[Ares-races] VHF Marine Band question

[Rick Abbott]

Hello,

Our group just picked up a used VHF Marine Radio. I was going to get this up
and running in our club station which is our backup EOC. The intent was that
we could possibly assist in any emergency that happens on the water. We are
on the Wisconsin River and there are numerous recreational lakes in the
county. I know you do not need a FCC license for VHF Marine but the rules
say you cannot xmit when boat is on land. So then I read more of the rules
and am confused. They mention coastal stations and other public land
stations and these seem to require a license. I wonder if we could still
utilize this radio on land but only in emergency situations, kind of like
the any frequency anywhere is ok in emergency (damage to life or property
threatening of course). Can anyone shed some light on this? Any other ARES
units doing a similar thing?



Rick Abbott-WX9M
Emergency Coordinator
Portage County
Wisconsin ARES/RACES
wx9m@charter.net