Archive for the ‘Marine’ Category
Christmas season is upon us once again…
I spend all year writing about marine radios
, CB Radios, and marine speakers but once a year I take a small break to wish you the very merriest of Christmas’s this year. This year has been a rough one for a lot of folks due to the economy, but hopefully the worst is behind us. My grandmother used to tell me that you’re rich if you have your health. Of course – I used to think she really didn’t understand the whole picture, but the older I get, the more I realize how wise a statement that was. If we have family, friends, AND our health – that’s an almost unbeatable combination. There are lots of things out there we can’t control so let’s take a time out to be thankful for what we DO have and pray for an opportunity to share that with someone else who maybe has less than you do. Bad turns in the economy tends to bring out the best in people in many ways. It also causes us to step back and re-evaluate just what is important. Let’s remember that as we go through this season and may I take this opportunity once again to wish you and your’s a very Merry Christmas. Happy Boater.
Just ’cause the ice is frozen, doesn’t mean you don’t need a VHF radio…
You know – up here in the north country, the water is real hard in the winter….they call it “ice”. Even though we know we are forced to put away our power boats in the winter, it doesn’t stop us from enjoying the great out-of-doors by ice fishing, cross county skiing, snowshoeing, or simply going out for a walk in the white wilderness. Now – did I say anything about not needing any communication equipment along? No. That’s because it’s always a great idea to pack a small hand held VHF Radio into your out-of-doors gear as they are small enough to fit into your vest pocket. You never know when you may be called upon to help someone in need – maybe yourself. These little radios have a range of about 5-6 nautical miles over a clear area so you could probably be of great assistance to someone – even to direct rescue teams to your area with their communication devices if needed. Always be safe and prepared. Happy Boater.
Bad speakers can ruin a perfectly good song….
You turn on the radio and lo and behold – your favorite tune has just been announced by the DJ. Your song starts playing and somehow it just doesn’t seem the same….you don’t remember it having all those squawky and scratchy noises before. Those noises could (and probably are) from outdated speakers that are either ruined from the weather or the speakers are not capable of handling the digital sound produced from your radio receiver. If this sounds like something you’ve encountered, you owe it to yourself a new pair of marine speakers – the ones with digital sound capability where you can “feel” those bass notes with no distortion at the speaker end. For very little investment you can be going first class – even your friends on board will appreciate it! Have a great day on the water! Happy Boater.
Are you on the “nice” list??
This time of the year, everyone hopes he/she is on the “nice” list. If you’re one of those lucky ones on that list, then maybe – just maybe – you’ll be lucky enough to receive a very special gift this year. One that will serve to keep you safe when on the water. That special gift would be a VHF marine radio. These radios have saved many lives over the past few years and with the improvements that have been made on them, they now have digital capabilities and are clearer than ever. They provide up-to-the-minute weather advisories for you when out on the blue for the day. That way you don’t have to be so alert to weather conditions – you know the NOAA weather updates will provide enough information and time to allow you to get to a safe harbor with you and your guests. It’s my wish for you that you are on the “nice” list so you can find one of these under the tree Christmas morning – it just doesn’t get any better!! Happy Boater.
Hand held VHF marine radios are the perfect gift item!
What is neat, tidy, important, safety oriented, and credited for saving many lives already? Right – a hand held VHF marine radio! What a perfect gift that would make this season! If you have an emergency kit on board your summer watercraft (which everyone should have), it should not be lacking a hand held VHF marine radio!! Oh – and make sure your replace or charge the batteries on a regular basis so it is always ready to serve you if you need it!! These little radios will float – a great bonus for those of us who tend to get a bit fumble-fingered occasionally and drop things (like my eye glasses) into the water. I wish glasses floated!! Not only that, these radios are waterproof for approximately a half hour at 1 meter under water. How good is that! These little radios may be small, but they can do a big job by getting you help if you found yourself floating in a life raft a long way from shore – and they will continue to work until help arrives for you. Be safe! Always prepare for the worst and you can never be taken off guard. Happy Boater.
Amplifiers can extend your coverage area for sending messages!!
Sometimes you may experience a “scratchy” interference through your marine speakers when trying to talk to someone when you’re right at the edge of your communication limits with your current equipment. Why not just tie in an amplifier into your system? Marine amplifiers are also weatherproof and therefore you don’t have to worry about rain, etc when you need to communicate to someone – or to receive weather updates from the USCG when out on the water. If your signal is weak, you may need to simply invest into an amplifier for your system and possible a longer antenna. Adjust to your situation – if you’re going to be consistently outside of your broadcast range, then you’d be wise to add an amplifier to your system (or a larger amp if you already have one) so you don’t miss any important broadcasts about the weather or about harbor conditions from the USCG. Happy Boater.
Speakers make a dynamite gift!!
Who wouldn’t like to receive a great pair of marine speakers for their patio, pontoon, or pleasure boat for Christmas!??? I sure don’t know anyone. New marine speakers can improve the sound output from even a lesser quality receiver. It would, however, be wise to make sure the output from the receiver doesn’t exceed the rating on the new marine speakers. Otherwise your sound quality could be distorted….and you surely don’t want that to happen!! You will be surprised by even the weight of these speakers – they are well built and aren’t sensitive to the weather changes like older speakers were. They won’t distort the sound of your favorite song when you crank it up. Those bass notes will come through clear as a bell and you will be able to feel them in your gut…that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Try it out – you won’t be disappointed. Happy Boater.
It’s not too late to drop hints for Christmas gifts giving…
Sure, we’re now well into the first week of December, but it’s not too late to drop hints for Christmas gift giving. Fact is, it’s just about the perfect time to get things on order to enable shipment by that magic hour. If you were one of those folks who sat out on the boat and didn’t have any of your favorite tunes playing for your own pleasure, then why not make up your mind right now that next boating season will not catch you off guard without a marine radio receiver installed on your pontoon or pleasure craft. How?? Drop hints this week – it’ll work, I’m sure. There’s nothing like being able to plug your MP3 player or I-Pod right into your marine radio receiver and be able to play your digitally enhanced tunes through your marine speakers on board which are waterproof, therefore weather proof and you then have a great start for a terrific day on the water. Friends and family will want to join you (providing, of course, that they share your taste in music – ha ha!!). There are really a lot of great choices out there, but make sure you match the output ratings of your receiver to make sure you balance it with the speakers you have – otherwise you may just be shooting yourself in the foot – quality speaking. Have fun and I hope you get your wish for Christmas! Happy Boater.
Good speakers make listening great!
You may have a great radio receiver, but still don’t enjoy listening to music. Could the problem be that you just have poor quality speakers?? Believe me, there is a span of light years in technology out there in this arena. I can remember those old style speakers – you couldn’t get them wet or they wouldn’t work (they’d actually mold!!) When you hit the right series of bumps, they’d vibrate. When you turned them up too loud, they’d vibrate and distort the sound. They were anything but weatherproof!! That is no longer the situation we have to live with. The marine speakers available today are weatherproof – that is, rain will not bother them! They can handle digitally produced sound from your best receiver/amplifier – all you have to do is to be sure to select the right size for your system. I think that today is the day to upgrade those old speakers with new, marine speakers and begin enjoying your favorite tunes as they play clearly through your updated system! Why wait? Happy Boater.
Oh to live in an area where you never have to put away your summer toys…
I became keenly aware of just how many folks don’t have to put away their boats or water toys when winter comes this weekend as I was in Oklahoma. I saw many, many boats and pontoons being towed behind vehicles and I know they weren’t putting them away – they seemed to be just simply towing them as anyone would do up north in the summertime. I also saw a lot of them without visible marine radios on them which concerned me a bit – especially if they planned to be out on a larger body of water. These little VHF marine radios have saved lives time and time again and they have earned their place of importance when talking about “necessities” when on the water. Now, maybe these folks that I saw without a marine radio installed, have a hand held VHF marine radio that they just carry with in their vest pocket!. Who knows, but I would like to think that was the case. Even a little hand held VHF radio will give you about 5+ nautical miles of communication range – plenty of distance for the average boater. If you are one of those down south that plan on using their boat all winter, why not make it point to have a VHF radio on board with you. Happy Boater.