Marine VHF Handhelds vs FRS Walkie-Talkies for Boating

If you spend time on the water, you may wonder whether the walkie-talkies you use on land are good enough on a boat. For calling for help, the answer from the Coast Guard’s guidance is no: a VHF marine radio is the radio to have. This post explains the difference between a marine VHF handheld and an FRS walkie-talkie, what DSC and channel 16 are, and how to choose.

FRS is not a marine radio

FRS radios work on 22 channels around 462 and 467 MHz. Marine VHF radios use a different band and a different set of channels. The Coast Guard and other boaters watch the marine channels, not the FRS channels. The FCC says the Coast Guard monitors marine distress frequencies continuously, and the Coast Guard lists channel 16 (156.800 MHz) as the channel for calling other stations and for distress alerting. There is no equivalent distress watch on the FRS channels.

Nothing in the FCC’s FRS page stops you carrying FRS radios on a boat, and they can be handy for talking between people on a boat and a dock, or between two boats in sight of each other. Treat them as a convenience, not as safety equipment.

What a marine VHF handheld adds

• The right channels. Marine radios carry the US marine channels, including channel 16 for distress and calling. Many also include NOAA weather channels.
• Water resistance. Marine handhelds are usually built for splashes, and some float. Check the rating, because it varies by model.
• Contact with the Coast Guard and other vessels. This is the main point. A VHF call on channel 16 can be heard by the Coast Guard and by boats nearby.
• Often DSC. Many modern handhelds include Digital Selective Calling, covered below.

Channel 16 and basic channel use

• Channel 16 is used for calling other stations and for distress alerting, per the Coast Guard.
• Channel 9 is an optional boater calling channel.
• Channel 13 is for contact with a ship when there is danger of collision. Ships 20 meters or longer must guard channels 13 and 16 in US territorial waters.
• The Coast Guard says boaters should normally use channels listed as non-commercial.

The Coast Guard’s radio information for boaters page gives the Mayday procedure: tune to channel 16, say “Mayday” three times, give the vessel name and position, describe the problem and the number of people aboard. Learn that procedure before you need it.

What DSC does

Digital Selective Calling lets a radio send a digital distress alert at the push of a button. According to the FCC’s VHF handheld stations page, DSC cannot be used until an MMSI (a nine-digit Maritime Mobile Service Identity) is programmed into the radio. A handheld that is not dedicated to one vessel uses a special handheld MMSI format that starts with 81, which tells responders the unit has limited power and range. On a GPS-equipped DSC radio, search and rescue teams can also track your position.

The Coast Guard’s DSC distress guidance adds two points. First, a DSC alert includes your position only if the radio has an internal GPS or is connected to one. Second, after sending a distress alert you should still contact the Coast Guard on channel 16 and give your details. If you send an alert by mistake, cancel it using the radio’s menu before powering off, then tell the Coast Guard and nearby ships on channel 16.

Licensing: check before you buy

The FCC describes smaller recreational ships as “voluntary” ships: they are not required to carry a radio but may. For handhelds, the FCC lists licensing options if you want a handheld-formatted MMSI, using FCC Form 605 for a portable ship station. Rules on whether you need a license depend on your boat and where you travel, so check the FCC’s ship radio stations page before you rely on a particular setup. Also note that marine radio communications from ship stations are generally prohibited on land, with limited exceptions described in FCC Public Notice 16-119.

Range: be realistic

The Coast Guard describes VHF as intended mainly for short-range communication, generally 5 to 10 miles, and at least 20 miles to a Coast Guard station. A handheld has lower power and a lower antenna than a fixed radio on a mast, so expect less than those figures. The FCC itself notes handhelds have limited power and range. If you boat farther offshore, the Coast Guard suggests thinking about a second VHF radio or a cellular phone and an EPIRB, and, for longer ranges, an MF/HF radio or a satellite phone.

An example from the store

The store lists the Uniden Atlantis 155 floating marine VHF handheld. According to the listing, it floats, meets a submersible waterproof rating, offers 1 or 2.5 watts of power, includes NOAA weather channels and can monitor channels 16 and 9 together. The listing says it has no built-in GPS and does not mention DSC, so if a DSC distress button matters to you, look for a model that clearly lists it, along with a GPS receiver.

Which should you choose?

• You boat on open water, or need to call the Coast Guard: a VHF marine radio.
• You want to chat between boat and dock: FRS can be enough, in addition to marine VHF.
• You want the safest setup: a marine VHF with DSC and GPS, a programmed MMSI and a plan that you have practiced.

For a general idea of how handheld range behaves, see How Far Do Two-Way Radios Actually Reach?. For cruises and other trips where you wonder about bringing walkie-talkies, Taking Walkie-Talkies on a Cruise covers what to check.

Top image: Handheld Maritime VHF by Ulflarsen (author assumed per Commons), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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