I am just passing on the facts as they are. The fines are very steep, and while I doubt anyone will ever get fined but if you see authorities on the water, you best turn the radio off if you are not licensed. The fines for using a radio (turning it on) without a license is $5000, if you misuse the radio, swear on it, or provide misinformation or a false mayday for example, run with your mic open blocking the channel you may be facing jail. Even sharing the conversation you had with someone on the radio with another person is illegal. I was surprised on how serious they take this, and after watching a few videos showing why, I get it.