VHF Radio Use: What Happens If You Lose Contact with the Coast Guard

Making a mayday call with a vhf radio is a pretty easy task, especially if you live in the United States where, unlike Canada, England and the British Isles, there are no licensing requirements.

You turn on your vhf radio, choose maximum power output (five watts for a handheld vhf radio) so that your broadcast reaches far and and wide. Then press the push-to-talk button, known in the jargon of radio use as the PTT. You repeat mayday a couple of times, state your location and your problem and what kind of boat you're in. Then you release the PTT and wait for someone to respond. If no one does, you repeat your mayday call until someone responds..

But sometimes mayday calls become a lot more complex and involved than stating where and what you are, and what your problem is. Many times the Coast Guard watchstander who answers your call will issue a pan-pan call in return, especially if they lose contact with you because your boat has finally sunk, you lose radio battery power, or swell and waves interfere with your signal. A pan-pan call (pronounced "pon-pon") is likewise a pretty straightforward call. A pan-pan issued by the Coast Guard asks all area boaters to be on the lookout for us, and to contact the Coast Guard if they can see us.

Here's an example of a mayday evolving into a pan-pan at Virginia's Hampton Roads off False Cape. A boater is sinking. He contacts the Coast Guard with his vhf radio, making a mayday call. He doesn't have a gps, but he goes have an EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon). After the Coast Guard watchstander loses contact with the guy, the watchstander issues a pan-pan call.

Let's listen in:
Mayday to pan-pan

There's a flip side to pan-pan calls. If your vhf radio is turned on and you overhear a mayday call that the Coast Guard is having trouble responding to, you can break in on the call if you have the distressed boat in sight. Likewise you can respond to the Coast Guard's pan-pan call if you see who they're looking for.

That's the beauty of the vhf radio in general, and channel 16 in particular. The vhf radio airwaves are the ultimate party line. Anyone whose radio is on can hear everything said on the airwaves. Not only do we overhear mundane prosaic communications concerning the availability of moorings, sailing yachts calling local race committees, and lobstermen gossiping, we also overhear clear and urgent calls for help. Make one of those calls yourself and you can be assured that others are listening.