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Amateur Radio Operations at sea

Navy_Chief

By Navy_Chief,
in Holland America Line

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Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt

Posted
Posted

Off the coast of either Northern California or Oregon. I was going to use a 2 meter handheld with a telscopic ant. running 5-watts on simplex at sundown.

 

All I got was some strange looks setting up. I started to think that this might not be allowed or something so I folded up the ant.

 

I was going to check with pursers office about the rules of transmitting on the ship but forgot. I found the radio while packing on the last night and I just laughed at how I had so much fun that I forgot about the radio.

 

I would think it would be ok to CQ but I would check with your ship's officers. I would think that it would be really fun to do.

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Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt

Posted
Posted
You're on a foreign-flagged ship; not the same as working 20m from your private yacht.

 

Answer: No.

Suggestion: Don't get caught.

 

73, K1PZU

 

So it is a no no. Glad I found so much more to do then play with the radio and get put in the brig.:eek:

 

Plus trying to simplex with a handheld does sound like a waste of batteries that far out to sea.:confused:

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Navy_Chief

Navy_Chief

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You're on a foreign-flagged ship; not the same as working 20m from your private yacht.

 

Answer: No.

Suggestion: Don't get caught.

 

73, K1PZU

 

I was not advocating doing it illegaly. I was, however, asking if anyone has taken the time to go through the proper channels to do it. It is also not the same as working the Ten Meter contest from a US Warship either (We did take first place multi-ops Maritime Mobile operating region 1 and 2 with 4 operators aboard during our transatlantic in 92 coming home from the Med).

 

73, N1MHV

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jasl

jasl

Posted
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Sometime late eighties/early nineties we heard code from one of the adjacent cabins on the old Noordam as we were sailing along the Cuban coast. We were far away from the radio room and assumed it was one of the passengers.

 

VA3DNM ...- .- ...-- -.. -. --

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Bill S

Bill S

Posted
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I have taken my 2mtr/440 ht on a couple of cruises to use while in port in Alaska, but never overseas.

I would like to take an HF xcver someday but would, of course, check with HAL first and the Captain to make sure it was OK.

I recall seeing an article in CQ last year about a felllow ham who operated on a cruise ship but I don't remember which line it was.

Always good to see other hams on the board, here!

73 de W4HMV . .

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Navy_Chief

Navy_Chief

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I desided to do the research on this one as well. First thing, let's take Part 97 into consideration:

 

§97.11 Stations aboard ships or aircraft.

(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.

 

(b) The station must be separate from and independent of all other radio apparatus installed on the ship or aircraft, except a common antenna may be shared with a voluntary ship radio installation. The station's transmissions must not cause interference to any other apparatus installed on the ship or aircraft.

 

© The station must not constitute a hazard to the safety of life or property. For a station aboard an aircraft, the apparatus shall not be operated while the aircraft is operating under Instrument Flight Rules, as defined by the FAA, unless the station has been found to comply with all applicable FAA Rules.

 

Well there's the FCC's take. It poses the bigest obsticle, the skipper's OK.

 

Now let's talk reciprical privalages.

 

Netherlands falls under CEPT:

 

CEPT

European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) radio-amateur license -- allows US Amateurs to travel to and operate from most European countries without obtaining an additional licensee or permit. For a US citizens to operate an amateur station in a CEPT country, certain requirements of the CEPT European Radio Committee (ERC) must be met for participation by non-CEPT Administrations (the US is a Non-CEPT administration who has obtained permission to allow its licensees the privilege of operation from CEPT countries). Under the CEPT Agreement, to activate operating authority, a traveler would have to carry credentials in English, French and German that the person, if a US citizen, and if a Commission-authorized amateur operator, is entitled to certain amateur station operating privileges in the specific countries that have implemented the CEPT Agreement. Under the CEPT agreement, US Amateurs need to bring three things when traveling to a participating CEPT country: 1) Bring their original US license; 2) Bring proof of US citizenship (generally in the form of a Passport); and 3) Bring a copy of the FCC's Public Notice (this notice contains its information in three languages, English, French and German) which details what US Amateurs need to consider, and bring with them, when traveling to a CEPT country. [Note: While FCC does not state that your original hardcopy license is a document you must carry in CEPT areas, the actual CEPT agreement the US agreed to indicates that US Amateurs will possess such a document; so be sure to bring your FCC-issued original hardcopy license document when you travel and operate in CEPT areas].

 

Classes of license/operation. For US amateurs, there are two classes of CEPT. Class 1 requires knowledge of the international Morse code and carries all operating privileges (Technician (with the 5 WPM code) , General, Advanced or Extra class US licensees qualify for Class 1). For foreign amateurs, Class 1 is equivalent to our current Amateur Extra Class. Class 2 does not require knowledge of telegraphy and carries all operating privileges above 30 MHz. It is, therefore, equivalent to our current (codeless) Technician Class operator license. There is no equivalent Class description for the US Novice license, therefore the US Novice license is not eligible.

 

That's the easy part. So the only question is with HAL. I plan on sending an e-mail and will report back.

 

Thanks to the ARRL Website for the assist. Here are the links used in this research:

 

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/maritime.html#wife

 

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/news/part97/index-a.html?s=11

 

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/#cept

 

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/cept-list.html

 

The FCC's Public Notice PDF needed to go with your Passport and license:

 

http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/io/cept-ral.pdf

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Grumpy1

Grumpy1

Posted
Posted

Well, Ol' Grumpy is celebrating his 50th year as a ham radio operator. Other than taking a 2m handheld on an Alaskan cruise, he hasn't bothered with ham equipment on a cruise. His motto, on board ship... turn off the radio... turn on the wife:D .... but whatever floats your boat, so to speak...

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tomc

tomc

Posted
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Never took a radio with me. Been a ham 46 years, been on the radio 48 years; the last thing I want to see on a cruise is a microphone or an antenna. Altho I did play dumb at the Marconi ham station in Sydney NS and, when the Morse code operator signed off, calmly said, "Who's the VE3??"

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Grumpy1

Grumpy1

Posted
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With no more distress calls ... --- ... as well Telegrams code (Western Union) out, is it going to wane?
The use of Morse code for communications is still popular among many ham radio operators, but it is declining. I suspect it will be around for many years to come. The beauty of amateur radio is that there are some hams that enjoy the simplest forms of wireless communication and others that are experimenting with the most advanced radio transmission techniques known. It is an interesting hobby. I started at the age of fourteen and my career choice was a direct result of my involvement in ham radio.
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Grumpy1

Grumpy1

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Ahhh but isn't this a better thread to talk about than some of the threads that seem to raise all kinds of discontent on this board? :) passes the waiting time too! _... _._
If this thread were on a ham radio board, it would probably have devolved into an argument over the merits of cw, ssb, etc, the interpretation of all of tha applicable rules and regs, lamenting the passing of the good old days, flaming of the "appliance operators".... Here, most of the regulars are are still :confused: .

 

Hope to meet for an eyeball QSO, someday... hoist an 807 or two...

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Navy_Chief

Navy_Chief

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If this thread were on a ham radio board, it would probably have devolved into an argument over the merits of cw, ssb, etc, the interpretation of all of tha applicable rules and regs, lamenting the passing of the good old days, flaming of the "appliance operators".... Here, most of the regulars are are still :confused: .

 

Hope to meet for an eyeball QSO, someday... hoist an 807 or two...

 

You do have a point there my friend. For those though that think CW is dead, there was a bit on Jay Leno's show that pitted a couple of HAMS against this pair of so called "Text Messaging" experts. He asked a member of the croud who would win the race to complete the message. Guess who won that race. :D

 

I found the link http://n6tv.kkn.net/Text_vs_Morse_Leno_2005_05_13.wmv Enjoy!

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tomc

tomc

Posted
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Here's a post that combines Morse Code with ships...

 

Shipboard technology has, supposedly, made 24-hour monitoring of the International Distress Frequency (which uses morse code, for our non-ham readers) obsolete. It just hasn't been used in a long time. So, on the absolutely last day the Coast Guard stood watch on this frequency, some ship sent an "SOS." The CG thought it was some sort of "good-bye" prank by some shipboard radioman, but it turned out to be an actual distress by a ship whose satellite and voice communications had broken down and the only way to communicate was by rigging up something that would send Morse on the distress frequency.

 

tom "cw forever" c

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Bill S

Bill S

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Thanks for the info and links! Glad to see other cw fans!

I also follow Grumpy1's rule, too, or I should say, DW's rule!!;)

Coming up on 47 years being licensed in May! It would be fun to do a little maritime mobile some day, DW and Captain permitting! . .

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dj_crusin

dj_crusin

Posted
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It was a few years back (~1990) when I was given a tour of the ship's radio room by the Radio Officer who had a CO2?? call. He actually had an ICOM transceiver in a locker and said I could borrow it if I wanted. Back then they still used low band radios.

 

Well, recently I have been in the communications room on ships and saw no low band gear at all, just satellite and computer equipment.

 

I'm going to be on the Oosterdam on May 27 and if any other ham's on on board let me know, but I'll not be bringing along any radios!

 

Dan K4FXN

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