Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesProfessional AV

Captain Kelly Details Some Facts About Marine VHF Radios and Their Use On Shore

In this episode of Icom's 'Fact or Fiction with Captain Kelly,' Captain Kelly Gordon addresses common misconceptions about the legality of using marine handheld VHF radios on land. She clarifies that FCC rules updated in 2016 permit the use of marine VHF radios onshore when in proximity to water and for purposes related to vessel safety and communication. The episode aims to correct outdated misinformation circulating among boaters and maritime communicators.

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Professional AV teams put it to work with Customer Stories & Case Studies.

Promoted content from Icom on MarketScale.

By Kelly Gordon · · CommunicationFact or Fiction With Captain KellyHandheld VhfIcom
Share

Key takeaways

01

It is not illegal to use marine handheld VHF radios on land under FCC rules updated in 2016.

02

Onshore use is permitted when near the water and for purposes directly related to vessel and crew safety.

03

Captain Kelly aims to dispel widespread misinformation about marine VHF radio regulations.

Free workspace

Turn your Professional AV expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

In the latest episode of Icom's “Fact or Fiction with Captain Kelly,” a pressing question is addressed that tangles with both maritime communication norms and legal nuances. For a brief explanation what's true and what's false into the often misunderstood regulations surrounding the use of handheld VHF radios on land is explored.

Featuring Captain Kelly herself, she brings to light the legality and practicality of using marine handheld VHF radios on shore. Contrary to popular belief, she clarifies that it is not illegal to use these devices on land and further addressed some common misconceptions and outdated information citing FCC rules dating back to 2016 allowing for the use of marine VHF radios onshore in proximity to the water for purposes directly related to the safety and communication of the vessel and its crew. Captain Kelly aims to correct misinformation and be a guide on the lawful and safe use of marine VHFs on land.

It is not illegal to use these devices on land.

Icom

Part of this channel

Icom

Professional radio communication for land, sea, air, and public safety.

Visit the channel

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Professional AV starts with a company putting its integrators, design engineers, and product specialists on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

When a spec writer or facilities lead searches this category, your integrators are what they find instead of a competitor.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

About the author

Kelly Gordon

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn0hMUAFubbrX4EH7_ArYWg https://www.tiktok.com/@captain_kellyjgordon Captain Kelly J. Gordon, is an accomplished motor yacht captain whose start was far from the water as she grew up on a farm in small town Indiana. It was her drive to succeed, learn, and thirst for adventure that led her to a career in yachting. Her path into yachting was a unique one that started in Beaufort, North Carolina, where she now claims as home base, and has since allowed her to navigate many different seas. Kelly most certainly takes pride in her ability as a motor yacht captain, but also has a soft spot for the young adult and especially those that come with questions. As a former chemistry professor, Kelly loves to teach and it is certain that she will always find a moment, or many, to share what she knows with others and looks to encourage and inspire those that dream of a career in the yachting industry.

B2B Weekly

The week in Professional AV, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Professional AV: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Professional AV buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Professional AV expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your integrators, design engineers, and product specialists into the articles, video, and social content Professional AV buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Professional AV Insights

Clear-Com Arcadia is the intercom hub at a Łódź skills centre running Dante and NETGEAR

Clear-Com Arcadia is the intercom hub at a Łódź skills centre running Dante and NETGEAR

Clear-Com's Arcadia Central Station is the central production communications hub at Łódź's Sectoral Skills Centre for Recording and Sound Reinforcement, connecting studios, control rooms, lecture rooms and other areas. The building's infrastructure is based on NETGEAR AV Series switches and a Dante Audio-over-IP network. Students get hands-on experience with wired, wireless and IP-based intercom workflows.

  • 01The Łódź centre's network runs on NETGEAR AV Series switches with Dante audio-over-IP, which Commercial Audio's CTO said made Clear-Com an ideal fit.

Oct 6, 2026

Telefónica fits its new Madrid broadcast monitoring room with an 11.4-meter Alfalite LED wall

Telefónica fits its new Madrid broadcast monitoring room with an 11.4-meter Alfalite LED wall

Telefónica Servicios Audiovisuales has commissioned an 11.4-meter Alfalite UHD Finepix 1.2 LED wall for a new TSAmediaHUB monitoring room in Aravaca, Madrid. Servers feed it over NDI, so sources can be distributed centrally and layouts adapted to the needs of each operation.

  • 01Fed over NDI video-over-IP, Telefónica's Aravaca wall makes the arrangement of broadcast feeds a server setting that can be adapted for each operation.

Oct 3, 2026

Transcoding moves to the cloud. Intercom, tally and shading stay at the venue

Transcoding moves to the cloud. Intercom, tally and shading stay at the venue

Vendors draw the same line: transcoding and graphics move to the cloud, while intercom, tally and camera shading stay on site. Riedel says the connection back to on-site talent, cameras, tally and IFB can still undermine the production or the business case. Hybrid looks like where things settle.

  • 01Dillon’s analysis suggests hybrid cloud-plus-venue production is where things settle, making on-site hardware for latency-bound work a long-term facility plan item.
  • 02Interoperability standards such as SMPTE ST 2110 and NMOS handle the plumbing. The question to put to vendors now is how their systems provision, configure, tear down and monitor services alongside other vendors' gear.

Oct 1, 2026

Explore More Professional AV Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Professional AV.

Browse Professional AV Hub

About the Expert

Kelly Gordon
Kelly Gordon

Host, Fact or Fiction with Captain Kelly at Icom

Kelly Gordon, known as Captain Kelly, is a maritime communications expert and host of Icom's 'Fact or Fiction with Captain Kelly' series. She specializes in clarifying regulations and best practices around marine VHF radio use. Her work focuses on educating boaters and the public on lawful and safe communication at sea and on shore.

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Professional AV and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512