VHF Channel Changes to 19, 20, 78, and 79 in 2017

[NeilPaisnel]

Yes, correct
But yes, as you say, there is always a risk of transmitting on a non allowed channel.

I know there are some non-Beofeng, but similar style cheap radios that do have the ability to program, but block the Atc, by simply ticking a tick box on the channels you do not want to transmit on.
Get the Chirp software, it is free, then try my img file

http://paisnel.co.uk/marine/UV5R.zip

I think most of the marine channels are on it, but I have not double checked them.

 

[Mark-1]

This is addictive.

Looks like a TD-H3 will only Rx on the aviation channels which deals with my fear of TXing, and appears to handle the PMR and Marine VHF frequencies.

So I can bin my scanner all together, talk to my kids on pmr and other boats on vhf without carrying 3 different devices. (Cruising in company I often have a phone, two radios and a camera on lanyards round my neck, which is insane.)

Looks like I'd need two antennas, though.

 

[Bilgediver]

Does this mean that I am eventually going to have to buy a DSC VHF?

Wel it is about time as l GMDSS is 40 years old. We fitted to an oil rig built in 1984.