A more intractable problem arises when you hear a call which you think might have been for you, but you’re not sure. In this case, there is no such easy answer: If you are not certain that the call was intended for you, do not answer it, because by doing so you might interfere with the reply from the person it was really meant for. If you ignore it for the time being, the station calling will undoubtedly repeat its call within a few minutes.
Unanswered calls
A call that goes unanswered can be frustrating, but it is illogical to think that it will be answered if you repeat it immediately… or louder… or with more repetitions of the name or callsign.
If a call was ignored, it was probably because it wasn’t heard or because the intended recipient was busy doing something else, so it makes sense to allow a distinct interval between calls, and to give up if several repeated efforts fail.
The radio regulations specify an interval of at least two minutes between attempts, and that you should only try three times before giving up. They do, however, allow you to start the sequence again three minutes later! Rather than simply waiting between successive attempts, it makes sense to see if there is some other reason why your call may not be getting through: make sure the antenna cable is connected, that the battery voltage is OK, and that the radio is correctly set up — not in dual watch mode, for instance, or with the volume turned right down!
Link calls
This once-useful facility, by which specially-equipped coast radio stations could link a VHF radio call from a vessel at sea to the shore telephone network, is falling into disuse as mobile telephones and satellite communications take over. Some countries, including the UK, Ireland, France and the Netherlands, have shut down their link call facilities altogether, but others — including Belgium, the Channel Islands, Denmark, Germany, Spain and Portugal — still have them. That, at least, was the situation in January 2007, but it does change, so look in a current almanac or list of radio signals for details.
Making a link call is not complicated: it is very much like making an operator-connected telephone call from a normal telephone. The most difficult bit is paying for it!
Link calls — Accounting procedures
The very nature of marine communications means that a vessel from anywhere in the world may contact a coast radio station anywhere in the world, and ask to be connected to a telephone anywhere in the world. Somehow, the bills for all these telephone calls ultimately have to reach the right people.
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