Archive for March, 2011
Just out of range – easy fix….
Maybe your favorite fishing hole is right on the edge of your broadcast range for your sound system. Easy fix. You may need to invest in an amplifier for your system. These also are marine ready and are very dependable. Make sure when buying your amplifier that you check the ohms rating of your speakers to make sure that your existing sound system will handle more power without distorting the broadcast sound. Now you are ready to head for that favorite spot with the peace of mind that you are in communication range if needed. Happy Boater.
Speakers seem to be where its at…
Did you ever wonder why sometimes you can hear and enjoy your music as played over a speaker system real well and sometimes you can’t even tell what song is playing? I have. I find the enjoyment factor a big goose egg when that happens because I really do enjoy music. Most of the time, you will find that the problem stems from inadequate speakers in your sound system. With speakers so affordable in today’s world, there is really no excuse for putting up with poor sound reproduction. Marine speakers are not only durable, but they are virtually weather proof! Yes – you can even install them on your back yard patio at home without worrying about the weather. The clarity of sound transmitted through these little speakers is really quite sensational. Summer boating season isn’t quite upon us here in the northland, so why not take the bull by the horns (so to speak) and get yours installed before you actually need them. Happy Boater.
Speakers can make a good system sound great!
It’s true – you can play your favorite tunes through a “good” quality speaker system and they will sound ok. Then, you can play those same favorite tunes through a “great” speaker system and you will wonder why you ever put up with the mediocre sound of your old system. There are a lot of speakers out there, but for the purpose of this blog, I’m going to focus on marine speakers. These little speakers have seen a lot of changes over the recent years! They now are virtually waterproof as they are made with styrofoam around the speakers. They have the ability to reproduce sound at near if not at digital quality (there again, this will depend greatly on the speaker choice you make). I know some folks that invested no more than about $80 to outfit their pontoon boat with new marine speakers and they had remarkable results!! It costs so little to come out on the top of the heap in speaker quality in today’s world. Why not make this the year you “get on board” (no pun intended) with this thinking! Happy Boater.
CB Radios are great on a cruise ship!
Who would ever think to take a hand held CB Radio on board a cruise ship? Not me, but after our cruise and seeing just how many folks kept track of those other family members or those in their “travel group”, I’m a believer. If you’ve never taken a cruise, I’d highly recommend it – a REAL vacation for the gals – no meal planning, no cleaning, no anything except enjoyment and being pampered all day long! But – they are really big – about the size of a small town of about 5,000 people – so you could get lost. Sure – you’d eventually find each other, but maybe you want to ask a question or make plans for the activities you want to take in at the next port. Sure would be nice to have a small hand held CB radio with you! They’d be especially nice when you are on shore – maybe turned around in a shopping area or simply wanting to get together for lunch or a beverage at a local restaurant. A real lot of folks have already figured this out and are using them on every cruise. Don’t depart without yours! Happy Boater.
Ice fishing? …Don’t forget your hand held VHF marine radio!
Nearly every week in the northland we hear of a stranded ice fisherman who found himself floating on an ice flow which broke away from the main ice. …afloat at sea…not a great position to be in! Sure, a lot of the wiser fishermen drag a boat out there with them so if that happened, they’d be able to get back to shore or to the main ice flow. Trust me – not everyone is that wise! A hand held VHF marine radio fits nicely into your vest pocket! Why wouldn’t you take one with – that is, of course, if you didn’t have one! Make this the day that you remedy that problem. Take the bull by the horns and buy yourself some 24/7 direct communication with the USCG plus constantly updated weather advisories so you know if you will be facing a strong winds that would tend to break off ice flows – hopefully without you on them! Peace of mind is priceless and a hand held VHF marine radio is very affordable – check it out! Happy Boater.
You caught the big one – now who ya gonna tell??
We all know what a rush it is to tie into that big lunker you’ve been chasing. One day you might just land that big one. It feels like a real long time between the time you land the fish and the time you get to shore to announce your trophy, doesn’t it?? It’s especially true of the person that caught the “big one” is a youngster on board – or maybe your son or daughter! Those are some of those special moments in life that you just don’t get enough of. Sure would be nice at that time to be able to pick up the CB radio on board and be able to realize that Mom or Grandma are just the press of a button away to share in the excitement!. Somehow it adds just that new dimension to your boating experience that is priceless. Don’t come up on the short end this boating season with your communication equipment on board. Happy Boater.
Boating season is a day closer every day!
Sometimes waiting for spring to pop into full bloom is like waiting for your birthday as a child…it just seems like it never gets there! Now, those of us that have had maybe a few too many birthdays find them sneaking up on us faster than they maybe should – right? Oh well – it’s just a number as long as we feel good. With spring comes that boating season with all the expectations of a great summer and loads of fun on the water. Is this going to be that season for you that you make good on your promise to yourself to upgrade your boat speaker with marine speakers? …or maybe simply adding a VHF marine radio on board (either a fixed mount VHF Radio or a hand held VHF marine radio) to allow that added safety aspect that maybe has been missing on board your boat?? Whatever your situation, use this spring which is rapidly closing in on us to make those critical changes and improvements You won’t be disappointed!! Happy Boater.
Hand held VHF marine radios are the clear ticket!
I know there is something good to be said for a fixed radio unit mounted on the dash of your boat, but what if you found yourself in a situation (either medical or otherwise) which took you away from the counsel and you still had the need to communicate with the person on the other end of the radio transmission? Sure would be nice to be able to assist an injured friend or passenger while you were able to keep talking to the USCG or someone able to help you. There’s no doubt that the person needing assistance would appreciate you having a portable hand held vhf radio on board. It gets better than that – they’re waterproof to about a meter under water and they float if you drop them into the water! (not that we’d ever drop our radio in the water, of course – ha-ha) …the strangest things happen when you least expect them. Always be prepared and think of others when you are outfitting your boat with communication equipment. Happy Boater.
Speakers have come a long, long way…
Do you remember those old speakers that the always put into cars?? They were speakers all right, but they were prone to being ruined by water dripping on them – or how about a mouse that found his way into your vehicle?? The cone was made of a very papery feeling substance which I really don’t even know what it is called. They had a tendency if not installed with even pressure all the way around the speaker to vibrate on certain notes played through them. Yea – you know what I’m talking about! Kinda irritating when that happened if you ask me! The new speakers that are available now – especially for marine use are waterproof and for all practical purposes are the way to go. Weather won’t ruin them so you don’t have to worry about them when out in a rain – or maybe you just want outdoor speakers mounted on your deck at home without having to worry about the weather! Either way, these little speakers will deliver sound quality you’d be proud of. The clarity of these marine speakers make them worth the nominal purchase price because when you play music through them you can actually understand with words!! (new concept) Yep – there really are some great products out there just waiting for you. Happy Boater.
Yes – people still do monitor CB transmissions on scanners…
Sometimes I hear that CB’s are a thing of the past with the new telephones and the like bombarding our store shelves. I don’t agree with that. I believe that there was a time when CB’s weren’t used as much as they were in the 1960′s, but now they have made a comeback in a great way because folks have found that they really can’t depend on getting cell signal everywhere you go. Depending on the distance you are needing to transmit, a CB Radio may be the clear ticket for you. Last week I was real glad that someone was monitoring their scanner on the frequency I was using in the school bus I was driving. I was nearing the end of my route with only a few students left on board when I pressed on the brake pedal, an alarm sounded, and the pedal went right to the floor. No brakes. I had blown a caliper piston. It wasn’t even 3 minutes that I had someone there helping with some brake fluid for the bus because he had monitored my call to the bus garage. The replacement bus arrived to transfer the last few students into to get them home. Nice to have “good samaritans” around to help – even on those remote roads where you wouldn’t expect to find anyone else! He filled up the reservoir, we pinched off the line to the damaged caliper with a vice grips and was able to drive the bus back to the garage under it’s own power (and brakes!!) Nice when all works out well!! Happy Boater.