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Things You Didn't Know About Portable Radios

Portable (a.k.a. handheld) marine VHF radios are an area where technology and features are changing rapidly, and many features and rules are misunderstood. Here are six things you might not know about portable marine VHF radios, including some newer developments:

  1. Some boaters will tell you that if you use a handheld marine VHF radio on land, “it’s a crime,” “you need a shore license,” or “you are only allowed to call your own boat” with a handheld radio. While it is true that portable VHF marine radios are not meant to be used as walkie-talkies on land, these “crimes” are a thing of the past – but this false information is still circulating. In 2016 the FCC relaxed its rules and now allows portable VHF radios to be used “in areas adjacent to the water” when this use relates to the “needs of the associated vessel.” While there is such a thing as a shore station license, you do not need one. It is also acceptable to own multiple portable marine VHFs and communicate between them. In short, feel free to use multiple portable VHFs if it helps you stay in touch with your crew and boat safely.

  2. New in 2015, some portable marine VHFs now include a bluetooth feature that allows them to pair with a cell phone. This popular feature allows you to use your waterproof handheld VHF as an external speaker and microphone–in heavy spray or rain you can keep your cell phone in your pocket (or a waterproof bag) while taking a phone call by listening and talking on your waterproof VHF marine radio. Many people are not aware that voice dialing is also possible, meaning you can initiate a phone call from your VHF handheld radio (e.g., you can press a button and say “call mom”).

  3. Position polling (or “position request”) is already present on your portable VHF if it has DSC/GPS (look for the red “distress” button). But this feature is little-understood. A boat’s fixed VHF can request a position report from a handheld radio. If properly configured, the position of the handheld radio will appear as a waypoint on your chartplotter screen. You can also use a handheld to request the position of any other VHF radio, and most handhelds that include a GPS will help you to navigate to the position of the other radio (e.g., providing bearing and distance). This allows separated boats to find each other in conditions of poor visibility such as fog or darkness.

  4. New in 2022, some portable marine VHFs now include AIS receivers. This means your handheld radio can track any boat with an AIS transmitter (usually larger or commercial boats) automatically, and easily call them by radio. The handheld radio can perform collision avoidance using a proximity alarm – e.g., a handheld VHF can warn a kayaker of a freighter or ferry bearing down on them from a direction they aren’t looking.

  5. New in 2018, some portable marine VHF radios now allow sending and receiving VHF text messages if they have a feature called VDSMS. These radios can send 150-character messages to other VDSMS-capable VHF radios within VHF range. No fee is charged as no cellular traffic is used – this is done over VHF. Radios with bluetooth can also allow you to compose, send, and receive these messages from a dedicated cell phone app (but the VHF is used to transmit/receive the actual message traffic, not the phone). This is particularly relevant for our AOR as some boaters turn off cell phones to avoid accidental international roaming charges when near the Canada border. Using VDSMS, two boats could continually exchange text messages with each other on the Detroit River via cell phone apps without using cellular data or incurring any data/SMS charges. (Group texting is not currently supported.)

  6. Rewind (or “Rewind-Say-Again”) is a feature that has been present since 2008 on some handheld VHF marine radios, but many people do not realize it is there. This feature allows you to replay the last few seconds of VHF traffic received by the radio in case you didn’t hear it clearly. If you find it difficult to understand voices on the VHF, you might look for a handheld radio with this feature.
A VHF radio is a lifesaving device. Convey to boaters that even if you already have a fixed-mount VHF radio on your boat, you may want to add a portable/handheld VHF to take advantage of these features and provide a backup radio. If you have no fixed-mount VHF, consider carrying a handheld VHF. Although they have limited range and power, many portable VHFs are otherwise extremely capable.

VSC and PE instructors can carry a portable VHF radio with them to demonstrate some of these features to boaters. Flotillas may wish to invest in newer handheld VHFs with these features to facilitate RBS outreach.

Resources/Tools:

Linking to videos that discuss particular radios as examples is not intended as a recommendation or endorsement. 

Updated 2023-Feb-10 by Christian Sandvig, SO-CM