Marine VHF: What you need to know

Published since 1974, Practical Sailor is the only independent product test report of sailboats, sailing equipment, and gear. They’re also good about providing advice which they do in this report about the VHF radio:

Learning how to use a marine VHF radio is important for your safety but new marine VHF technology like DSC and AIS makes VHF radio communication even better. Installing a DSC capable VHF radio on your sailboat will help you make distress calls, use DSC to relay your MMSI number information, and respond to mayday calls if needed. Today we discuss what you need to know about VHF radio on your boat.