also automatically monitor for DSC distress signals whenever the radio is on.

I have not yet paddled on the ocean without following the "3 to Sea" rule.  If the group is using a designated channel, I add it to dual watch or multiple channel watch.

I am willing to set the squelch high enough that I only hear Coast Guard and local voice broadcasts.

Interesting. I usually keep my VHF off when I'm paddling with a group and voice communication is possible. But, sometimes in long-distance race-training (like, for instance, paddling the Cape Ann loop), we might get out of earshot and eyesight and we turn our radios on to channel 72. I don't bother with 16, unless I need help. I don't believe the rules for monitoring channel 16 apply to kayaks, canoes, inner-tubes or SUPs, although the rules don't specifically exclude them.

Edited February 3, 2019 by leong

[Alex Debski]

Never! I’m busy listening to music while I paddle.

[leong]

14 minutes ago, Alex Debski said:

Never! I’m busy listening to music while I paddle.

Sounds good to me. But is your receiver capable of surviving a roll or a wave over the deck?

 

 

[Daniel Carr]

Admittedly I have the radio on my life jacket if 1) I am with a group or 2) paddling solo that involves a long crossing and or 3) if there is a threat of fog or rough seas.  I put the radio in the mode to scan 9, 16, a station for local boat traffic/the station the group has selected. 

For what it is worth, I was in periodic contact with the H.W. Bush marine security team and occasionally HW and/or Barbara when paddling off of Cape Porpoise/Walkers point.  During the first gulf war there was surface to air missile batteries posted on Goat Island. I exchanged words and challenged HW to a boat race which he took in good humor.  I cant imagine having a similar exchange with the present occupant of the White House. 

 

[leong]

On 2/4/2019 at 8:16 AM, Daniel Carr said:

Admittedly I have the radio on my life jacket if 1) I am with a group or 2) paddling solo that involves a long crossing and or 3) if there is a threat of fog or rough seas.  I put the radio in the mode to scan 9, 16, a station for local boat traffic/the station the group has selected. 

For what it is worth, I was in periodic contact with the H.W. Bush marine security team and occasionally HW and/or Barbara when paddling off of Cape Porpoise/Walkers point.  During the first gulf war there was surface to air missile batteries posted on Goat Island. I exchanged words and challenged HW to a boat race which he took in good humor.  I cant imagine having a similar exchange with the present occupant of the White House. 

 

Okay, suppose you're scanning 9, 16 and 72 and you want to call the group on 72 immediately. How do you get to 72 without stopping the scan and using the up arrow key to move to 72, unless, of course, 1/3 of the time the scan just happens to stop on 72? Am I missing something?

Unless it's some kind of secret, I couldn't find any mention of SAMs on Goat Island. I worked on the Patriot anti-missile upgrade just prior to us entering the first gulf war. Prior to that Patriot was just designed to identify, track and shoot down aircraft targets.

I waived to Barbara Bush once and the secret service pulled her into the house. I turned and sprinted away as fast as I could.

 

Edited February 6, 2019 by leong

[leong]

On 2/4/2019 at 8:16 AM, Daniel Carr said:

 I cant imagine having a similar exchange with the present occupant of the White House. 

 

I'm sure you're more stabler and geniuser than he is.

[Alex Debski]

On 2/3/2019 at 10:36 PM, leong said:

Sounds good to me. But is your receiver capable of surviving a roll or a wave over the deck?

 

 

Bluetooth waterproof headphones. They are great!

[leong]

Okay, would someone please answer my question: Say you're in dualwatch or tri-watch or scan mode with, say, channel 72 included in addition to 16 (and perhaps 09 or other channels). Now you want to contact the pod on channel 72. How do you get to channel 72 without using the channel up (or down key) to move to channel 72 before pressing the transmit button? I think there is no way to do it. If you just press the transmit button you might transmit on 16 or 09 or 72 (or what ever other channel in the scan set) with equal probability. And that's why you need to set the channel lock to 72. So, that's the heart of the matter; i.e. if you have the VHF locked on 72 the emergency channel 16 button is disabled. So, you're face with the additional step of unlocking before calling Mayday. What a stupid way to design VHF handheld radio.

[rfolster]

See my post in the "Unsafe VHF Design" posting.

[JohnHuth]

When I'm solo, I monitor 16.   In a group, I can set to scan to our favorite communications channel and also 16.   

 

Sometimes, for fun, I'll just have a scan of the full range of channels.   Can find out where the stripers are biting. 

[leong]

7 hours ago, JohnHuth said:

In a group, I can set to scan to our favorite communications channel and also 16.   

 

 

John,

From my point of view the problem is the following: If I want to quickly call, say channel 72, to check on a fellow paddler pressing the transmit button chooses a random channel from the scan set of channels. So, I have to press the channel up or down keys to get to 72. If, in the alternative, the radio is locked to channel 72 and one needs to make an immediate emergency call to the CG, the 16/C button (the emergency button to go to channel 16) doesn't work. So, one has to unlock the lock first.

The latter is the heart of my complaint about handheld VHF radios in the associated thread (Unsafe VHF Design); i.e., the 16/C button should immediately override the lock. Given enough time, someone (especially one who needs to raise the CG ASAP and is, say, using a borrowed radio) will not be able to unlock the lock and a possible preventable catastrophe might occur.

-Leon

[JohnHuth]

I don't know if there's any perfect way of doing it.   FWIW - I capsized with my VHF in August, and it bit the dust.   I have a new one, supposedly waterproof.   

 

 

[leong]

1 hour ago, JohnHuth said:

I don't know if there's any perfect way of doing it.   FWIW - I capsized with my VHF in August, and it bit the dust.   I have a new one, supposedly waterproof.   

 

 

It seems to me that the perfect fail safe way to design a handheld VHF is: Upon pressing the "CH16" push button the VHF radio will switch to VHF CH 16 on full power, no matter whether channel lock is set or not. Not operating this way is akin to a DSC radio that doesn't send the distress message when the distress button is pushed whenever you have channel lock set. Or, for an airplane, if the autopilot doesn’t disengage when the pilot presses the takeover pushbutton.  

I often practice Eskimo rolls with my Icom M73 VHF and it keeps on working. I just wash it in fresh water when I get home.