MyNarwhal

marine radio, anywhere — a quick guide

MyNarwhal lets you listen to live marine radio from public receivers around the world, right in your browser. Tap a spot on the map and you'll hear what's on the water there. It's free, needs no account, and only ever listens — it never transmits.

◉ Listen-only · you can't be heard

Start listening in three taps

Scroll down to the map and tap anywhere. MyNarwhal finds the nearest public receiver and tunes that area's marine calling & distress channel (Channel 16).
Press the big round ▶ Play button. Browsers need one tap before they'll play sound — that's normal, not a fault.
You're listening. Tap a preset channel, or drag the dial to explore nearby frequencies.

Hearing only static or silence? That's normal — marine radio is quiet unless boats are actually talking. Try a busy port, the working channels in the presets, or a different spot on the map.

What's what

A quick tour of the controls — you don't need any of the technical ones to enjoy it.

The map

Tap anywhere to listen to that area. The dots are public receivers; the little arrows are ships (live AIS positions). Tap a ship to listen near it.

▶ Play / Stop

Starts and stops the audio. Leave it playing — the sound just changes underneath as you switch channels.

Presets

One-tap common marine channels for wherever you've tapped. The quickest way to find activity.

CH16 · Dual-watch

CH16 jumps to the international calling & distress channel. Dual-watch 16 keeps an ear on 16 while you listen elsewhere.

The dial

Drag it to fine-tune the frequency by hand (about 100 Hz per degree). USB/LSB/AM/CW change the listening mode — most marine voice is USB.

Frequency box

Shows the exact frequency in kHz. Type a number to jump straight to it.

Signal strength
VOICE / STATIC

How strong the signal is right now, and whether it looks like voice or just static — a quick hint of whether anyone's talking.

Noise Reduction (NR)

Tap NR to strip background noise off the voice. The Hiss / Whistle / Crackle sliders let you dial it in by ear if you like.

DEEP (neural)

A stronger, AI noise remover for voice channels — it lifts the hiss out from under the speech. While it's on, the Hiss & Whistle sliders rest (Crackle still works). Best on speech; it will mute Morse/data tones, so use it on voice. It lights up only when the server supports it.

Squelch (SQL)

Turn it up to mute the static until something loud enough comes through — so you're not listening to hiss between calls.

Waterfall

A live moving picture of the radio activity around your channel. Bright streaks are signals.

Local conditions

Wind, pressure and sea state for the area you're listening to — handy marine context.

★ Home · ⌂ Go home

★ saves your favourite waters + channel; ⌂ jumps back to them. The app opens at your home next time.

Search band

Sweeps a whole marine band looking for any active signal — good for "is anyone out there?".

⚙ Settings

Advanced — sets a custom relay address (only needed for the phone app). You can ignore it on the website.

Good to know

It's listen-only. MyNarwhal never transmits — you're hearing the airwaves, and you can't be heard.
Quiet is normal. Distress/calling channels like 16 stay silent unless there's a call; the chatter is on the working channels near busy ports.
The receivers are run by volunteers. The audio comes from people who host public radios for free — please support the receivers you use, and us.
If a spot is silent or cuts out, try another. Public receivers can go offline — just tap a different point on the map.
Headphones help for catching weak, distant signals.

Common questions

I can't hear anything — what's wrong?

First, tap ▶ Play once (browsers block sound until you do). If it's still quiet, you've probably landed on a channel with no traffic — try a preset, the CH16 button, or tap a different area of the map. A busy harbour is your best bet for hearing voices.

Can anyone hear me? Is this legal?

No one can hear you — MyNarwhal only ever listens, it has no transmit at all. Listening to public marine radio is normal and widely done; you're simply tuning in to receivers people share openly.

Does it cost anything?

No — MyNarwhal is free and community-supported. If you enjoy it, a small donation helps keep the service running and supports the volunteer receiver operators.

Do I need to install an app?

No — it works right here in your browser, on phone or computer. There's also an Android app if you'd like it on your home screen.

What about my privacy?

No account, no ads, no tracking, and the app never reads your location. The full details are on the privacy & acknowledgements page.