So Who Needs a Radio, Anyway?

So, who needs a radio, anyway? When you have a perfectly good cell phone, what's with having a radio?

In fact, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that you don't have to have one, or any type of radio for that matter.

That is, if your boat is under 20 meters (65.6 feet) in length and you cruise only within US waters.

At one time all recreational vessels were required to have a Very High Frequency (VHF) radio. Some had a Citizen's Band radio as well, although these are waning in popularity. Of course if you were cruising offshore, say to Paopao on the South Pacific island of Moorea, you'd want a single sideband radio. But for those of us who cruise inland and near coastal waters a VHF radio does the trick.

True, some boaters seem to be perfectly comfortable having just their cellphone, and cellphones are very handy, and coverage is increasing all the time.

But if you rely only on your cellphone, while you certainly can call the US or Canadian coast guards, Vessel Assist, or any other emergency resource, no one else will hear that conversation (or your Mayday call!). If you have an emergency, I may be just a few miles from you (and far closer to get to you than the USCG), but I or any other nearby boaters will never know that you're in trouble. And it's usually other boaters who will get to you first. In some areas of Puget Sound the USCG can take two or three hours to get to you. Courting possible disaster? Obviously. 

Except you don't have to have 

But, if your going to be a responsible, prudent boater you'll have at least one VHF radio aboard, preferably a fixed "station" radio. I have two, but then I like redundancy. Besides, I can monitor more channels this way. I also have a VHF handheld radio, very handy if your boat's electrical power should go down, making your fixed radio useless. You still have the handheld.

Fixed VHF radios transmit at 25 watts at hight power; handhelds usually at 5 or 6 watts at high power (strong enough for me to talk from West Point to Possession Point).

So, while you're not required to have a radio, if you cruise to Canada you are required to have one under international law .

And if you cruise to Canada you're also required to have both a ship station license and a restricted radiotelephone operator permit. The license is a ten year license, the permit lasts a lifetime. Both are issued by the FCC. Your handheld radio is considered one with your station radio; you don't need a separate license.

There's a bit of a loophole here. If cruising in Canadian waters but do not dock and without communicating with Canadian stations, you don't need a license or permit (but you are still required to have a VHF radio). But who doesn't want to take in a Canadian port? My gas tanks certainly dictate otherwise. It's probably safe to note that the Canadians (accommodating as they are) don't enforce this stringently, but just to be safe . . . . .

All this, radio requirement, licenses and permits, also apply if you're going into Mexican waters.

So, use the cellphone for personal business. Use your VHF radio for ship's business.

And when I have an emergency, I want the whole world to know!