THE VHF radio is an essential piece of safety equipment, particularly at today’s low prices. Not only can it save lives in an emergency, it is a convenience as well.
The Coast Guard and most boats along the coast monitor channel 16, the emergency channel. Ideally, boat-to-boat or boat-to-shore hailing should be on channel 09 to keep channel 16 clear for emergency or securité calls. To hail another boat or a marina, try to raise them first on channel 09. Then, if unsuccessful, try 16. If possible, set your radio to monitor both channels simultaneously. Commercial vessels such as large ships announce their intentions on channel 13.
Marine-related shoreside facilities such as marinas and harbormasters will usually monitor both channel 16 and 09, or, if they are on a special channel, we indicate it in this book. Most should be hailed on 09. Fishermen are usually on their own channels for chit-chat—lobstermen on one, draggers on another. Popular channels are 06, 08, 72, and 79.
As of this writing, there is no marine operator service to connect to the land-based telephone system with your VHF radio. The provider of this service in the past claims to be updating its system, but they face tough competition with the proliferation of cellular phones.
Cellular phone service. With cellular phones and cellular service now commonplace ashore, it is no surprise that they have crept aboard boats as well. In theory, all of the coast of Maine has cellular coverage, but a cellular phone aboard is by no means a substitute for a VHF radio. They are limited in ship-to-ship communications because most boats don’t have them, and you wouldn’t know what number to call. Consider the cellular phone a compliment to the VHF and a wonderful convenience.
Cellular signals are in the 900 MHz range and are “line-of-sight.” As such, they are affected by topography, so their range over water may be somewhat greater than over land. Still, reception extends only a few miles offshore, but it can be vastly improved with a mast-mounted antenna.
The cellular coverage for the Maine coast is currently a collage of cells covered by various mobile service providers, and the size and control of the cells is in constant flux. Contact your carrier for advice.
The area code for all Maine locations is 207. The area code for the New Brunswick, Canada sections covered in this guide is 506. The U.S. or Canadian Coast Guard can be reached by dialing “*CG” from a cellular phone, and the relative privacy of a cellular call might encourage users to call before they are in a dire emergency without the added embarrassment of a VHF broadcast. For search-and-rescue operations, however, the Coast Guard would prefer to be homing in on a VHF signal.I