Archive for August, 2011
Common installation errors some folks make…
You have a brand new pair of marine speakers and are about to install them on your boat or pontoon. There are a couple of things that you should know before you begin. Normally these are relatively easy to install but just because they work doesn’t mean they are installed correctly. Make sure your new speakers are large enough (but not too big so as to waste money when purchasing them) to handle the output of your radio. You don’t want to be installing speakers that forces “8 lane freeway sound” to a “logging road sound”. That would be a shame so always check to make sure what the output is of your radio so you can purchase the correct speakers. Each speaker comes with a template which will allow you to trace around to mark the hole to be cut out. Yep, this is the scariest part. Take your time and you’ll do fine. Choose a spot which will allow the speaker to “breath”. These speaker create a certain amount heat and need breathing room. Don’t put them into a spot which doesn’t allow for heat dissipation. When stringing the speaker wire to the speakers, make sure that you have the same length of speaker wire running to each of your speakers – even if one speaker is only 4 feet from the radio and the other is 12 feet from the radio. Just coil up the excess wire on the short run and all will turn out “just ducky”. Happy Boater.
Is your’s not the boat that’s bouncin’?
Are you thinking that the people in the OTHER boat are having more fun that the people in YOUR boat? Maybe it’s because they have discovered the element of “tunes” and have installed a marine radio receiver into their boat and are enjoying all their favorite tunes at their fingertips. There are many such radio receivers on the market and they all are sure to add that missing “party” factor to your boat! Some of these radios have remote controls to allow you to change tunes or control the volume at your fingertips. Also, many of them have the capability of receiving NOAA weather alerts – what a bonus!! You can easily plug your MP3 player or I-Pod into the recepticle designed for them located right on the radio and from then on, all you need is family, friends, food, and the FUN will fall into place naturally. Happy Boater.
Why not add sound to your backyard deck?
For years people have been building decks in their back yards. That’s a given. But most of them didn’t enjoy the added dimension of sound when they were done because the technology wasn’t available when the decks were built. Sure – back then you could build boxes for the speakers and try to locate them in a sheltered area (maybe under a roof overhang) so as to protect it from the weather. Sound familiar?? Well, that is no longer necessary and the day has come when you can transform your old unused deck to a center of entertainment. This is easily done with the small investment into a pair of marine speakers. These little speakers are waterproof and therefore you won’t have to “hide” your speakers or be concerned when the wind and rain get them wet. The speakers can easily be mounted wherever you would like them to be and you can just simply forget about them as far as the weather is concerned. What could be easier. Take advantage of the weather this fall season and consider adding that new dimension of sound to your deck. Happy Boater.
Enjoy your favorite tunes when on the water…
I can’t think of a better way to enjoy your day on the water than having a few friends with you and listening to your favorite music as played through your marine radio receiver. Thankfully, this has become incredibly easier to do! I know not more than a few years ago, terms like MP3 and I-Pod where not even popping up in any conversation – at least those conversation that I was part of. Now it seems like everyone has earphones in their ears as they walk down the streets instead of balancing a “boom box” on their shoulder and seemingly entering into competition with the next closest “boom box” to find out who’s could produce the loudest “BOOM”. Typically, nobody won and everyone went home with a definite ringing in their ears. In today’s world, we have the marine radio receivers which have the capability of ”plug and play”. That is, you can take your MP3 pre-recorded music and simply plug it into your marine radio on board your boat or pontoon (or even your patio in your back yard) and enjoy a day of your favorite tunes. Of course, you’ll want to invite your friends along to enjoy the day! Break out the grill and enjoy a burger and tunes along with your friends!! 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.
Hearing is NOT understanding!
Now there’s a lot of you out there that I know will understand what I’m talking about – especially those of you who have a bit of trouble hearing. When a radio broadcast is heard, it can sound like a bunch of gibberish or it can sound as clear as a bell – and this is highly leveraged toward what kind of speakers the broadcast is being picked up through. Take it from me – there is NOTHING more frustrating that hearing someone say something and not being able to answer because you don’t know what was said because of the quality of the speakers. This is especially true for those of us with hearing problems in the first place. Do yourself a favor and get up to speed with your radio speakers. Trash those old worn out – old technology – speakers and replace them with state of the art marine speakers. These new speakers are not even affected by inclement weather conditions because they are waterproof. Use them even outside on your deck for outdoor parties. There is no longer any reason to have to keep your music inside. Mount your speakers outside and forget them! They will always be there for your listening pleasure!! 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.
How about a CB Radio for that special guy!
You know, there are a lot of folks out there that really believe that CB Radios are a thing that went by the wayside sometime in the late 60′s or early 70′s. These little radios are actually increasing in popularity with the RV’ers as well as those lone travelers that simply want to have someone to talk to when driving. I have to admit that I currently don’t have one installed in my car, but I have had several of them and did enjoy talking to different folks as I drove along. With all the road construction out there, you can really save yourself a lot of time if you hook up with someone who just traveled through the area you are about to enter. They can advise you of construction delays and possible better routes to take to make your road trip more enjoyable. Then, there’s that teenager with that 2-seater go kart…why not put a CB on that rig?? Just the other day, I had to go out an find a couple of kids on one of those. Their parents were worried because they had been out there for such a long time. I went looking and found them – walking way back in the forest. Their kart had run out of gas and they were hoofing it back to their home. I gave them a ride and all turned out well, but wouldn’t it have been simpler if they had had a CB Radio on the cart and parents had a matching one at home base? All they would have had to do is to radio their problem to their folks and it would have saved a lot of fretting. Oh well, all turned out well in the end. 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.