Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.

Mike Wagenbach
Seattle

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On 7 Jul 2004 12:06:26 -0700, (Mike Wagenbach)
wrote:

Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.

I know the ones off the coast of Massachusetts do, and they also
communicate with the fishing boats that go out earlier in the day who
spot whales for them.

It would make sense anywhere this type of activity is concentrated.

One question might be if this is sent clear or coded in some way.

My friend who would know more is presently on a trip.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

Mike Wagenbach wrote:
Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.

Mike Wagenbach
Seattle

All boats of this type tend to use a specific channel ..... problem is
to find it, as they frequently don't use boat names or call signs so
that you have to listen for awhile to figure out which channel they're on.

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Wed, 07 Jul 2004 23:21:03 GMT, otnmbrd
posted:

Mike Wagenbach wrote:
Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.

Mike Wagenbach
Seattle

All boats of this type tend to use a specific channel ..... problem is
to find it, as they frequently don't use boat names or call signs so
that you have to listen for awhile to figure out which channel they're on.

Don't most marine radios have a "scan" feature, popping up any
conversation that comes along?

Mike Soja

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Wed, 07 Jul 2004 20:10:44 -0400, MikeSoja
wrote:

All boats of this type tend to use a specific channel ..... problem is
to find it, as they frequently don't use boat names or call signs so
that you have to listen for awhile to figure out which channel they're on.

Don't most marine radios have a "scan" feature, popping up any
conversation that comes along?

There are not that many marine radio channels.

Most any scanner should get that band, and be able to scan it. (lock
out the weather channels, though).

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

MikeSoja wrote:
On Wed, 07 Jul 2004 23:21:03 GMT, otnmbrd
posted:


Mike Wagenbach wrote:

Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.



Mike Wagenbach
Seattle


All boats of this type tend to use a specific channel ..... problem is
to find it, as they frequently don't use boat names or call signs so
that you have to listen for awhile to figure out which channel they're on.


Don't most marine radios have a "scan" feature, popping up any
conversation that comes along?

Mike Soja


Yes, BUT, the scan feature is normally limited to specific channels
...... i.e., you would have to program the "scan" to work all channels
and there's no guarantee you will be listening to the right one at the
right time.
Best bet .... get friendly with the "Whale watchers" and find out which
channel (s) they tend to work.
otn

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:12:11 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:

Yes, BUT, the scan feature is normally limited to specific channels
..... i.e., you would have to program the "scan" to work all channels
and there's no guarantee you will be listening to the right one at the
right time.

Aren't there only about 80 VHF marine channels, and 7-10 set aside for
weather?

Best bet .... get friendly with the "Whale watchers" and find out which
channel (s) they tend to work.
otn

Investing in a couple of rounds at the right bar in port might be
productive.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:12:11 GMT, otnmbrd
posted:

MikeSoja wrote:

Don't most marine radios have a "scan" feature, popping up any
conversation that comes along?

Yes, BUT, the scan feature is normally limited to specific channels
..... i.e., you would have to program the "scan" to work all channels
and there's no guarantee you will be listening to the right one at the
right time.
Best bet .... get friendly with the "Whale watchers" and find out which
channel (s) they tend to work.
otn

I doubt if it's any great secret.

My ma lives out on Cape Cod, and I've gone on whale watching trips
there about each of the last five years. I took one trip from
Barnstable, but the people with that boat are assholes and I'll
never go with them again. Driving to Provincetown is fun anyway,
and cuts about an hour off the boat travel time (and all the diesel
that thing burns). There are so many whale watching boats leaving
at regular times out there that it would be hard not to pick them
out of the radio spectrum.

In fact, there are so many boats that one can almost pick up where
the whales are visually, just by seeing where the big boats slow
down and stop. Plus, during the season, the area doesn't vary
*that* much. The beasts are all up and down the Cape; you just have
to find the right distance. From high up you can spot them with
binocs, but, of course, down low to the water, that gets difficult.

I don't think I'm quite confident of my skills, yet, but a lot of
the whales are only a mile or two off the north east tip of the
Cape, and it would be a gas (a scary gas, probably) to see them from
a kayak. I'd definitely take a marine radio and a big compass and
foghorn and lights in case of fog. Maybe some day.

Mike

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

EG Hell, If you'd told me the "Cape", I could have saved some band
width ..../. 25 years ago. Sorry, but most of my contacts have retired
or moved on, back there ..... LOL wait till November, and I'll get the info.

otn

MikeSoja wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:12:11 GMT, otnmbrd
posted:


MikeSoja wrote:


Don't most marine radios have a "scan" feature, popping up any
conversation that comes along?


Yes, BUT, the scan feature is normally limited to specific channels
..... i.e., you would have to program the "scan" to work all channels
and there's no guarantee you will be listening to the right one at the
right time.
Best bet .... get friendly with the "Whale watchers" and find out which
channel (s) they tend to work.
otn


I doubt if it's any great secret.

My ma lives out on Cape Cod, and I've gone on whale watching trips
there about each of the last five years. I took one trip from
Barnstable, but the people with that boat are assholes and I'll
never go with them again. Driving to Provincetown is fun anyway,
and cuts about an hour off the boat travel time (and all the diesel
that thing burns). There are so many whale watching boats leaving
at regular times out there that it would be hard not to pick them
out of the radio spectrum.

In fact, there are so many boats that one can almost pick up where
the whales are visually, just by seeing where the big boats slow
down and stop. Plus, during the season, the area doesn't vary
*that* much. The beasts are all up and down the Cape; you just have
to find the right distance. From high up you can spot them with
binocs, but, of course, down low to the water, that gets difficult.

I don't think I'm quite confident of my skills, yet, but a lot of
the whales are only a mile or two off the north east tip of the
Cape, and it would be a gas (a scary gas, probably) to see them from
a kayak. I'd definitely take a marine radio and a big compass and
foghorn and lights in case of fog. Maybe some day.

Mike

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

Gary S. wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:12:11 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:


Yes, BUT, the scan feature is normally limited to specific channels
..... i.e., you would have to program the "scan" to work all channels
and there's no guarantee you will be listening to the right one at the
right time.


Aren't there only about 80 VHF marine channels, and 7-10 set aside for
weather?

True, but that's still a lot of scanning time, to find the right one.


Best bet .... get friendly with the "Whale watchers" and find out which
channel (s) they tend to work.
otn


Investing in a couple of rounds at the right bar in port might be
productive.

Dem "boggers" are a closed mouth bunch of Yankees, when it comes to
favorite fishing and whalewatchin spots.

otn

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 02:48:04 GMT, otnmbrd
posted:

EG Hell, If you'd told me the "Cape", I could have saved some band
width ..../. 25 years ago. Sorry, but most of my contacts have retired
or moved on, back there ..... LOL wait till November, and I'll get the info.

I'll be up there inside two weeks. I have a new camera, and I want
to see how it does on whales, so I'll be out there. If I can get my
radio working I'll scan, and I'll also ask around for channels, too.

Mike Soja

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

otnmbrd wrote in news:3F2Hc.5711$sD4.4366
@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net:



Gary S. wrote:
On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 01:12:11 GMT, otnmbrd
wrote:


Yes, BUT, the scan feature is normally limited to specific channels
..... i.e., you would have to program the "scan" to work all channels
and there's no guarantee you will be listening to the right one at the
right time.


Aren't there only about 80 VHF marine channels, and 7-10 set aside for
weather?

True, but that's still a lot of scanning time, to find the right one.

I've got an old scanner, probably 15 years old, that will scan a range of
frequencies. Just put in the lower frequency and the upper frequency and
hit scan. That will find active channels. I don't recall how many VHF
marine channels there are but 80 sounds like too many. When I used to play
around with a scanner a lot I could just go to the local radio shack to get
a lit of locally used frequencies.

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On 8-Jul-2004, John Fereira wrote:

I don't recall how many VHF
marine channels there are but 80 sounds like too many.

There are around 80, but some are regional, some are restricted,
some are weather, etc. By the time you remove those, there are
only a handful that you can use for boat-boat communication.

Mike

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 14:53:26 GMT, wrote:

On 7 Jul 2004 12:06:26 -0700, (Mike Wagenbach)
wrote:

Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.

My understanding is they pool for a spotter plane. I don't know if
that would affect channel options.

I don't think planes would normally use marine frequencies.

Use of a plane opens up a number of other possibilities, not all of
which would be easily accessible. Very reasonably, they could try to
restrict access to only those who have paid for it.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 14:53:26 GMT, wrote:

On 7 Jul 2004 12:06:26 -0700, (Mike Wagenbach)
wrote:

Do the whalewatching boats in the San Juans use a standard channel to
communicate? My understanding is that they cooperate so the industry
as a whole is more successful, and it would be handy to listen in when
sailing or kayaking.

My understanding is they pool for a spotter plane. I don't know if
that would affect channel options.

VHF comms band is 118.00 to 135.975. They might fly a CB or marine
band radio for the purpose though.

Brian W

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On 8-Jul-2004, Brian Whatcott wrote:

VHF comms band is 118.00 to 135.975.

AM not FM, too. Marine bands are FM.

They might fly a [...] marine band radio for the purpose though.

And break the law in the process. Marine band is for marine only.
CB would be an option, though.

Mike

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

Michael Daly wrote:
On 8-Jul-2004, Brian Whatcott wrote:


VHF comms band is 118.00 to 135.975.


AM not FM, too. Marine bands are FM.


They might fly a [...] marine band radio for the purpose though.


And break the law in the process. Marine band is for marine only.
CB would be an option, though.

Mike

G Fiddle faddle the law. Shore stations talk on "marine" bands, all
the time and truth be known, spotter planes working for fishermen do the
same (stated without regard to petty legalities that may apply or be
circumvented).
BTW, it can be said that marine bands ARE AM/FM, though the average
boater doesn't use AM.

otn

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 22:46:31 GMT, "Michael Daly"
wrote:

On 8-Jul-2004, Brian Whatcott wrote:

VHF comms band is 118.00 to 135.975.

AM not FM, too. Marine bands are FM.

They might fly a [...] marine band radio for the purpose though.

And break the law in the process. Marine band is for marine only.
CB would be an option, though.

Mike

Are you a lawyer, by any chance?

Brian W

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 22:46:31 GMT, "Michael Daly"
wrote:

On 8-Jul-2004, Brian Whatcott wrote:

VHF comms band is 118.00 to 135.975.

AM not FM, too. Marine bands are FM.

They might fly a [...] marine band radio for the purpose though.

And break the law in the process. Marine band is for marine only.
CB would be an option, though.

Mike


If they're close to a coast, might not cell phones be able to transmit
and receive?
--
rbc: vixen Fairly harmless

Hit reply to email. But strip out the 'invalid.'
Though I'm very slow to respond.
http://www.visi.com/~cyli

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On 8-Jul-2004, otnmbrd wrote:

BTW, it can be said that marine bands ARE AM/FM, though the average
boater doesn't use AM.

Which bands are AM?

Mike

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 22:46:31 GMT, "Michael Daly"
wrote:


They might fly a [...] marine band radio for the purpose though.

And break the law in the process. Marine band is for marine only.
CB would be an option, though.


Now let's really confuse things. What if it's a sea plane?

Or some of those cheap FMS radios.

Leanne

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

Michael Daly wrote:
On 8-Jul-2004, otnmbrd wrote:


BTW, it can be said that marine bands ARE AM/FM, though the average
boater doesn't use AM.


Which bands are AM?

Mike

When I first started sailing, most of our ship to ship traffic was
conducted using AM - 2182, etc (g forget the other "channels" ).
Once VHF came into common use, although many kept the AM radios for
awhile, AM became SSB and something that generally was only used on
larger offshore boats.
Someone with a technical background can give a better description of
this and correct any acronym errors.

otn

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

I'm not familiar with FMS radios.

Maybe you meant FRS ( Family Radio Service). The hot air balloon pilots use
FRS radios to communicate with their ground crews here in the Oregon wine
country. These hand held radios often have scan functions built in, that's
how I heard the balloon pilots.

FRS radios can be used legally in the US to talk ship to shore, wheel to
anchor person, or boat to boat. However, they are line of sight and very low
power and not a substitute for a marine VHF in an emergency.

Rusty O

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On 9-Jul-2004, "Rusty O" wrote:

FRS radios can be used legally in the US to talk ship to shore, wheel to
anchor person, or boat to boat. However, they are line of sight and very low
power and not a substitute for a marine VHF in an emergency.

I think Cobra makes a handheld that has both marine VHF and FRS transceivers
in it. I'm not sure about the quality of Cobra, though. I saw one while
searching the web for what's new in marine VHF units recently.

A single unit with both systems seems to me like a good option for lots of folks.

Mike

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

Michael you're right, I had forgotten about the new multi-band radios. I
haven't seen the Cobra model but I have seen the Standard Horizon HX 470.

It's a full featured marine VHF with Digital Selective Calling and stores
GPS data from your boat. It also has the fourteen FRS channels, and five
MURS channels. Plus, it has a built in strobe light and receives AM
broadcast radio, FM broadcast radio, and VHF AM aircraft frequencies. All in
a small, JIS-7 waterproof case with a lithium-ion battery.

Rusty O

Whalewatchin VHF channel in San Juans?
 

On 9-Jul-2004, "Rusty O" wrote:

I have seen the Standard Horizon HX 470.

I checked the Cobra site - the HX 470 was actually the one I saw and for
some reason remembered it as Cobra product.


It's a full featured marine VHF with [...].

a hefty price tag!

Mike