Quinte Fishing

Hello again gang! Question, does anyone know if you need a liscence to get a VHF radio in the boat in Ontario or Canada for that matter:?: I'm just curious as I was mentioning I was thinking of putting one in with guys in another "forum" and one gent was pretty sure he heard you need a liscence here. I'd like to put one in my next boat. This will be the look on my wife's face I'm sure but hey, you only live once At least that's what she tells me when it's time to redo the rec room, redo the paint in the house...and so on and so on!...Thanks

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WIG

Well I installed one in my boat last year for emergencies & to listen to the charter boats while salmon fishing on Lake Ontario & was told that I DO NOT need a licence to listen or to use it for emergencies....if I just wanted to chit chat to other boaters, then YES I would need a licence........ ...Brampton Mike

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If I can't hunt & fish in heaven, then I don't want to go!!!!

Thanks for the replies guys....WIG

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WIG

Wall-I-Guy, I have a VHF in my 165 Legend. Got it installed when I bought the boat in 1993 because I was fishing Lake Ontario for salmon and wanted some protection for safety reasons plus I wanted to hear how the charters were doing. I took the VHF courses for the license. Subsequently, about 1999, I was advised that I did NOT need to renew my license as the requirement had been dropped for recreational use.

Barry

Hey Barry, thanks a lot for that info ...The reading I've done, thanks to "guest" whoever that was, hasn't been very clear. You do, you might, only if you don't leave Canada/U.S waters .

Your "first hand" info clears it up nicely..Thanks again.......WIG

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WIG

The radio station licence has been dropped but you still need a radio opperators licence. Your locall power squadron can help you out with the licence and after all whats the sense in having the radio if you can't or don't know how to use it.

Tell the wife its for safety as some of the guys found out just how windy the bay can get in november, rumour has it there were some prairs said on the bay this fall.

And you can tell her that its not just for you, when you have your radio you become part of a rescue system to help yourself and others.

I refuse to get another f-------- license. Whats to know about VHF anyway. Stay off of ch16 and don't talk like an idiot. That requires a license??? What's next , a license to breath. I think it shoud be mandatory to have one on your boat and to hell with the license. Go ahead and communicate on 16 and see how long before Prescott Coastgard tells you to get off 16 and thats all you need to know. PWT require an operational VHF on your boat or you don't leave the dock until it's working. Typical Canada move. Tell people you want them to be safe and them tell them your #1 safety item requires a license if you want to use it casually.

From your post we can tell you don't know how to opperate your radio, at least read a manual will ya.

The coarse for the radio licence takes one or two nights and gets you a lifetime licence for around $30.

I think the fine for using the radio without a licence is over $1000, and they can tell if you have one. The feds don't wan't vhf to go the way of CB. If you don't want to organize with the rest of us get yourself a CB, no licence required.

You should be monitoring 16 whenever possible.

I did the course and have an operator's license. After paying the annual fee for a couple of years I received a letter from the govt saying there was no longer a fee and one did not need an operator's license to use a VHF. Has that changed, does one need an operator's license to use a VHF on a recreational boat?

Now I am going to be politically incorrect and wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Actually Polliwog, I don't have one READ THE POST will ya!

As for the othere tips, thanks again guys, appreciate it...WIG

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WIG

Just a note from experience. I too took the operators' course and taught the boating course for the Power squadron. You still require a operator's license. I feel that for safety reasons get a radio and use it for the weather or listen for navigational hazards on the Trenton coast guard channel. There is also a weather channel too. Channel 16 is only to be used to redirect a caller to another channel where you can continue to converse. I don't believe anyone has been fined for operating a radio without a license unless they continued to interfere with an emergency call to or from the coast guard on 16. Taking the course like anything else is a good learning tool. But as the other post emplied, gov't regs are sometimes a safety hinderance(sp. ?). Our orange PFDs only in Canada was a good example. US didn't care what color it was as long as you had one on. Hey at least you could find the body sometime. All food for thought.

Cottager, what channel does Trenton come in on?

Thx....Barry

Some of my other PWT buddies who also probably don't know how to operate their VHF's got a U.S. medal of honour for saving 3 guys lives on Lake Erie in 2000. Radio communication was the key. I am a nonconformist and always will be. Whenever the Canadian government tells me to do something one way I will always question it. Reason...... because it's my RIGHT to do so.

I rarely use my radio to tell everyone how many fish I have BOXED or that I am fishing near "the trianlge "AD NUASIUM!! but I'll be damned if I'll be told whether I can have one in my boat without another money grab of a license. The common thread among winners that I have read about or listened to is that they all question authority and break lots of rules. I plan on being a winner in this life.
On the topic of safety , you would be glad you were in a boat with a guy like me when the going gets ugly on the great lakes and the last concern on your mind would be whether or not I was a licensed radio operator. I know a couple of things about safe operation of a boat in REAL 10 foot waves that they don't teach in some two bit 2 night course. It's called real experience.

They monitor 16 and I think it's 78 for the weather or 83. I know their operation for local boaters are usually only between May to October. I rely on my scanning feature to pick up on the local channels. Trento does cover most of the water from the St Lawrence to Western Lake Ontario.