Joe Coons
First, important FCC news (with a nod to Jay Vermeulen who brushed up my details): According to a bulletin from them dated April, 1996, "Until further notice from the FCC, you do not need a (ship's transmitter) license to operate certain radio equipment on board recreational vessels operating domestically." The underlined key words EXCLUDE the following boats from the no-license operations: ships carrying more than six passengers for hire, power vessels over 20 meters in length, commercial fishing vessels required by the Coast Guard to carry emergency radio equipment, and vessels which travel to foreign ports or transmit to foreign stations [this last provision thus requires virtually all Bellingham boats to have a license, since everyone goes to Canada, and uses their transmitters there].
Vessels not excluded still have to have a license, and as noted above, that includes most of us Canada-cruisers. The amount of the fee, if any, is unmentioned in the release; if I were to apply during this interim period, I would apply without paying any fee, making a copy of my filing to keep on my boat, and see what the FCC does with my application.
If you have questions, call the FCC at (800) 322-1117, press "2" then "1".
An interesting article appeared in the December, 1995, Boating World magazine. Called "None like It Hot", it dealt with the subject of fire, a subject that all of us need to think about regularly as we go about the routine operation and care of our vessels.
We all know about the need for proper extinguishers, and careful control of flammable and/or volatile products on our boat. The article reminded us of the steps to fire avoidance: (1) Identify potential fire areas (usually the galley and engine areas); (2) Determine the kind of fire potential by "class" of fire ("A"- "Ash-leaving" fires that can be extinguished with water; "B"-"Boils, rhymes with oils" fires that spread when water is added; "C" - "Current" fires that involve electricity; and "D" = "Damn" fires that involve burning metals (such as magnesium) that are virtually inextinguishable; (3) Determine the best way to deal with each kind.
For most boaters, the use of Halon, CO2, or the newer Halon substitutes are the best extinguishers to have on board. It's far better, of course, to have too many extinguishers than too few, and it seems to me every boat should have an automatic one in the engine area, plus another in the galley and each sleeping area. They should be accessible quickly! Mount them on their brackets ready for quick use. And read the instructions once in a while, before there is a fire.
One last thing: Smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors are now cheap insurance. I recently bought two home smoke detectors and put one in each stateroom, and a CO detector for my salon. I'd much rather be awakened by an alarm than never wake up at all. All three cost less than a good dinner for two with tip. I bought mine at a discount store in one of the malls.
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Last updated 9/12/97 by SCR