Archive for the ‘Speakers’ 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.
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 Those noises could (and probably are) from outdated speakers that are either ruined from the weather or the speakers are not capable of handling the digital sound produced from your radio receiver.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.
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.
You can’t get quality sound of less than quality speakers…
If you’re trying to impress your guests on board your boat with some of your favorite tunes you pre-recorded and plugged into your marine radio, and you have some of those “old generation” speakers the sound is trying to play through, you have a problem. There’s no way you can force that quality sound through those speakers and expect to have a quality outcome. It’s like going from a freeway to a logging trail with the same volume of traffic – it just doesn’t work. If you want quality sound, the speakers have to be able to handle the output of your radio. Always match them to be sure when installation takes place. Most of the old radios didn’t have very high watts of output power, therefore you could get by with the “low grade” speakers that just about everyone had. They weren’t waterproof (like they are today) and they just didn’t have the ability to support the sound (especially the bass notes) when you played a song through them. You know the sound – kind of a vibrating sound – UGH! Simply upgrading your speakers to a pair of marine speakers goes a long way to solving this problem for you and your friends. Happy Boater.
Marine radios provide multiple uses…
Just because the word “marine” appears in the description of these neat radios, doesn’t mean that they can only be used on board a boat, pontoon, or some other watercraft. Nope – many folks have purchased one of these marine radios and mounted it somewhere in their back yard so they could plug in their MP3 memory card and instantly have their favorite tunes playing through waterproof marine speakers for the listening pleasure of both themselves and their guests. I can’t imagine a place where you couldn’t enjoy one of these radios – just about anywhere where you have power to plug it in. These radios produce digital sound enhancement and many of them can be controlled remotely also so you could have your player inside and just carry the remote around with you. I know it’s a bit cold in the northern part of the United States this time of year, but I have a sneaking hunch that there’s still a lot of folks out enjoying their patios and back yards in the southern part of the U.S. and will continue to do so all winter! Happy Boater.
Can’t think of a gift idea???
Sometimes we all get stumped as to what we should be getting that special someone for a gift – be it a birthday, Christmas, or whatever! What better gift could you give than one that can improve safety when on the water as well as provide entertainment! I’d like to suggest that it’s real easy to wrap up a hand held VHF marine radio and you’ll surely see a great big smile when it is opened up! It comes packaged in a box and what could be easier to wrap? If not a hand held VHF Radio, how about a set of marine speakers or a hand held CB Radio? All of these are sure to get a smile from that special person! Start thinking today of gifts for those on your list that are just plain hard to buy for. I can assure you, that any of these items will always be received with a smile!! Enjoy. Happy Boater.
How about a marine radio that you can control with a remote!
Yes, it’s true, you can actually control your fixed mount marine radio with a remote control now. Now, is that the peak of laziness or the ultimate in greatness! You can be reeling in a fish and control the music volume at the same time! These marine radio receivers – besides offering a remote control, can provide boaters with the latest in weather information via the NOAA frequency, which can be received over these radios. Another really nice feature of these radios is the ease with which one can access the plug-ins for MP3 players and IPods. Imagine – all your favorite tunes (50′s – 60′s music for me, thank you) right at your fingertips. Life is good. When installing one of these radios, however, make sure that your old speakers have the ability to make use of the output from these receivers. If you overpower your old speakers with your new receiver, they may give you a distorted sound and you don’t want that! Make sure that the impedance levels match for output limits and you’ll be fine! Happy Boater.