Oh Chris but it is already here. In fact, a cell phone has the electronics equivalent of more than two VHF radios, operating simultaneously, no push to talk. Have you seen how small some of those clam-shell cell-phones are? Their miniaturization is limited primarily by the size of the keypad and the screen, not the electronic functionality inside. In addition to full duplex transceiver capability, each cell-phone includes a computer to automatically engage the tower (an automatic channel 16) and manage seamless transfer from tower to tower.
But here is the clincher that support my position:
It is cheaper to buy, install, service and operate a cell-phone transponder in a drone than in a cell-phone tower!!!!!!!
Drones, a primary and a backup, would operate in selected bodies of water and 20 miles or so out in the coastline areas by going in circles and every 4 hours returning to base when relieved by another pair of drones. Coast Guard personnel could post guard duty from their home. Only the rescue helicopter crews would have to be in standby at the CG centers--Beyond 100 miles from the coast line EPIRB and the satellite would be the order of business.
Now imagine waterproof floating cell-phones that could be within range of a drone cell-tower.
- Instead of 30 miles of range, it would have 100 miles.
- Instead of push-to-talk, just talk.
- No contact channel like channel 16 would be required because instead of several dozen channel, the cell-phone transponder can handle 10 of thousands of simultaneous calls.
- Instead of one radio per vessel, one cell-phone per life vest. What good is your boat-mounted VHF radio if the boat sank?
So, I stand by my statement and in defense of all the boaters out there, no they do not need the safety course or a communication course. They already know all the procedures as some of them have been boating for decades. Besides, all these radio procedures will go out the waste side as soon as the drone- cell-tower or something equeivalent begin to show up. Should we wait until the Chinese start doing it or we really intend to keep America First?
For the moment, I suggest that you contact the marine towing services and ask them which modality is most frequently used to reach them when requesting assistance, VHF radio or cell-phone? You may be surprised by their answer.
Cheers,