What are the legalities of operation in a "swept away" situation in
US waters?
Chuck
US waters?
Chuck
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I'm pretty sure that Chuck's question is about the legality, vis-a-vis the FCC &/or foreign equivalents, of using a marine radio when you're not a boat, but a diver floating at the surface. Do you need a license? Requirements?
Hi. just found this thread. Excellent question.
... There are no restrictions on using them "in the marine environment" in the U.S. according to the FCC regulations. It's a bit dubious if you can use one standing on the shoreline - still arguably in the marine environment. But no problem regardless of whether you are on a ship, a kayak, a raft, pontoon or in the water. Note that in some other countries, radio base licence is required but even then, if the radio is "linked" to a ship that has a base radio licence, no further licensing is required. That's the situation with our own ship that is registered and licensed in Canada - we can deploy an unlimited number of radios associated with the ship regardless of whether it is by skiff or by diver.
No operator licence is required in the U.S.
You are completely legal and good to go to buy any handheld VHF marine radio and carry it with you - and use it - when you are diving..
hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to ping me with any questions or comments
Mike