SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/boat-vhf-channel-16

Which VHF marine radio channel is used for distress calls and hailing?

Channel 16.

  1. Channel 9
  2. Channel 16 ✔
  3. Channel 22A

Why: Channel 16 is the international distress, safety and calling channel, and Coast Guard stations keep a listening watch on it. Channel 9 is a supplementary calling channel for recreational boaters.

Huh, didn't know that: The Coast Guard says Channel 16 should not be used for general conversation or radio checks.

The dad joke
Why do radios never get lost? They always know their frequency.
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Sources

  1. USCG, A Boater's Guide to the Federal Requirements for Recreational Boats (2023) https://www.uscgboating.org/assets/1/AssetManager/Boaters-Guide-to-Federal-Requirements-for-Receational-Boats-20231108.pdf
  2. USCG Navigation Center, Radio Information for Boaters https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/radio-information-for-boaters

Test yourself in the game

Boating & WaterIn a busy waterway, which device can call every nearby Good Samaritan boater at once?Boating & WaterAfter saying 'MAYDAY' three times on the radio, what do you say next?Boating & WaterWhich radio call signals a very urgent safety message that is less serious than a MAYDAY?

That's stuff everyone should know.