Safety

VHF Radios, Beacons and Satellite Messengers

by Akayak Editors

Your communications choices depend on where you paddle and how a device reaches help. A marine very high frequency (VHF) radio communicates directly with nearby radios; a personal locator beacon (PLB) sends a satellite distress alert; a satellite messenger’s functions depend on its equipment and service.123

This page summarizes published safety guidance. It is not a substitute for instruction, and conditions on your water may differ. Check the current rules for the state and water you paddle.

Key Takeaways

  • Coast Guard monitoring does not guarantee reception from your location. Navigation Center’s Rescue 21 maps show predicted coverage under stated antenna and line-of-sight assumptions.4
  • Under 47 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §80.13(c), your ship station (the radio station aboard your boat) is licensed by rule and needs no individual Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license if the station is not subject to the radio equipment carriage requirements of any statute, treaty or agreement to which the United States is signatory, does not travel to foreign ports and makes no international communications.5
  • On page 85, the joint Coast Guard Auxiliary/American Canoe Association (ACA) 2023 guide recommends a waterproof marine VHF radio, or a portable VHF in a clear plastic waterproof bag, in coastal waters. A separate item on the same list is a cellphone in a waterproof container as backup.6

How VHF Radios, Beacons, and Satellite Messengers Compare

DeviceHow it reaches helpWhat it needs from you first
Marine VHF radioVoice directly to nearby vessels or shore stations within reception rangeA suitable radio; digital selective calling (DSC) needs a programmed Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI)
406 megahertz PLBManually activated distress alert through Cospas-Sarsat satellites to rescue authoritiesOwner registration; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database is for U.S.-coded beacons
ZOLEO satellite communicator exampleMessages through the Iridium network; SOS alert to an emergency response coordination centerActivated airtime service and clear sky visibility; the connected app enables two-way messaging

Sources: U.S. Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Task Force and Navigation Center for VHF/DSC; NOAA for PLBs; ZOLEO’s user manual and safety guide for its communicator. The messenger row describes that product, not every messenger.172839

Do You Need an FCC License for a Handheld VHF Radio?

Under FCC §80.13(c), your ship station is licensed by rule and needs no individual FCC license if the station is not subject to the radio equipment carriage requirements of any statute, treaty or agreement to which the United States is signatory, does not travel to foreign ports and makes no international communications. The authorization covers marine VHF in the 156–162 megahertz band, Automatic Identification System (AIS) equipment, emergency position-indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) and radar; other transmissions need a ship-station license. The operating rules still apply.5

Navigation Center says vessels not required to carry a radio that remain in U.S. waters do not need an FCC ship-station license. It also says foreign-port trips, including Canada or Mexico, require a station license and an operator permit. The three conditions above remain relevant on border waters.7

Channel 16: Where the Coast Guard Listens

The U.S. GMDSS Task Force’s bulletin describes continuous Coast Guard coastal monitoring of voice Channel 16 and the intention to continue indefinitely. Nearby boats receive your radio transmission directly, rather than through Rescue 21. Whether a station receives your call depends on reception conditions and coverage; consult Navigation Center’s predicted coverage maps for your route.14

FCC §80.310 applies while the vessel is underway and the radio is not being used to communicate. For a voluntarily equipped vessel without DSC, its VHF watch is Channel 16 (156.800 megahertz); a noncommercial vessel may use Channel 9 instead for call and reply purposes. A voluntary vessel with VHF-DSC must watch Channel 70 or listen to Channel 16. The rule also contains watch provisions for other radio systems; these are its marine VHF distinctions.10

For ordinary marine VHF ship transmitters in the 156–162 megahertz band, §80.215(e)(1) sets a 25-watt maximum. Footnote 6 requires the transmitter’s power to be reducible to 1 watt or less, except transmitters limited to public-correspondence channels in an automated system.11

Busy Ports

The guide to sharing water with large vessels covers the traffic decisions around ports.

The Task Force bulletin says large ships also monitor Channel 13 for ship-to-ship safety communication. If you cannot hail a large ship on Channel 16 in a safety situation, it says you may call on Channel 13 or make an all-ships DSC call.1

DSC Radios and Your MMSI Number

A DSC radio sends a digital distress alert on Channel 70 with your vessel identity; a connected Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver supplies position too. The Task Force bulletin explains those functions and the need for an MMSI, the nine-digit vessel identity.17

Navigation Center lists BoatUS, United States Power Squadrons and Shine Micro as approved providers for vessels not required to carry a radio that remain in U.S. waters. A voluntary FCC ship-station license is another route. Sea Tow no longer registers MMSIs; its accounts transferred to United States Power Squadrons.7

The MMSI belongs with the vessel, not the user. Radios dedicated to one vessel share it, with exceptions for VHF handhelds not dedicated to that vessel and AIS search-and-rescue transmitters.7

Personal Locator Beacons and Registration

NOAA describes a PLB as a portable device you activate manually to send a 406 megahertz distress signal through the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system to search-and-rescue authorities. SARSAT stands for Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking. This is a distress alert, rather than the ordinary conversation a radio or messenger supports.212

NOAA requires registration of U.S.-coded beacons, updates when information changes and renewal every two years; registration is free. FCC §95.2905 separately requires PLB owners to register with NOAA and report ownership or registration-information changes. Section 95.2987 concerns certification of the transmitter type and its programmed unique identification code; it is not a personal certification for you.8121314

Satellite Messenger Example: ZOLEO

ZOLEO’s user manual (PDF metadata February 2023) describes app-based two-way messages through Iridium when internet coverage is unavailable. The device can send check-ins and SOS alerts without the app; the connected app lets you read and answer the emergency response coordination center. Its safety guide requires an active airtime subscription for messages, including SOS. The manual calls for clear sky visibility and says suspension or cancellation disables satellite communication and SOS. The safety guide warns that connections cannot be guaranteed in every condition.39

How the Float Plan Form Lists Phones, VHF and Beacons

The float plan guide covers the information to leave with your shore contact.

The Auxiliary’s USCG Float Plan Version 10.2, with visible copyright 2015, records radio call sign, DSC identity, cell or satellite device and emergency beacon. These are equipment fields, not a prescription for device priority.15

ACA Equipment Guidance and Coast Guard Auxiliary Recommendations

The American Canoe Association’s Smart Start Chapter 1 discusses equipment on pages 24–25 (PDF metadata May 12, 2026). It lists a pea-less whistle attached to your life jacket, a headlamp, a phone in a waterproof pouch, first-aid supplies, water, snacks and dry clothing. It also discusses dry bags, lights and visual distress signals.16

Page 25 describes sponges, bilge pumps or buckets as choices for removing water. Page 27 asks you to dress for the water temperature rather than just the air, and page 30 places a life jacket over either suit.16

The joint 2023 Auxiliary/ACA guide’s sample equipment checklist on page 44 includes marine radio, PLB and phone in a protective bag, and says to tailor it to your craft, venue and skills. Its page 76 open-water recommendations list marine radio, cellphone and PLB options. On page 85, its list of other equipment recommends a waterproof marine VHF radio, or a portable VHF in a clear plastic waterproof bag, in coastal waters. A separate item on the same list is a cellphone in a waterproof container as backup.6

Selected Federal Equipment Requirements

For ordinary recreational canoes and kayaks, Coast Guard regulations in 33 CFR Part 175 require a wearable approved life jacket per person, subject to exceptions including racing craft and sailboards. Required jackets must be readily accessible, serviceable, of the appropriate size and fit, and used under approval-label and referenced manual conditions. The under-13 wear rule applies while underway except below decks or in an enclosed cabin; an applicable state child-wear statute replaces it on waters under that state’s jurisdiction.17

On waters governed by the Inland Navigation Rules, vessels under 39.4 feet (12 m) that lack the specified sound appliances must have another means of making an efficient sound signal. At sunset–sunrise, a vessel under oars that does not show sailing-vessel lights must show an all-round white light or have a white torch or lantern ready to exhibit in time to prevent collision. Manually propelled boats also need night visual distress signals at sunset–sunrise on waters covered by Part 175 Subpart C, including U.S. Great Lakes waters, territorial seas and defined connected coastal waters.1817

The required safety gear guide separates federal requirements from additional equipment; the safety hub links the other trip-planning guides.

Footnotes

  1. https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/gmdss/taskForce/RVIB_3_022023.pdf (U.S. GMDSS Task Force; filename indicates February 2023, no printed issue date; pp. 1–3; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  2. https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/emergency-406-beacons/ (NOAA, 406 MHz Emergency Distress Beacons; undated; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. https://support.zoleo.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/42175973592980 (ZOLEO Global Satellite Communicator User Manual; PDF metadata February 28, 2023; pp. 5, 10–11, 13–16, 25; accessed October 3, 2026.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/rescue-21-distress-system-coverage (Coast Guard Navigation Center; revised December 16, 2025; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  5. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-80/subpart-B/section-80.13 (FCC, 47 CFR 80.13; eCFR title 47 version October 1, 2026; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  6. https://edept.cgaux.org/pdf/PaddlersGuideSafety042023.pdf (Coast Guard Auxiliary with the ACA, A Paddler’s Guide to Safety, 2023; pp. 44, 76, 85; accessed September 19, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  7. https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mmsis-for-recreational-vessels (U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center; undated; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  8. https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/register-your-beacon/ (NOAA SARSAT, Register Your Beacon; undated; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  9. https://support.zoleo.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/42176007473300 (ZOLEO Product Safety, Regulatory and Warranty Information Guide; copyright 2023, warranty section dated April 2023; p. 2; accessed October 3, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  10. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-80/subpart-G/section-80.310 (FCC, VHF watch conditions; eCFR October 1, 2026 version; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩

  11. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-80/subpart-E/section-80.215 (FCC, §80.215(e)(1), footnote 6; eCFR October 1, 2026 version; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩

  12. https://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/faqs/ (NOAA SARSAT, Frequently Asked Questions; undated; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  13. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-K/section-95.2905 (FCC, PLB registration; eCFR October 1, 2026 version; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩

  14. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-95/subpart-K/section-95.2987 (FCC, transmitter-type certification; eCFR October 1, 2026 version; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩

  15. https://floatplancentral.cgaux.org/download/USCGFloatPlan.pdf (Coast Guard Auxiliary, USCG Float Plan Version 10.2; visible copyright 2015; p. 1; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩

  16. https://americancanoe.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Smart-Start-Chapter-1-Smart-Gear.pdf (American Canoe Association; PDF metadata May 12, 2026; accessed September 19, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  17. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-S/part-175 (Coast Guard regulations, §§175.11, 175.15–175.25, 175.101–175.115; eCFR October 1, 2026 version; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩ ↩2

  18. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-33/chapter-I/subchapter-E/part-83 (Inland Navigation Rules, §§83.01, 83.20, 83.25(d)(ii), 83.33(b); eCFR October 1, 2026 version; accessed October 2, 2026.) ↩