Marine Boat Antenna

Marine radios are essential safety equipment and can be the only way to both communicate with other boats or marine rescue groups as well as receive navigational warnings and weather updates.

It is required by law that skippers and all crew to know how to operate all marine radios on board your boat, understand distress and safety frequencies, and how to properly format and transmit distress and safety messages.

The two main frequencies used for marine radios are VHF and 27Mhz. Both have their own advantages over the other depending on where you're located and the size of your vessel. 

VHF

VHF is the preferred radio for short range marine communications. VHF channel 16 is for emergencies or initial calls and should not be used for routine messages or chat.

Maritime Safety Queensland and volunteer marine rescue stations monitor VHF channel 16 along most of the Queensland coast 24 hours/7 days and can respond to emergency calls.

All large vessels and an increasing number of smaller boats monitor VHF channel 16. Weather information is regularly broadcast on VHF channel 67.

Most areas in Queensland have a local chat or common use frequency. Your local marine rescue station can advise on this.

VHF users must have a Marine Radio Operator's VHF Certificate of Proficiency (MROVCP) or the Marine Radio Operators certificate of Proficiency (MROCP) that covers both medium and high-frequency radios.