VHF Channels

Mar 25, 2021
85
Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20 119 Marina del Rey
I am a very new sailor, and I just bought my first boat, a Flicka 20. My boat has a VHF and I am interested in the uses of the different radio channels. I know that channel 16 is for emergencies, I think channel 9 is for contacting harbor control (at least in Catalina Island), but that's about it!

Could someone explain what the other channels uses are, and what is allowed and not allowed on the different channels?
 
Jun 11, 2004
1,621
Oday 31 Redondo Beach
Not that I probably ever will, but I can use channels 67 or 72 for just chatting to other boats?
67 no. 72 yes. See Dave's link in post 2. But "just chatting" is not really what the VHF is for. Remember it is a shared public medium and other people want to communicate too. And, they don't necessarily want to hear your "chatter" while they are waiting for a clear channel.

By the way, Two Harbors is on 9. Avalon harbor is on 12.

Edit: I see your possible confusion from the chart's statement "Use Channels 67 and 72 only for ship-to-ship messages." My understanding is 67 is only for commercial boats, not recreational.
 
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Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Remember, transmissions on VHF are not private, any one with a radio within range can hear what you say. So be cautious. In crowded areas keep transmissions brief and to the point. And don't say anything you don't want others to hear and recognize that many ships record transmissions heard on a VHF. That information can become public.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,995
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
In days gone by the telephone "Party Line" was the way you called the local folk. Any one with a phone could pick up their phone and listen to all the other callers on the line.

Radio is the same. Kind of like reading twitter of 200 local boaters as they share their most important secrets.
 

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,301
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
As I mentioned in your other post about VHF range, I like to program my radio to scan channels 16, 9 and 13 along with the NOAA weather channel. Sixteen is used mainly to hail the Coast Guard if needed, or a marina if their working channel is unknown. Nine is a hailing channel in many ports for recreational boats, or to hail drawbridges, etc. Thirteen is for bridge to bridge comms of commercial vessels. I find thirteen to be very handy when in busy shipping lanes, and I need to let a ship know my intentions.
The NOAA channel is important on iffy weather days. Sometimes the weather alert will sound frequently, and it makes me jump every time.
There are other "working" channels that you will hear about. If you hail a marina on 16, they might ask you to switch to a working channel. The same goes for the Coast Guard, Towboat US, or another boat.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Here is a good review of VHF etiquette.


There is one thing the author forgot to mention... when replying to a hail on chanel 9 or 16, it is polite to end the call with a request to switch to another chanel. The author gave as an example,

“Arcturus, Arcturus, Arcturus, this is Sojourner, Sojourner, Sojourner, channel 1-6, over.”

The proper response to the initial hail would be

Roger Sojourner, Sojourner, Sojourner, this is Arcturus, Arcturus, Arcturus, switching to channel 7-7 over.

This is how you keep a channel clear of chatter. Many credit card captains ignore this protocol but it is the right thing to do.

In practice you might not always be able to see the name of the other boat so sometimes the hail will be a description of your boats... and people do not always do the three-repeat thing.... For example I once got the following hail

Small tan sailboat, small tan sailboat, ... to my east, This is the Ocracoke ferry 1-6 over.
 
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