Haboob Posted May 10, 2018 #26 Share Posted May 10, 2018 I have been taking my Yaesu VX-7 handhelds for years on my NCL cruises with no problems. The crew can't tell the difference between HF and the Walmart walkie talkies, which were prevalent years back. I used 2 meter simplex on land, and found that 440 worked great in getting through the metal bulkheads. 5 watts was more than sufficient. Alas, the FCC says "don't do that". §97.11 (a) The installation and operation of an amateur station on a ship or aircraft must be approved by the master of the ship or pilot in command of the aircraft. https://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=6a6e3ba8aaf7e6eba407746621c9308c&mc=true&node=se47.5.97_111&rgn=div8 Not that they're likely to issue a Notice of Apparent Liability, but that not the point, is it? AI6GF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted May 10, 2018 #27 Share Posted May 10, 2018 I have been taking my Yaesu VX-7 handhelds for years on my NCL cruises with no problems. The crew can't tell the difference between HF and the Walmart walkie talkies, which were prevalent years back. I used 2 meter simplex on land, and found that 440 worked great in getting through the metal bulkheads. 5 watts was more than sufficient. Just a note, but international law requires that any radio operating on other than UHF/VHF frequencies must be listed on the ship's international radiotelephony certificate. Therefore, your radios working on the HF band should have been reported to the Captain, for inclusion, even temporarily, in the ship's inventory, and for clearance that it would not interfere with any of the ship's HF radio functions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haboob Posted May 10, 2018 #28 Share Posted May 10, 2018 Just a note, but international law requires that any radio operating on other than UHF/VHF frequencies must be listed on the ship's international radiotelephony certificate. Therefore, your radios working on the HF band should have been reported to the Captain, for inclusion, even temporarily, in the ship's inventory, and for clearance that it would not interfere with any of the ship's HF radio functions. CHENG? 2m and 75cm are VHF and UHF, respectively, so the Master is safe on that account, but yea and verily somebody's gonna want to check for interference and harmonics. AI6GF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengkp75 Posted May 10, 2018 #29 Share Posted May 10, 2018 CHENG? 2m and 75cm are VHF and UHF, respectively, so the Master is safe on that account, but yea and verily somebody's gonna want to check for interference and harmonics. AI6GF Certainly not a radio expert, I was going with the posters reference to HF radios. I guess the "440" is MHz, then? That is pretty close to a lot of marine UHF pre-set frequencies (I think we tend to operate around 460+- at my company, but each company does order pre-set radio frequencies, and this may cause some interference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haboob Posted May 10, 2018 #30 Share Posted May 10, 2018 (edited) Certainly not a radio expert, I was going with the posters reference to HF radios. I guess the "440" is MHz, then? That is pretty close to a lot of marine UHF pre-set frequencies (I think we tend to operate around 460+- at my company, but each company does order pre-set radio frequencies, and this may cause some interference. Yes, 440 is MHz. Actually he was likely referring a whole band around 440, aka "70cm". The ITU (the folks who set the international radio regs) allocates frequencies to various uses, so your 460MHz± is safe from properly-tuned 70cm amateur transmissions. I've never brought homebrew aboard, but for store-bought the inspection has been for obvious mods (which hams are allowed to do) and loose or corroded connections (for which hams are supposed to have better sense). Edited May 10, 2018 by Haboob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrobitoalado Posted May 10, 2018 #31 Share Posted May 10, 2018 I just back from Barcelona after a transatlantic crossing on the very tired "Star" (now on upgrade at France). I spot few people using sat phone at back of the ship. Surprise me because I tough was forbidden. Anyway, next time I gonna carry my Iridium Igo... ;) People love to break any law one time they're out borders... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted May 10, 2018 #32 Share Posted May 10, 2018 PROHIBITED ITEMS LIST The safety and security of our guests and crew is our number one priority. The following items are prohibited on-board vessels. These items will be confiscated and not transported aboard. When an item is determined to be illegal the appropriate authorities will be informed. 25. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), ham radios, satellite phones, transformers, lasers and laser pointers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haboob Posted May 11, 2018 #33 Share Posted May 11, 2018 I just back from Barcelona after a transatlantic crossing on the very tired "Star" (now on upgrade at France). I spot few people using sat phone at back of the ship. Surprise me because I tough was forbidden. Anyway, next time I gonna carry my Iridium Igo... ;) People love to break any law one time they're out borders... Call me paranoid (I'll even answer), but I suspect cruise lines are sharing worries about people onboard leaking a ship's position for some sort of Achille Lauro redux, even if they turn off their cell tower, AIS system, navigation lights, and otherwise darken ship. Check the conversation I reported upthread. Better to stick to nuisance offenses like smuggling adult beverages aboard. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrobitoalado Posted May 11, 2018 #34 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Call me paranoid (I'll even answer), but I suspect cruise lines are sharing worries about people onboard leaking a ship's position for some sort of Achille Lauro redux, even if they turn off their cell tower, AIS system, navigation lights, and otherwise darken ship. Check the conversation I reported upthread. Better to stick to nuisance offenses like smuggling adult beverages aboard. ;) Interesting... I would check about this... anyway, you can any ship position by marinetraffic.com or vesseltraffic.com or other thousand of webs who pick AIS signals... Cut AIS signal for a commercial vessel on the sea is illegal, same for mandatory nav lights.. but I would take at look.. ;);) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haboob Posted May 11, 2018 #35 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Interesting... I would check about this... anyway, you can any ship position by marinetraffic.com or vesseltraffic.com or other thousand of webs who pick AIS signals... Cut AIS signal for a commercial vessel on the sea is illegal, same for mandatory nav lights.. but I would take at look.. ;);) Sun Princess did that for 10 days straight in Aug '17, and had mandatory passenger anti-piracy drills with pax evacuating weather decks and outside cabins ... about the time I had that "No way!" conversation upthread. "[E]xcept when its operation would compromise the safety or security of the vessel or a security incident is imminent" . -- https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=AISRequirementsRev I can't find the reference for nav lights, but I presume there is similar for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountyHighway35 Posted June 15, 2018 #36 Share Posted June 15, 2018 I would like to use (less than 5 Watt) Amateur (HAM) Radio in the 144-148MHz and/or 440-450 MHz range. As a licenced US amateur I can operate in international waters and in many countries that have reciprocal operating agreements with the US. Other countries offer licencing for a modest charge. Especially the Cayman Islands. I understand that it's my responsibility to be legal in local jurisdictions. Having said that, I understand that all those (apparently legal FRS walkie-talkies) are not prohibited. (They're annoying on a ship.) Anyhow, the use cases that I would consider are: (1) onboard from on-deck to other hams on nearby ships on the international (ham-only) calling frequencies of 146.52 or 446.00 MHz. (2) personal use to contact ham friends in foreign countries where I am permitted. This would be a lot of fun and should not impact the ship operation in any way. Any advice on how to pursue this with NCL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad2kty Posted June 15, 2018 #37 Share Posted June 15, 2018 I would like to use (less than 5 Watt) Amateur (HAM) Radio in the 144-148MHz and/or 440-450 MHz range. As a licenced US amateur I can operate in international waters and in many countries that have reciprocal operating agreements with the US. Other countries offer licencing for a modest charge. Especially the Cayman Islands. I understand that it's my responsibility to be legal in local jurisdictions. Having said that, I understand that all those (apparently legal FRS walkie-talkies) are not prohibited. (They're annoying on a ship.) Anyhow, the use cases that I would consider are: (1) onboard from on-deck to other hams on nearby ships on the international (ham-only) calling frequencies of 146.52 or 446.00 MHz. (2) personal use to contact ham friends in foreign countries where I am permitted. This would be a lot of fun and should not impact the ship operation in any way. Any advice on how to pursue this with NCL? You would need permission from the captain of the ship to operate. This can be very hit and miss. If on shore, and there is a reciprocal agreement in place, or you have permission from the host country to operate, you are free to do so. Biggest hurdle is getting permission from the Captain. 73’s.... KC2JCD.... Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BirdTravels Posted June 15, 2018 #38 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Let’s keep it simple. Follow the rules. NO HAM RADIOS. The safety and security of our guests and crew is our number one priority. The following items are prohibited on-board vessels. These items will be confiscated and not transported aboard. When an item is determined to be illegal the appropriate authorities will be informed. 1. All illegal narcotics/drugs. (Including Marijuana prescribed for medical purposes and other items used as drug paraphernalia. This includes Hookah Pipes). 2. All firearms including replicas, imitations, non-firing weapons, starting pistols and their component 6. All explosives, component parts (i.e. detonators) including imitation explosives and devices 7. gas guns, tear gas sprays, mace, phosphorus, acid and other dangerous chemicals that could be used to maim or disable 25. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), ham radios, satellite phones, transformers, lasers and laser pointers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kf5pv Posted August 18, 2018 #39 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Hi and thank you for having me. This is my first post/reply in the group. I see a lot of people stating to get the Captains permission. I did not see in the rules where it said it was okay with the Captains permission. Can someone point out in the NCL rules where it contradicts the rules and says it is okay if you have the Captains permission? Otherwise I am going to assume no ham radio. (I took an HT on Carnivasl in Dec. 2017. their rules said it was okay.) not that I am all that active. just got on the air last night for the first time in 2 months. I am going for the cruise, not the radio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky111 Posted November 29, 2018 #40 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Can someone tell me why a portable Satellite phone is not permitted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirePolice16NJ Posted November 29, 2018 #41 Share Posted November 29, 2018 21 minutes ago, Sky111 said: Can someone tell me why a portable Satellite phone is not permitted? Aside from it being number 25 on the prohibited items list shown at https://www.ncl.com/prohibited-items, no. If you want an actual answer you would most likely need to speak with NCL directly. Only they could explain their decision on making the item prohibited. My guesses would all be just speculative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haboob Posted November 29, 2018 #42 Share Posted November 29, 2018 (edited) 6 hours ago, Sky111 said: Can someone tell me why a portable Satellite phone is not permitted? Quoting myself from upthread, May 7th: The Carnival family used to permit ham radios to operate aboard. You got a polite letter in you stateroom at embarkation asking you to bring your stuff to the Purser for inspection and approval. If you were on Princess (Bermudian flagged) you also had to show a operating permit from Hamilton, usually emailed from RAB.bm. That all changed last year about the same time Sun Princess darkened ship each night and practiced evacuating outside cabins as they tip-toed past the Horn of Africa. Ham radios are now "prohibited items", and even phoning the person who had arranged permissions 6 months before it was "That was then, this is now, I'm embarrassed and very sorry, but no way, no how, period". Connect the dots. And take guidance from the resultant picture. AI6GF Edited November 29, 2018 by Haboob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don't-use-real-name Posted November 30, 2018 #43 Share Posted November 30, 2018 9 hours ago, Sky111 said: Can someone tell me why a portable Satellite phone is not permitted? This thread started: Posted May 9, 2016 and has been hashed rehashed but there has not been a reason posted for the Satellite phone restrictions other than a license permit Captain notification permission requirement. So I would guess that unless someone gets those permissions use of the S phone is not to be. Well maybe with an exception for Department of State government Diplomats - need to know and use. Just like there is a questionable issue about using cell phones in flight on airplanes there maybe reasonable questions about unauthorized radio devices interfering with the ships navigation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob brown Posted November 30, 2018 #44 Share Posted November 30, 2018 On 6/15/2018 at 1:57 AM, BirdTravels said: 25. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), ham radios, satellite phones, transformers, lasers and laser pointers Guess I can't take one of these on board, then.... https://www.breitling.com/us-en/watches/professional/emergency/V7632522-BC46-156S-V20DSA-4/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob brown Posted November 30, 2018 #45 Share Posted November 30, 2018 I once had my simple Bearcat scanner confiscated while passing thru security at the Manhattan cruise terminal. When I got on board, I was directed to the security room to retrieve it, after the crew verified that it was only a receiver. Since that one time, I have brought it thru security a half dozen more times, and they never even batted an eye... I like to listen in on the marine channel during docking, pilot's boarding, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise Master 55 Posted December 1, 2018 #46 Share Posted December 1, 2018 On 5/9/2016 at 6:03 PM, LTCSZ said: I was thinking of taking my amateur radio handheld radio on my cruise to the US Virgin Islands and making some contacts with local amateurs...Has anyone had experience using amateur radios on NCL? I would not use it while the ship is underway, only while in USVI...It is not capable of transmitting on any ship radio frequencies...Any experiences would be appreciated! Steve Not allowed. https://www.ncl.com/prohibited-items25. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB), ham radios, satellite phones, transformers, lasers and laser pointers some may suggest just bringing it and see what happens but why start your cruise by breaking the rules. Leave your radio at home. NCL has answered your question. No answer here will change their reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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