Regulations And Safety Warnings - West Marine VHF490 Owner's Manual

REGULATIONS AND SAFETY WARNINGS

Maritime Radio Services Operation
WARNING!
This transmitter will operate on channels/frequencies that have restricted use in the United States. The channel assignments
include frequencies assigned for exclusive use of the U.S. Coast Guard, use in Canada, and use in international waters. Operation on these
frequencies without proper authorization is strictly forbidden. See the channel tables beginning on page 30 for a list of available channels and
their uses. If you are still not certain which channels to use, see the FCC maritime radio page at the FCC website (http:// wireless.fcc.gov/marine/)
or contact the FCC Call Center at 1-888-CALLFCC. For individuals requiring a license, such as commercial users, you should obtain a license
application from your nearest FCC field office (for US users) or Industry Canada (for Canadian users).
Basic Radio Guidelines
You should familiarize yourself with the rules on marine radios and be aware of which rules apply to your boat. Complete guidelines for all ship and
marine radio types can be found at the US Coast Guard website under the topic Radio Info for Boaters (the direct link is http://www.navcen.uscg.
gov/marcomms/boater.htm). Here are a few guidelines that affect nearly all boaters.
• If you have a VHF radio on your boat, you must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radio is not being
used to communicate. Effective from 2004, if a radio is carried, it must be turned on and set to channel 16 whenever your vessel
is underway.
• If you hear a distress call, wait a few minutes to let a shore station or Coast Guard vessel respond. If no other station has
responded after 5 minutes, you must respond to the distress call.
• Do not make false mayday or distress calls as a prank or to test your radio. (This is essentially like making a false 9-1-1 call;
you may be subject to fines.)
Compliance
FCC Part 15
The equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment gen-
erates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular instal-
lation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and the receiver
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void your authority to operate the
equipment. Any change or modification must be approved in writing by West Marine.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not
cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause unde-
sired operation.
Tout changement ou modification non approuvé expressément par la partie responsable pourrait annuler le droit à l'utilisateur de
faire fonctionner cet équipement. Tout changement ou modification doit être approuvé par écrit par West Marine.
Avis de conformité à la FCC : Ce dispositif a été testé et s'avère conforme à l'article 15 des règlements de la Commission fédérale
des communications (FCC). Ce dispositif est soumis aux conditions suivantes: 1) Ce dispositif ne doit pas causer d'interférences
nuisibles et; 2) Il doit pouvoir supporter les parasites qu'il reçoit, incluant les parasites pouvant nuire à son fonctionnement.
In order to comply with FCC RF Exposure requirements, this device must be installed to provide at least 7.9 in (20 cm) separation
from the human body at all times.
VHF490 RADIO 1-800-BOATING
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