Fcc Protocol and my 2 cents.

Mooch has a great idea for a verbal type of base but even Mooch was confused for the call for help thinking that Dan needed help landing a fish. Right Joel!

True...but like I had mentioned before, I only heard "need help"....Gary / Sandman and I immediately responded with "where are you?" (a few times) as we scanned the horizon for his location. If I had heard "Help / shark", I / we would have reacted differently. I'm really not sure why Dan never came back with a response after we had asked for his location - only Dan can answer that.

My question is for the guys on this board who own boats - Alan Tani, Chris P. and Art G.....do you guys use "number codes" or do you simply talk "civilian" when in need of assistance from other boaters?

IMO: Simple civilian talk will get the message across and best thing about it = EVERYONE (boaters & kayakers) will understand it. I would hate to use numbered code talk when the nearest boat to me cannot understand what the hell I'm babbling about......especially when the Land Lord is trying to collect rent from me 

Frank,
My question to you is why you are so hell bent on complicating the communication process. From everything I've read nobody is saying they're not willing to help, the message seems to be that you're codes may be too much for an average joe or newcomer to absorb.  Like most people here I do not communicate on radio's everyday so that style of communication is foreign to me, its like learning another language.  What I do understand without memorizing or having to carry a note sheet is, Need emegency assist....kayak tipped + location. Why does concise language not work for you?


Mooch,

The range of radio talk varies between operator but I've heard people talk code.  I ignore it.  There's boats out there that simply do not want to give their location out to the whole fleet, its understandable.  If its a slow pick you don't want every boat in a 5 mile radius bearing down on your bite.  Code for that kinda talk is logical but for an emergency it just doesn't make sense cause thats a situation you may want everyone to know. 

Being a newbie (lurked for a while) maybe I'm thinking too simplistic.  If you want to talk to other kayakers in an informal chat, use channel #69.  Think of channel 69 like being able to yell back and forth for a couple of miles.  If you need professional help or need to hail a PB then use channel #16.  I just got my radio a few weeks ago.  When I'm out, I set it with 69 as a working freq and 16 as a priority scan freq. 

  10-codes are too confusing.  When you NEED someone to understand what you are saying, you should not require them to translate your message.
     

BTW thanks to all of you that gave me great input as to wich radio to buy.

10-4 people its to confussing. I will remain Happy and not right

I think if we're kayaking in a group, emergency messages should be broadcast on channel 69 before channel 16.  Most problems we have do not require a coast guard helicopter to resolve and we should try to address them ourselves  to save the coast guard the hassle and our members huge rescue bills.  The others in the group are more likely to hear you on channel 69 than 16, and if the $#!+ really hit the fan they're the ones that will save you, not the CG.  Just push the button and say 'MAYDAY'.

As far as false alarms go, it's simple - 'MAYDAY' means I have some sort of emergency and need help ASAP.  Fraudulent use of 'MAYDAY' is a party foul. 

I have trouble matching names to kayak color so name, color and location is more useful to me than just the name. 

I think if we're kayaking in a group, emergency messages should be broadcast on channel 69 before channel 16.  Most problems we have do not require a coast guard helicopter to resolve and we should try to address them ourselves  to save the coast guard the hassle and our members huge rescue bills.  The others in the group are more likely to hear you on channel 69 than 16, and if the $#!+ really hit the fan they're the ones that will save you, not the CG.  Just push the button and say 'MAYDAY'.

As far as false alarms go, it's simple - 'MAYDAY' means I have some sort of emergency and need help ASAP.  Fraudulent use of 'MAYDAY' is a party foul. 

I have trouble matching names to kayak color so name, color and location is more useful to me than just the name. 

Nice

I think if we're kayaking in a group, emergency messages should be broadcast on channel 69 before channel 16.  Most problems we have do not require a coast guard helicopter to resolve and we should try to address them ourselves  to save the coast guard the hassle and our members huge rescue bills.  The others in the group are more likely to hear you on channel 69 than 16, and if the $#!+ really hit the fan they're the ones that will save you, not the CG.  Just push the button and say 'MAYDAY'.

As far as false alarms go, it's simple - 'MAYDAY' means I have some sort of emergency and need help ASAP.  Fraudulent use of 'MAYDAY' is a party foul. 

I have trouble matching names to kayak color so name, color and location is more useful to me than just the name. 

Good point, I agree if you are out in a large group that is nearby enough for you to expect a rescue quickest this way, switching to 16 might not always be the best option. In fact most emergencies that I could imagine would probably be best handled this way. Things like going over the side and being unable to get back in the kayak right away, taking on water at an alarming rate, getting swamped, etc.
 That being said, if you are unsure of how close you are to others, are having a major medical problem (think broken bones), or are lost in the fog with a problem floating (and no GPS), I would go to 16 earlier than later. If people get to you fairly quickly and mitigate the problem, you can cancel any response as quickly as you started it. But I think it would be better to start Coast Guard and not need them than delay and then wish you had started them earlier.
  Obviously it takes a good bit of common sense as to when to do which one, and your point about usually it would be better to go over 69 is very true.

Ive workrd on huge block-sized and 30 story Blds and there was a fair deal of smack talk on the many radios, but if there was an emergency, this is how you report it- " Emergency, emergency, emergency, I just cut my _____ off with a _______", for instance.  Franks right about the chatter, but it sure is fun. But probably belongs more on the lakes. If you use 69, just us will hear, and any boats in the area, on 16 the CG and us will hear. 16 is broadcast on all channels, also used for hailing a vessel and requesting them to go to another channel, I think.
So if I see a shark or there's some "just us" emergency, its " emergency, emergency, emergency, I saw a shark" on 69, but if he's a'hold of me its channel 16. In the meantime, Ill keep the bantor to a min., Im way guilty of that. Its all Joels fault.

By jove I think there getting it. If your in need of help best to get your crew notified first. Then
if further assisstance needed go to 16/9. If the crew can handle it than no need for 16/9.

Well, at least in my case the radio is already on 69 - it does have a 16 shortcut button, but then it takes a fair amount of fiddling to get it back to 69.  Seems to me better to ask for help on the channel that takes only a single button press to use, than switch channels and lose the abililty to use 69 for a while.  Maybe my radio is just lame, but you have to put it on scan, then push something to make it stop when it reaches 69.  Usually I hit the wrong button...  Once it's set I don't mess with it.

On my honeymoon I broke my leg and didn't go to the hospital until the next day, after a donkey ride through waipio valley - I didn't need no stinkin' helicopter.  If you're wounded enough to need the CG, you prolly want someone applying pressure to the injury - unless it's to the head...  Had Dan been munched upon it would have been much more critical that someone be there with a tourniquet (shock-cord!) or to apply pressure within a minute than the CG arriving in 45.