VHF channels
VHF Channel 16 Explained — Distress, Safety and Calling
Published · Last checked October 2026
VHF channel 16 (156.8 MHz) is the international distress, safety and calling channel. The coastguard and ships at sea listen to it, so it is where you make a Mayday, Pan-Pan or Sécurité announcement and where you can call another vessel before moving to a working channel. Keep calls on 16 brief and never use it for chatting or radio checks. Leisure boats with a VHF should keep watch on 16 while under way.
What channel 16 is for
- Distress: Mayday calls and traffic. Everyone else keeps silent.
- Urgency: Pan-Pan calls.
- Safety: Sécurité announcements before switching to a working channel.
- Calling: making initial contact with another vessel, then moving off.
DSC has taken over much routine calling: you can now call a boat or marina directly on channel 70 by MMSI without touching 16. But voice distress traffic still happens on 16.
Rules for using it
- Listen first. Never transmit over a distress call.
- Keep calls short: identify, agree a working channel, switch.
- No radio checks on 16. Use a working channel, a marina or an automated service.
- Use low power (1 W) for nearby stations when you can.
- Obey 'Seelonce Mayday' (silence imposed by the station controlling distress) until 'Seelonce Feenee'.
| Step | Words |
|---|---|
| Call | '*Kestrel*, *Kestrel*, this is *Seabird*, *Seabird*, over' |
| Reply | '*Seabird*, this is *Kestrel*, channel 72, over' |
| Confirm | '72' and both switch |
Who listens
HM Coastguard keeps a continuous watch on 16 and DSC channel 70 around the UK coast. Ships required to carry GMDSS equipment keep watch on 70 and are expected to listen on 16 where practicable. Leisure skippers are not legally required to monitor 16 in all cases, but it is good seamanship and part of the RYA SRC syllabus: you may be the closest boat to someone in trouble.
Read what channels to use in the UK and practise in the VHF radio lesson.