A handheld VHF radio, like the Icom M94D used for example in this video, proves to be an essential bit of boating equipment. It is more convenient than a phone for calling a fuel dock or marina. And, when it comes to emergency use, a VHF has no equal: it allows communicating to other boats without needing to know a number and the Coast Guard, and other authorities are always monitoring it.

In this episode, Jim Hendricks, our West Coast and Electronics Editor, describes the proper procedure for making a, “ radio check,” call. Boaters use radio checks to, well, check that their VHF radios are working. But many do so, likely without knowing it, in a way that is improper. In this video, Hendricks describes the right way to make a radio check with a marine VHF radio.