Icom M802 User Manual page 16

Ham radio channels, pre-loaded in your marine SSB allow you to
LISTEN and glean valuable weather information. The powerful shore-
side net control stations are easily heard over hundreds, perhaps
thousands of miles, giving out great weather forecasts and taking
reports from licensed ham operators from around the country --
sometimes from around the world.
You must be a General, Advanced, or Extra Class licensed ham radio
operator to transmit on these frequencies. However, in an emergency,
ham radio operators would always take your distress traffic if you
simply say your vessel name and your FCC assigned ship station call
letters.
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