Marine walkie-talkies have distinct features due to their highly specialized nature. Operating in harsh maritime environments with vast ship activity and significant temperature variations at sea, these devices are designed to meet the global needs of maritime safety. The product design is highly specialized, and the operating frequencies adhere to international maritime communication regulations, with the working frequency range for marine walkie-talkies being TX 156.025MHz-157.425MHz and RX 156.050MHz-163.275MHz. The working channels are divided into international channels, U.S. channels, and Canadian channels, along with 10 weather channels (8 of which are U.S. weather channels, and 2 are Canadian weather channels). There are three standard versions corresponding to these three types of working channels. Many countries use the U.S. frequency standard version, and in China, marine walkie-talkies mostly adopt the U.S. version, possibly due to the higher compatibility of U.S. frequency versions.
Marine walkie-talkies share 88 channels globally, with 16 channels designated for maritime emergency use.
VHF Maritime Radio Frequency Table
Note: The VHF marine radios FM-8500, FM-8800S, and Icom VHF marine radio IC-M59 all use internationally recognized maritime frequencies (channels). Therefore, these radios cannot communicate on the same frequency channel if they are on dual frequencies (e.g., channel 01). However, communication is possible on single-frequency channels (e.g., channel 08).
It is important to modify the receiving frequency for ship stations or handheld devices. For example, for maritime channel 01, the transmit frequency is 156.050, and the receive frequency is 160.650. The ship station or handheld device should have a receiving frequency of 156.050 and a transmitting frequency of 160.650 for communication on dual-frequency channels. Single-frequency channels do not require modification as they have the same transmit and receive frequencies.
Differences in Marine Walkie-Talkies
The main distinctions lie in the frequency of use and transmit power, with no significant differences in other aspects. Marine radios have higher power, typically ranging from 50W to 100W, and operate on shortwave frequencies, allowing for longer transmission distances but with limited penetration capabilities. On the other hand, walkie-talkies, also known as handheld radios, generally have a transmit power of no more than 5W and commonly operate on UHF frequencies, providing shorter transmission distances but better penetration, making them suitable for use in environments with many buildings, such as urban areas.