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LOGICAL USER CHANNELS
SSB Manufacturer ICOM, with their flagship radios the M-802 and M-
710, realized the frustrating confusion arising from the huge number
of channels available, where they all fit, and who needs which
frequencies when cruising to far off places. A list of the top 160 USER
CHANNELS was recently developed by marine radio experts coast-to-
coast, and compiled by Rick Waedekin, Sr., ICOM America technical
specialist for SSB installations. This list prioritizes and makes sense
out of those channels that will regularly lead to meaningful radio
reception, with instant access to ship-to-ship and ship to Coast Guard
channels in case of an emergency. The national Marine Electronics
Association (NMEA) recently published this list of 160 important SSB
frequencies in an effort to standardize a “user programmable load” for
use in any manufacturer’s model of marine SSB equipment.
The user programmable load normally begins at “user channel” 1, and
may end at “user channel” 100 or “user channel” 160. The user
channel “load” is normally stored after the succession of ITU channels
4 MHz through 26 MHz duplex.
THE NEW “USER CHANNEL” LINEUP
Refer to table “A” 1-160 channels and their associated frequencies, in
this article. Cross reference YOUR user memory programmable load
with THIS to better understand how you may already have an
excellent frequency lineup but in a slightly different order than what
appears here.