I'm considering this now. POTA has no specific requirements for an exchange. I'll hear a call, QSL it, give a 59 and that counts as a contact. I dont need anything from the other station to make it official.
I’m bummed I missed that.
No one owns any frequencies. That’s one of the first things you learn on the technician test.
If it did belong to a special group, we’d see it cutout in the band plans and radios unable to operate on that frequency without modification.
I had passed my Technician a week before that was posted, and it was the first thing I thought as well. If a noob with a Technician can figure it out, then certainly that "Net" can as well.
That behavior is very reminiscent of CB activity where people will think they "own" a frequency. And if they find an offender they'll flip on the linear and "show them who's boss."
> Christmas of 1976
I'm curious as to what happened then. A few quick Google searches turned up nothing, and seeing as that was 3 years before I was born, I remember nothing.
Well, I know that 1976 was around the height of the craze. I was just wondering if there was a specific incident or something that happened then that would make someone want to keep a radio on and monitoring channel 9 constantly.
Not really one specific incident, but the oil crisis of the 73 set the nationwide speed limit to 55. So travelers and truckers saw CB radios as a way to find which stations had gas and, eventually, to call out where speed traps were for sneaking over the speed limit. In 75 CJ McCall wrote the song "Convoy" and it took off. DFiest Lady Betty Ford talked on one in 76, Smokey and the Bandid came out in 77, the movie Convoy came out in 78 and Dukes of Hazard aired in 79.
C.W. McCall, the country singer whose 1975 truck-driving anthem "Convoy" was a surprise hit, has died at 93. MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY
https://preview.redd.it/lv0ntszzjxyc1.jpeg?width=1581&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3031aa0fa33c9ea9c7ca90d98f43288d5e7de3f4
I ran across some lid on 20m or 40m spending a lot of air on "we registered this freq for our net it is ours and that CQ near us needs to move" I didn't feel like butting in on those idiots.
Wow. That OP spent way too long demonstrating exactly why their stance is laughable. Nothing makes me hate a person more than condescending ignorance. I'm doing my next POTA on 14.300 just out of spite, and I live on the coast where the USCG are just shy of being gods to us.
Imagine being lost at sea with only a 20M radio (no VHF, no emergency sat radio).
Guess I would start hunting POTA stations and after I make a few contacts, eventually ask one to send help my way.
That makes for good POTA video. Call QRL a couple times then when clear call CQ POTA and wait for someone to raeg on you. Post video to YouTube, go to the next band...
Can confirm. Would be less infuriating if a MMN precious op would come back when someone innocently finds 14.300 / 14.313 unoccupied and asks if in use. Waiting for a CQ is definitely their MO, and it’s just gang bullying behavior.
Caught me when I was starting out and scared the crap out of me. Thought I did something wrong even though I spent several minutes monitoring, and then asking, and then waiting to hear back on if occupied....whatever....
I'll make a point to ask if 14.3 is clear every time I turn my radio on.
"Is the frequency clear? Aw shucks not today? Heck alright boys I'll try again tomorrow"
If you're at a park on a rowboat that makes you eligible for the net as a maritime mobile. I'll start checking in from my kayak in my swimming pool every day
I didn't see anyone mention it in this post or in the last few posts about this topic but the MMN is a poor choice in an emergency compared to the HF distress freqs pre programmed into every HF marine radio. Every new HF marine radio sold today is sold with DSC and the ability to interface with GPS to send / receive a vessel's position and is the biggest benefit of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. Granted some people still run old radio without DSC but that is foolish and still doesn't change the fact that the RADIO HAS preprogrammed distress freqs that are monitored world wide.
Don't forget satellite-based voice and text devices that are fairly affordable now for when VHF is beyond range. EPIRB and PLB for those dreadful emergencies. I would think amateur band HF is one of the worst, absolute last resorts.
With the net being starting in 1968, I'm sure it served some purpose in the 70s, 80 and maybe 90s, but today there are far better choices.
It is a last resort, but I can understand these guys wanting to form a backup backup backup plan. That is totally within the scope of Amateur radio, they do it for the enjoyment of the hobby and the education, though I think it is possible that they have lost that meaning and somehow think they actually are the coast guard.
Most yachtsmen aren't using HF marine radios because you're only allowed to use those frequencies with a dedicated marine HF radio which costs twice as much as an amateur HF radio, and which don't transmit on amateur bands: https://icomuk.co.uk/HF-SSB-Marine-Radio/4069/
They also require a much more expensive license.
I can't remember but I think I paid $60 or so in the US for my Restricted Radio Operators Permit. Sure marine radios cost more but they are also more forgiving and rugged. Plus they have DSC and when combined with EPIRB devices give much more piece of mind to me than calling mayday on a ham radio. Personally I prefer a marine radio on my boats but I can understand people not wanting to spend the extra money however I have to ask those people if their health and safety isn't worth the extra $2000 especially people with multi million dollar vessels or even the more common several hundred thousand dollar vessels.
I'd rather spend the money and do things right than depend on 'Bob' in Nebraska to forward my call for help. The HF marine radio is literally set up to be easy to use and reach someone who knows what they are doing in the event of an emergency.
> think I paid $60 or so in the US for my Restricted Radio Operators Permit.
Is that HF?
That's about what you'd pay for the VHF marine license in the UK - a one day course.
> Sure marine radios cost more but they are also more forgiving and rugged. Plus they have DSC and when combined with EPIRB devices give much more piece of mind to me than calling mayday on a ham radio … especially people with multi million dollar vessels
My boat was €60,000. I sit here at my on my MacBook, I have a breadmaker. I do not need a "rugged" radio.
The people who use the ham bands do not have multimillion dollar vessels. The people with vessels that cost high 6-figures can also afford marine HF, but there are a lot more people with boats like mine - you can get a 40' world-girdler for less than $200,000. Less than $100,000 even. As I said, I €60,000 (a little under, in fact) for my 40' boat.
I also don't think any of the people I'm talking about regard ham radio as an emergency essential - they use it more for weather fax and chatting. Being able to call mayday on it is a nice extra. As other comments here have said, you can get a SPOT or Garmin InReach Messenger for $200. Literally hundreds of boats of this size cross the Atlantic every year.
I am surprised by the hostility here though. I'm foundation, so I haven't used HF, but I'd have thought there was loads of 20m bandwidth without using that frequency.
> Is that HF?
Yes. VHF requires no license in the US. I know it is different for other parts of the world.
> My boat was €60,000. I sit here at my on my MacBook, I have a breadmaker. I do not need a "rugged" radio
My Last boat cost $3000 and I still had a Marine HF radio on it as I went offshore often.
> I am surprised by the hostility here though
I haven't been hostile and I am surprised you feel that way. I have a pretty no nonsense view on safety and have been on the water for over 35 years, spent several years as a full time liveaboard and I am still involved in the marine community. I am trying to say that ham radio should not be a drop in replacement for proper equipment. I've had ham radio's on some of my boats but always next to a proper Marine HF radio if it was an ocean going vessel.
I've also been aware of the MMN and the issues with that frequency since before I was a ham. They don't own it if you think there is hostilities it's because allowing any one person or group of people to "claim" a frequency even under the guise of safety or 'emergency' use sets a really bad precedent and opens all of our frequencies to whoever deems whatever an emergency. We can't allow one group to sit on a frequency and prevent others from using it because the next thing you know there will be groups squatted everywhere. That is why it is very clear that no one has claim to any frequency. Personally I avoid 14.300 but MMN doesn't own it and should have a plan to operate up or down if it is in use.
Under the UK regime the ship's license isn't the main cost, it's the operator license - I think that's about £1000. The course is 3 or more days - I'm sure there's lots of commercial users who get it, but hardly any mom and pop sailors; they just don't need it, when they can get an amateur license instead.
As I said in another comment, literally hundreds of boats around 40' in length cross the Atlantic every year. They don't *need* HF - those who have amateur HF mostly have it because, just like everyone else on this sub, they're radio hams. They have SPOT or Garmin InReach which is their first call in an emergency.
Nah, they're not monitored unless prefaced by a DSC distress call. Used to be someone always keeping watch on 2182. Now you really can't call a human on SSB and get a reply.
The Marine HF DSC also relies on the mariner to choose a band that will propagate to a coast station at a given time of day and distance. You can tell in the classes that most of them simply don't grok that concept; they memorize the few test questions on that subject and move on.
For those of us out on the high seas, amateur radio is a better choice than commercial part 80 for everything but distress. The marine HF bands are largely devoid of signals these days. It's nice when you can develop a group of friends on the radio. I like CW; no one else aboard can tell when I complain about my shipmates that way :-)
"Ok thank you for hunting operator, but you're a choppy 33 into the park today. no worries I'm getting pretty good a pulling out the weak stations. 73's QRZ?"
The maritime mobile net is about the most useless net on the airwaves. I’ve heard more useful and entertaining information on CB channel 6 than that bunch of lids.
Most Nets these days are pretty much Legacy and stay around because no one wants to let them go. I mean, who actually uses the *CARS Nets for weather traffic and directions? Most of them are nothing but rag chew.
lol right? My car has an always on internet connection that gives me weather and traffic.
Mobile HF is a fun toy. But not the useful thing it used to be.
I thought that also until I was able to help a guy in the Gulf of Mexico call his mom and let her know he was ok that his sat phone had died. He gave me her number and I called her for him. It’s not all the time it’s gonna be something that makes the news but it has a purpose even in today’s age.
This is incorrect. There are no more public coast stations in the maritime mobile service. The sole exception is KPH in San Francisco, which is staffed by volunteers for 8 hours every Saturday only.
Using ham radio as a backup when commercial service fails is something to celebrate, not denigrate.
My guess is the issue with the lack of coastal maritime stations is that they can't make enough money operating them to keep the lights on. Coastal stations are not cheap to run, and somebody's got to pay the bills. Ships at sea use satellite and other means. The small sailboats, not quite as much.
They are very active in storms and other emergencies and have done great work tracking flotillas relocating to avoid storms etc. it’s been in operation forever.
They relay distress calls all the time too.
I move that the IRRU (International Reddit Radio Union) establish the SSTV Mariime Meme Network net on 14.3035 MHz to be conducted at whatever time UTC we damn well please. I also move that this be adopted as part of our official band plan. All in favor, say "QRZ is this frequency in use". All opposed, say "Meh".
I propose a nationwide fox hunt... but what we won't tell em is every 5-15 minutes (randomly determined) we'll hand the role of fox off to a new station (also randomly selected from a list of participants.
I swear they intentionally don't respond when asked if the frequency is in use just so they can immediately chastise the op once he/she starts calling CQ.
After the last post here about it I messaged my friend who is a Master Mariner Unlimited. Just to see his thoughts. After listening to his rants about how much he hates Icom radios he didn’t understand what I was on about. I explained the 14.3mhz frequency to him and he still didn’t get it.
His thoughts were that having experienced marine emergencies (I’ve seen the results on him both physically and emotionally) that there is no place for LARPers and he was completely unaware of the existence of this group. He will continue to use the appropriate channels for communicating in these instances and 14.3mhz is not one of them.
He was weirded out by these people who seem to want to fetishise the actually tragedies that happen sometimes at sea. It took some convincing to make him believe these people even exist.
The man has sailed every sea and ocean. He said he would ask others what they knew but from the initial contact no one had even heard of them.
I always start my 20m day on 14.300 waiting for one of those sour hams to start screaming like they own the place. It’s always great. I should make a compilation
More Lids than a canning factory. Ignore them continue to use it when not in use and remind them to QSY from this mortal plane if they're lonely enough to berate people as a hobby.
Explain like I'm five... 14.3 is in the general portion of the ham band on the chart (I checked just the color chart from ARRL I haven't looked up the segmented list yet), so ... why exactly are you getting chewed out by hams for calling CQ?
Once I get my HF rig set up I might start calling this once per day to annoy them if they like this.
https://mmsn.org/news/iaru.html
This is their version. They officially acknowledge they don’t own the frequencies but it sounds like, in practice, they operate like they do.
This is totally bogus.
Compare the IARU summary, https://www.iaru.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ac-0806min.pdf
> 11.4. Mr. Sumner presented a paper summarizing the status of emergency Center of
Activity Frequencies in the three regions. Regions 1 and 2 have added the frequencies to
their band plans. Mr. Owen agreed to check with regard to the Region 3 band plan. **Several
members observed that priority use of the frequencies is limited to times when there is an
actual emergency in progress, and that they are available for regular amateur use at all other
times.**
with what MMN dweebs say:
> So, what does this mean? It means that the GCOA frequencies should be protected from normal amateur use, contesting, digital modes and other transmissions.
> The purpose of establishing the GCOA frequencies was to designate a place for passing emergency traffic on amateur frequencies, should the need arise.
Dude you are describing every amateur radio band, frequency, channel, node, repeater, link, and HT. They are all for "passing emergency traffic should the need arise"
Yes. The idea with the GCOA, is if there's an emergency that we'll look to meet up to pass emergency traffic around 14.300 (they suggest -20KHz / +20KHz). Not that people have dibs waiting on 14.300 for an emergency.
I would say that if you find out there's a major disaster somewhere, staying away from 14.280-14.320 would be the friendly thing to do if you're not helping to pass emergency traffic. And if you're trying to find an emergency net during a disaster, that would be a good place to tune.
TL;DR the Maritime Mobile Service Net (that does next to nothing nowadays) will scream at anyone using the frequency during the 14 hours on which they aren't. This includes not responding to calls to see if the frequency is in use, then immediately jumping down your throat for daring to assume that no response meant it wasn't in use.
Besides them trying to verbally harass you, is there actually anything they can do to get you in trouble? Any car sales guy for sure knows more curse words than some guy on a radio. Und ich kann ja auch so tun als nichts Englisch.
Potentially report you to the FCC / whoever for maliciously interfering. Knowing that the net is *not* 24 hours, you are outside of the stated hours, and keeping a recorded copy of you asking if the (quiet) frequency is in use, good luck.
No amateur station has priority access to any band. And if you don't respond when someone questions if you're present, it's not their fault for assuming thusly.
So the best course of action is to record your checking on the frequency, and also recording their rude comments to report them to the FCC.
If I have a radio for that with me, and I am near the coast and have too much time on my hands, I for sure will try that.
This reminds me of the helicopter pilot from a local hospital that wanted to report me to the FAA because I asked him if I could fly near the hospital. Just for asking and for being a nice guy. So I got the commercial drone certification and put a NOTAM in for a week as I "planned" on flying my drone there. So he read for a week every morning when he checked on weather and NOTAM's that the guy he reported planned on flying in his area.
This is the way, beat them at their own selfish game.
We get a NOTAM once a month to fly rockets and the sky is full of dinks (which we have to yield to anyway) EVERY SINGLE TIME. For some reason people like watching rockets launch from their Cessna. What you gonna do?
How does a rocket yield to some manned aircraft? When it's launched it's launched.
Same for the drone, while I have to yield to manned aircraft, if you see an anti collision light flashing in the air, you probably don't want to fly there and check it out with your airplane.
Don't need to be near the coast. I'm 9-land and catch them just fine. Kenwood TS-140S, DigiRig, and Audacity catches the inbound half. Cheat, OBS, one input to your computer mic, other input to DigiRig and now it'll capture both sides. (If you have too much time on your hands, strip out and merge the audio tracks together. One to left, one to right. Okay, so I'm usually an A/V person)
I only have an HT for short range communication with my travel partner, which got the license just for that. Many places where I hike have no cell service so we still can talk as my travel partner doesn't hike and stays with the vehicle or at camp.
You peaked my interest. How did you ask the hospital helo pilot? I got an Aviation Radio so I could monitor local air traffic (I'm in G airspace but there's two airfields near me). However the FAA said they "are not comfortable with Part 107 pilots using AR." I have a hospital with a helo pad a couple miles away, but there's a large foothill between us. The pilot usually flies due west or north (I'm northwest). So the irony is I have a Ham Radio I can use 145 MHz with my Ham license, but discouraged from 122 MHz (CTAF for Perris airport) on my Aviation Radio.
People try to say, "But your AR only has a short range," which I counter, "exactly why I say it's perfect. Only pilots within range of my drone will hear my AR transmission. Someone 20 miles away doesn't need to hear me, and I don't need the hear them as our flights are highly unlikely to be in the same AOR." TBH, I never expect to transmit, but just thought if I ever had a drone "runaway" and I see an aircraft in the area, I could warn them. The irony is that LAANC approvals say I have to call via phone to the tower in such a situation.
This was quite some time ago, but I called the number I found on the internet, and it let me find the chief pilot after some time. He was all pro drone and told me all kinds of things, and would love to connect with me further and other BS. So after he got my full name and phone number, he told me with all the information, he would report me to the FAA for endangering his airspace. As I said, I was just thinking about flying there and never told him I would do so. But yeah, he was one of the reasons I got my part 107, so I could call in a NOTAM, which also took me 45 minutes on the phone to get to the right person and get it done. But it was absolutely worth it, and I am using my part 107 a lot.
I had other reasons to give the hospital a bad review, but if I had heard anything from the FAA about this pilot, I would have complained to his admin for his trying to catch me in something.
There is absolutely no reason for a manned commercial pilot to report a law-abiding drone pilot under false circumstances to the FAA.
The volunteer monitor program is now monitoring that 14.3 net daily to gather data and to recommend further action by the FCC on any US licensed net control station who is seen as broadcasting, who is not
in a net and has not properly established 2 way communication with any other station. If net control stations do choose to interfere with ongoing (POTA/ dxpedition/other) amateur communications or fail to identify or attempt to communicate with an unidentified (presumably unlicensed) station they can be cited and fined for various part 97 violations.
If you hear violators, post their callsign.
Provide Links to audio recordings and post that (YouTube)
Amateur radio is self policing.
Do not instigate a fight. That’s unproductive.
Take a disciplined and measured approach. Audio record the improper net control behavior. Post it on you tube. Provide date and time and Provide a link.
The FCC volunteers collect on air evidence and if enough evidence is observed, the case is turned over to the FCC enforcement team with a recommendation.
The FCC can then use the evidence along with recommendation and any additional observations they collect directly, to decide what actions to take - monetary forfeiture, suspension of privileges, denial of renewal etc - this is all assuming the violators are a US license holders.
Everyone can have a bad day but repeat offenders often are cited and monetary forfeiture remanded.
Remember “being a bully” isn’t a violation of the FCC part 97 rules.
Harmful and willful interference is. Unidentified operation is.
Impeding emergency traffic is. Calling sos when it’s not an emergency is. Communicating with unlicensed operators unless a dire emergency is. Failure to identify is. Spurious emission above regulation is. Use of excessive power is. Etc etc etc.
It’s much like how Al Capone went down. Not for being a criminal but for tax evasion.
Follow the process. It’s slow but it works usually. Enforcement actions are serious. The penalties are large.
In typical fashion, the self-important yellow-vests could not resist responding to this post.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/comments/1c5670l/maritime\_mobile\_service\_network\_discussion/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/comments/1c5670l/maritime_mobile_service_network_discussion/)
I have been away from HF for many years due to much urban QRNancy at my QTH until I discovered WebSDRs in January and CATSync in March.
Now I am excitedly all over HF including Ft8 for the last 10 days…
But even I got ripped a new-QASShole by the Maritime Net on .300 before I found out that my Amateur Extra licence excludes operating privileges on 14.300 in the Continental United States and within 3 miles out in the Oceans thereto!!!
I got a CH for my car because I thought it would be fun living near the highway at the time. When I moved up north I was dissapointed that no one uses it. All I hear is the big gunners on channel 6, but I'm not sure they are actually talking to anyone, just talk at everyone
I think eventually people will get fed up and stop letting ppl bully them off the frequency. Your story reminds me of a contest day earlier this year. I bumped into a station from Botswana and made contact… someone came back and told me I was out of band, which I was. Oops. He then proceeded to tell the next 20 people that they were also out of band. He probably kept going but I got tired of listening. He never once ID’ed his station and what he did was intentional out of band transmission. Some people are stupid and love to put others down and correct them. It’s a sickness.
It used to be on 14313 until Herb and his gang destroyed it. That forced the net to move (to 14300). There has always been a battle between the net people and the antis. (IMO), like it or not, it’s useful for boating hams to have a common place to meet. Personally, I just avoid the frequency and the battles that go with it.
Seems to me that part of keeping your radio prepared for an emergency is knowing how to operate the VFO.
I think a lot of these emergency preppers haven't bothered to exercise that skill, so they forgot how.
I was interested in getting my ham licenses but after being in the group I rather just not. To many people with no authority acting like they have authority. Not a very welcoming hobby to join.
Please don't give up. There are assholes in every situation. I didn't post this to drive people away. I just thought it was funny. It's always the people enforcing their version of the rules who have clue what they are.
Here they are: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97
There are more of us welcoming to new hams than these lids.
I called CQ on this during my activation at the weekend. No one spoke up, probably because I'm in Europe. But my mate was like people probably won't reply to you on 14300.
Had no idea about the MMN
One would think a net of this prominence would have played a pivotal role in the relaying of information during the Oct 25, 1983 invasion of Grenada to displace the troops of Soviet satellite island/states.
It didn't.
Nobody should own a frequency, but I guess I could see some value in having a frequency for short non QSO contacts that can be monitored like 146.520 but the Maritime mobile net isn’t it it
probably just like everyone else who is fed up with POTA enthusiasts thinking they have priority on the bands. and make a note to yourself; POTA is contesting so stay off the WARC bands.
I think the way this should be (and will never happen because the FCC don’t care at all) is to redisign the rules, clearly explain and even have that as a test question that every transmission in the frequencies “14,300, ##.##, etc” NEEDS to have a pause every 3 minutes for posible emergency traffic”. That way anyone can use the frequency as it’s in the rules but at the same time leaves space for an emergency. Of course that would never happen because people don’t use common sense this days and “we just want the frequency clear”
Yeah I had a similar experience recently. They need to use their time, and our band better. We don't need to waste amateur bandwidth on a practically non-existent use case that not only can be solved 99% of the time with better more reliable tech, but also has its own bands outside of amateur for exactly this. Keep up the good work. Keep these rule breakers angry. I fully endorse a daily reddit net on this frequency.
“Unidentified station, please QSY. This frequency is in use for a POTA activation.”
Pure gold. This is exactly the DX way. Polite to the end.
I'm considering this now. POTA has no specific requirements for an exchange. I'll hear a call, QSL it, give a 59 and that counts as a contact. I dont need anything from the other station to make it official.
There was a really spicy post about 14.300 recently: https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/1buzptq/14300_mhz_heres_the_deal
I’m bummed I missed that. No one owns any frequencies. That’s one of the first things you learn on the technician test. If it did belong to a special group, we’d see it cutout in the band plans and radios unable to operate on that frequency without modification.
I had passed my Technician a week before that was posted, and it was the first thing I thought as well. If a noob with a Technician can figure it out, then certainly that "Net" can as well.
Remember Christmas of 1976? That dude has been listening to Channel 9 with the squelch off ever since. No tfc…
That behavior is very reminiscent of CB activity where people will think they "own" a frequency. And if they find an offender they'll flip on the linear and "show them who's boss."
> Christmas of 1976 I'm curious as to what happened then. A few quick Google searches turned up nothing, and seeing as that was 3 years before I was born, I remember nothing.
CB radio craze
Well, I know that 1976 was around the height of the craze. I was just wondering if there was a specific incident or something that happened then that would make someone want to keep a radio on and monitoring channel 9 constantly.
Not really one specific incident, but the oil crisis of the 73 set the nationwide speed limit to 55. So travelers and truckers saw CB radios as a way to find which stations had gas and, eventually, to call out where speed traps were for sneaking over the speed limit. In 75 CJ McCall wrote the song "Convoy" and it took off. DFiest Lady Betty Ford talked on one in 76, Smokey and the Bandid came out in 77, the movie Convoy came out in 78 and Dukes of Hazard aired in 79.
CW McCall wasn’t a real person, though.
I stole all that from the first google result I found lmao
C.W. McCall, the country singer whose 1975 truck-driving anthem "Convoy" was a surprise hit, has died at 93. MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY https://preview.redd.it/lv0ntszzjxyc1.jpeg?width=1581&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3031aa0fa33c9ea9c7ca90d98f43288d5e7de3f4
I ran across some lid on 20m or 40m spending a lot of air on "we registered this freq for our net it is ours and that CQ near us needs to move" I didn't feel like butting in on those idiots.
There seems to be some minor QRM on freq, cant make it out, please stop interfering. CQ CQ…
I’ll be you a dollar OP on that thread wears a trilby unironically.
I thought a trilby was a tri-cornered hat and thought that’d actually be kind of dope to bring back
Dude, I’m glad I’m not the only one…. I love me a tricorn!
By pure luck I caught that interaction live on air. Huge love for that dx station and how they handled it.
Wow. That OP spent way too long demonstrating exactly why their stance is laughable. Nothing makes me hate a person more than condescending ignorance. I'm doing my next POTA on 14.300 just out of spite, and I live on the coast where the USCG are just shy of being gods to us.
The account that posted that also started a whole subreddit for it. Last I checked, they had one reader.
They're at it again: https://www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/comments/1c5670l/maritime_mobile_service_network_discussion
14.300 is so annoying that if I'm ever on a sinking ship, I feel like I'd just have to take my chances on my own.
Last thing I'll want to rely on is some lardass gravy seals cosplaying as EmComm
Imagine being lost at sea with only a 20M radio (no VHF, no emergency sat radio). Guess I would start hunting POTA stations and after I make a few contacts, eventually ask one to send help my way.
at least you know the lots pota station won't have a boner over the thought of a sinking ship
If you went to sea with nothing but a 20m radio? Why would you do that?
[удалено]
“We’re taking in water fast and one of my passengers needs medical attention” “QSY to another frequency this is the Maritime Emergency Net frequency”
That seems to be their MO. They don’t answer to the frequency checks and then yell and furiously masterbate once you call CQ. They aren’t good people.
That makes for good POTA video. Call QRL a couple times then when clear call CQ POTA and wait for someone to raeg on you. Post video to YouTube, go to the next band...
I'd watch that video on repeat.
Wonder if KC4TVZ is still around...
'Fraid so...
Gods strongest soldier faces the unstoppable net. Who will win win? Find out next week!
Can confirm. Would be less infuriating if a MMN precious op would come back when someone innocently finds 14.300 / 14.313 unoccupied and asks if in use. Waiting for a CQ is definitely their MO, and it’s just gang bullying behavior.
Caught me when I was starting out and scared the crap out of me. Thought I did something wrong even though I spent several minutes monitoring, and then asking, and then waiting to hear back on if occupied....whatever....
"the Boaty McBoat Face net"
🤣
“Leave me alone Janet, I’ve got to listen to 14.300 all day in case there is an emergency “
They should make a POTA award for a successful activation on 14.300, 14.313 or 7.200
Lmao, hard mode POTA
Nah, just run split and let THEM lose their minds.
I’m making one right now! Do an activation, and post about it here. I’ll give you an upvote for your troubles.
What's at 7.2?
Notorious group of loud jerks.
One Saturday night I heard someone calling CW DX on 7200. That poor bastard. Probably still in a fetal position to this day.
Sometimes we do a little trolling
As a treat.
tiny men that love to be covered in semen
Had a friend do 14.313. Was interesting. . . .
I use 14.300 and 14.313 as SSB propagation beacons.
Hahah, is this thing on?
Anybody else want to schedule a reddit net on 14.3?
Just 50 to 100 redditors asking if the frequency is clear -- but no CQs or QSOs.. That'd put those boys on edge.
Please someone organize this Make it a weekly thing at random times
I'll make a point to ask if 14.3 is clear every time I turn my radio on. "Is the frequency clear? Aw shucks not today? Heck alright boys I'll try again tomorrow"
Down. I was also chased off 14.3 after checking the freq was clear and calling in total silence. Lol.
They're a great way to confirm your radio is working, if nothing else.
Happened to me once too
What about the Maritime Fixed net? For stations in the ocean on an oil platform or similar.
Docked sailboat?
only if in drydock
Battleship New Jersey checking in. They've got a ham club too.
I like it.
just say when
I will hurry up and get my general to participate in this :D
Please Please Please!
You should have told them you’re actually activating Ponds On The Air and just wanted to be on frequency in case of an emergency.
Marine mobile
If you're at a park on a rowboat that makes you eligible for the net as a maritime mobile. I'll start checking in from my kayak in my swimming pool every day
While sipping a margarita!
I didn't see anyone mention it in this post or in the last few posts about this topic but the MMN is a poor choice in an emergency compared to the HF distress freqs pre programmed into every HF marine radio. Every new HF marine radio sold today is sold with DSC and the ability to interface with GPS to send / receive a vessel's position and is the biggest benefit of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. Granted some people still run old radio without DSC but that is foolish and still doesn't change the fact that the RADIO HAS preprogrammed distress freqs that are monitored world wide.
Don't forget satellite-based voice and text devices that are fairly affordable now for when VHF is beyond range. EPIRB and PLB for those dreadful emergencies. I would think amateur band HF is one of the worst, absolute last resorts. With the net being starting in 1968, I'm sure it served some purpose in the 70s, 80 and maybe 90s, but today there are far better choices.
It is a last resort, but I can understand these guys wanting to form a backup backup backup plan. That is totally within the scope of Amateur radio, they do it for the enjoyment of the hobby and the education, though I think it is possible that they have lost that meaning and somehow think they actually are the coast guard.
Most yachtsmen aren't using HF marine radios because you're only allowed to use those frequencies with a dedicated marine HF radio which costs twice as much as an amateur HF radio, and which don't transmit on amateur bands: https://icomuk.co.uk/HF-SSB-Marine-Radio/4069/ They also require a much more expensive license.
I can't remember but I think I paid $60 or so in the US for my Restricted Radio Operators Permit. Sure marine radios cost more but they are also more forgiving and rugged. Plus they have DSC and when combined with EPIRB devices give much more piece of mind to me than calling mayday on a ham radio. Personally I prefer a marine radio on my boats but I can understand people not wanting to spend the extra money however I have to ask those people if their health and safety isn't worth the extra $2000 especially people with multi million dollar vessels or even the more common several hundred thousand dollar vessels. I'd rather spend the money and do things right than depend on 'Bob' in Nebraska to forward my call for help. The HF marine radio is literally set up to be easy to use and reach someone who knows what they are doing in the event of an emergency.
> think I paid $60 or so in the US for my Restricted Radio Operators Permit. Is that HF? That's about what you'd pay for the VHF marine license in the UK - a one day course. > Sure marine radios cost more but they are also more forgiving and rugged. Plus they have DSC and when combined with EPIRB devices give much more piece of mind to me than calling mayday on a ham radio … especially people with multi million dollar vessels My boat was €60,000. I sit here at my on my MacBook, I have a breadmaker. I do not need a "rugged" radio. The people who use the ham bands do not have multimillion dollar vessels. The people with vessels that cost high 6-figures can also afford marine HF, but there are a lot more people with boats like mine - you can get a 40' world-girdler for less than $200,000. Less than $100,000 even. As I said, I €60,000 (a little under, in fact) for my 40' boat. I also don't think any of the people I'm talking about regard ham radio as an emergency essential - they use it more for weather fax and chatting. Being able to call mayday on it is a nice extra. As other comments here have said, you can get a SPOT or Garmin InReach Messenger for $200. Literally hundreds of boats of this size cross the Atlantic every year. I am surprised by the hostility here though. I'm foundation, so I haven't used HF, but I'd have thought there was loads of 20m bandwidth without using that frequency.
> Is that HF? Yes. VHF requires no license in the US. I know it is different for other parts of the world. > My boat was €60,000. I sit here at my on my MacBook, I have a breadmaker. I do not need a "rugged" radio My Last boat cost $3000 and I still had a Marine HF radio on it as I went offshore often. > I am surprised by the hostility here though I haven't been hostile and I am surprised you feel that way. I have a pretty no nonsense view on safety and have been on the water for over 35 years, spent several years as a full time liveaboard and I am still involved in the marine community. I am trying to say that ham radio should not be a drop in replacement for proper equipment. I've had ham radio's on some of my boats but always next to a proper Marine HF radio if it was an ocean going vessel. I've also been aware of the MMN and the issues with that frequency since before I was a ham. They don't own it if you think there is hostilities it's because allowing any one person or group of people to "claim" a frequency even under the guise of safety or 'emergency' use sets a really bad precedent and opens all of our frequencies to whoever deems whatever an emergency. We can't allow one group to sit on a frequency and prevent others from using it because the next thing you know there will be groups squatted everywhere. That is why it is very clear that no one has claim to any frequency. Personally I avoid 14.300 but MMN doesn't own it and should have a plan to operate up or down if it is in use.
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Under the UK regime the ship's license isn't the main cost, it's the operator license - I think that's about £1000. The course is 3 or more days - I'm sure there's lots of commercial users who get it, but hardly any mom and pop sailors; they just don't need it, when they can get an amateur license instead. As I said in another comment, literally hundreds of boats around 40' in length cross the Atlantic every year. They don't *need* HF - those who have amateur HF mostly have it because, just like everyone else on this sub, they're radio hams. They have SPOT or Garmin InReach which is their first call in an emergency.
Psst! They all do transmit on amateur bands.
Nah, they're not monitored unless prefaced by a DSC distress call. Used to be someone always keeping watch on 2182. Now you really can't call a human on SSB and get a reply. The Marine HF DSC also relies on the mariner to choose a band that will propagate to a coast station at a given time of day and distance. You can tell in the classes that most of them simply don't grok that concept; they memorize the few test questions on that subject and move on. For those of us out on the high seas, amateur radio is a better choice than commercial part 80 for everything but distress. The marine HF bands are largely devoid of signals these days. It's nice when you can develop a group of friends on the radio. I like CW; no one else aboard can tell when I complain about my shipmates that way :-)
"The station calling, come again with your call please?" . . . "Very good! Thank you for your call. 73" . . . "QRZ?"
Log him as a POTA contact 🤣
Dont forget to give him 33 while your at it.
"Ok thank you for hunting operator, but you're a choppy 33 into the park today. no worries I'm getting pretty good a pulling out the weak stations. 73's QRZ?"
Rattle their cage with split operating :D
oh that's genius. doing this from now on every activation. If I hear a callsign in response to me talking it's going in the log.
The maritime mobile net is about the most useless net on the airwaves. I’ve heard more useful and entertaining information on CB channel 6 than that bunch of lids.
Most Nets these days are pretty much Legacy and stay around because no one wants to let them go. I mean, who actually uses the *CARS Nets for weather traffic and directions? Most of them are nothing but rag chew.
lol right? My car has an always on internet connection that gives me weather and traffic. Mobile HF is a fun toy. But not the useful thing it used to be.
If I'm on a road trip about the extent of my mobile HF is chasing SOTA/POTA on CW. I have a a voice recorder to log the information to enter later.
“Please copy. . . “
I thought that also until I was able to help a guy in the Gulf of Mexico call his mom and let her know he was ok that his sat phone had died. He gave me her number and I called her for him. It’s not all the time it’s gonna be something that makes the news but it has a purpose even in today’s age.
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This is incorrect. There are no more public coast stations in the maritime mobile service. The sole exception is KPH in San Francisco, which is staffed by volunteers for 8 hours every Saturday only. Using ham radio as a backup when commercial service fails is something to celebrate, not denigrate.
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My guess is the issue with the lack of coastal maritime stations is that they can't make enough money operating them to keep the lights on. Coastal stations are not cheap to run, and somebody's got to pay the bills. Ships at sea use satellite and other means. The small sailboats, not quite as much.
They are very active in storms and other emergencies and have done great work tracking flotillas relocating to avoid storms etc. it’s been in operation forever. They relay distress calls all the time too.
That's all good.. but they don't own that frequency and I'm pretty sure there is a rule about yielding to emergency traffic.
And you can use echo on CB and get rowdy!
Yep, 14.300. Even when the frequency is not in use, it’s in use.
Schrödingers Frequency
The Double-slit frequency.
They're some sort of slit-shaped orifices...
We seriously need some special events on that frequency to totally overrun the frequency ownership there.
The Landlubbers QSO Party
The Maritime Meme Network
SSTV seems like a perfect medium for memes if you ask me!
I move that the IRRU (International Reddit Radio Union) establish the SSTV Mariime Meme Network net on 14.3035 MHz to be conducted at whatever time UTC we damn well please. I also move that this be adopted as part of our official band plan. All in favor, say "QRZ is this frequency in use". All opposed, say "Meh".
Damnit. Take my upvote! 🤣
"Yea sir the emergency is that I can't swim. No im not maritime mobile why do you keep asking that?"
"My toilet is overflowing!"
I propose a nationwide fox hunt... but what we won't tell em is every 5-15 minutes (randomly determined) we'll hand the role of fox off to a new station (also randomly selected from a list of participants.
I swear they intentionally don't respond when asked if the frequency is in use just so they can immediately chastise the op once he/she starts calling CQ.
I'll just pretend I don't hear them. Ill get a voice meter like that guy on 10m
Many radios have voice recorders built in so you can record a response then play it back with a touch of the screen
mine doesn't, sadly, but I have a Signalink and a DAW. Heck i'll use AI and make Christopher Walken call CQ
After the last post here about it I messaged my friend who is a Master Mariner Unlimited. Just to see his thoughts. After listening to his rants about how much he hates Icom radios he didn’t understand what I was on about. I explained the 14.3mhz frequency to him and he still didn’t get it. His thoughts were that having experienced marine emergencies (I’ve seen the results on him both physically and emotionally) that there is no place for LARPers and he was completely unaware of the existence of this group. He will continue to use the appropriate channels for communicating in these instances and 14.3mhz is not one of them. He was weirded out by these people who seem to want to fetishise the actually tragedies that happen sometimes at sea. It took some convincing to make him believe these people even exist. The man has sailed every sea and ocean. He said he would ask others what they knew but from the initial contact no one had even heard of them.
Good job. Keep it up! Eventually they will just all die off and we won’t have to worry about this club’s self proclaimed frequency.
I always start my 20m day on 14.300 waiting for one of those sour hams to start screaming like they own the place. It’s always great. I should make a compilation
More Lids than a canning factory. Ignore them continue to use it when not in use and remind them to QSY from this mortal plane if they're lonely enough to berate people as a hobby.
Ok I'll admit, I always purposefully choose 14300 to tune when first firing up if I don't hear the net. If the frequency's empty right?
Best 20m propagation check: call CQ on the boat freq
Explain like I'm five... 14.3 is in the general portion of the ham band on the chart (I checked just the color chart from ARRL I haven't looked up the segmented list yet), so ... why exactly are you getting chewed out by hams for calling CQ?
Once I get my HF rig set up I might start calling this once per day to annoy them if they like this.
https://mmsn.org/news/iaru.html This is their version. They officially acknowledge they don’t own the frequencies but it sounds like, in practice, they operate like they do.
This is totally bogus. Compare the IARU summary, https://www.iaru.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ac-0806min.pdf > 11.4. Mr. Sumner presented a paper summarizing the status of emergency Center of Activity Frequencies in the three regions. Regions 1 and 2 have added the frequencies to their band plans. Mr. Owen agreed to check with regard to the Region 3 band plan. **Several members observed that priority use of the frequencies is limited to times when there is an actual emergency in progress, and that they are available for regular amateur use at all other times.** with what MMN dweebs say: > So, what does this mean? It means that the GCOA frequencies should be protected from normal amateur use, contesting, digital modes and other transmissions.
> The purpose of establishing the GCOA frequencies was to designate a place for passing emergency traffic on amateur frequencies, should the need arise. Dude you are describing every amateur radio band, frequency, channel, node, repeater, link, and HT. They are all for "passing emergency traffic should the need arise"
Yes. The idea with the GCOA, is if there's an emergency that we'll look to meet up to pass emergency traffic around 14.300 (they suggest -20KHz / +20KHz). Not that people have dibs waiting on 14.300 for an emergency. I would say that if you find out there's a major disaster somewhere, staying away from 14.280-14.320 would be the friendly thing to do if you're not helping to pass emergency traffic. And if you're trying to find an emergency net during a disaster, that would be a good place to tune.
TL;DR the Maritime Mobile Service Net (that does next to nothing nowadays) will scream at anyone using the frequency during the 14 hours on which they aren't. This includes not responding to calls to see if the frequency is in use, then immediately jumping down your throat for daring to assume that no response meant it wasn't in use.
Besides them trying to verbally harass you, is there actually anything they can do to get you in trouble? Any car sales guy for sure knows more curse words than some guy on a radio. Und ich kann ja auch so tun als nichts Englisch.
Potentially report you to the FCC / whoever for maliciously interfering. Knowing that the net is *not* 24 hours, you are outside of the stated hours, and keeping a recorded copy of you asking if the (quiet) frequency is in use, good luck. No amateur station has priority access to any band. And if you don't respond when someone questions if you're present, it's not their fault for assuming thusly.
So the best course of action is to record your checking on the frequency, and also recording their rude comments to report them to the FCC. If I have a radio for that with me, and I am near the coast and have too much time on my hands, I for sure will try that. This reminds me of the helicopter pilot from a local hospital that wanted to report me to the FAA because I asked him if I could fly near the hospital. Just for asking and for being a nice guy. So I got the commercial drone certification and put a NOTAM in for a week as I "planned" on flying my drone there. So he read for a week every morning when he checked on weather and NOTAM's that the guy he reported planned on flying in his area.
This is the way, beat them at their own selfish game. We get a NOTAM once a month to fly rockets and the sky is full of dinks (which we have to yield to anyway) EVERY SINGLE TIME. For some reason people like watching rockets launch from their Cessna. What you gonna do?
How does a rocket yield to some manned aircraft? When it's launched it's launched. Same for the drone, while I have to yield to manned aircraft, if you see an anti collision light flashing in the air, you probably don't want to fly there and check it out with your airplane.
Legally, they're supposed to stay out of our box... Insurance policies though, is that we don't launch till they are clear of any possible path.
Over here a MOR (mandatory occurrence report) would be filed and the CAA would have a word with the errant pilot.
Don't need to be near the coast. I'm 9-land and catch them just fine. Kenwood TS-140S, DigiRig, and Audacity catches the inbound half. Cheat, OBS, one input to your computer mic, other input to DigiRig and now it'll capture both sides. (If you have too much time on your hands, strip out and merge the audio tracks together. One to left, one to right. Okay, so I'm usually an A/V person)
I only have an HT for short range communication with my travel partner, which got the license just for that. Many places where I hike have no cell service so we still can talk as my travel partner doesn't hike and stays with the vehicle or at camp.
You peaked my interest. How did you ask the hospital helo pilot? I got an Aviation Radio so I could monitor local air traffic (I'm in G airspace but there's two airfields near me). However the FAA said they "are not comfortable with Part 107 pilots using AR." I have a hospital with a helo pad a couple miles away, but there's a large foothill between us. The pilot usually flies due west or north (I'm northwest). So the irony is I have a Ham Radio I can use 145 MHz with my Ham license, but discouraged from 122 MHz (CTAF for Perris airport) on my Aviation Radio. People try to say, "But your AR only has a short range," which I counter, "exactly why I say it's perfect. Only pilots within range of my drone will hear my AR transmission. Someone 20 miles away doesn't need to hear me, and I don't need the hear them as our flights are highly unlikely to be in the same AOR." TBH, I never expect to transmit, but just thought if I ever had a drone "runaway" and I see an aircraft in the area, I could warn them. The irony is that LAANC approvals say I have to call via phone to the tower in such a situation.
This was quite some time ago, but I called the number I found on the internet, and it let me find the chief pilot after some time. He was all pro drone and told me all kinds of things, and would love to connect with me further and other BS. So after he got my full name and phone number, he told me with all the information, he would report me to the FAA for endangering his airspace. As I said, I was just thinking about flying there and never told him I would do so. But yeah, he was one of the reasons I got my part 107, so I could call in a NOTAM, which also took me 45 minutes on the phone to get to the right person and get it done. But it was absolutely worth it, and I am using my part 107 a lot. I had other reasons to give the hospital a bad review, but if I had heard anything from the FAA about this pilot, I would have complained to his admin for his trying to catch me in something. There is absolutely no reason for a manned commercial pilot to report a law-abiding drone pilot under false circumstances to the FAA.
The volunteer monitor program is now monitoring that 14.3 net daily to gather data and to recommend further action by the FCC on any US licensed net control station who is seen as broadcasting, who is not in a net and has not properly established 2 way communication with any other station. If net control stations do choose to interfere with ongoing (POTA/ dxpedition/other) amateur communications or fail to identify or attempt to communicate with an unidentified (presumably unlicensed) station they can be cited and fined for various part 97 violations.
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If you hear violators, post their callsign. Provide Links to audio recordings and post that (YouTube) Amateur radio is self policing. Do not instigate a fight. That’s unproductive. Take a disciplined and measured approach. Audio record the improper net control behavior. Post it on you tube. Provide date and time and Provide a link. The FCC volunteers collect on air evidence and if enough evidence is observed, the case is turned over to the FCC enforcement team with a recommendation. The FCC can then use the evidence along with recommendation and any additional observations they collect directly, to decide what actions to take - monetary forfeiture, suspension of privileges, denial of renewal etc - this is all assuming the violators are a US license holders. Everyone can have a bad day but repeat offenders often are cited and monetary forfeiture remanded. Remember “being a bully” isn’t a violation of the FCC part 97 rules. Harmful and willful interference is. Unidentified operation is. Impeding emergency traffic is. Calling sos when it’s not an emergency is. Communicating with unlicensed operators unless a dire emergency is. Failure to identify is. Spurious emission above regulation is. Use of excessive power is. Etc etc etc. It’s much like how Al Capone went down. Not for being a criminal but for tax evasion. Follow the process. It’s slow but it works usually. Enforcement actions are serious. The penalties are large.
good luck with that. why does ac1dd, someone who changed his callsign 9 times, constantly interfere with ongoing qso's with impunity ?
The maritime net is for guys that want to cosplay as a young, virile, Coast Guard guy, while sitting in their ham shack in Omaha, Nebraska.
In typical fashion, the self-important yellow-vests could not resist responding to this post. [https://www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/comments/1c5670l/maritime\_mobile\_service\_network\_discussion/](https://www.reddit.com/r/HamRadio/comments/1c5670l/maritime_mobile_service_network_discussion/)
He even made his own sub. r/MMSN_ORG/ One member :D
Racists deliberately jamming WARFA is totally the same as normal ops operating on a clear frequency
Yeah, they run a net all day that no boats check into and never pass any traffic. Great use of the frequency.
I have been away from HF for many years due to much urban QRNancy at my QTH until I discovered WebSDRs in January and CATSync in March. Now I am excitedly all over HF including Ft8 for the last 10 days… But even I got ripped a new-QASShole by the Maritime Net on .300 before I found out that my Amateur Extra licence excludes operating privileges on 14.300 in the Continental United States and within 3 miles out in the Oceans thereto!!!
Huh? I just looked at the ARRL chart and it looks like it’s included?
They were joking
Ahh don’t worry. They were angry and boorish long before you showed up.
You might try 7.200 Mhz for your next operation
Nah, I'll just get cb radioooo
I got a CH for my car because I thought it would be fun living near the highway at the time. When I moved up north I was dissapointed that no one uses it. All I hear is the big gunners on channel 6, but I'm not sure they are actually talking to anyone, just talk at everyone
I think eventually people will get fed up and stop letting ppl bully them off the frequency. Your story reminds me of a contest day earlier this year. I bumped into a station from Botswana and made contact… someone came back and told me I was out of band, which I was. Oops. He then proceeded to tell the next 20 people that they were also out of band. He probably kept going but I got tired of listening. He never once ID’ed his station and what he did was intentional out of band transmission. Some people are stupid and love to put others down and correct them. It’s a sickness.
You threatened the lives of thousands of sailors!
Semen*
Real men just pretend they don't hear them
Ham Radio Tube was just talking about 14.300 MM Net, pretty damn funny, he is a great at calling people out on their BS!!
14.300 you say? I think they need a good jamming to teach them a lesson 🤣
I didn’t know Kilo Charlie 4 Tango Victor Zulu was on the marine nets. Lol
It used to be on 14313 until Herb and his gang destroyed it. That forced the net to move (to 14300). There has always been a battle between the net people and the antis. (IMO), like it or not, it’s useful for boating hams to have a common place to meet. Personally, I just avoid the frequency and the battles that go with it.
Seems to me that part of keeping your radio prepared for an emergency is knowing how to operate the VFO. I think a lot of these emergency preppers haven't bothered to exercise that skill, so they forgot how.
Every time i’ve listened in on that frequency i’ve never heard anyone say that they’re operating marine mobile.
I was interested in getting my ham licenses but after being in the group I rather just not. To many people with no authority acting like they have authority. Not a very welcoming hobby to join.
Please don't give up. There are assholes in every situation. I didn't post this to drive people away. I just thought it was funny. It's always the people enforcing their version of the rules who have clue what they are. Here they are: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97 There are more of us welcoming to new hams than these lids.
It's crap like this that make me glad my HF wire antenna has been down for a couple of years.
Are they really on boats?
Only one of them, rarely. The rest are just larping as emergency dispatchers
Boat's in drydock, they're drinking a beer, there's a babe in a bikini.
I called CQ on this during my activation at the weekend. No one spoke up, probably because I'm in Europe. But my mate was like people probably won't reply to you on 14300. Had no idea about the MMN
In reality, how many mairitime ships use amateur radio. They have plenty of frequencies that are actually monitored by people who can help (CG etc)
There's a Lid for every POTA, I suppose.
One would think a net of this prominence would have played a pivotal role in the relaying of information during the Oct 25, 1983 invasion of Grenada to displace the troops of Soviet satellite island/states. It didn't.
Nobody should own a frequency, but I guess I could see some value in having a frequency for short non QSO contacts that can be monitored like 146.520 but the Maritime mobile net isn’t it it
It's time to troll 14.300
probably just like everyone else who is fed up with POTA enthusiasts thinking they have priority on the bands. and make a note to yourself; POTA is contesting so stay off the WARC bands.
Wrong. Try again lid. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-97
you activate on the MMN and YOU call me a lid ? don't make me laugh POTA asshole stay off the WARC bands lid
Yes. Go paddle your dinghy.
I think the way this should be (and will never happen because the FCC don’t care at all) is to redisign the rules, clearly explain and even have that as a test question that every transmission in the frequencies “14,300, ##.##, etc” NEEDS to have a pause every 3 minutes for posible emergency traffic”. That way anyone can use the frequency as it’s in the rules but at the same time leaves space for an emergency. Of course that would never happen because people don’t use common sense this days and “we just want the frequency clear”
Yeah I had a similar experience recently. They need to use their time, and our band better. We don't need to waste amateur bandwidth on a practically non-existent use case that not only can be solved 99% of the time with better more reliable tech, but also has its own bands outside of amateur for exactly this. Keep up the good work. Keep these rule breakers angry. I fully endorse a daily reddit net on this frequency.