Navigating The Radio – Part 1

Don’t Say 10-4 Good Buddy!

Whether cruising leisurely up the ICW or voyaging up the coast, mastering the art of VHF radio communications is an essential skill for the pleasure cruiser. Think of it as a vintage social network for your water escapades—minus the emojis. Buckle up your life vest as we explore the fascinating world of VHF radio etiquette for pleasure boats.

This is part 1 of a 2 part series on VHF Radio Communications. In this Article we cover an introduction to VHF Radio Etiquette, Hailing Marinas, and Bridges. In Part 2 we cover Communicating with Locks and Commercial Traffic.

General Radio Tips: Speak Like a Pro

Before you grab that microphone, remember: you’re not opening a comedy club, but you can still have a little fun. Clear, professional communication wins the day on the airwaves. Always start by stating who you’re calling, followed by your vessel’s name, like at a nautical cocktail party, “Hello, Marina Bay, this is the Serenity Now.”

Keep conversations succinct and to the point. This isn’t the place for storytelling—your fellow boaters will appreciate the brevity. Use plain language, and while “Roger” is nice, remember that scene from the movie Airplane!

Roger Roger, Vector Victor, Clearance Clarance!

When you are making an initial hailing call, “over” is okay. After that, it is really unnecessary. It is pretty obvious when you’ve finished speaking and un-key the microphone. “Over and out”, is for the movies!

Listen to the pros, the commercial boats talking on the radio, and take your queues from them.

Understanding VHF Radio Limits

VHF radios, known for their reliability and clarity, operate primarily on line-of-sight, meaning their signals generally travel straight without the ability to bend around obstacles like mountains or buildings. This characteristic often sets their effective range at about 5 to 10 miles over open water, though this can vary depending on a few factors.

What’s A Watt?

The power of the radio plays a role—higher wattage can push signals further. Typical fixed installation radios transmit at up to 25 watts and have a range of 10-15 miles. Handheld radios usually are around 5 watts and can reach 3-8 miles.

Your Wattage May Vary!

Some radios have a setting to transmit at a lower power. This keeps the signal from interfering with other transmissions on the same channel happening farther away. Some VHF channels, like channels 13 and 67, are limited to 1-watt communication as they are only used for very local communication. Remember, if you are calling a bridge or lock on channel 13, you must be within a mile or two before they can hear you.

It Pays To Get High!

The height of your antennas is probably the most important factor when it comes to range. An elevated antenna can dramatically extend your reach, as it improves the line-of-sight advantage.

Keeping in mind that VHF Radio signals are line-of-sight. If your antenna is 1 foot above sea level, the distance to the horizon is 1.2 miles. Raise your antenna to 6 feet above sea level, and the distance to the horizon is 3 miles. Boost that up to 10 feet, and your range is 4 miles. Given that the receiving antenna is also raised, the higher both are, the more range you will have.

Radio Wave Reach Diagram — Example of Range of VHF Marine Radio affected by the
Height and Curvature of the Earth.

It’s not a perfect science, as radiowaves do bounce, but the general rule applies. (This doesn’t apply to you, Flat-Earthers.)

Interference Interferring!

Signal performance can also be affected by electrical interference from nearby electronic devices such as engine alternators, appliances, and, more commonly, cheap LED lights. Other interference, such as solar flares and other VHF radios transmitting in the area, can also significantly impact the quality of your transmission.

Another factor that is more in your control is background noise, such as wind, engine sounds, or even music and conversations happening close to the radio. Try to eliminate these as much as possible to improve the quality of your communication.

Channel 16: The Sacred Space

Consider channel 16, the sacred space of the marine radio world. It’s primarily for hailing and emergency communications. If you have been boating for a while, you will have heard boaters carrying on conversations on Channel 16 and the Coast Guard cutting in with “SWITCH YOUR TRAFFIC! Channel 16 is for hailing and distress purposes only! All conversations are recorded.”

Continuous chitchat on 16 is a no-no and could land you in Davy Jones’s locker of radio etiquette breaches. Not somewhere you want to be!

When calling on Channel 16 (or any channel, for that matter), keep it sweet and simple. Provide the three critical “W’s” of information: who you are calling, who you are, and what you want.

A few more notes on Channel 16

If you have a VHF radio on the boat, you are required to monitor channel 16 at all times. That means the radio must be turned on, tuned to channel 16, and have enough volume to be heard over the engine, wind, music, and barking dog.
If you hear a call of “Mayday” or “Pan-Pan,” immediately stop any in-process communication. If it’s another vessel, note the message, time, and your current position. The Coast Guard frequently gets a distress call but cannot hear the full message. They will ask other boaters who heard the message to contact them and relay the information.

Mayday, Pan-pan, and Sécurité

These are marine distress or information calls that indicate different levels of urgency.

Mayday A distress signal used when there is an immediate threat to a person or boat, such as a fire, collision, or life-threatening medical emergency.
Pan-pan An urgency signal used when there is an urgent situation that isn’t immediately life-threatening, such as losing power, running out of gas, or being unsure of your position.
Sécurité A safety signal used to communicate navigational warnings, such as an impending storm, debris in the water, or vessel movement in congested areas.

If you are in one of these situations, tune in to channel 16, ensure you are on maximum transmit power, and speak as slowly and clearly as possible. Be sure to repeat the urgency call (Mayday, pan-pan, or sécurité) three times at the start of the transmission. Give critical information, but don’t make it too long.

A Mayday call may go something like this: “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is the motor vessel My Boat Name. We are taking on water. Current position 29 decimal 9014 degrees North, minus 81 decimal 1907 degrees West. Approximately 5 miles offshore from St. Augustine, Florida. 4 people are on board. Over.”

Sécurité calls are something that more boaters should learn to use when entering tight channels. For example, near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is an area called “The Rock Pile.” It’s a part of the ICW blasted out of the bedrock. The edges are rough, and the channel in places is less than 100 ft wide. If two boats pass, especially at low tide, you must pick your spot to avoid running aground or scraping the rocks. When entering the Rock Pile, you will frequently hear both commercial and pleasure boats issue a Sécurité call like this. “Sécurité, Sécurité, Sécurité, this is the motor vessel My Boat Name, Northbound, entering the Rock Pile. We are a 42-foot vessel limited by draft. Any concerned traffic contact us on channel 16.”

While you might not make such a call, listen for them! Especially from commercial boats. A tow boat with a barge and most cruiser-size boats can’t pass safely in most of The Rock Pile. You’re better off responding that you will wait for them to pass. Ferries and other large commercial vessels will also make a Sécurité call a minute or two before they back out of their slips so they don’t squash you.

General Radio Etiquette

Here are a few key things to remember whenever you pick up the microphone.

1. Listen Before You Leap!

Before you key that microphone, take a moment to make sure you are on the correct channel. We hear boaters calling locks and bridges on Channel 16 all the time, and while we’ve never made a snarky remark, you’ll regularly hear someone say in a condescending tone…”Bridge hailing is on channel #”

Also, listen for a moment to make sure that another conversation is not going on. “Stepping on someone’s toes,” as it’s referred to, is not only impolite, but if you interrupt the Coast Guard helping a vessel in distress, you could cause harm or, at a minimum, get chewed out publically.

2. Remember, They Don’t Know You’re Calling

Unlike your mother, the marina, bridge, lock, boat, or Coast Guard station you are calling is probably not sitting next to the radio, paying close attention, waiting for your call. They are most likely busy doing something else, with the radio volume turned down, listening to tunes. Sometimes, they may not even have their VHF radio turned on, or it could be on another channel.

Because of this, it’s important to make a quick, succinct call and establish communication before you start giving all sorts of information. It’s considered good practice to repeat the name of the station you are trying to reach three times, then give your vessel name. That’s all you need until you get the initial reply. Something like “Sunshine Marina, Sunshine Marina, Sunshine Marina, this is My Boat Name. Over.”

If you don’t get an answer, wait at least 30 seconds before you hail again unless it’s a critical situation. Then repeat your call.

If you don’t get a response, especially with marinas, they may not have their radio turned on, and the volume may be down. If you know their working channel, you can try hailing them on that channel in case they forgot to switch back after the last boat arrived.

3. Confirm Information In Your Response

When you respond, always include the name of the party you are talking to and repeat back the basics of any instructions. For example, if you are talking to a Tug, and they say, “My Boat Name, Meet You On The 1.” A good response would be something like “Roger, Big Bad Tug, Meet You On The 1.” This way the other party knows that you heard them, and understood their response. This is the strategy airplane pilots use to help avoid mistakes that cause accidents.

4. Establish A Working Channel

Once you’ve gotten a response, establish a working channel and get off of Channel 16 unless your conversation will be very short.

Marinas typically have their preferred working channel and will ask you to switch: “My Boat Name, this is Sunshine Marina. Please switch and answer on channel 68.” Your response should be to confirm that you heard “Roger Sunshine Marina, switching to 68.” And, after switching, “Sunshine Marina, this is My Boat Name on 68.”

If you are hailing a bridge or lock, you will already be on the working channel, typically 9 or 13, so there is no need to switch. If you are hailing a commercial vessel, they use channel 13 as their working channel in most areas. We’ve found that on the rivers, some tow boats won’t answer you on 16, only on 13.

When you pick your channel, one of the more common is Channel 17. You will hear someone say, “My Boat Name, go up 1,” meaning switch up one channel from 16. In most areas, this is okay. However, we’ve found that in New York Harbor, the Police Department uses 17 as their working channel. Officially, it’s listed as State Control. You can download a list of the channels and their purpose by clicking here.

The designated channels for non-commercial use are 68, 69, 71, and 72. These are designated for non-commercial communication.

When you are finished chatting and are switching back to Channel 16, remember to let the other party know by saying, “My Boat Name is switching back to 16.”

5. Think Before You Key The Microphone

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard someone key their microphone, and there are 5 to 10 seconds of dead air, followed by “Errrrr… Ahhhhh… This is the vessel I Don’t Know What I’m Doing….” Before you key the mic, rehearse what you are about to say in your mind if you need to, especially if you are a newbie! You’ll sound like a pro!

Curmudgeon Alert: I must admit that bad radio protocol really annoys me!
Here are two of my biggest pet peeves.
1. Turn down your music before you make a radio call!
2. If you have two radios, make sure they are separated by a few feet and not on the same channel to avoid the “Sequeeeeeeeeeeel!” when you key the microphone.

6. Don’t Tell Your Life’s Story

On our two Loop trips, I’ve heard hundreds of radio calls, and I cringe when I hear what should be a short call go on for what seems like minutes.

“Hello, Happy Days Marina. This is Kathleen on the 42-foot Sea Ray Motor Vessel Chatty Kathy from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, calling you on Channel 16. We are coming into your marina, and we have a reservation. We want to get our slip assignment, and when we come in, we would also like to get fuel and a pumpout. Could you please tell us if your restaurant has any specials today? Over and out.” (names have been changed to protect the guilty). I kid you not. This is (almost) verbatim how some people call in on their initial call to the marina or, worse, a bridge or lock!

More often than not, the reply is, “Vessel calling. I’m busy on the dock. Please stand by.” So all that (mostly useless) information was wasted.

Keep it simple until you establish contact. If the marina, bridge, or lock needs more information, they will ask you for it. Wait until you are on a working channel before letting them know what size shoes you wear!

Communicating with Marinas: Call if You Must!

Ah, marinas—the watery oasis at the end of a long day’s voyage. When reaching out via radio, it is best to do your homework ahead of time and find out what the marina’s “working channel” is. We will typically ask when making our reservation or check the Waterway Guide. That way, after we hail them on channel 16, we have the second channel already set on our handheld.

When calling into a marina for the first time, establish communication. A typical exchange might go like this.

You on channel 16. “Sunshine Marina, Sunshine Marina, Sunshine Marina, this is My Boat Name. Over.”
Marina on 16. “Vessel hailing, this is Sunshine Marina. Switch and answer on channel 68.”
You on 16. “Roger Sunshine Marina. Switching to 68.”
You on 68. “Sunshine Marina, My Boat Name on 68.”
Marina on 68. “Good afternoon My Boat Name, how can we help you today?”
You on 68. “We have a reservation for the night and would like to stop on the way in for fuel and pumpout.”

The conversation would go on from there. Be pleasant, but don’t clutter the communication with unnecessary information. If they need more information, like your length or type of vessel, they will ask. Once they tie you up at the dock, there will be plenty of time to tell them your life story when you hand them the their tip!

One bit of information that you SHOULD provide is whether you want assistance at the slip. Don’t assume that a marina will send someone to meet you. While most will, it’s not a given. So confirming is fine. “Roger, Slip 42. And we would like assistance docking, please.”

How busy or unbusy a marina is can affect how quickly (or even if) they answer a radio call. If the dock hands are busy scrambling with five boats all arriving at the same time, they may not respond immediately. So be patient. Listen to what instructions they give the boat ahead of you regarding approach instructions and the working channel, and be ready to switch. In these situations, I’ll say, “Sunshine Marina, this is Kissed Some Frogs. We have the approach instructions and will hold off outside of the marina until you are ready for us. Standing by on channel #.”

If the marina is very unbusy, they may be taking a nap, emptying trash cans, or cleaning the restrooms. Sometimes, they forget their portable radio when they leave the office. We always have the marina’s phone number written down next to the helm in case we have to call them because we haven’t received a response on the radio. It saves scrambling to find a phone number while fighting wind and current.

Also, It’s not unheard of for marinas not to monitor the radio at all. A few times, both radio and telephone contact failed, and we had to pull into the marina and toot the horn a few times to wake someone up.

Another handy tip is that in certain areas, marinas monitor channel 9, not channel 16. Most of Canada and the Great Lakes fall into this category, but there are others. In Waterway Guide, or if you use Dockwa or Snag-A-Slip for your reservation, you can usually find the marinas’ hailing and working channels in the descriptions. When making a reservation directly, always ask how you should let them know when you arrive. We’ve had marinas ask us to call ahead between 15-30 minutes before arrival because the dockhand covers more than one marina.

Calling Draw Bridges: Rise and Shine!

Commanding a bridge to open can be like saying, “Open sesame!” But you have to get the protocol correct. Bridge Tenders can be a bit like bridge Trolls. Most are friendly, but some are a bit crotchety. Here are some tips and the protocol for hailing a bridge.

Do Your Homework In Advance

This is probably the most important bit of advice I can give. Before you leave the dock for the day, look ahead on your charts and see what bridges lie in your path. Then use The Waterway Guide or some other resource to write down the following key bits of information:

The Bridge Name. Bridge Tenders won’t answer if you call them by the wrong name. Bridges frequently have multiple names. You must call them by the correct hailing name, or they might not answer. For example, just south of us on the ICW is a bridge known locally as the “High Bridge Road Bridge,” but the hailing name is “L.B. Knox Bridge.”
The Bridge Height. This will tell you if you must worry about having the bridge opened at all. Note both the bridge, “Low Steel,” the lowest point on the bridge at high tide, and if the bridge publishes it, the extra height at the center. Many bridges are arched, so there is an extra 3 to 4 feet of clearance at the middle of the span. Depending on your “air draft” (height above the water), you may have to wait until you get to the bridge and look for the water level board (usually on one of the fenders or pilings) to calculate if you have enough room. If you are close, you won’t get a snarky response from the Bridge Tender when you call in. Don’t ask Bridge Tenders what the clearance is, in most cases they are prohibited from telling you for liability reasons. Also, remember, if you demand a bridge opening and it’s grossly unnecessary, you can be fined.
The Hailing Channel. Bridges in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina generally use channel 9 for hailing. Everywhere else, they use channel 13. There are some exceptions, especially with railroad bridges, where you may have to call on the phone. Also, if you get no response on the radio, having the phone number for the bridge is handy. Usually, it will be posted somewhere on the bridge, but knowing in advance will save you looking for that business card taped to the bridge piling. Again, the Waterway Guide is your friend!
The Bridges Schedule. This is probably the point that annoys most Bridge Tenders when someone asks for an opening outside of the opening schedule. They have to repeat the opening time a thousand times a day. Knowing the schedule will also let you plan your arrival time so that you don’t have to wait 30 minutes to an hour, fighting the wind and current until the next opening.

Okay, you are all prepared with the necessary details and are approaching the bridge. What do you do?

First, wait until you can see the Bridge Tenders control room on the bridge before you call in. Most bridges on channels 9 and 13 use 1-watt low-power radios, as there are frequently many bridges in close proximity to each other. Also, if they can’t see you, they probably won’t stop traffic and keep it waiting until you reach the bridge.

When hailing a bridge, most Bridge Tenders don’t care what your boat name is, where you are from, or the brand. They want to know what kind of boat you are (power or sail) and what direction to look. If they need your name and hailing port, they will ask for it once you’ve established communication.

When asking for an opening, if the bridge is on-demand (no schedule), then ask for an “opening.” If it’s on a schedule, ask for the specific opening, as it lets the Bridge Tender know you are aware of the schedule. So you could say, “Your 3:30 opening.” If you are not sure of the schedule, say “next opening,” and be prepared for a lecture on the bridge’s schedule.

Once you can see the bridge, but before you are right up to it, make your call. A typical conversation would sound like this.

You “Second Street Bridge, Second Street Bridge, Second Street Bridge this is the northbound motor vessel/sailing vessel requesting your 3:30 opening.”
Bridge “Northbound vessel, our next opening is in 5 minutes. What is your name and hailing port.”
You “Second Street Bridge, vessel name is My Boat Name, port is “Daytona Beach, Florida.”
Bridge “Please remain outside of the fenders until the bridge is fully raised.”
You, once you are clear of the pilings on the other side. “Second Street Bridge, we are clear, thank you for the opening.”

Another common exchange on an on-demand bridge might go like this…

You “Third Street Bridge, Third Street Bridge, Third Street Bridge this is the northbound motor vessel/sailing vessel requesting an opening.”
Bridge “Northbound vessel, keep it coming. I will open the bridge as soon as it is safe to do so.”
You “Roger, Third Street Bridge.”
Bridge “Please remain outside of the fenders until the bridge is fully raised.” Often, by the time you reach the no-wake zone at the bridge, the tender will have the bridge raised, so you can go right under. Just be prepared to stop if it is not!
You, once you are clear of the pilings on the other side. “Third Street Bridge, we are clear, thank you for the opening.”

If there are already boats waiting and you heard the Bridge Tenders’ instructions, just say something like, “Second Street Bridge, this is the Northbound vessel second in line. We would like to take the next opening as well.”

Remember bridge etiquette if there is more than one boat waiting.

Vessels being pushed by the current (going downstream) take priority over upstream vessels.
First come, first served. Don’t cut the line without permission.
Might = Right! If a larger vessel is waiting, they have less ability to maneuver, so defer to them.
Watch out for sailboats. Sailboats can also have trouble holding position, especially in wind and current, so they may loop around while waiting. Keep an eye on them!

A bridge is an excellent place to get around that slow-poke in front of you. It’s perfectly okay to hail other boats on the bridge channel to arrange for passing, sort out who will go first, or let boats on the other side know that you will wait until they are clear before you move. Just don’t interrupt the Bridge Tender when they are talking.

Oh, and save the “10-4 Good Buddy” for when you are driving your Land Yacht!