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VHF Radios: Everything You Need To Know

VHF Radios: Everything You Need To Know

Unlock your VHF’s full potential—clear calls, advanced features, and safer cruising

Regular price $39.00 USD
Regular price $29.00 USD Sale price $39.00 USD
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Online Course

Master Your Most Important Safety and Communication Tool on the Water

Your VHF radio isn’t just a microphone—it’s your lifeline, your navigator, and your weather forecaster. Whether you're hailing a bridge, arranging a passing situation, or responding to an emergency, the ability to use your VHF effectively is one of the simplest and most impactful ways to stay safe and informed on the water.

This course gives you step-by-step guidance to unlock the full potential of your radio, from routine communication to advanced features like automated distress calls, AIS, and weather channels. Whether you’re a new boater or an experienced cruiser, you’ll come away with the skills to make effective calls and use every feature your radio offers

What You’ll Learn • Confident Communication and Advanced Features

✔ Make clear and effective routine calls, even in busy or noisy conditions
✔ Use high and low power appropriately to improve communication
✔ Set up and make automated emergency calls using DSC (Digital Selective Calling)*
✔ Understand AIS to see nearby boats and avoid close encounters*
✔ Get precise marine weather forecasts for your exact location
✔ Call drawbridges, locks, and boats you don’t know with confidence
✔ Master the critical language and procedures for emergency calls

*Requires a VHF radio with these capabilities

What’s Included • 9 Comprehensive Modules Packed with Resources

This course includes clear instructions, real-world examples, and multimedia tools to ensure you can confidently use your VHF radio:

  • VHF Basics: Understand radio types, channels, range, and how to clearly communicate.
  • Making Routine Calls: Step-by-step guides for calling known and unknown boats, hailing drawbridges and locks, and switching to working channels.
  • Channel Guide: Learn which channels to use for specific purposes and which to avoid.
  • Radio Lingo: Speak the language of the water with proper terms, spelling protocols, and radio etiquette.
  • Emergency Calls: Differentiate between mayday, pan-pan, and sécurité calls, and know exactly what to say in a crisis.
  • Advanced Features: Unlock the power of DSC, AIS, and dual watch to enhance safety and situational awareness.
  • Cruiser’s Nets: Join and benefit from cruiser’s nets for local knowledge and community updates.
  • Weather Radio: Get detailed, location-specific forecasts and stay ahead of changing conditions.
  • Practical Tips and Tools: Includes audio clips, videos, printable guides, and quizzes to reinforce learning.
Why It’s Different

This course is tailored for real-world boating, focusing on practical, hands-on skills you’ll use every day:

Real-World Scenarios: Practice with examples like hailing unknown boats and navigating congested airwaves.
Multimedia Tools: Audio clips and videos provide context and reinforce learning for every situation.
Advanced Features Made Simple: Step-by-step instructions to set up and use DSC, AIS, and more.
Printable Guides: Handy resources for quick reference at your radio.
Beginner-Friendly: Designed for boaters of all experience levels, with clear explanations of technical concepts.

How It Works • On-Demand, Lifetime Access

Immediate access: Login details appear on the purchase confirmation screen and are emailed to you.
Lifetime access: Revisit the course as often as you need, and receive all future updates at no extra cost.
Learn at your pace: No schedules, no pressure—complete the course when it works for you.
Practical for boaters: Entirely text- and photo-based with videos and audio, so you can learn even with limited internet connectivity.

About the Instructor • John Herlig

John Herlig has spent years mastering the VHF radio, both as a cruiser aboard his 1967 Rawson 30 and as a delivery captain. His extensive experience includes cruising the East Coast, Bahamas, and the Caribbean, where he learned the real-world challenges and benefits of using the VHF effectively.

As an instructor at Cruisers University and a frequent writer for leading boating publications, John brings a practical, approachable teaching style that demystifies even the most advanced radio features. Whether you’re a new boater or an experienced cruiser, John’s expertise will empower you to use your VHF with confidence.

Our Guarantee

At The Boat Galley, we have one mission: to help you cruise with confidence.

As liveaboard cruisers, we understand the challenges and questions that come with boat life. That’s why we create practical products and courses designed to tackle the same issues we’ve faced ourselves—making your life on the water easier, safer, and more enjoyable.

Try VHF Radios: Everything You Need to Know for yourself. If it doesn’t make your boat life better, use our 30-day FREE no-hassle return guarantee.

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Raved About By Cindy G. . . .

"Dual watch, DSC, mayday calls . . . all de-mystified. . . . This course taught me what the VHF can do for me, and how and why."

Verified Purchaser, VHF Radios: Everything You Need To Know

Where You’ve Seen Us

Meet The Boat Galley Team

At The Boat Galley, we’re all cruisers. We know the joys—and the challenges—of boat life. The steep learning curve, costly mistakes, and hours spent searching for answers can be overwhelming. We’ve been there. That’s why we’ve created practical tools, trusted resources, and real-world guides to help you skip the frustrations and focus on enjoying your cruising life.

Curious about our story and what drives us? Learn more about us here.

Customer Reviews

Based on 13 reviews
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Joseph U.

Very good. I have been through it once but will review many times as there is a lot of info. Wish you had a link to the NOAA weather map you show on the chapter on WX weather channels. I looked and cannot find the same or similar map.

Reply: We do have a link to that chart in the course and it's also on the downloadable VHF Reference at the end of the course. I'm sending you a link with it, too.

S
Sandy P.

A very helpful summary, much of which experienced boaters will know, but there are always nuggets to learn and this is full of them. The downloadable template at the end is helpful and we've printed for our nav station . . .

C
CINDY G.

Dual watch, DSC, mayday calls ... all de-mystified. I had to look in the user manual for my own VHF radio for which buttons to push, but this course taught me what the VHF can do for me, and how and why.