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Etiquette in the case of a stuck open mike nearby

4K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  hellosailor 
#1 ·
Should I put out a call or leave it to the coastguard?
 
#3 ·
An open mike may mean they cannot receive.

The Coast Guard can triangulate the guilty party.
 
#5 ·
I witnessed 3 open mikes on 16 this weekend. One was just adults chatting and laughing and the other two were kids playing with the mic. Nothing that I heard from the CG although I did get some garbled transmissions over top. The open mics were probably at high power. I did hear the CG come on and scold some folks for having a two way conversation on 16 twice.

Also heard some "adults" doing stupid things on 16. Very frustrating. I think we need to get back to all radios requiring a license. I am not for big brother but when I was a kid, you never heard anything inappropriate on the radio. Even on CBs.

My feeling is to do nothing. They cannot hear you and you are just adding clutter to the already busy channel.
 
#6 ·
"My feeling is to do nothing. They cannot hear you and you are just adding clutter to the already busy channel."

Ditto, they can't hear you, you're just adding ineffectively to the racket by announcing that someone has an open mic. I assume that the USCG only makes announcements regarding an open mic to appease those that feel that they should be "doing" something about it. It's very frustrating to listen to, but adding to the problem doesn't help.
 
#7 ·
I have heard at least Canadian CG call that indicated the relative position of the offending open mike. I am wondering if they expected those who heard to check their mike and to check with other boats in the vicinity.
 
#8 ·
So what I heard at the weekend was intermittent - like you would get if you were sitting on a handheld. You could wait until one of the no-transmit periods. Eventually that's what the coastguard seemed to do.

Anyway I'm leaning towards the "leave it to the CG" approach.

Thanks for the replies everyone!
 
#12 ·
We have directional repeaters which will switch off (overload) if used constantly for a certain [unknown] length of time. So the local VMR or CG goes nuts if it happens. However, locating the source ,unless it is heard, is almost impossible.

So, same story, all over the world
 
#14 ·
I think maritime patrol boats ought to have radio directional antennas and a directional ray gun thingy that burns up the offender's radio. After having to buy a few radios, maybe they'll learn to stow the mike properly.
 
#15 ·
"and a directional ray gun thingy"

erps, don't wish for the impossible. All they need is one conventional attack helicopter armed with "antiradiation missiles". Probbaly have to tweak 'em for marine VHF use. Standard issue, they home in on a radio signal, typically a missile control radar station, and shut it down. A bit pricey, but you can write that off as a necessary "live fire training exercise".
 
#18 ·
By definition, a mike that is "stuck open" is not a mistake. It is not an intentional offense.

It is a simple technical breakdown!

Yes, the spring in mike switches sometimes fails, and when it fails, the mike can stay "open" after you have let go of it.

Yes, an astute radio operator should notice their radio hasn't come back into RX mode or that the TX light is still on. Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Mikes break.
 
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