Canadian Yachting December 2017 - 31

where in the world, the official calling channel for every class of
vessel is always Ch-16; never Ch-9 in any situation. In the USA,
due to their larger pleasurecraft population, recreational boaters
are encouraged to monitor and use Ch-9 as a hailing channel to
reduce traffic on Ch-16. That's why you'll find a 16/9 button on
the radio. However, while cruising in Canada, we're all waiting
for your call on Ch-16!
There's a second important difference between operating
your VHF radio in Canadian, in American, or in International
waters. We'll get to that in a short while.
BUDDY CHANNELS
Groups of boats who are constantly calling back and forth all day
might consider scanning another "Buddy" calling channel of
their own. This will help to reduce the number of calls on 16,
especially in the early morning or evening. All VHF radios and
handy-talkies can be easily set to scan two or more channels,
e.g. 16 and 68. We know from experience that frequent buddy
boat calls on 16 will often cause many people to simply switch
off their radios. Boaters who completely turn off their VHF for
any reason diminishes the potentially lifesaving on-the-water
security network for us all. It's polite practice that if you should
need to call and wake up your friend's boat to set out for that
special fishing spot at "oh-dark-thirty", you might consider using

a pre-arranged channel other than 16. This will avoid unnecessarily awakening the multitude of sleepy cruisers who are monitoring that 16 calling channel as a security precaution while
anchored in a quiet bay overnight.
VOICE PROCEDURE
Short-range Maritime VHF radio voice procedures can be very
different from methods used for so-called "Weak Signal" longrange High-Frequency SSB radio. After activating the push-totalk button on your VHF, pause for a half second, then speak
clearly and slowly, especially when giving telephone numbers
or your boat name. Familiarity and use of the International
Phonetic Alphabet to spell out difficult words or phrases can
be of great benefit to those listeners for whom French or
English is not a first language. Remember that when using a
VHF cockpit microphone or portable hand held radio, the
ambient engine or wind noise on your boat has a debilitating
effect on the clarity of your voice. It's a good reason to speak
just a little over normal conversational tone when transmitting
from the cockpit radio. If you speak across the microphone
instead of straight into it, your voice will sound more natural
and may be better understood. Don't forget to release the
microphone button to listen for a response.
Once you have made your first daily contacts with nearby

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Yachting December 2017