Archive for the ‘VHF Radios’ Category
Don’t be caught off guard with the weather…
On many of the marine radio receivers as well as the VHF marine radios available (both fixed units an hand held units) you will be able to receive any alerts and advisories from the USCG or from the national weather service on NOAA. These broadcasts are critical to keeping you safe when on the water. I noticed just this morning as I was traveling to town patches of very dense fog. Now, if I had been planning to head out on the big lake (Lake Superior) for a bit of fishing and relaxation, I would certainly want to take with me a radio with those capabilities. With front systems moving in rapidly, it is often difficult to get off the lake in time when the spot where the fish are biting is maybe 5 miles out from shore and you’re trolling with deep lines at maybe 175 feet deep. You really aren’t allotted a lot of time from the time you see the clouds coming over the basin ridge until you are feeling the increased winds and maybe being pelted with rain as you are caught in a thunderstorm. Don’t be one of those that are heard saying…”I just didn’t know that the weather was going to get bad”. Live on the cutting edge of technology with one of these very fine radios. Happy Boater.
Emergency crews can sure make good use of a hand held VHF Marine Radio…
As I was leisurely cruising around the lake at my cabin this past weekend, I was amazed that I was able to see the billows of smoke from the forest fire in the boundary waters canoe area filling the sky to the northeast of my lake home. It was pretty dramatic to see. Also, I was sure glad that the wind was taking the smoke away from me instead of filling the air around where I was with that pungent smell of stale, smoldering smoke. Now that the evacuation has begun, I would be pretty sure that there are a lot of folks using Hand Held VHF Marine Radios for communication in that area, although, they have still not allowed a tower to be installed up there. Too bad, I say…. I saw towers in Kansas that were really well constructed and painted dark green with trees planted right in the middle of the tower so as to make the tower less obvious. Sure would be nice if the folks fighting over this could come to come agreement. I think the “good” surely outweighs the “bad” – especially in a rescue situation is someone is lost up there. Happy Boater.
Hand Held VHF is really a great way to go!
Even if you aren’t the handiest person around and you don’t feel like cutting holes to install those marine speakers into your boat or pontoon (even if it IS easy), you need to consider a VHF Hand Held Marine Radio. These little radios fit into the palm of your hand and if you drop it into the water – guess what – they float!! …AND they’re waterproof!! This makes them an ideal item to include in your emergency bag to have available for that “just in case” time we never want to think about. These little radios are becoming increasingly popular. That’s because more and more folks are discovering just how effective and useful they are. They can obtain the latest and greatest weather updates from NOAA as well as any important broadcasts sent out from the USCG as related to current conditions. Get on board and enjoy the technology we have available to us today. Happy Boater.
“Marine speakers” is the way to go…
It sure makes me wonder why in the world some guys invest good money to put a great VHF Marine Radio into their boat and then plug it into some old worn out speakers that probably don’t even have digital sound capability. Since all of the newer marine radios are now digital quality, why not get the best bang for your buck and allow the sound to flow through a speaker that is capable of handling the output from the radio! Your radio may have the capability of putting out great sound, but if you plug it into a “less than desirable” speaker system, you’ve actually gained very little. If you have some trouble with hearing loss, you owe it to yourself to go digital. It makes all the difference in the world. You can actually understand what the person on the other end of the conversation is saying! New concept, hey?? Do yourself a favor and make the switch to digital (marine speakers as well as VHF Radio) - you won’t regret it for a minute! Happy Boater.
Digital signal sure improves clarity!
This past week I was sitting in a seminar training session to learn how to operate the new radios they just installed into the district’s school buses. The decision was made to upgrade the radio system to a digital system to improve communication abilities between the bus garage and the buses in remote areas. The difference in sound quality was incredible! Now, they didn’t go with VHF radios, but it was as close to a VHF Radio as you can get to one without actually being there. The point I want to make is that your communications are digital quality when you use a newer model VHF marine radio. I say “newer” because it was just earlier this year that a law was passed requiring any VHF Marine Radio sold to have the digital capability. Yes, there are some out there on e-bay and some of the other online auctions still for sale and they may even be in their original boxes, but they probably won’t have the digital capability. Make sure if you purchase a VHF Radio that you’re getting the updated radio. Don’t short change yourself because I believe the difference is incredible. Happy Boater.
Kayaking requires respect for the lake you’re in…
This summer I believe there have been at least 4 instances where kayakers had to be rescued by the Unites States Coast Guard in the waters of Lake Superior – and that is only in this small corner of the lake that I’m living in! I think that too often, the element of respect is what is missing when some of these boaters – yes, some of them ARE experienced – set out for an afternoon of enjoying the water. Those waves always look bigger to a person when you’re riding them out than they do when you’re sitting on shore just enjoying the scenic view. Sometimes a person tends to become overconfident, thinking that I’ve done this before and bad things always happen to “the other guy”. I know you wouldn’t catch me in a kayak on Lake Superior without a hand held VHF marine radio in my vest pocket – or fastened to the boat someplace. These little radios are waterproof to about a meter so water isn’t a problem and then if you encounter a bad situation, you will have direct communication lines to the USCG and based on what I’ve observed, they have been on the scene within 5 minutes. Good Job USCG!! Have fun, but be safe. Happy Boater.
Communication is necessary for success…
You don’t have to stretch your imagination too far to think of a situation where communication was necessary as a group to accomplish a task that lay at hand. Maybe is was in your workplace or maybe it was at church. Every person has a different “twist” to add with every “wrinkle” that appears, the problem gets closer to a solution – a successful solution. Over the weekend I received an email from a friend of mine and it included a funny story of a wife sending her husband to the store for some supplies. The story went like this…The wife needed some milk so she called her husband and asked him if he would please stop by the store to pick up a carton of milk…and if they had eggs, to pick up 6. Shortly thereafter the husband returned home proudly toting his 6 cartons of milk. When questioned by his wife as to why he bought 6 cartons of milk, he replied, “they had eggs at the store”. Now I KNOW that there’s a lot of men out there that can identify with this if you’re honest! True – this isn’t the kind of communication breakdown you usually run into when taking on a CB Radio or a VHF Marine Radio, but the same thing can happen if your equipment is of poor quality. That includes both your radio as well as your marine speakers. Guys – let’s narrow the communication error factor – get your communication equipment up to date. Happy Boater.
Communication and be essential in desolate areas…
Even though our country is primarily heavily populated, those populated areas are only a small physical part of our great country. Sure, there are cities and metropolitan areas where you can go crazy just driving home at night from work, but if you get away, those areas are pretty easy to forget. What you do remember is the clear view of the millions of stars in the night sky – something that you never see in the city because of the all the lights. Generally when you are out in those remote areas where the stars are the brightest, you are also in an area where there is minimal (if any) communication available. I know that a CB Radio, or a VHF Marine radio will not fill all your communication needs when you find yourself in one of these remote areas, but generally speaking, having one of these is a HUGE step in the right direction. That way, you have a chance at communicating with someone in a search party that may be looking for you if you became turned around in your directions and couldn’t find your way out. I’ve lived in remote areas most of my life and have also had my turn at becoming momentarily turned around in my directions to a point that I was sure that my compass was wrong (BAD decision). Rule #ONE – You have to believe your compass! CB Radios will generally have a range of about 2 miles whereas a hand held VHF Radio will project signal approximately 5 miles and a fixed mount VHF Marine Radio will allow a 20 mile radius. Treat yourself – get away and take a look at that great sky full of stars – but be safe and bring a communication device. Happy Boater.
VHF scores high in safety…
In my book, VHF marine radios are right up there near the top for safety items (if not right at the top). The past couple of weeks have certainly reinforced my thinking. It seems like every time I turned on the television, someone was either missing or there was another emergency happening. I know that emergency personnel use VHF Radios widely and I believe that it’s because they are so versatile. They can either be placed in a vehicle or ATV as a mounted unit or carried in your vest pocket as a portable hand held VHF Marine Radio. Now, I know they have to be used in an area that is not obstructed by trees, hills, or buildings in order for it to work at its best efficiency, but it’s a giant step in the right direction. I think about that scout that got separated from his troop in the western wilderness this past weekend – I’ll bet he’d have a given a million dollars to have had a little radio in his vest pocket so he could have called for help. As it turned out, he was found and that’s GREAT!! But, I’m sure he had some harrowing moments as he spent the night in the forest – alone. I’m sure the searchers were well equipped with the latest in communication equipment as they diligently executed their search efforts. Always be prepared. These radios are even affordable – something that everyone that plans to spend time away from civilization should seriously consider. Be safe. Happy Boater.
Need a bit of a boost?
At times we all need a boost, but what if the boost is needed in your VHF Marine Radio so you can achieve better reception and broadcasting ability? It’s really quite simple to add an amplifier into your system – they just plug in and, yes, they also are weatherproof so no need to fret about a little rain on them. You should actually be able to transmit messages through your fixed mount marine radio for up to 20+ nautical miles and very likely will have no trouble sending messages for up to 6+ nautical miles with a little hand held VHF marine radio. Not bad!! Not only that, most of the hand held VHF Marine radios float and are waterproof to about a depth of a meter, so why wait! Every emergency kit on board should have one of these little hand held VHF Marine Radios in it without a doubt. Some things are just a given in life – and speaking of life – the one you save may be yours. Enjoy the rest of your summer, but be safe. Happy Boater.