New regulations for VHF marine radio equipment have been in force since 1 January 2004. The effects are particularly drastic for the second-hand market, as since the beginning of the year, only devices that comply with the current regulations can be newly registered.
Although this change was already decided in 2001, the corresponding law only came into force in Germany at the turn of 2004. The background to the new regulation is a change in channel allocation for VHF radio systems, which became necessary with the introduction of AIS (Automatic Identification System).
Channels 87 and 88, which were previously only suitable for duplex traffic with coastal radio stations, each had to relinquish the upper frequency to AIS; the remaining lower frequencies are now designated as simplex channels for radio traffic between ship and harbour. In addition, the previously blocked channels 75 and 76 may now be used for ship-to-ship traffic. Furthermore, class C and F DSC systems - which can send digital distress calls but cannot receive them - are no longer authorised.
This is not a case of Germany going it alone, nor is it a case of paragraphism: this regulation has been in force internationally since 2001 and is enshrined in the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union. The facts themselves have been known at least to manufacturers of radio equipment since the end of 1998, as they are directly related to the publication of the specifications for the AIS system.
Until the end of 2003, the regulatory authority still had the option of issuing frequency allocation certificates for both old and new radio equipment. Since 1 January 2004, however, it has been legally bound by the new regulation. As a result, frequency licences are now only issued for maritime radio installations that comply with the current provisions of the frequency plan of the internationally valid radio regulations.
This sounds complicated, but in practice, devices that are no longer authorised can simply be recognised by the fact that channels 75 and 76 are missing and channels 87 and 88 are operating in duplex mode. However, if you can hear what your neighbour is transmitting on 87 and 88, you are lucky and have a device that complies with the new standard.
You can and may continue to transmit with equipment based on the old frequency plan if the frequency allocation certificate was issued before 1 January 2004. However, this licence expires when the ship is sold, and the buyer is then sitting on an old system that he can no longer register.
Anyone who bought the system in 2001 or later should actually have received an update from the manufacturer as a gesture of goodwill or for a small fee - it could not only have complied with the new regulations, but should have complied with the international regulations.
Nevertheless, devices are still being sold today that work according to the old channel assignment. You will not be able to register such a system; the dealer must either take the device back or replace it with an updated version.
To what extent and at what price there will be updates for older systems is still unclear at present. This is because the effort for manufacturers is not just limited to the usually simple reprogramming of the frequencies - the modified system also has to go through the bureaucratic process of type approval again, which means a lot of time and money. This is only worthwhile for devices that are well established on the market. Otherwise, the update could be more expensive for the sailor than a new radio system.
