Archive for the ‘VHF Hand Held Radios’ Category
You’re only 1 storm away from needing your VHF Radio…
Did you ever notice that things seem to just go along fine for the longest time, then one day, when you least expect it, you find yourself in a world of hurt because of your lack of readiness for every situation. After all, when you’re in the midst of a nasty squall, it’s a bit too late to run to install the one radio that can save your life. These little radios have the capability of spanning up to 20+ nautical miles and the USCG is monitoring channel 16 on a 24/7 basis. What a deal for you – and you don’t even pay for that service!! I’m sure you know a good deal when you see one, but timing is everything. You have to install a VHF Marine Radio on your boat (or use a hand held VHF Radio) BEFORE you need it. Then it will be there for you when you need it! Happy Boater.
Is your VHF Radio on board?
So many times the simplest things are the most important things…and those very things are the items that get overlooked continually. I’m just as guilty as the rest of you, so I’m not pointing any fingers. Fact is, these little VHF Marine Radios have saved many lives over the past few years and even though they are not recognized in a positive light in England, it never-the-less gets top billing for bringing the USCG to the aid of boaters in peril and ultimately got them home safely. VHF Radios come in both fixed mount and hand held units and now are broadcasting in digital technology so the clarity of the broadcasts are much clearer than before. Summer is definitely the time for a lot of fun, but lets keep it safe and make sure you get you and those you have on board home to enjoy another day on the water. Happy Boater.
Some things you never need until you wish you had them…
There’s a lot of things that may fall into this category. I shudder when I think of how many Mickey Mantle cards I put on my bicycle as a young lad with a clothes pin and let it flap on the spokes of my wheels to make my simple 2 wheel bicycle sound like a motorcycle (in my own mind). Now those cards would bring in enough money to pay off my mortgage!! ….but we didn’t know that then – after all, they were only worth a penny back then! Oh well, time keeps going forward and we have to swallow those things we did that we can no longer bring back to re-do. Some other things in today’s world that fit that category may include insurance for a certain thing, or maybe a VHF Marine Radio capable of broadcasting NOAA weather updates and warnings/alerts. You buy them, install them, listen to them, and maybe never need them. Hopefully this is true for you. The trouble with that is that we get sluggish in our planning when things are going well – you know – kinda chugging along nice and easy. When, suddenly you find yourself with a broken down outboard motor, a storm coming and things caving in all around you rapidly. Sure would be nice to say to your friends and guests on board that you are in communication with the USCG via your VHF marine radio and they are on the way to help you. These little radios are very inexpensive and could (and have) save your life. Happy Boater.
Take Steps Now So Later you won’t have to say…”If only I had….”
When you’re on the water, you never want to find yourself in a place that requires you to start out a sentence with “If only I had…” when it comes to safety and communication items. With these little VHF Marine Radios so improved and affordable, there is really no reason why you can’t stay in constant radio communication with regular weather updates as well as the comfort feeling of knowing that if an emergency should arise, all you had to do was to dial in channel 16 (normally you should be there anyway) and you’d be able to reach the USCG for assistance. It doesn’t get much better than that! You’ll be able to receive NOAA weather at your fingertips so you will have plenty of time to reach a safe harbor should the need arise. Right now – believe it or not – in northern Minnesota are having hot, muggy weather conditions. Now, when we usually have it somewhat cool, and that cool air collides with the hot, muggy stuff we’ve had for the last couple of days, something has to happen. When that happens, you want the best and latest up-to-date information – especially if you’re on the water. Enjoy you summer on the water, but do it safely with the proper equipment at your fingertips. Happy Boater.
Why sit on the fence when VHF could save your life?
There are so many boat owners that have yet to get on board with the importance of having the proper communication equipment on board. It’s just baffling to me why they continue to ignore something so critical to their safety. I have grown to have a very healthy respect for Lake Superior as I’ve been out on the lake fishing when (within a half hour) the seas changed from calm to coming over the bow of a high sided 18 foot skiff. That is not fun. How could I have avoided a situation like that with a VHF radio? It’s like this. With a VHF Radio you have the benefit of constant 24/7 monitoring on channel 16 from the USCG. Besides that, NOAA weather updates are constantly fed through your radio speakers so you have ample time to get off the water if a storm system is looming and closing in fast on you. I know this happens fast particularly on Lake Superior as the lake sits in a geographical “basin” and you often don’t see the storm system coming early enough to react to it. By the time you see it, you’re practically in it. Don’t let this happen to you – consider installing a VHF marine radio today and put your mind at ease. Even if you don’t want to spend the time installing one into your boat dashboard, hand held VHF marine radios are available and will do a fine job for you. The only difference is the broadcast ability. Hand held units typically will be limited to about 5-6 nautical miles or so while the fixed units (with proper antenna) will buy you approximately 20 nautical miles of broadcast distance. Happy Boater.
Today is a GREAT day to be out on the water…
Yes, today is a great day to be out on the water, but what are you going to do about those frontal systems that are sneaking in from the west?? How will you know about them in enough time to be able to react to them and get to a safe harbor? How will you know how much time you really have before you pull up lines and head for shore? Is it just by chance that the other boats in your area are mysteriously heading out to other areas closer to shore?? The obvious simple answer to all these questions is that you would know the WHAT, WHEN, and STRENGTH long before you need it if you have on board a radio that will relay NOAA weather updates to you. You may ask what radios do this?? Several radios have this capability. They include a hand held VHF marine radio, a fixed mount VHF marine radio, and even many marine radio radio receivers have that technology built right into them. Don’t become a victim of the storm system. Make a small investment into the rest of your life – and the lives of those you have on board. It’s not fun to be caught unawares when you are obviously the pawn in the game. Be aware and have fun! Happy Boater.
July is here! Why did it take so long?
Summer is something we look forward to all year long, but this year it seems like July has taken forever to arrive! Maybe its because of the very long cold, wet spring we’ve had. Its been a long time since I’ve seen so much water in the lakes in northern Minnesota! I know that other parts of the country would love to have what we’ve got in the line of moisture with forest fires blazing all around the country. The good news is that July is finally here and with it, the summer activities whether it be gardening, boating, reunions, picnics or whatever! It’s time to enjoy! Kick back and soak up some of those rays. However, with the great weather and abundance of fun activities, comes a bit of responsibility. Water safety should be at the top or near to the top of your list. A key player on that safety list of yours should be a VHF marine radio if your plans include heading out on the blue waters for a day on the water. These come as a both a fixed unit or a hand held unit so you don’t even have to bother installing it if you don’t want to. Most hand held VHF marine radios are now waterproof to about a meter and have broadcast capabilities of about 5 miles over water with just the built in antenna. In most cases that will reach the USCG who monitor channel 16 on a 24/7 basis. Very likely, someone else in your locale will hear your call and will be able to assist you even earlier than the Coast Guard if there are a lot of boats on the water. Let’s make this summer a very fun, safe summer. Happy Boater.
Not many boats out there today…
For the past 3 days we have had small craft warnings out on Lake Superior with winds gusting up to 50 mph (and it actually seems a lot stronger than that as I listen to the rain and wind pounding against the windows of my home). Instead of being out on the lake my self, we took some friends and went for a ride up the shore in my vehicle and played the “good husbands” and let our wives do the touristy things and hit a lot of gift shops along the way and “grazed” at the little eating places also. We did have a fun day and were just as glad that we weren’t out in the elements in 50 degree temps (for this time of the year that’s redicul0us!) I guess this is one of the only parts of the country where we really don’t put away our winter things until after the 4th of July and we keep them handy from the 3rd week in August and on. This is the very kind of weather that you don’t even want to think about going out in without either a fixed mount VHF marine radio or a hand held VHF marine radio! You just can’t afford to be without one of these in rough waters. The rain will not even harm a hand held VHF radio, as it is waterproof to about 3 feet under water and it floats if dropped into water! That’s definitely good news to us fumble fingered people! Always be safe when venturing out on the water – or maybe the right thing for you to do is to stay off the water for a day during inclement weather and take your wife or girlfriend out and do the touristy things!! Happy Boater.
Crazy weather patterns make VHF radios more critical to own…
It seems like every time I look at the weather I see some place being battered with another terrible storm! Earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, or raging forest fires seem to be in just about every newscast. In most of these instances, power has been lost in great areas, and multitudes of people cannot communicate with anyone for help. I would think that a small investment in a VHF marine radio (a hand held VHF marine radio) would be a logical thing to own in today’s world. My heart goes out to those whose lives have been torn apart by high winds which battered them to their core. Many have lost everything materially, but by some miracle have walked away with their lives. For some, that wasn’t to be. Now, I know that these little radios are most effective when you can send signal out in an unobstructed straight line, so they are most effective on water, but I know they are used on land as well and have become an effective tool for many as they are used on construction sites, farming, and in many other situations. Let’s take advantage of those wonderful lifesaving tools we have at our fingertips in today’s world. Happy Boater.
There’s comfort in knowing you have communication available…
Nobody likes being left out of something! Well, what if that “something” is not being able to communicate with someone else when you felt you needed to reach them? Now, cell phones are great – sometimes. What if you are out of cell range and have no service? That happens a lot up here in the in northern wilderness of Minnesota! Communication equipment – hand held VHF Radios – are now available for under $160 and could be the best investment you ever made – especially if you’re out on a boat and need help. These little units are waterproof, will float if dropped into the water, and have a range of approximately 5 miles. The USCG monitors channel 16 constantly 24/7 and are at your beck and call in the event of an emergency. Many lives have been saved to date simply because those rescued saw fit to invest a few dollars into their own security. Smart move. Have fun this summer, but be safe. Happy Boater.