27 MHz marine radios, commonly called 27 'meg', are popular for use on recreational boats and provide short-range communications, but not the range or performance of a Marine VHF radio (Requires license). They would be suitable for operating in protected and semi-protected waters or in unprotected waters within the range of a coast station. No operator's license is required to use a 27 MHz Marine radio. 27 MHz Marine may be monitored by other recreational vessels or at various locations and hours of operation by Volunteer Marine Rescue radio bases.
UHF CB Mobile radio
UHF CB Portable radio
Pros |
Cons |
Licence Free |
Public Service |
Will work in Valleys and dense bush |
Rage over 50Km cannot be relayed on |
Monitored Emergency channel |
Will not work throw heavy bush or in valleys |
Low cost |
Can be interfered with by Power lines and storms |
|
Can only be used for boating |
27Mhz Marine CB Channels
Channel |
Uses |
68 |
Commercial Operations |
72 |
Professional Fishing |
82 |
Professional Fishing |
86 |
Secondary Distress Channel |
88 |
Primary Distress Channel |
90 |
Calling & working ship to shore |
91 |
Calling & working ship to shore |
94 |
Ship to ship and ship to shore |
96 |
Ship to ship |
98 |
Rescue organizations |
Emergency Situations
Distress Calls
The distress call 'mayday' may be used only if the boat is threatened by grave and imminent danger and immediate assistance is required. For example, the boat is sinking or on fire. This distress call has absolute priority over all other transmissions and may only be transmitted on the authority of the skipper or the person responsible for the safety of the boat. Calls are made on distress frequencies, 27.88 MHz Call procedures:
• Mayday Mayday Mayday.
• This is - name and radio call sign of boat in distress (spoken three times).
• Mayday.
• Name and radio call sign of boat. • Details of boat's position.
• Nature of distress and assistance required.
• Other information including number of people on board, boat description and intentions.
Urgency Calls
The urgency call should be used when use of the distress call cannot be justified but a very urgent message concerning the safety of your boat or the safety of a person needs to be transmitted. For example, your boat is disabled and drifting onto a lee shore or a crewmember is seriously ill. You may make an urgency call only on the authority of the skipper or person responsible for the safety of your boat. Distress call frequencies (above) may be used for these calls. Call procedure:
• Pan pan, pan pan, pan pan.
• Hello all stations hello all stations hello all stations.
• This is - name and radio call sign of boat (spoken three times).
• Details of the boat's position.
• Details of assistance required and other information.
Safety Calls
The safety call should be used if you wish to broadcast an important navigational warning to other stations. For example, you have sighted a large floating object that could damage the hull of a boat. A safety call is more likely to be made by a coast station or a limited coast station operated by a marine rescue group and may include important weather warnings such as severe thunderstorm, gale and cyclone warnings. Call procedure:
• Say-cure-e-tay say-cure-e-tay say-cure-e-tay.
• Hello all stations hello all stations hello ail stations.
• This is - name and radio call sign of boat or shore station (spoken three times).
• Details of the warning.
You may make the initial safety call to ail stations on a distress frequency. However, you should change to a working frequency to make the broadcast of the safety message