How to Communicate and Declare Emergencies With a VHF Radio

Of all the safety equipment you could have on a boat, a VHF radio is one of the most important. There is no better way of contacting someone for help in an emergency. VHF is also one of the most used forms of communication on the water. Though a lot of people use cell phones and satellite phones these days, they still can’t take the place of a VHF radio. Since it is used so much, it is important to know how to properly communicate with others and how to behave while on the air waves. Failure to do so could actually land you in trouble with the law.

Though there are many channels on a VHF radio, only a few of them are designated for civilian use. When you aren’t in a conversation with someone, you should keep your radio tuned into channel 16. This channel is used for hailing other boaters, shore stations, and for declaring emergencies.

Before hailing other boaters, you should find an open channel. The channels that you have to choose from are channels 9, 68, 69, 71, 72, and 78. If all the channels are being used, then wait for one of the conversations to end before hailing. Once you have found a clear channel, go back to channel 16 and begin to hail the other boat. Say the name of the boat or shore station one to three times, followed by your name; you also want to end every communication with the word “over.” So, if you were the Nina and were hailing the Santa Maria it would sound like this:

“Santa Maria. Santa Maria. This is Nina. Over.”

If the Santa Maria doesn’t answer, wait two minutes before hailing again and out of courtesy to others, don’t hail more than three times. When the Santa Maria answers, they will respond by saying the name of your boat followed by the name of theirs, like this:

“Nina. This is Santa Maria. Over.”

Since channel 16 is just for hailing, you would then ask the Santa Maria to move to an open channel before resuming the conversation. It would sound something like this:

“Santa Maria. This is Nina. Channel six nine, please. Over.”

They would respond in kind with, “Six nine. Over.” When the conversation ends on channel 69, you will say, “Nina. Out.”

It is important to avoid vulgarity over the air waves since it is illegal. It is also important to remember that the radio isn’t for fun. It is for serious communication and emergencies. If you have an emergency, then you need to go about things a little different. You will want to declare your emergency on channel 16 in these steps:

1. Saying “Mayday” three times.
2. Say the name of your boat three times.
3. Do your best to declare your location, which direction you were headed, and your destination.
4. State your emergency as succinctly as possible and what kind of aid you think would help best.
5. Finally, describe your boat, say how many people are aboard, and close by saying “Over.”