The U.S. Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary & Boating Safety (CG-BSX) has issued a new Marine Safety Information Bulletin (MSIB 20-20) from related to performing a VHF Marine Radio Check.

The MSIB was issued in response to the discontinuation of the Sea Tow-operated Automated Radio Check System, which was available on VHF Channels 24 to 28 for the benefit of mariners in over 130 locations. The service will be discontinued starting October 2, 2020.

The full text of MSIB 20-20 is below:

Performing a VHF Marine Radio Check

Sea Tow Automated Radio Check System no longer available:

For several years, Sea Tow operated an Automated Radio Check System, which was available on VHF Channels 24 to 28 for the benefit of mariners in over 130 locations. However, on October 2nd, 2020 that service
was discontinued.

How to test a VHF Radio using Rescue 21:

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to offer an automated Digital Selective Calling (DSC) Test Call capability from each of its Rescue 21 coastal stations. All fixed mount marine radios certified by the Federal Communications Commission since 1999 are required to have a DSC capability. All such radios sold since 2011 must also have a DSC test call capability. Marine radios transmitting and successfully receiving a response from a DSC test call can be expected to operate acceptably in the voice mode as well.

To perform a DSC Test Call, enter the U.S. Coast Guard’s coast station group identity “003669999” into the radio’s DSC memory. Once entered and stored, a DSC test call can be made by executing the following three
steps:

1. Select “Test Call” from the radio’s DSC menu,

2. Select the USCG number entered into memory, and

3. Transmit the call.

The radio display should indicate when that test call is acknowledged and display the acknowledging station’s nine-digit identity. That identity may be different than the group identity previously entered into memory.

Please use VHF Channel 09 and do not use VHF Channel 16:

VHF Channel 16 is not for the purpose of radio checks. Please use VHF Channel 09, which has been designated by the FCC as a boater’s calling channel.

Questions concerning this notice may be forwarded to Coast Guard Spectrum Management and Communications Policy Division (CG-672) at HQS-SMB-CG-672@USCG.MIL or to the Coast Guard Navigation Center’s “Contact Us” page by selecting ”Maritime Telecommunications” as subject.