Let’s be honest here for a second, there are a plethora of channels present on marine radios and it is okay and normal if you feel a bit overwhelmed by all of them. While it is not necessary for you to be familiar and comfortable with all of them, there are some key channels that you should be accustomed to. For example, let’s start with VHF channel 16 and channel 9. The FCC actually requires boaters to maintain a watch on either of these channels because of their importance. Channel 9 and 16 are used to call non-commercial vessels and could be used for a boater to call another boater.
However, these two channels are only to be used to contact another vessel and once you have done so you need to switch the channel to a non-commercial channel (also known as a working channel). Also, channel 22A is of importance to you as the United States Coast Guard will relay information that could be of importance to you.