VX-8R Maritime Operation

[ke7vvt]

The 8r has preprogrammed into it all of the marine band memories. You can access these by pushing "Function", then "SP Bank" secondary key, and finally hitting the "Band" key until you see the "INTVHF" memories.

My question is, can these frequencies be transmitted on via this memory mode? Hitting the PTT doesn't seem to do anything, usually the TX power is shown when you hit PTT. If you type in the frequency though (normal tuning mode with the dial or keypad), hitting TX does show the TX power, so something is happening.

Could someone with a boat (or HT marine radio) try to TX from the special INTVHF memory in the 8r and see if it picks up on the marine radio?

Thanks for the help in advance.

CH01 156.05 Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area.
CH05 156.25 Port Operations or VTS in the Houston, New Orleans and Seattle areas.
CH06 156.3 Intership Safety
CH07 156.35 Commercial
CH08 156.4 Commercial (Intership only)
CH09 156.45 Boater Calling. Commercial and Non-Commercial.
CH10 156.5 Commercial
CH11 156.55 Commercial. VTS in selected areas.
CH12 156.6 Port Operations. VTS in selected areas.
CH13 156.65 Intership Navigation Safety (Bridge-to-bridge). Ships >20m length maintain a listening watch on this channel in US waters.
CH14 156.7 Port Operations. VTS in selected areas.
CH15 -- 156.75 Environmental (Receive only). Used by Class C EPIRBs.
CH16 156.8 International Distress, Safety and Calling. Ships required to carry radio, USCG, and most coast stations maintain a listening watch.
CH17 156.85 State Control
CH18 156.9 Commercial
CH19 156.95 Commercial
CH20 157 161.6 Port Operations (duplex)
CH21 157.05 U.S. Coast Guard only
CH22 157.1 Coast Guard Liaison and Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts. Broadcasts announced on channel 16.
CH23 157.15 U.S. Coast Guard only
CH24 157.2 161.8 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH25 157.25 161.85 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH26 157.3 161.9 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH27 157.35 161.95 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH28 157.4 162 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH63 156.175 Port Operations and Commercial, VTS. Available only in New Orleans / Lower Mississippi area.
CH65 156.275 Port Operations
CH66 156.325 Port Operations
CH67 156.375 Commercial. Used for Bridge-to-bridge communications in lower Mississippi River. Intership only.
CH68 156.425 Non-Commercial
CH69 156.475 Non-Commercial
CH70 156.525 Digital Selective Calling (voice communications not allowed)
CH71 156.575 Non-Commercial
CH72 156.625 Non-Commercial (Intership only)
CH73 156.675 Port Operations
CH74 156.725 Port Operations
CH77 156.875 Port Operations (Intership only)
CH78 156.925 Non-Commercial
CH79 156.975 Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only
CH80 157.025 Commercial. Non-Commercial in Great Lakes only
CH81 157.075 U.S. Government only - Environmental protection operations.
CH82 157.125 U.S. Government only
CH83 157.175 U.S. Coast Guard only
CH84 157.225 161.825 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH85 157.275 161.875 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH86 157.325 161.925 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH87 157.375 161.975 Public Correspondence (Marine Operator)
CH88 157.425 162.025 Public Correspondence only near Canadian border.

 

[Moleculo]

The VX-8 will not TX on the VHF Marine special bank - I already verified this using another HT as the receiver. It will, however transmit on those frequencies if you the the expanded TX mod.

 

[ke7vvt]

thanks moleculo

 

[Jonlevy73]

How is the VX-8R working for you in the maritime bands?

 

[ButtFuzz]

Of course just had to throw this in...

That's a Ham Rig, right? The VX-8R.

Much Like Class "D" Citizen's band service the Marine Rigs (FM 156-158 MHz) are type accepted for that use.

Using the VX-8R for that purpose in anything other than a life threatening emergency is not allowed.

There is also licensing involved, and typically if the rig is not "attached**" to a vessel, you cant get the license. Max power is 25 watts.

That being said, I can't see why it wouldn't work fine...

Primary freq is Channel 16 @ 156.800 MHz.

** attached: permanently mounted on or in, or indended for use in or immediately around in the case of an HT.
FORGET about getting a license for land-based use unless you are AT&T*** or PRIMARILY involved in maritime activities such as a tow/tug service, etc.

*** A "Marine Operator", reached on certain channels for attaching to a land-line. Expensive. A true Radio-Telephone

 

[WX2MIG]

I've lived on the Atlantic Coast all my life, been involved in various aspects of the Maritime industy for a good part of my 52 years here, and in my experience I will relay the following....

The chances of you getting into any kind of legal difficulty from using a HAM HT on the VHF Marine bands are slim to none unless you commit any of the following violations....
1 - transmit a false distress call...(doing this on a licensed VHF Marine radio will get you in hot water, it doesn't have to be from a non type accepted radio)
2 - Calling for radio checks on Ch.#16, or any of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or Fish & Game channels.
3 - Causing any type of malicious interference on Ch.#16, or any of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or Fish & Game channels.

The last time that I know of when someone got busted by the FCC for the miss-use of a VHF Marine radio was many years ago before FRS and GMRS services were established, and a lot of survey crews would buy cheap VHF Marine HT's to use on the road while surveying. One such crew did this while being within range of the U.S. Coast Gurad's Great Egg Station, and they chose to use channel 16. Also this was during a time when the FCC had many more unmarked tracker vans on the road, and a fatter budget to work with.
These days the FCC is working on a shoe string budget, far less enforcement agents to be bothered with busting a boater using his Amateur HT as a VHF Marine radio....as long as that boater isn't being stupid about it.

I use my Yaesu VX-170 for emergency communications with the fire dept I work for, I also use it for OEM work on the State Police emergency network frequencies, and I use it as my VHF Marine portable, nobody in a plain black suit has knocked on my door yet.....

BTW....making a statement like this on the QRZ forums would have earned me no less than 5 pages of verbal abuse from the armchair radio lawyers that frequent that place......( I really like the WWRF)

 

[ke7vvt]

Jonlevy73, don't know yet. I live next to a lake but haven't heard any chatter yet. It might be that the antenna is not really capable of RXing that low of a freq very well. Any one know how close you need to be to pick up chatter from "the standard" fixed in marine radio on a boat?

 

[ButtFuzz]

BTW....making a statement like this on the QRZ forums would have earned me no less than 5 pages of verbal abuse from the armchair radio lawyers that frequent that place......( I really like the WWRF)

No doubt, brother-man!

Let's see, summarizing QRZ dot COM:
1. CBs = SATAN, and therefore are the cause of EVERY non-satisfactory ham "experience".
2. FCC Regulations are somehow subject to rank amatuer (no pun intended) interpretation.
3. "I", as in the person opining on QRZ, am absolutely perfect in every way, and have never broken any rule, regulation or law, either natural or man-made. In addition, I walk on water BUT was not, miraculously, crucified.

It is most amazing, no?

I'm not trying to stir up debate here. I have noticed that oft-times the folks who frequent qrz.com are devoid of any sense of humor.

I'm a Ham
I'm a CBer
and I occasionally pass gas, too.

Therefore, anything I say should be taken as coming from a source that is full of flatus.

 

[ButtFuzz]

I've lived on the Atlantic Coast all my life, been involved in various aspects of the Maritime industy for a good part of my 52 years here, and in my experience I will relay the following....

The chances of you getting into any kind of legal difficulty from using a HAM HT on the VHF Marine bands are slim to none unless you commit any of the following violations....
1 - transmit a false distress call...(doing this on a licensed VHF Marine radio will get you in hot water, it doesn't have to be from a non type accepted radio)
2 - Calling for radio checks on Ch.#16, or any of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or Fish & Game channels.
3 - Causing any type of malicious interference on Ch.#16, or any of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or Fish & Game channels.

The last time that I know of when someone got busted by the FCC for the miss-use of a VHF Marine radio was many years ago before FRS and GMRS services were established, and a lot of survey crews would buy cheap VHF Marine HT's to use on the road while surveying. One such crew did this while being within range of the U.S. Coast Gurad's Great Egg Station, and they chose to use channel 16. Also this was during a time when the FCC had many more unmarked tracker vans on the road, and a fatter budget to work with.
These days the FCC is working on a shoe string budget, far less enforcement agents to be bothered with busting a boater using his Amateur HT as a VHF Marine radio....as long as that boater isn't being stupid about it.

I use my Yaesu VX-170 for emergency communications with the fire dept I work for, I also use it for OEM work on the State Police emergency network frequencies, and I use it as my VHF Marine portable, nobody in a plain black suit has knocked on my door yet.....

BTW....making a statement like this on the QRZ forums would have earned me no less than 5 pages of verbal abuse from the armchair radio lawyers that frequent that place......( I really like the WWRF)

Sorry... actually not sorry... gotta comment on your post for "a 2nd time", as the french dude in "The Holy Grail" says...

I call responses like this "MLO".

Most Likely Outcome

A person such as yourself has experience in the field and is expressing their opinion and experience in what, in 99.999999999999999999% is likely to happen. MLO.

The folks at QRZ would task you on that, my good man. But not here, where the locals seem to have their heads screwed on a bit tighter.

Thanks for the input.

 

[ke7vvt]

I've lived on the Atlantic Coast all my life, been involved in various aspects of the Maritime industy for a good part of my 52 years here, and in my experience I will relay the following....

The chances of you getting into any kind of legal difficulty from using a HAM HT on the VHF Marine bands are slim to none unless you commit any of the following violations....
1 - transmit a false distress call...(doing this on a licensed VHF Marine radio will get you in hot water, it doesn't have to be from a non type accepted radio)
2 - Calling for radio checks on Ch.#16, or any of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or Fish & Game channels.
3 - Causing any type of malicious interference on Ch.#16, or any of the Coast Guard, Marine Police, or Fish & Game channels.

I know some "huntin" (hunting/trapping/running deer/bear/bobcats) guys that use the marine hts while they are out in the boonies. They opted for them because of the tx range I imagine. No doubt they will probably never be bothered by the fcc or anyone looking to turn them in. I planted the ham radio seed into one of them though. The marine HTs caught their eye most likely because they are available to anyone at a boat/sport shop and are more powerful than the frs radios. They should really be using a ham radio out there because it would be better suited to what they are doing. But ham radio and doctrine is much much more complicated than an 88 channel marine HT, so I don't blame them for going that route.

Glad to be in good company around here too. I've never been apart of the qrz forums but am sure they are mostly a nice bunch of guys.

vvt

 

[Moleculo]

Tell those hunting buddies what kind of range they could get in their vehicles if they were able to put 50 watt 2m rigs in them. That might get them interested.

 

[WX2MIG]

I know some "huntin" (hunting/trapping/running deer/bear/bobcats) guys that use the marine hts while they are out in the boonies. They opted for them because of the tx range I imagine. No doubt they will probably never be bothered by the fcc or anyone looking to turn them in. I planted the ham radio seed into one of them though. The marine HTs caught their eye most likely because they are available to anyone at a boat/sport shop and are more powerful than the frs radios. They should really be using a ham radio out there because it would be better suited to what they are doing. But ham radio and doctrine is much much more complicated than an 88 channel marine HT, so I don't blame them for going that route.

Glad to be in good company around here too. I've never been apart of the qrz forums but am sure they are mostly a nice bunch of guys.

vvt

Breaking it down to the functionallity of it all, there's no real practical difference between a 5 watt VHF Marine HT, and a 5 watt Amateur HT.
The Marine HT will Tx & Rx between (approx) 156.00 Mhz to 158.00 Mhz.
The 2 meter Amateur HT between 144.00 Mhz. and 148.00 Mhz.
That puts then relatively close frequency wise in the over all scheme of things, making the range, abilities and disabilities about equal.
What they are ding with those VHF Marine radios is technically not legal.
If they chose to use the Amateur 2 meter band and HT's it would be in their best interest to study for, take the Technician class test, and get licensed before using any amateur frequencies. I say this because they are far more likely to be heard by, or run the risk of interfering with other licensed amateur radio operators, who in turn will make issue of their activity, and possibly report the same to the FCC.
Using the Marine HT's will not likely interfere with any marine craft providing they are not operating within a few miles of a large lake, river, or ocean, and would be far less likely to drawl the attention of someone that would see fit to rat them out to the FCC, but again this is assuming they are smart about how they go about using them, stay away from a few key frequencies, and don't transmit any distress signals.

The choice by virtue of practicality would be to buy the VHF Marine HT's and just be careful how and where you use them. It's cost effective, does not require any licensing, and less likely to drawl unwanted attention.

Now if you or your friends want to ungrade to mounted mobile type radios, then the pendulum would swing the other way, and I would suggest they go the legal amateur radio route. The standard VHF Marine mobile radio now TX's at 25 watts, carrying that signal much farther, many amateur 2 meter radios will do between 50 and 75 watts, making them a little more effective, especially in the woods. Pick a simplex frequency nobody in that area ever uses, and have fun, just remember to identify yourself every 10 minutes or so just incase someone is listening in......