Shorebased receiver for marine VHF channels

dulcibella

dulcibella

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As we live on the coast it would be good to have a VHF set in the house so that we can listen in on traffic without having to go down to the boat. I realise that my boat's VHF licence doesn't cover shore stations, so I am looking for a receiver-only set, preferably running off the mains. Does such a thing exist?
 
Any comminications receiver which covers 156MHz to 162MHz with FM modulation and a 6kHz bandwidth filter. I use an ICOM PCR-1000 for this and many other things but it needs to be connected to a running PC as it is a "black box" without any front panel.
 
I think some scanners cover the marine bands but how easy they would be to use I don't know. You could look at what Maplin have to offer to begin with. It may be more expensive than a another VHF RT.

When I have use mine VHF to receive at home (when it existed we were in range of the Thames Radio coast radio station). I discovered than I could fit a dummy mic plug with two terminals connected, then it would receive but not transmit. I think that may have been the case because the set can be used with a telephone type handset so the link in the plug was required to bring the internal speaker into operation. That may not apply universally.


Bearing in mind that most people get fed up with the chatter on the VHF it is an odd thing to want to do but i suppose i did it. I listened over a period to the conversations between some poor guy, trying to recommission a car ferry somewhere in the area in order for it to go and pick up a load of cars, and his wife. The longer he spent on board the further the relations with his wife deteriorated and he eventually sailed with the ship still trying to get the bow doors to operate while she was telling him if he did then he need not bother to come back again!
 
I've never used a scanner, but I can't imagine it would be as easy as a marine set with channel numbers all set out. How about using a transceiver, but don't have the mike plugged it? Then it's not capable of transmitting.

Is a shore station licence to become free, same as the ships and portable licences?
 
No it wont be as easy because you will have to use variable frequency tuning, but it isnt the only way forward if you are worried about the legalities.

Personally I would simply use an old marine set. You are not depriving HMG of the license fee because there isnt one, and you are not causing probs if you dont transmit. So you might be breaking the rules but what harm are you doing ? And what chances are there of detection?

The third way would be to apply for the shore station license that yacht clubs and marinas have.
 
I have never used a scanner either, but you should be able to programme all the channels into a decent one. (Plus you could listen in to channel 0 and the other side of the duplex channels.)

So once it is set up, it should be as easy to use as normal marine VHF.
 
[ QUOTE ]
but don't have the mike plugged it? Then it's not capable of transmitting.


[/ QUOTE ] That's what i though but until i made up the dummy plug with the relevant pins connected together the loudspeaker did not work!
 
Just use a standard VHF set but do not transmit. Absolutely no means of detection unles the neighbours report you to the Gestapo. or have I got something wrong. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
Why not just stick a Portable in the window ? You could even hook a small speaker ala PC type into the speaker out socket ....

A Hand-held is allowed to be away from boat .... so you are in a "defendable" grey-area .....
 
[ QUOTE ]
Why not just stick a Portable in the window ? You could even hook a small speaker ala PC type into the speaker out socket ....

A Hand-held is allowed to be away from boat .... so you are in a "defendable" grey-area .....

[/ QUOTE ]

A handheld is not licensed for use ashore even though thats how we all use them. So its not technically a defensible area.

But since you can get a free license for shore use of a marine VHF, I dont understand what the discussion is about
 
[ QUOTE ]
A Hand-held is allowed to be away from boat

[/ QUOTE ]

WRONG - the Ship's Licence specifies 'on-board' handheld. For separate use you require . . a separate licence with a T callsign. The grey area is how near to any ship you have to be.

I use my handheld here at home, and found myself 'talking in' an elderly couple who were over-pressed and over-anxious crossing the Bar. I reported to Lee-on-Solent by landline until they were safe, and the CG, realising that I was looking out of the window, started to chide me for illegal use - then apologised when I quoted my international callsign.

Clear now?
 
I did say Grey-area ....

We all KNOW that a Marine VHF of any type - unless you are a body that is accepted to have a shore-installation such as Port Authority etc. - should be with the boat.

A hand-held by virtue of it's portability gives that grey-area possibility ..... I did NOT say it was fully legal to use at the house-window.
 
If you use a conventional Marine VHF with microphone removed it cannot transmit, so you cant be accused of transmitting without a licence. As it happens I have a old Swifttech VHF, which has fried the output transistors, so it will never ever transmit again - you are welcome to it!
 
who the hell is to know you are listening on a 12 volt vhf @ home /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

FWIW its bad enough listening afloat let alone @ home as well /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
The use of a normal VHF with the mike unplugged is OK, but to make sure "the man" won't get you, don't use a proper aerial. If you just use a piece of wire, the thing couldn't transmit anyway (SWR shutdown) Only problem with a ship's vhf is, you won't get both sides of a duplex conversation (ie, the C.G.channels) Try and find a Furuno or something with programmable private channels to get Ch0 and all the other interesting stuff!
 
I use a h/h scanner at home and on the boat. Got it from maplin on special, I think about £38.00.

It is the ultimate answer on board to defeat the alarms on night watches.

You need the frequencies, but these are all online or in the back of your VHF manual. It also means you can listen to both sides of a duplex channel and can scan all channels far more quickly than a ships set can, or at least all the ones I have seen.

I would not bother with a boats set, too much messing with aerials etc. I just put my scanner on the window ledge if I am listing in.
 
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