Marine Radio Protocol – Heron Lake, NM

Below are some guidelines to operating a marine radio on Heron Lake. Please take a few moments to read this document and have your crew members read it so everyone knows how to call for help or to communicate properly. Remember, procedures may be considerably different on other waterways. These guidelines are only for Heron Lake.

1) If your boat is less than 65' long, your radio is a Marine Band VHF Radio. It operates between Channels 1 and 88. You are allowed to use 9, 16, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72 and 78.

2) When your radio is turned on and not being used on another Channel, you must always monitor Channel 16. Channel 16 is the Hailing, Distress, and Safety frequency.

3) You will use Channel 16 to call another Station, to call another Boat, to report a Marine Distress situation or report an Emergency. You may also use 16 to supply additional information related to an emergency unless instructed otherwise. Never use Channel 16 for routine conversations. A few words are OK, such as “Dock Master, I’m coming into slip B-62. Can you give us a hand?” For anything longer, please switch to one of the other stations.

4) When you call, it is no longer necessary to use call signs (WXN0123, etc). You can call by boat name. Example: “Dixie Peach … Dixie Peach, this is Homeless”. If you don’t know the boat name, it is perfectly alright to call the person’s name: “Charlie Jones, Charlie Jones, this is Fred”. If you are in trouble and need help, call “Heron Lake Park Ranger” or “Heron Lake Marina”. Try to use the proper procedures when you do. These procedures are designed to make your message clear and get you the help you need. If it is an emergency, and you can’t remember what to say, then don’t worry about the rules, just speak clearly and say what the emergency is. The key is to act quickly and tell someone what is happening.

5) In a true emergency situation - fire, severe injury, sinking, Man Overboard or other life-threatening situation - stay on Channel 16 and report your condition in clear, calm language. Say who you are, state your location and what your emergency is. Then say what you need and how many people are aboard. Try to use proper terminology such as ‘Mayday’ or ‘Pan-Pan’ if you can. Those terms are explained in sections 8 & 9. If you don’t remember, just say “Help! Anyone! Help!”

6) Try to be calm and clear. It’s not always easy in an emergency. When someone answers, say your name and location and then state what the emergency is. Example; “Help! Help! Anyone help!” Responder should answer, “What is your emergency?” You say, “This is Alice Jones, I’m on Heron Lake, north of the island. We’re on fire! We need help. There are 3 people aboard.” Responder answers, “Understood.”

7) What if you are the one who has received a Mayday emergency call? You MUST act immediately. Let everyone around you know that there is an Emergency. You may respond to the Emergency yourself or call 911. Call the Marina, call others, call the Park Ranger or take other pro-active measures. Do something. You now own the problem. Do everything you safely can to assist until Rangers, Police or other professionals arrive. Write down the time and the critical information. Don’t fool around. Whether the word ‘Mayday’ was used or not, if it is a life threatening situation, take action and help. If you are the Dock Master, record as much information as you can; especially times and locations. How many people are there? Who is responding? Where are they? This may be crucial information later.

Be sure you know what lake the caller is on. They may be on El Vado or somewhere else. Radios can sometimes carry a long way.

Do what you would want someone else to do for you. Do not take up the caller’s time with a lot of chatter. They have an emergency to deal with. Remember they will hear you calling others on Channel 16, so, they know you are helping. Don’t distract them from their emergency. You are responsible for the safety of the crew, not the boat or other property. Focus on saving lives and preventing injury.

8) And - this is important - In responding to a crisis, do not place yourself in a dangerous situation. It will do no good to have two boats in distress. Do only what you safely can do to help.

9) Understand the difference between an Emergency and a Manageable Crisis. If someone falls and breaks an arm, it is a crisis, but it is not a Mayday emergency. Use normal radio procedure to get help. The correct phrase for urgent, but not life threatening, calls is ‘Pan-Pan’ (Pahn-Pahn). Other examples of non-emergent situations include being lost, loss or sinking of your boat, unless lives are in jeopardy, running out of gas or grounding.

Use ‘Pan-Pan’ and normal radio procedures to get help for these.

10) ‘Mayday’ calls are serious distress calls only, involving possible loss of life or serious injury. They have absolute priority over all other radio traffic and are transmitted ONLY when “grave and imminent danger” exits. If you hear a Mayday call, stop any conversation that you are having and listen. If no one else answers, then immediately respond and lend assistance. It is the law. You must provide assistance to save lives and do so to the best of your ability. You are not responsible for the property of others. Trying to save someone’s boat or belongings is optional.

11) There is one more term that is used by boaters. The term is Securite’ (Se-cur-i-tay). It is used to tell others on the waterway that there is a danger or condition that they should know about. An example might be a fallen tree floating in open water or a work barge working in a channel.

A boat towing another might offer a Securite’ notice to others.

Securite’ is an ‘All-Boats’ call. It is broadcast to all vessels, not any one in particular.

“Securite’, Securite’, Securite’. This is Heron Lake Marina. All vessels operating on Heron Lake should be aware of a telephone pole floating in the water just south of the island. Use caution in that area. Heron Lake Marina, out.”

12) In a Non-Emergency situation, when contact has been made on Channel 16, ask your contact to switch to another channel and acknowledge the channel that you suggest. For conversation, use Channels 9, 68, 69, 71, 72, or 78. Example; “Dixie Peach, go to Channel 68”. Your contact should answer “Switching to Channel 68”.

If someone is already on 68, then try one of the other stations, and remember to go back to 16 when you a through.

El Vado Lake and Stone House Lodge use channel 71 for their routine conversations. When possible, we will use 68 at Heron Lake. That way we don’t interfere with each other. If you have a scanning radio, and if you would like to do so, you can set the radio to scan channel 16 and 68.

13) If you call someone and the other station does not answer your call, their radio may be off or out of range. In this case, wait about a minute and say your boat name and ‘out’, then hang up. Example; “Homeless, out”.

14) When you are called and directed to switch to another Channel, always acknowledge that you will do so. Example; “Homeless, switching to Channel 68”. This confirms your radio whereabouts, and it clears Channel 16 for other calls.

15) At the end of a conversation, both parties should give their boat name and state “returning to Channel 16”. Example; “Homeless out. Returning to 16”.

16) When you write out a procedure, as in this guideline, it seems complicated and lengthy. In practice, however, it’s really not. Let’s put together a string of radio calls that might be typical on any given day:

“Dixie Peach, Dixie Peach, Dixie Peach. This is Voyager”

“This is Dixie Peach. Go ahead Voyager”

“Hey, George. This is Fred. Can you meet me on 71?”

“Peach, going to 71”

On channel 71:

“Dixie Peach, this is Voyager”

“What’s up, Fred?”

“Well, Joan & I are staying on the lake tonight and thought you might want to raft up for dinner”

“Hey! Great idea! Where are you staying?”

“That cove on the southwest corner. Near the retaining wall”

“Oh. I know where that is. We’ll be there about 6”

“Roger that. We’ll see you then. Voyager out. Switching to 16”

“Peach out. Switching to 16”

Back on channel 16, another call comes in:

“Securite’, Securite’, Securite’. This is the Heron Lake Park ranger. All vessels operating on Heron Lake please switch to channel 78 for an important announcement. Park Ranger out”

On channel 78 (this message may be recorded):

“All vessels operating on Heron Lake in the vicinity of the Rocky Ridge Picnic Area; be advised that there will be a Boy Scout canoe race commencing in one hour. They will have 35 canoes and 3 safety boats involved. The boys will race around the island and return to Rocky Ridge. Use caution in this area and be aware that there may be many more canoes than usual on the lake throughout the day. This concludes this message”

Notice that the tone is relaxed, but clear and professional. Using correct protocol allows messages to be relayed and understood whether for emergencies or just for fun.

With very little practice, you will have the terminology and procedure down and will find yourself very comfortable using the radio.

Use it often. That way, if you have an emergency, your response will be automatic, clear and to the point.

17) Some general things to know:

a. A VHF Marine Radio is not a CB. CB lingo and ‘10’ codes are not to be used on the Marine Radio.

b. A VHF Radio is not a cell phone. Be brief so others can make calls. And, remember, everyone can hear you. Don’t say foolish things that you may regret.

c. When talking on your radio remember to push the button on the microphone all the way down before beginning to speak…and don’t forget to let go when you want to listen.

d. Speak slowly and clearly. No one can understand you if you are jabbering away.

e. Note that it is illegal for any person to transmit a message by radio containing obscene, indecent or profane words, language or meaning. It is illegal to call “Mayday” when there is no emergency. These are federal offenses and carry very large fines.

f. When an emergency is being reported or in progress on Channel 16, immediately stop transmitting on Channel 16 unless you are directly involved with the emergency situation.

18) Keep in mind that a Marine Radio’s primary purpose is to help ensure safety of life and preserve property. It is very valuable in terms of convenience and usefulness. Use it, but please use it correctly. Don’t be long winded, and don’t let children play with it.

19) NOAA weather radio broadcasts the latest weather information 24 hours a day. You can hear it at 162.55 MHz, which is VHF Marine Channel 1 (WX1). Broadcasts on 162.55 are for the Heron Lake area and include the latest weather forecast, current conditions, watches, warnings, and lake wind advisories. There are other NOAA channels for the surrounding areas. You should listen every morning and evening so you won’t be surprised by Heron Lake’s weather change … which will happen quickly and often.

We hope you find this information helpful. If you have any questions, see Gary Stevens or John Davey at the Marina. Enjoy the lake and enjoy your radio.

With best regards,

Your Safety & Seamanship Committee.