Archive for the ‘VHF Hand Held Radios’ Category
Plan ahead – think VHF!
When you feel the cool temperature of the water coming in your boat as you flounder in rough water is no time to plan to purchase a VHF marine radio to have with you on board! The time to do this is before you need it. I know, it’s real easy to put off things that you hope you never have to use (I know because I’m guilty of it myself). The truth of the matter is that you are purchasing peace of mind for you and your guests on board and with a VHF marine radio, you will have the USCG with you 24/7 if needed. They monitor channel 16 constantly so if any emergency should arise or weather alert became available for your area, you would know about it immediately. Any fast moving weather patterns will no longer surprise you. You’ll have ample time to get to safety. A hand held VHF marine radio is great to have also and should always be with your “emergency pack” on board which should include a raft, life vests, etc. These little hand held units are so nice because the float!! No more “whoops – I dropped it!” kind of statements. Just fish it out of the water and resume communication with the coast guard or another boat until rescue is possible. Plan ahead now. Happy Boater.
Hand Held VHF Marine Radios are becoming popular…
I can see a trend setting right before my eyes. I’ve seen more and more boaters purchasing a hand held VHF marine radio rather than a fixed radio. Why? I’m not really sure. For sure they are convenient, portable so they can be used in a kayak or canoe, affordable, AND they float if dropped into the water! Maybe those are all really good reasons why they are becoming so popular with so many boaters. I’m not going to say that those that purchased the portable hand held units don’t already have a fixed unit on their boats, because they may. It certainly is a good idea as they will transit further than a hand held unit. They both, however, will provide valuable up-to-date weather advisories for the safety of both you and those on board with you. I think it’s great that so many are realizing the importance of having one of these radios on board at all times! Sometimes things just make sense! Happy Boater.
A “head’s up” on quickly arriving storms is a good thing…
Yesterday we had one of those days that was just plain and simply a “mixed bag” delivered to us from the weatherman. I just did a little bit of just about everything – even some tornadoes just a bit south of here. My kids were nearly in the path of one of them, but it thankfully missed them. Sometimes out on the water, you happen upon some of these fast moving storms that nobody wants to be caught in, but if you don’t know they are coming, how can you avoid it?? In today’s world, there is really no reason to be caught in a big, fast moving storm. Marine VHF radios are available in both a fixed and hand held models. They will give you up-to-the-minute weather advisories when out on the water – and these transmissions will happen 24/7. You will be able to hear these updates and have time to head for a safe harbor (or get back to port) before the ugly weather hits. More and more folks are now including a VHF marine radio when putting together a list of “STANDARD” equipment you must have on board. These little radios have a transmission capability of approximately 20 nautical miles and if an emergency should arrive, the USCG monitors channel 16 constantly and can assist you! Enjoy peace of mind this boating season. Happy Boater.
I do believe that spring has sprung in the northland!
Birds are chirping, trees are budding, and I see folks out busily buying flowers for their gardens. I’d say those are sure signs of spring! Just yesterday, I put my 2 docks into the water, got them leveled out and launched 2 pontoon boats. I sure do like the feel of setting things up for the summer rather than taking things down and putting them away which we encounter every fall. Much more fun in the spring – even if it IS a lot of work. It’s kinda relaxing to lay out under the boat while it’s on the trailer and put a good coat of paste was on the hull. I’m convinced that the boat runs faster when I do that versus when I don’t. Shucks – I think I’d do it even if it didn’t make a performance difference, simply because I think it would be good for the boat. This year, with the gas prices at the level they are, maybe you’ll find yourself not wanting to head back to shore for every little thing. Why not radio your needs? If you’re not too far from shore, a CB Radio may fit your needs very fine. Someone on shore can put together your needs as you encounter them and then make only one trip back to the dock to gather all your goodies. You may even be able to communicate with others in your fishing party to share supplies like bait to save another trip to shore. If you’re more than 2 miles out, you may want to consider a VHF marine radio with can put you into communication up to about 20 nautical miles. When one of these radios is purchased, you automatically get “peace of mind” as a bonus with your purchase because these radios will put you into direct communication with the USCG on channel 16 any time of the day if needed. A hand held VHF marine radio is also a great addition to your on board emergency safety kit. Don’t underestimate these little radios! Happy Boater.
Are you behind schedule this spring, too?
I always like to get out and get going when spring finally happens around here. This year, it seems like just after I put out the lawn furniture and yard ornaments, all we’ve had was miserable weather (maybe a blessing because I had several “inside” projects that needed my attention and they just didn’t want to go away. Now they are pretty much gone and I’m waiting patiently to get outside to attack those other projects that need my attention. When the yard firms up enough to get the boat out of when we had it stored for the winter, I’ll get to spend some time polishing it up and getting it ready for its’ “maiden voyage” for the year. Part of my “get ready” scheme is to check over safety items like flares, horn, battery, live vests, hand held vhf marine radio, tow rope, and life raft. I’m sure your list looks pretty similar to this one, but it does help to have a list in your pocket when checking over things, because it really is easy to overlook a very obvious item that you may kick yourself for missing later. Take your time and do it right. Happy Boater.
Channel 16 is ready and waiting!
When you find yourself needing help, isn’t it nice to know that someone is there to help? That’s the situation you inherit when you install a VHF Marine Radio in your watercraft – it could even be a hand held VHF marine radio! The common baseline here is that they both will allow you to access channel 16 – the “meeting” channel and also the channel on which you will receive weather updates or warnings from the US Coast Guard. The will keep you advised of the latest in marine traffic issues,, whether it be a simple update on weather conditions, or a full blown small craft warning advising you to pull up lines, pack up, and head for shore or a safe harbor if one is available. These services are priceless…both for you and for those you have on board with you. Don’t wait any longer if you don’t have a radio installed on your watercraft – start the new boating season off right!! Happy Boater.
A Hand Held VHF Marine Radio would be a Great Gift…
You know – we may be looking at a few remaining snowdrifts in our yard, but June isn’t that far away. Of course you know what happens in June, don’t you! Right!! Fathers’ Day!! Now is the perfect time to start dropping hints for a great gift – a hand held VHF marine radio! I’ll just bet that it would just fit perfectly into that vest pocket that up until now doesn’t hold anything useful! A little rain won’t hurt it at all since they are waterproof and will actually float if you drop into the “drink”. What a deal is that! As a side deal, all of those on board will have the advantage of the latest weather information available and will always have an open channel (channel 16) with which to communicate with the USCG if an emergency arises. We never plan to have an emergency, but we should always plan to be prepared if an emergency should arise. Always be prepared for the unknown – and enjoy you new VHF radio! Happy Boater.
When on the water, did you know…???
I’m sure a lot of us have experienced that transition between our teen years and our mid twenties. Somehow, it seems that with every generation, something happens to our parents in just those few years that greatly enhances their wisdom and knowledge. Right??? One day you wake up and you think, “when did they get so smart”? …it seems to happen overnight. Then, one fine day, your parents receive a phone call asking them for advice and then is when a great feeling of accomplishment comes over your parents and when they hang up the phone, a broad smile appears on their faces. I know – I’ve been on both ends of this scenario! …and I wouldn’t give up either end for anything! Well – when you’re on the water, it isn’t the proper time OR place to not be accepting the wisdom of your elders – whether those elders are parents or not. Chances are, they’ve seen how bad the seas can get in a short period of time and have grown to have a healthy respect for the lake. Always prepare for the worst – and include on board a VHF marine radio (or even a hand held VHF marine radio) so you can receive (on channel 16) all the latest advisories from the United States Coast Guard. Nobody like surprises when out a few miles on the lake! Allow yourself time by heeding the alerts on your marine radio! Happy Boater.
Does wisdom come with age or experience?
Yesterday I was pondering this question – don’t ask me why! It does seem that possibly both of these statements are true as I reflect upon my own life. I know that I did things when I was younger that I’d never do today – like head out on the blue waters of Lake Superior without so much as a VHF marine radio!! At least I could have had a CB Radio along so as to be able to raise another boater in the event of trouble. Then, when I was younger, I never really had the opportunity to work and play in and around those experienced in the art of boating or possibly commercial fishing. If I had, then just by default I’d have attained a level of proficiency in the art of boating by simply gleaning off those more experienced. It’s really fun to talk to these old guys (who, by the way, are looking younger every day, the older I get) down at the harbor and hear some of the hair raising tales they tell. Sure, some of them are probably exaggerated, but, the bulk of the story probably really did happen – and just the way it was spelled out by them. What’s scary is that they headed out many times in the lake to empty their nets in an 18 foot wooden skiff and outfitted in rain gear to face 6 foot or higher waves. In those days they didn’t have such a thing as hand held VHF marine radios – or hand held CB Radios as far as that goes!! They were just fearless and they got the job done. I tend to like to operate a bit more in the comfort zone – and I hope you do to. Happy Boater.
Time to do a safety check for the new boating season!
It’s time again!! Well – almost time as we still have a bit of snow on the ground and the ice hasn’t even started to turn black yet on the inland lakes. Time to review your list of required and needed safety items for this summer’s boating season. Of course, there’s always the essentials like life vests, air horn, compass, flares, life raft, and emergency rations. What isn’t included in that list that should have been is a hand held VHF marine radio. These radios need to be checked annually for good batteries, but other than that, they are really trouble free. Besides that, if they fell into the water, they’d float!! Water won’t hurt them up to about a meter below the surface so you could maintain constant contact with the emergency personnel at the USCG until your rescue is a success. The radio will help them locate you and your passengers. Don’t overlook this most important item this year. Happy Boater.