VHF Marine Radio

[spider]

I did a quick search on the forums but I might have missed some things.

I notice as I go through the channels on the radio ( Icom M72) stations 24-28 come through as "telephone"

Does anyone know how you would use those stations?

(I made sure the Radio setting is for USA)

I seem to remember someone making arrangements with an outfitter while underway for transport around a section he didn't want to run.

[EEL]

I notice as I go through the channels on the radio ( Icom M72) stations 24-28 come through as "telephone"

Does anyone know how you would use those stations?

Perhaps more than you want to know. With cell phones and sat phones, I doubt many of these are still operating in US.

http://www.boatkb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/boats/2189/VHF-channels-for-marine-operator-24-28-and-84-87

"Making telephone calls

You can place telephone calls over the VHF radio. If you have subscribed to this service in advance, you simply call the nearest marine operator-using the appropriate channel, not 16-and tell him or her what number you wish to reach. If someone ashore wants to reach you, that person dials the marine operator, and notification that you have incoming "traffic" will be announced on Channel 16 at scheduled times. However, since to receive an incoming call you have to be monitoring Channel 16 when your traffic is announced, this service is more reliable for calls placed from the boat. Cost is a modest subscription fee (currently about $35 a year), and a flat-rate connect charge of about $1.50 per minute to any U.S. number.

Marine operators do not monitor Channel 16, so even though they call you on this channel, you must respond on the operator's working channel. And like all VHF transmissions, VHF telephone conversations are public to anyone who wants to listen in on the marine-operator channel, but regulations regarding the nature of your conversation do not apply."

Ed Lawson

[spider]

Thanks ... nice info and excellent link !