Marine VHF channel frequencies and usage
Last Update:
Sun Dec 24 09:37:39 EST 1995
From: bryce115@aol.com (Bryce115)
Newsgroups: alt.radio.scanner
Subject: Boating-Marine
Date: 11 Dec 1995 01:21:55 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Channel 16 (distress and calling) will be quiet, except when
pleasure boats are active. Commercial vessels rarely use it except
to make "safety" broacasts as they approach narrow channels, etc.
Commercial vessels will normally communicate with a Vessel Traffic
Management Center, reporting their position and intentions at specified
calling-in points. Traffic will then tell them what other vessels they
should expect to meet.
Marine VHF channel frequencies and usage
Chan Ship Tx Ship Rx Area Use
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01 156.050 160.650 IC Ship/shore - telephone
02 156.100 160.700 IC Ship/shore - telephone
03 156.150 160.750 IC Ship/shore - telephone
04 156.200 160.800 I Ship/shore - telephone
04A 156.200 C Canadian Coast Guard - authorized stations
05 156.250 160.850 I *Ship/shore - telephone
06 156.300 Intership - Safety
07 156.050 160.650 *Ship/shore - telephone
07A 156.350 Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
08 156.400 Intership - commercial
09 156.450 Intership-Ship/shore
10 156.500 Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
11 156.550 Vessel Traffic Management
12 156.600 Vessel Traffic Management
13 156.650 Bridge to bridge - 1 watt - Safety of Nav.
14 156.700 Vessel Traffic Management
15 156.750 EPIRB Buoy
16 156.800 International Distress/Safety/Calling
17 156.850 Pilotage - vessel docking/manoeuvers
18 156.900 161.500 I *Port Operation
18A 156.900 Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
19 156.950 161.550 I *Port Operation
19A 156.950 *Port Operation
20 157.000 *Port Operation
21 157.050 161.650 I *Port Operation
21A 157.050 A US Coast Guard - authorized stations
21B 161.650 C Canadian Coast Guard - Weather Broadcasts
22 157.100 161.700 I *Port Operation
22A 157.100 CA US/Canadian Coast Guard - Public Working
Freq.
23 157.150 161.750 IC Ship/shore - telephone (in Canada)
23A 157.150 *Port Operation (USCG)
24 157.200 161.800 Ship/shore - telephone
25 157.250 161.850 Ship/shore - telephone
26 157.300 161.900 Ship/shore - telephone
27 157.350 161.950 Ship/shore - telephone
28 157.400 162.000 Ship/shore - telephone
60 156.025 160.625 IC Ship/shore - telephone
61 156.075 160.675 I *Ship/shore - telephone
61A 156.075 C Intership-S/S - Can. Coast Guard Private
62 156.125 160.725 I *Ship/shore - telephone
62A 156.125 C Intership-S/S - Can. Coast Guard Private
63 156.175 160.775 I *Ship/shore - telephone
63A 156.175 C Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
64 156.225 160.825 IC Ship/shore - telephone
65 156.275 160.875 I *Ship/shore - telephone
65A 156.275 CA Port Operation (Canadian Coast Guard
Private)
66 156.325 160.925 I *Ship/shore - telephone, Port Operation
67 156.375 Intership-Ship/shore
68 156.425 Intership-Ship/shore - non-commercial
69 156.475 Intership-Ship/shore
70 156.525 Digital Selective Calling - Distress and
Safety
71 156.575 Vessel Traffic Management
72 156.625 Intership
73 156.675 Intership-Ship/shore
74 156.725 Vessel Traffic Management
( 75 and 76 not used )
77 156.875 Pilotage - vessel docking/manoeuvers
78 156.925 161.525 *Port Operation
78A 156.925 Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
79 156.975 161.575 I *Port Operation
79A 156.975 Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
79B 161.575 C Commercial Fishing - Receive only
80 157.025 161.625 I *Port Operation
80A 157.025 Intership-Ship/shore - commercial
81 157.075 161.675 I *Port Operation
81A 157.075 A *Port Operation (USCG)(CCG anti-pollution)
82 157.125 161.725 I *Port Operation, s/s telephone
82A 157.125 A *Port Operation (USCG)(CCG)
83 157.175 161.775 I *Ship/shore - telephone (CCG)
83A 157.225 A *Intership, Port Operation (USCG)
84 157.225 161.825 Ship/shore - telephone
85 157.275 161.875 Ship/shore - telephone
86 157.325 161.925 Ship/shore - telephone
87 157.375 161.975 Ship/shore - telephone
88 157.425 162.025 IC *Ship/shore - telephone
88A 157.425 A *Intership
Weather Channels: (as in Icom IC-M55)
Wx1 162.550
Wx2 162.400
Wx3 162.475
Wx4 161.650 Marine 21B - CCG West Coast Weather Broadcasts
Wx5 162.425
Wx6 162.500
Wx7 162.525
Wx8 162.450
Wx9 161.775 Marine 83B - CCG Great Lakes & East Wx Broadcasts
Wx10 163.275
(Wx5 - Wx10 are not listed in the manual, but are in the radio)
The channel usage marked with an asterisk (*) are from tables in Icom
IC-M2 and IC-M55 marine radio manuals, and are probably fairly "generic",
and subject to change in different jurisdictions. Other channel usage is
from my station licence for the Canadian West Coast, and from things
overheard on the air. "Your usage may vary."
Channels marked (CCG) or (USCG) are for Canadian or US Coast guard
authorized stations only.
Channel 70 is supposed to be reserved for a future selective calling
distress and safety system, but is (illegally) being used for intership
communications (even by the RCMP!)
The letters under "area" mean:
I: International only (non-US) according to Icom
C: Canadian usage
A: American usage
Channels with an "A" suffix are simplex operation on the ship transmit
frequency of an international duplex channel.
Canada uses a "B" suffix to denote broadcast (one-way) use of the shore
transmit side of an international duplex channel.
There are no repeaters (as hams know them) in the marine service . If you
are willing to pay for a phone call, the telco might let you place a call
to another vessel on the same (or different) channel, and so get the
effect
of a repeater.
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