Adding to Skip's remarks, I will point out it is considered almost an
indecency among the daily-position-report hams to mention 97.113(a)(5)
of the FCC rules, which states:
(a) No amateur station shall transmit:
...
(5) Communications, on a regular basis, which could reasonably be
furnished alternatively through other radio services.
That means that a US-licensed ham violates the FCC regs when s/he
regularly transmits vessel position reports, which could be
transmitted using the maritime mobile service, over ham frequencies.
Not being a lawyer, I am not qualified to say whether a fixed ham
station which received those messages and forwards them to a web page
is also in violation, though my unqualified guess is "no".
I don't know whether hams licensed in other countries are subject to
equivalent (or even more stringent) regulations against communications
which could be furnished through other radio services, but I suspect
that the answer is "yes", and that the basis for 97.113(a)(5) is to be
found in the International Radio Regulations, which all
administrations are required by treaty to implement. A documented
confirmation or contradiction of my guess would be welcome.
73 DE KW6H, ex-AE6VW, Chris
