In order to transmit with a marine radio, you press a transmit button (key) on a hand-held mouthpiece, or if using a hand-held devise you press a key on the side of a portable radio. A keyed mic can occur when a boater heedlessly puts aside an unsecured mic or portable radio and it works its way into a position where the mic key becomes jammed, like between a sit cushion and a bulkhead. With the key pressed down, it can override or block out other transmissions on the channel (frequency) in use such as Channel 16, the international distress frequency.

A keyed marine radio mic locked on VHF-FM Channel 16, could shut down radio outreach for miles around, making it nearly impossible to transmit or receive Channel 16 emergency radio traffic. Certainly, the Coast Guard will not hear a vessel with a weaker transmitter than the keyed radio.

The challenge is to locate the keyed radio mic, which sometimes can turn into an extensive hunt. Recently, I participated in a hunt with Coast Guard Group Grand Haven Communication’s Center to track down a keyed radio mic that was interfering with radio transmissions on Channel 16, affecting an area as far south as South Haven and as far north as Ludington, Michigan. That’s over 90 coastal miles affected by a keyed radio on Channel 16.

Since the Coast Guard high site antennas pick up marine radio calls from a large area, the challenge is to narrow the search down to a small area to locate a jammed mic. Marine VHF frequencies travel along a line-of-sight plane the distance of which is determined by the height of a boat’s antenna. Since most recreational boat’s antenna’s are near the water their outreach ranges about as far as the eye can see to the horizon. Because of the height of our high-sight radio antennas, however, we can pick these calls off, but they could be coming from anywhere within range of the high-sight receiver. That’s a lot of real estate. So how do we find a keyed mic? -Through the laborious process of elimination.

The process of elimination begins at the Coast Guard Communication’s center. There a radioman calls stations to see if they can hear a keyed radio over station radios. If so, there’s a good chance the problem is somewhere nearby. Sure enough, as with the case the other night, I could hear a keyed radio over Station Muskegon’s small boat radio but the transmission was broken and garbled. With assistance from the station’s radio directional finder, which is located atop a tall antenna at the station, we determined the direction of the keyed radio mic to be due north, which according to a navigation chart placed it 10 miles north in White Lake, Michigan.

The whine of a boat engine and a father and young daughter chitchatting about supper plans and other small talk occupied Channel 16. Fortunately, a Muskegon County Sheriff Marine Patrol boat was underway on White Lake; they tracked down the boat and sure enough, the boater had a keyed radio mic. The operator had placed his microphone piece on the seat where it worked its way between the bulkhead and cushion, thus keying the radio. It took over an hour to track down the boat.

It could’ve taken a great deal longer, but fortunately poor weather found few boaters out on White Lake that evening, so it wasn’t difficult to locate the boat, especially a boat with a man and young girl on board. Consider the challenge it offers, however, when there are hundreds of boats underway. Unfortunately, we can spend a great deal of resources and time going from boat to boat trying to local a keyed radio mic.

Most keyed radio mics result from a boater’s failure to secure their mic. If they toss it onto a console or seat, the boat’s motion will have its way with it. Getting into the habit of securing the mic to an assigned bracket should resolve this problem. Remember, a marine radio is something we all rely on, so let us help one another by getting a secure handle on its location.

Another radio issue some boaters should get a handle on is the use of the word- "Mayday". Group Grand Haven Telecommunication Specialist, Mitch Muehlhausen, told me that he recently received a Mayday call from a boater off Michigan City, Indiana. When Muehlausen responded to the Mayday, the boater said," I think I’m off Michigan City, can you tell me how to get to New Buffalo?"

A Mayday is not the way to call the Coast Guard for routine information. Maydays are intended for distress situations, not requesting directions, nor are they intended for fun and games. The other night a boater called Group Grand Haven radio with "Mayday, Mayday, Coast Guard are you there?"

Telecomunication Specialist, Evan Coulson, responded: "This is Coast Guard Group Grand Haven calling the vessel in distress?"

No response. Coulson tried three more times to raise the vessel. During the forth attempt, and after calling the vessel’s name, the vessel responded: "I’m not in distress. No, Coast Guard. Sorry about that." No doubt the reason he responded is because Coulson had the name of his boat.

When I hear stories like that, I’m tempted to change the name of the column to Boat Stupid. Fortunately, most boaters do Boat Smart so this column name remains as is, at least for now- the season is still young.

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Boat Smart is now on the Internet: www.boatsmart.net (includes Lake Michigan water temperatures and local weather).

Use channel 16 for emergencies, and channel 9 for calling fellow boaters.