How To Use Your VHF Marine Radio to Call for Help in a Boat Emergency | BoatUS
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- Опубликовано: 20 дек 2018
- Hopefully you'll never need to call for help in a boating emergency like fire, sinking, or a medical situation, but it's good to know how to do it in case you do. BoatUS Magazine's Lenny Rudow teaches you how to contact the Coast Guard using your VHF marine radio. If your VHF radio isn't already DSC active, you need to fix that. Here's an article that walks you through the process step by step: www.boatus.com/expert-advice/...
Lenny tells you which situations are appropriate for calling Mayday or Pan-Pan (and when each should be used), tips for using your marine VHF radio (more at www.boatus.com/expert-advice/..., and how to call for help if your VHF is not DSC active.
BoatUS Members can request a free MMSI number ($25 value)! Visit www.boatus.com/products-and-s... for more info or to request.
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#VHF #mayday #boatus 
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I haven't had to use you guys yet, but I just have to say your magazine is awesome
Thanks so much FST! I will pass along your kind comments to the team. They mean a lot. Here's to keeping your record spotless! (But know we'll be there if you need us.)
As a person that has taken the Boat Safety Course, this should be covered as well, meaning the PanPan call distress. I was talking to a friend of mine that just took the course and he never heard of it. Thanks for posting this and helping people realize the difference between placing a MAY DAY call and a PAN PAN call.
Thanks so much for your comment and feedback, Paul. I will certainly pass that along to our Foundation folks. They are in the process of revising the courses, so the timing is good. I believe there's a very brief mention of it in the current course, but I am positive it doesn't go into this kind of detail. I'm glad you found this video helpful, and thank you for watching!
BoatUS thank you for your helpful experience. The comments have called me to awareness, in that whether we are in the harbor, on a passage, or anchored in a busy waterway ,we share the responsibility of being safe on the water. The comments also bring to light that there is often confusion about VHF protocol. I cannot then immediately dismiss a pan pan , security... or Mey Day. If I hear a call, I need to be attentive. A person offshore may survive any number of extreme Emergencies .
difficulties.and disasters at sea happen quickly and are easily unnoticed .
I may be the only one to hear the call. .
Moxie wylde
@@moxierunswild9694 Glad you found it helpful! Here's to a safe, fun, and trouble-free boating season!
@@moxierunswild9694 Glad you find it helpful! Yes, we all have a responsibility to try to help each other out. Hopefully you'll never find yourself in a situation where you need to call for help, but at least you know how to do it correctly if you need to.
MAYDAY= grave emergency live threatening
PANPAN = mechanical break down, stranded
SECURITER= warning of a security risk, like oil spill, wreckage, floating debris
Also keep an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) device in your boat for a backup. Just in case something happens that makes your radio unusable. Although they are supposed to last a very long time, make sure the batteries in it are charged every time you go out in your boat just to be safe.
Always a good tip, Jake! Our friends at ACR (www.acrartex.com/product-category/marine/) make some great products, including EPIRBs and PLBs. Our BoatUS Foundation also rents both for those who want an affordable short-term option: www.boatus.org/epirb/ I've even rented a PLB from them for adventure travel.
Thank you for your consise and informative coverage of this vital topic
Thanks for watching, Adam!
Best explanation and best video on youtube on this subject
Thanks for watching, MXUSG!
To make it simple for my wife in case she has to make a radio call because I can’t, I told her to always start with “mayday mayday mayday”. That’s because if I am unable to use the radio for whatever reason there’s probably a serious emergency happening…
Makes sense, Theodore! Thanks for watching. You may want to recommend she watch the video as well.
That's a good reminder for those of us who are taking on age (probably everyone alive to read this) to spend at least a little time talking through handling our vessels "just in case". Better yet (and good luck to some of us getting this to happen) actually get our boatmates to put hands on and operate it at least at a rudimentary level. In an emergency, they don't need to know how to perfectly dock a boat, but at least heading in the right/safe direction would be useful. Or maybe how to set an anchor, deploy a flair (after finding them), turn on the bilge pump, operate the fire extinguisher, throw a flotation device, etc., etc.
Good information thanks!
Thank you for watching!
Very good information
Thanks for watching, JoAnn! Glad you found it helpful.
actually there are many call to be made in case of different scenario.
MAYDAY= grave emergency live threatening (from the french word aidez-moi)
PANPAN = mechanical break down, stranded (from the french Panne, means breaking down)
SECURITER= warning of a security risk, like oil spill, wreckage, floating debris
all those calls are made into the 158.8mhz marine emergency frequency.
You're correct, Francois. Panpan and securité were outside the scope of this particular video, but explaining the differences in the three would make a great future video topic.
Might be a good idea to explain how to give the Coast Guard a proper verbal readout of their coordinates in case they have a GPS but it's not connected. Degrees, minutes, seconds or decimals, etc....
I have my DSC wires connected to my GPS etc. I can tell you from experience, if you have to make a Mayday call from a non-DSC radio, you will have to wait by the VHF for the Coast Guard to respond. With a DSC radio, you can push a button and leave the VHF to check out the condition of the boat while the radio makes the transmission for you. Would be a good idea for BoatUS to also show a video on using a DSC VHF radio for a Mayday call as there are other steps to be done during the call (usually the VHF radio does it for you but you have to hit the Enter button at certain times for the radio to switch to the correct channel)
Thanks for your comments, Robert, and thanks for the suggestion. We'll put it on our list for future consideration.
Very helpful!
Thanks for watching, Peter! Here's hoping you never have to use the info.
The know your exact latitude and longitude as long as your radio is DSC active AND connected to a GPS OR you punch in the coordinates yourself.
Thank you Cap. for your great and clear teaching, here in Europe it is exactly the same, but we dont have 9 1 1 here this is 112, means - in all European States under this Number they speak English
Thanks for watching and sharing, Bertl! Good to know.
Got one on my 17 " Bow rider And dse active
Good job! Here's hoping you never need it for an emergency. Thanks for watching!
In my opinion DSC and AIS are the best safety improvements in VHF technology. I love my handheld Icom with all the functions of an onboard device.
We completely agree, Dutch! It's a shame, though, that so few people actually program in their MMSI number (which is free for BoatUS Members and $25 for nonmembers--www.BoatUS.com/MMSI). We also just discovered the Vesper Cortex, which incorporates the ability to contact other vessels with AIS directly through the wireless handset, kind of like a cellphone, so you don't jam up VHF channels or hope they're monitoring. We've got a field review of it in the April/May issue of BoatUS Magazine, which will be coming out in about two weeks. Thanks for watching!
@@boatus MMSI nummer programming the first time on any device is easy, it's trying to change it afterwards that is the hard part. My handheld has the same MMSI as my boat, because if I'm on the water, when not in my boat, I'll be in my tender.
Yes I know that my handheld should have its own MMSI, I just haven't gotten to it yet.
@@dutchglobetrotter4513 Absolutely true. You may be able to make some changes through whomever you got your number through. For example, if it was BoatUS, you could do it through the MMSI site.
Just to make sure I understand if I’m broke down out in the water I use the pan pan call right?
Thanks for the question, Army. If you had a medical emergency on board, then you could or should make a Pan-Pan call to alert the Coast Guard that you have a problem but don’t necessarily require assistance - yet. A Pan-Pan can always be updated to a Mayday if things deteriorate.
Another example: If you break down and you have called a towing assistance service like TowBoatUS, you may put out a Pan-Pan to alert other mariners in the area that you are adrift and waiting for a tow. But then if you were getting very close to the rocks and it looked like you were going to be wrecked, then you might up the Pan-Pan to a Mayday. A mayday should only be issued if you are in “grave and imminent danger.”
If you are just calling for a tow then Pan-Pan should not be used. Just call TowBoatU.S. on a VHF hailing channel, using the free BoatUS App (boat.us/sy-app) or call dispatching or the local port via cellphone. (Note: We recommend that you look into a towing membership like TowBoatUS (though there are other companies). It will likely pay for itself even if you only use it once in a decade! www.boatus.com/products-and-services/boat-towing)
Hope this helps clarify! Thanks for watching, and wishing you a safe and happy boating season.
If your boat is not named should you use a description of the boat instead such as 20' red and white center console with bimini top?
Fabulous question, CHN! You are absolutely correct. Thanks for watching
Do you still press the red button prior to making a pan pan call or is that only for mayday call? My hand held radio is DSC active.
Great question! The red button is only for emergencies (Mayday). Pan-pan is not an emergency. Thanks for watching!
Is there also a DSC that need to be activate on a VHF hand held walkie talkie radio? Or the regular VHF marine walkie talkie 2 way radios don't have that additional step ?
Good question, Adam. If the two-way radios have DSC capability, you will need to request and program in an MMSI number in order for that function to work. BoatUS members can request an MMSI number for free (www.boatus.com/mmsi); $25 for nonmembers. If your boat already has an MMSI number for another VHF (say, a fixed mount), you would use the same number. Remember that the MMSI number is linked to a specific vessel. Hope this helps!
Can I use the dsc option for someone else in trouble?
Thanks for the great question, Robert. Theoretically you could, but this may not be a good idea for a number of reasons. Assuming that you have correctly registered your DSC radio, the rescue services will be looking for the wrong boat. If you have a sailboat and the boat in trouble is a trawler, this could lead to confusion and delay, especially considering that pressing the DSC button sends the position of your vessel and not the vessel in distress. Proper radio procedure would be to call the Coast Guard by saying ‘Mayday Relay,’ give the nature of distress, the position, a description of the vessel in trouble, and be guided by the Coast Guard operator. You should only press the button if you are the vessel in distress.
what about those of us in a kayak using a hand held radio?
Wow, that is a GREAT question! So, here's the deal:
In order to take advantage of DSC, you need to get a handheld with built-in GPS. In the past, there were harder to come by and more expensive. These days, however, they're commonplace. In fact, you can find them in floating/waterproof versions (perfect for the kayak!) for under $200. Then you just get an MMSI number (available for free with a BoatUS Membership or $25 without, at www.BoatUS.com/MMSI) and program it in as you would with any other VHF radio. So while you may need to upgrade from your current handheld, it's not a huge expense and the safety margin makes it well worthwhile.
For the tow service (membership ) are there age limits? The boat and motor not me. For aviation you need the lic. and they have zero patience for yakking and departure from protocol. That mic. thing is a problem for some. They said in the radio chapter to hold the mic. 8 to 10 inches away and speak in a normal voice. Your way seems better considering wind, rain or other things aircraft cockpits don't have to worry about.
Thanks for watching, Mark. As far as I can tell from reading the towing agreement (www.boatus.com/products-and-services/boat-towing/towing-service-agreement), there is no restriction on age of vessel or motors. If you're unsure, we recommend reaching out to our great customer service folks to ask specifically. More info and contact info can be found here: www.boatus.com/faq Regarding VHF use, there's no yakking on Channel 16. That's for hailing and emergency use only. And you're correct about the differences for using a mic on board a boat vs. in a plane. The recommendation helps avoid wind and other noises.
If your VHF radio is lat/lon mph/kt capable and has a mmsi number entered does it still need tied to your chartplotter? i assumed the emergency button would function as expected since the radio was location equipped but want to make sure
Thanks for the question, Mark. Until fairly recently radios had to be connected to a GPS chartplotter for the distress function to work, but according to US Coast Guard statistics, almost 90% of those radios were never correctly connected thus rendering the emergency button useless. In an effort to address this, radio manufacturers have started to incorporate a GPS chip into many VHF radios making connection to an external GPS unnecessary. If your radio is capable of displaying your Lat and Long, as yours does, then you are all set as this indicates that the GPS chip is already installed in your radio. It is essential to enter your MMSI number for the system to work, however. An MMSI number is free to BoatUS members. You can find more info or request one at www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/Home
@@boatus thank you for your response
@@markpeppers6950 You are very welcome!
I am a newbie and I hear that the emergency channel is 9 but this video says 16. Which is correct and why the confusion?
Hey Janice - you hear wrong! Channel 16 is the proper emergency channel, channel 9 is for general commercial and non-commercial communication. Here's a link to the US Coast Guard VHF Channel Information: www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtvhf Thanks for watching and for asking your question. Be safe out there!
@@boatus The VHF Channel Information page has moved to www.navcen.uscg.gov/us-vhf-channel-information. The old link still gets you to the Coast Guard home page, but requires a bit of navigation to find the correct page. Lots of good information on the site, so worth poking around and reading up on various topics. Thanks for the video and the followup Q and A.
So whats proper way to give gps coordinates over radio
Great question, Fishin. Read the coordinates right off of your chartplotter. Traditionally the first set of numbers is given in "degrees," then the second set is "minutes" and the third is "seconds." So, if the chartpotter showed 39'29.04, you'd say "39 degrees, 29 minutes, 04 seconds." However, some modern units will be set to display lat/long in decimals. In this case you'd see something like 39.48444444, and would say "39 point 48444444." And remember, you'll need to give two sets of numbers, the first for latitude and the second for longitude. If you don't have a chartplotter, you can find your lat/long on your smart device, usually under the compass app. Or download the BoatUS App (www.BoatUS.com/App). Just tap the "Request a Tow" button and it will show your lat/long. Hope this helps!
@@boatus thanks 😊
So how do you describe your location on the radio without a gps coordinate?
Great question, Kenny. Unless you're close to multiple visible landmarks (numbered buoys, water tanks, towers on land, etc.) it can be difficult, so having those coordinates is critical. If you don't have a chartplotter/GPS on board (click here to see some of our favorite nav apps for smartphones/tablets: www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2019/december/best-marine-navigation-apps-for-2020), you can download the BoatUS App (www.BoatUS.com/App) to your iOS or Android device. The Info button will show you your coordinates, even if you're not a member. (There's also lots of other handy stuff for all boaters like tides, weather, data from nearby buoys, and more.) That said, if you're out in open water where visible landmarks aren't close by, you probably should invest in a GPS. Hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
@@boatus looks like ill be getting a vhf with gps then since ill be going further offshore
@@kenz1031 Be sure to get a unit with DSC. Register for an MMSI number (free for BoatUS members-- www.BoatUS.com/MMSI ) and program it in. This way, in a life-threatening emergency, you can simply use the red emergency button and your location will be sent automatically.
@Papi Kink Try this one: www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/Home
There is nothing better than talking to the Coastguard rather than rely on pressing a button.
Hey Brian -- that would depend on the nature of the communication. But in an all-out emergency when there's a risk of loss of life, hit that button and hold it until activation occurs (three to five seconds). This tells the Coast Guard you're making a "mayday" call instantly. (This is why it's important to make sure you have your radio's DSC set up. BoatUS Members can request a free MMSI number at www.boatus.com/mmsi.)
I’ve never owned a boat and live nowhere near the ocean why am I watching this
Ha! Maybe it's telling you something ... Thanks for watching!
Uh, yeah Capt, PAN-PAN is pronounced PAHN-PAHN, not PAN-PAN. It's a french word just like Securite is pronounced sea-cure-a-tae, not security although I'd imagine the longer American's continue to butcher the pronunciation, the more the incorrect "PAN" will become the norm over here in the States.
You're right, Randy. The traditional pronunciation is pahn-pahn. Lenny says pan-pan. We had that discussion during the shoot. We're just chalking it up to his Baltimore accent!