Marine Communications

Equipping Your Boat for Marine Communications

One of the capabilities that you'll use on a daily basis is the ability to communicate with other boaters and shore stations. Most boaters use some form of radio communications to stay in touch. The ability to communicate with other boaters, commercial vessels and the Coast Guard is of utmost importance. No boat should leave the dock without a functioning VHF radio.

This topic covers the various types of radio communications and the various capabilities you'll need for safe inshore and offshore sailing.

Coastal Communication - Marine VHF Radios

The piece of communication gear that you will use the most is a marine VHF (Very High Frequency) radio. The type of radio you choose, and how you install it, will depend on the type of boat you sail and how far from shore you sail. VHF radios come in two basic categories - handheld and permanently installed. The permanently installed VHF radios come with a variety of options. Given the low cost of VHF radios today, it's rare to find a boat that is not equipped with a VHF radio.

Cell Phones for Coastal Use

Many sailors now use cell phones as a backup communication device. You will most likely find a cell phone signal that reaches out 5-6 miles from land (line of sight) near any populated area. If you intend on using a cell phone as an emergency communication device, make sure to put it in a waterproof container and to also have a list of local USCG contact numbers.

Offshore Communication - Single Side Band (SSB) Radios

When you sail more than 15 miles offshore, you're starting to get out of range of VHF. You'll need some form of two-way communication in order to summon help in an emergency. You'll also need one or more communication links as a source of weather information.

The workhorse of offshore communications is the Single Side Band (SSB) radio. These radios are also known as High Frequency (HF) radios. These radios are your primary source of weather information when out of VHF range. They also provide vessel-to-vessel communications over long ranges (hundreds of miles) and are useful when listening in to regularly scheduled cruiser 'nets' which can provide valuable information.

Satellite Phones

Satellite phones, while expensive, can provide another means of contacting shoreside facilities when you are out of VHF range. Some cruisers are renting satellite phones for use when they are offshore and reserve the phones for limited or emergency use. Most cruisers would consider a satellite phone in addition to, but not in place of a marine SSB installation.

Daysailing and Coastal Communication Equipment

	Item	Link to Detail
Cell Phone
	Cell Phone and charger
	List of phone numbers for US Coast Guard and local help	- List of numbers
VHF Radio
	VHF Radio	- VHF radio basics - VHF radio use - Features to shop for
	Spare battery pack for handheld VHF radio
	Fixed-mount VHF antenna	- Installation tips
	Spare VHF antenna and coax cable (Optional - for longer distance cruising)
VHF Radio with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Capabilities - Optional
	VHF Radio with DSC capability	FAQ's about DSC radios USCG Rescue 21 Info
	Wiring/connections to hook VHF radio to GPS (Optional - for DSC emergency beacon operation)
	DSC number (also called your "MMSI" number) registered with the USCG	Web link for registration

Offshore Communication Equipment

	Item	Link to Detail
EPIRB / GPIRB
	Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)
	GPS Position Indicating Radio Becon (GPIRB) - preferred alternative to an EPIRB. Same thing as an EPIRB with a built-in GPS.	Link to EPIRB registration page
Satellite Phone (optional)
	Satellite phone / handset
	Spare battery
	External antenna and cable
Single Side Band (SSB) Transceiver
	SSB Transceiver
	Antenna Tuner and connecting cables
	Grounding Foil
	Backstay antenna
	Headphones (for listening to SSB in noisy environment)
	Small tape recorder (for recording WX forecasts)
	Patch cord to hook SSB audio output into computer for receiving weatherfaxes.
	Ship's station license	Link to online registration page

Links to Outside Resources

	Item	Link to Detail
How-to Articles
	Satellite data communication choices - article in the West Marine Advisor	Link



Manufacturers

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