FCC license renewal

[moctrams]

My ships radio license expires in July of 2016. I received a reminder to renew. I went on-line to renew and the fee is $215.00. Is this correct? It did not cost that much for the initial license.

[Jim Walsh]

I don't know if this is relevant to you but I found this on their website.

License Renewals
If you operate a marine VHF radio, radar, or EPIRBs aboard a voluntary ship operating domestically, you are not required to renew your current license. Although a license is no longer required for these ships, you may still renew your license and retain your call sign.
The FCC will send you a Renewal Reminder Notice approximately 120 days prior to the expiration date of your license. You must submit FCC Form 605 along with the proper payment to renew your license.
If you send an application for renewal before your current license expires, you may continue to operate until the FCC acts on your application. You do not need a temporary permit but you should keep a copy of the renewal application you send the FCC.
You must stop transmitting as soon as your license expires, unless you have already sent your renewal application to the FCC.

You may want to contact them to clarify if you need to renew, especially if you don't go foreign.

[bottomscraper]

Is this correct?

Yup. Truthfully you only really need it if you have Marine SSB.

If you want long range communications a Ham licence is only about $15! You do need to pass the tests but morse code is no longer required. You would need at least a general to cover HF bands.

http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed

[Capt Hook]

I'm only finished my third lesson of a ham radio course that I'm taking, not to become a ham, but to learn more about the HF radio that was on the boat when I bought it. The PO was a ham. But from the digging I've been doing and the instructor has done, it appear's that the ship's license (maybe not the correct terminology) is no longer good after the sale. I would have to apply for a license to use the HF on the boat. It sounds like the $215 is correct. It seems to be a combination of two fees that add up to $215. I think there are two FCC forms I would have to submit.

But apparently the ham license does NOT allow you to transmit on the "marine frequencies." I'm not clear on what HF frequencies the ham license authorizes you to use and which HF frequencies are the marine frequencies.

[bottomscraper]

But apparently the ham license does NOT allow you to transmit on the "marine frequencies."

This is true. It all depends on who you want to talk with! Ideally you would have both but with the way we use our boat I haven't felt the need for Marine SSB.

This link shows the Ham bands: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulato ... _color.pdf

This site will give you some good info on the Marine SSB bands: https://www.latitude38.com/features/SSB.html

Ham frequency 14.300 MHZ is monitored 24/7 http://14300.net/ (check out other links on that page)

There are nets on both Marine SSB and Ham.

Dock Side Radio has lists of both Ham and Marine SSB nets: http://www.docksideradio.com/Cruising%20Nets.htm

[Capt Hook]

But apparently the ham license does NOT allow you to transmit on the "marine frequencies."

This is true. It all depends on who you want to talk with! Ideally you would have both but with the way we use our boat I haven't felt the need for Marine SSB.

This link shows the Ham bands: http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Regulato ... _color.pdf

This site will give you some good info on the Marine SSB bands: https://www.latitude38.com/features/SSB.html

Ham frequency 14.300 MHZ is monitored 24/7 http://14300.net/ (check out other links on that page)

There are nets on both Marine SSB and Ham.

Dock Side Radio has lists of both Ham and Marine SSB nets: http://www.docksideradio.com/Cruising%20Nets.htm

Thanks for the info. Some good links there.

Confirmed the $215 for ten years for the ship license.

[robryan]

I just went through this. I am a ham with a general lic. and had my IC-7100 opened up to the marine channels. then talked and read many articles and decided I was not going to go this route. I wind up getting the 2 licenses and bought a Icom M802 Marine radio to put on the boat. Reason is again as a Ham not legal to broadcast on marine channels. So I want to meet some boaters who have SSB not allowed to talk to them and unless they have a ham lic they can not talk to me. make it much better and legal for them and me to communicate with the marine SSb people on the marine bands (using the boats call sign) plus if some other people are on the boat and need to communicate they can. I can still use the Ham bands with my Ham call sign to talk to other Hams. Best of both worlds in my opinion

I am putting the IC-7100 in a jeep as a mobile. of course as a Ham radio having nothing to do with marine.