VHF channels - some confusion

[wingdiver]

A couple of weeks ago, we headed over to Holland overnight.
When we arrived just off the coast we called the sea lock and requested entry etc.
They asked us to call the Dutch Coastguard on Ch 25, which we did.
The CG said they had been trying to call us for around an hour.
That was weird.
We were monitoring Ch 16 as usual and there were no calls to us (or relating to us) on there. We could hear other stations periodically (on Ch 16) and we could clearly hear the lock on Ch 20 and the CG on Ch 25 so assume no VHF issues.
The only thing I could think of was that the Dutch CG were using Ch 25 as a calling station.
Is that likely given that Ch 16 is the International calling channel?
To add to the confusion, I also heard the Dutch CG call a large vessel using Ch 16 when we were on our return trip.

 

[Cornishman]

Once you had established communications with the Dutch CG did you not ask them on which channel they had been calling you? It would probably have answered your query there and then.

 

[wingdiver]

It was around four in the morning.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!

 

[Silverado]

Have you not got a DSC set and an MMSI number?

 

[dickh]

Have you checked your aerial? I had this problem early in the year and wondered why VHF traffic was light. When fixed I received everything as usual!

 

[wingdiver]

Nope

 

[wingdiver]

As far as I know the aerial (actually, there are three) is fine hence contact with the CG, locks, etc all throught the trip.

 

[Rivers & creeks]

I had the same problem with Dover CG 18 months ago, everything was fine within a few miles but very patchy further away, turned out the cable connection in the plug had pulled away, could have been anywhere on the ariel circuit.

 

[wotayottie]

I dont know anything specific to your question but I do know that different countries use different channels for different purposes. For example, lots of DSC all ships alarms a couple of weeks ago with the DSC then switching to ch 80 - the UK marina channel. turned out that ch80 was the one normally used by the foggie coastguard instaed of our ch 67. and many countries do not use ch16 for routine calling though they do monitor it. so you might hear the cloggie coastguard responding on 16 whilst they call on another altogether.

dont know for sure, but the above is my guess.

 

[johnalison]

May I assume that the "foggie" CG was actually an amphibian?

 

[Stork_III]

Dutch Regs require vessels to monitor particular channels dependant on where you are. These are shown as area delininated on Dutch Charts. Maybe he was calling using that channel?

 

[Bilgediver]

Ask someone to give you a copy of Reeds Eastern for xmas /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Always best to have a copy of the list of radio stations for an area at which you are arriving as usually CH 16 IS NOT the calling frequency for Port operations and you call on the assigned port operations frequency.

You will see in Reeds that these dare detailed for each port which should make life easier for you in fuure.

Even in this country port operations rarely monitor CH 16 so you should have the relevant info on board for UK coastal cruising as well .