Is the Personal Radio Association having an impact on Foreign Shipping Interference? We can only hope. On Sunday evening, September 1, 2007 at about 1856 hrs EDST the receiver at PopWireless HQ logged and recorded a radio transmission on 467.550 MHz. This is a frequency allocated to ships in other countries and is specifically not for use by these ships in the United States. Did they know that? A ship’s crewman asked the Boson to turn off his walkie talkie just as the ship began to pass PopularWireless HQ. (Hear the audio clip.)

The PRA FSI log contained the following entry, in part:

A number of ships passing close together this afternoon:

Liberia Niteroi, mmsi: 212105000 call sign P3MJ9, registered to Cyprus sailing to Newport News

The Texas, mmsi: 267594000, call sign LMWR3, from Norway. I think this is the ship just based on the accents of the sailors. That and my five element Yagi got a great signal pointed directly at the ship.

M/V Morning Melody, mmsi: 354047000, call sign 3EGS6, out of Panama

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All were quiet as they sailed by and on at least one ship the Boson’s walkie talkie was off.

Perhaps this is why I never recall hearing an Australian registered vessel on US General Mobile Radio Service channels while the ship is in US waters. Even the FCC regulations are not this precise. Thank you Australia!

This paragraph is taken from Australian radio regulations: (Word file)

2.5 Operation outside Australia

(1) The licensee of a maritime ship station operating outside the territorial sea of Australia must operate the station in accordance with:

(a) the Radio Regulations; and

(b) if the station is in the territorial sea of another country — the radiocommunications requirements of the country.

(2) If a maritime ship station is to be operated outside Australia on a frequency specified in the Manual for use by the Maritime Mobile and Maritime Mobile-Satellite Services, published by the International Telecommunication Union and as in force from time to time, the licensee must only operate the station to communicate with one of the following stations:

(a) a coast station operated in another country;

(b) a coast earth station operated in another country;