Marine VHF Channels, UK and Solent

Which VHF Channel is used by who in the UK and Solent?

Here is the most comprehensive list of Solent and UK Marine VHF Channels.

Who uses which marine VHF channel in the Solent and the UK?

This is covered on both our RYA Short Range Certificate (SRC) Course and our AMERC Long Range Certificate (LRC) Course

VHF Channel	UK	Solent
00	Private Channel for Search and Rescue	Solent Coastguard (SAR) & most Solent lifeboats services
01	Port Operations
02	Port Operations
03	Port Operations
04	Port Operations	Royal Solent YC Tattinger Regatta White Group Race Management
05	Port Operations
06	Primary Internship Channel Ship to Ship (including leisure craft) Ship to Air	Chieftain Training Working Channel Leisure Craft Working Channel Sally Water Taxi (Cowes) Portsmouth Naval Firings
07	Public Correspondence
08	Ship to Ship (including leisure craft)	Southampton Tugs (no recreational craft use in Southampton) Hayling Island SC Taxi River Itchen Fuel Barge Foulke’s & Sons Riverside Boatyard
09	Port Operations, Intership	Southampton Pilots
10	SAR and Pollution	Southampton Oil Pollution Control Cowes Oil Pollution Control
11	Port Operations	Portsmouth Harbour (KHM) Portsmouth Fog Routine
12	Port Operations	Southampton VTS Southampton Harbour Launch Itchen Marina Langstone harbour
13	Bridge to Bridge	Portsmouth Fog Routine Portsmouth KHM Spare
14	Port Operations	Portsmouth Harbour radio Portsmouth KHM Spare Chichester harbour radio Chichester harbour Patrol Emsworth Ferry Itcheneor Ferry
15	Onboard Low Power	Yarmouth Water Taxi
16	Distress, Urgency & Calling	Distress, Urgency & Calling
17	Onboard Low Power	Ventnor Haven Bembridge yachts Warsash Yachts
18	Port Opertaions	Southampton VTS
19	Port Operations	Esso Marine Terminal Hamble BP Terminal
20	Port Operations	ABP Southampton VTS
21	Port Operations
22	Port Operations	Southampton VTS Royal Solent YC Tattinger Regatta White Group Race Management
23	Safety
24	Port Operations
25	Port Operations
26	Port Operations
27	Port Operations
28	Port Operations
29	Private Channel	Portsmouth Continental Ferry Port Sunsail Yachts Southampton Patrol
30	Private Channel
31	Private Channel	RNLI non Search and Rescue/Training Gosport Ferry
32	Private Channel
33	Private Channel	Dean and Dyball
34	Private Channel	Itchen Marine Towage
35	Private Channel	Butchers Towing Channel 1
36	Private Channel	Hovertravel Ryde Base Hovertravel Southsea Base
37A	UK Marinas & Yacht Club (Simplex) a.k.a. M, or M1	Most Solent YCs and dinghy clubs Keyhaven Rover Warden Island Sailing Club Royal London Yacht Club Warsash Control Royal Southampton Yacht Club Seastart
38	Private Channel
39	Private Channel	Southampton Water Activities Centre Calshot Activity Centre
40	Private Channel	Cowes Harbour Radio HM1/HM2/HM3
41	Private Channel	Whittakers Tankers
42	Private Channel
43	Private Channel	Solent and Wightline Cruises
44	Private Channel	Shipping Agents
45	Private Channel	Langstone Harbour Radio
46	Private Channel	Shipping Agents
47	Private Channel	Northwood Dredging
48	Private Channel	Solent Towage
49	Private Channel	Butchers Towing channel 2
50	Private Channel (Inshore Rescue)	Ryde Rescue Sandown Rescue Gosport Rescue
51-59	Not in Marine Use
60	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
61	Port Operations, Public Correspondence	Shipping Agents
62	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
62	Maritime Safety Information (MSI)	Maritime Safety Information (MSI)
63	Maritime Safety Information (MSI)	MSI- Portland and Boniface Down aerials
64	Maritime Safety Information (MSI)	MSI- Newhaven, Needles, and Beer Head aerials
65	National Coastwatch Institution (England & Wales)	Calshot NCI Lee on Solent NCI Gosport NCI Needles NCI
66	Port Operations, Public Correspondence	Lymington Harbour
67	UK Small Ships safety channel	Solent Coastguard Working Channel
68	Port Operations	Yarmouth Harbour Yar Bridge Hamble Harbour Beulieu River radio
69	Port Operations, Intership	Cowes Harbour Commission Cowes Water Taxi Cowes Chain Ferry Newport Yacht Harbour Cowes Yacht Haven Mobile Ratseys
70	DSC	DSC
71	Port Operations	Southampton Oil Terminals to Tugs/Pilots Portsmouth KHM Spare
72	Ship to Ship (including leisure craft)	Royal Southern YC Race Management Royla Solent YC Race Management Folly ferry
73	Back Up Small Craft Safety Channel	Matchwood Military Port Folly Ferry
74	Port Opertaions British Canal trust	Southampton Tugs Portsmouth KHM Spare
75	Internship, (navigational matters only)
76	Internship, (navigational matters only)
77	Ship to Ship (including leisure craft)	Royal Southampton YC Race Management Royla Solent YC Race Management Sea View YC Race Management Bembridge YC Race Management Cowes Waterbus Hamble Water taxi
78	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
79	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
80	UK Marina Channel	Most Solent Marinas Bembridge Water Taxi
81	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
82	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
83	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
84	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
85	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
86	Port Operations, Public Correspondence
87	Port Operations	Southampton Container Port
88	Port Operations	Southampton VTS Back Up

M2	Yacht clubs, race committees and marinas	Most Solent YCs and dinghy clubs Sea View YC Race Management Bembridge YC Race Management

If you think we have missed out a user of a particular channel or an allocation has changed please email us.

There are also a number of additional “un numbered” private channels which have been omitted from this list.

Which VHF Channel is used by who in the UK and Solent?

Who uses which marine VHF channel in the Solent and the UK?

VHF Channel

UK

Solent

00

01

02

03

04

05

06

07

08

09

10

11

12

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37A

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51-59

60

61

62

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82