VHF Radio Etiquette

Ya i kinda figured it was bogus because it would be hard to tell...If somebody names there boat sally how do they know they are using somebody's name or the boat name...I just read it in some etiquette article one time that it was illegal to use real names over the vhf...

Maybe the article you read was referring to it being illegal to use your own name if your boat's name registered. 

Just thinking out loud here. 

Ya i kinda figured it was bogus because it would be hard to tell...If somebody names there boat sally how do they know they are using somebody's name or the boat name...I just read it in some etiquette article one time that it was illegal to use real names over the vhf...

Maybe the article you read was referring to it being illegal to use your own name if your boat's name registered. 

Just thinking out loud here. 

I wouldn't know about registering a boat name. My Big Game is the only boat I've ever owned 

I received my new vhf...but have yet to transmit with it...I've received on all the bands (air, fm, am, marine, WX) to check them

I know most radio etiquette...at least involving emergency radio procedures and things such as monitoring the channel before xmit and all that good stuff

(i should know all this stuff seeing as i have a GROL but at the time i got it i wasn't that interested in the marine side of it...)  But that being said I am confused on how and when to use call signs...A ship of any size has a registered call sign with the FCC...Are we required to do this?
If not what do we use as a call sign? just make it up?

Also how do you contact a station if you do not know there call sign...
I am wondering if you see a boat that could potentially hit you or you want to know there intentions so you can stay out of there way but you can't see there call sign then how do you call them...I know in most cases this is large ships and if you are in the shipping lanes you are doing something wrong...but still I'm curious

I typically use "kayak vessel explorer" as my call sign (explorer is the kind of kayak). I'm relatively sure that is proper for marine radio ID. You would be "kayak vessel Trident....or Tarpon....or Fish and Dive etc. I guess technically you could use any name as long as you say "kayak vessel" in front of it....so they know what type of craft you are.

I received my new vhf...but have yet to transmit with it...I've received on all the bands (air, fm, am, marine, WX) to check them

Which radio do you have?  It has aircraft frequencies too?  Waterproof? 

standard horizon hx600-li...too bad boaters world must have sold out of them because they had them for about 60 something dollars...there was a thread here about them but i forgot where...super deal for the radio...it can still be had for under a 100 easily though

and yes its waterproof...only transmits on marine band...but has am/fm/vhf air band receive functions