Archive for December, 2009
Don’t have your party ruined by bad weather!
If you are using the proper equipment, you will be able to bring your onboard guests to safety in plenty of time. The marine radio, when properly tuned to bring in the NOAA Channel will always give you a warning signal when it’s about to issue an alert – much like your carbon monoxide or smoke detectors would at home. The time lapsing between the “watch” and the “warning” will often be adequate to get to safety. NOAA Weather Radio also broadcasts alerts of non-weather emergencies such as national security, natural, environmental, and public safety (such as “AMBER” Alerts). These are broadcast through the Emergency Alert System making it an “All Hazards” warning system. All too often the most inexpensive equipment is what has been overlooked and those inexpensive Marine Radios can save your life.
Let’s brush up on NOAA Weather Radio!
When you’re considering which marine radio to buy for your boat, you may want to make sure it has a NOAA Weather Channel as part of the 
standard equipment. These radios channels are your link to safety in the event of an incoming storm – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The National Weather Service operates over 1,000 radio transmitters throughout the country and are continuously streaming current weather conditions, forecasts, warnings, and other crucial weather information. You will always here an alert preceding any weather alert sent out by the NWS.
Why keep my radio tuned to Channel 16?
The answer is simple – so you can put yourself in a position to be able to offer assistance to 
another boater in the vicinity. If you were to intercept a distress call from another vessel, start heading toward that vessel immediately, but wait for a break in the radio communication between the Coast Guard and the vessel to call and inform the Coast Guard that you are in the vicinity and are in route to the vessel in peril. It is, of course, always recommended to take a certified radio operators course sometime to be better aware of proper protocols in situations like this one mentioned above. Contact your local Coast Guard Station to inquire about courses to operate your VHF Marine Radio.
Closing in on the time when VHF Radios will be mandatory on board
In New Zealand, and very likely other places in the world, most of the calls for help have been from people on cell phones when in near coastal waters. This situation very soon will likely be a thing of the past. Laws are being passed that will make it mandatory to have a VHF Radio on board to be legal. The logic behind this is purely from a safety perspective. If a person calls someone on a cell phone, he reaches only 1 person. But, if a person broadcasts a distress call over a VHF radio, his call will likely be heard by several people and very possibly a person very close to his boat will be able to assist. What if you were sinking and you whipped out your cell phone to make a call and found the line busy that you had to reach?? Sobering thought. Safety should always be at the top of your list when outfitting your boat. A VHF Radio (either Hand Held VHF Radio, or Fixed Mount VHF Radio) should always be a critical piece of equipment to have on board as a basic need.
Let’s not be ‘chit-chatting’ on channel 16
When using your VHF radio, you must remember that it isn’t the same as using a CB Radio. Enforcement of proper use can include hefty fines, especially for false distress calls. It is possible that you could cost someone else their life if you are chit-chatting on channel 16 preventing the Coast Guard from hearing someone else’s faint distress call – so always use channel 16 for meeting and then switch to a working channel to carry on your conversation. Those working channels could be channel 68, 69, 71, 72, or 78.
Keep in mind this summary of channels for normal operation…
Channel 22A (Twenty-two Alpha): Primary working channel for Coast Guard use. They use it to relay weather alerts, etc to the general boating public.
Channel 13: Navigation and piloting channel
Chanel 6 : Ship to ship frequency – safety related communications
Channel 16 : General meeting channel and monitoring channel
Water’s getting thicker!
Well, it’s a little tough thinking about boating this morning, as I just looked at the thermometer and it informed me in no uncertain terms that the outside temperature was a mere ten degrees below zero Fahrenheit here on the north shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota.
However, I used my hand held VHF radio to contact my buddy who I knew was out on the water. He informed me that the boating was great, so I think that I may brave the elements and head out later on.
Thinking out of the box….or boat…
It occurred to me that just because you happen to be holding something termed marine speakers in your hands, does that mean that you’re limited to using them only on your boat? No. True, they are designed for use around water and true, they can easily withstand a dunk into salt water without any ill effects, but why limit your thinking to what they were designed for??
Really the only basic difference between a normal speaker and a marine speaker is that marine speakers have cones made from Mylar instead
of paper. Some manufacturers use polypropylene in their manufacturing process and other key features like a rubber skirting over the screws that hold the drivers in, but basically we have a standard speaker that is much more durable than a normal speaker.
Because of the way marine speakers are built, why not s t r e t c h our thinking to include other possibilities for using marine speakers. Since the very nature of a marine speaker puts them into a special “more durable” category, why not cash in on this idea and install them on your 4-wheeler or open ATV? Take a cruise on the trails or mud! Listen to music near your hot tub or pool! We just opened up a whole new world, didn’t we?
Higher frequency functions of VHF
For broadcasting, your VHF Marine Radio or Hand Held VHF Marine Radio fall into the same grouping (144 to 148 Megahertz) as amateur ham radio’s band two, fixed mobile phones, television and radio satellite, railway frequencies, and weather stations. A section designated for wireless microphones at precise frequencies, military aircraft radio and radio AM stations as well as band three of television channels are located in this frequency range.
Radio astronomy research finds its home here also. By using radio frequencies that are emitted by the celestial bodies, scientists are able to track and observe these celestial bodies. The actual frequencies used for this purpose, however are reserved and are listed as confidential.
Lower frequency functions of VHF
One may wonder just what all the other frequency settings on your VHF marine radio are for since the only ones we have spoken about are mainly channels 9 and 16. The Lower VHF frequencies are assigned to two-way land military communications that can be intercepted in vehicles or on planes, walkie-talkies, cordless phones, and radio-controlled toys. Amateur ham radio operators use mainly the 6-meter band (50 to 54 megahertz) range. This range is used largely to test frequencies. The next grouping contains what is known throughout the world’s television’s “band one”. Some of the channels used by digital television since its beginning is using channels 2 to 6. This, however, greatly depends on the area in which you are located. Air traffic stations, meteorological satellites and FM radio’s band 2 are located around 108 megahertz. Commercial programming and public programming are found here.
How do I know if my radio is really working??
Radio checks for your VHF marine radio or hand held VHF Marine Radio are now being answered by the Coast Guard on channel 16 in the Coast Guard First District (New England, south to northern New Jersey). However, the Coast Guard will not answer radio checks when the Coast Guard is busy handling distress communications from another boater.
The purpose of this ruling is to hopefully reduce hoax MAYDAY calls. Believe it or not, a growing number of boaters are resorting to a MAYDAY call if they can’t get the CG to answer a Channel 16 VHF radio check on their marine radios. If caught doing this, a boater would be subject to a $5,000 fine plus CG costs incurred as a result of the boater’s actions. So, as you can see, it’s wise to reduce your radio checks on your VHF Marine Radio to working channels only. Always be aware of the laws applicable to the area in which you are boating.