Archive for August, 2011
Make sure your speakers are capable of accepting the output of your amp or receiver…
When choosing a sound system for your boat or pontoon, for instance, you want to be informed on the output level of your amplifier (if you use one) or your radio receiver. If your system output is larger than your marine speakers are capable of handling, you are certainly not making the best use of your sound system. It’s much better to error on the side of the receiver than on the speakers. This is because you will obtain a better sound playing a lesser wattage output through speakers that are capable of handling more, than trying to pump those bass notes from a dynamite sound system through a small speaker system that is not capable of handling them. Not a pretty sight (or should I say “sound”). Take the time to do it right. When placing your speakers, make sure the length of your speaker wire is the same length to all speakers. That is, if one of your speakers is 10 feet from the receiver, and the other speaker (in a 2-speaker system) is only 2 feet from the receiver, make sure that you allow 10 feet of wire to the shorter run also and just coil up the unused portion. Have fun with your system!! Happy Boater.
If you can’t understand the words, why listen?
You don’t have to stretch you imagination too far to find someone who has just turned off his/her radio because they couldn’t understand the words of the song they were listening to. Now, granted, some of this problem is directly related to the style of “music” in today’s world, but a lot of it is just because the speakers you are listening to are just plain bad. Why waste your time listening to “garble” when you can obtain clarity and concise listening when you install a pair of the proper size marine speakers into your listening system. Now, just because I said they were marine speakers, it doesn’t naturally follow that you have to be installing them on a boat or pontoon. No – these speakers can easily be placed in your back yard or on a deck so you can bring your music with you when you spend time out of doors. These speakers are water proof so rain and inclement weather won’t even come close to hurting them. So why not change your life style! Bring your music with you and have a great day! Happy Boater.
Sometimes fun on the water takes second place to mowing the lawn….
Did you ever notice that your lawn doesn’t stop growing just because it’s summer and you wanted to be out on the water having fun?? Well, that’s where I’m at today. I’m looking at about 3 hours of lawn mowing/trimming before the fun begins. Last night my wife and I were out fishing and caught a couple of real nice northern pike as well as a nice walleye. Alas, I unhooked them and let them loose. I just didn’t feel like cleaning fish last night and we already have one meal in the freezer and wanted to keep it fresh. I’ll catch them again another day and they’ll contribute to a meal of fine dining for us. Now, we were out on a small inland lake and were never more than 200 feet from shore, but what if you were on a large lake – miles from shore. Wouldn’t it be nice to know if there was any inclement weather coming your way? That’s something that’s easily done by simply installing a marine radio into your boat or pontoon boat. Then you can get the best of both worlds – updated NOAA weather updates as well as quality music reproduction when you plug your I-Pod or MP3 player into the receptacle on the radio receiver. Then you can enjoy your favorite tunes while basking in the sun or simply laying around on one of the boat seats enjoying the fine music. Either way, you are well on the way to finding that “quality” category for summer fun. 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.
Easy to get tongue-tied when learning to talk on your CB Radio…
If you think about it, it’s really kind of funny how a person can get tongue tied when talking to someone on the other end of a CB Radio connection. As far as that goes —-on ANY radio. I can remember getting on line for the first time. I was doing ok until I actually connected to someone out there. I didn’t know this guy from Adam, and naturally the only thing that I knew I had in common with him was that he was talking on his CB and I was talking on my CB Radio. I do believe that I set a new land speed record for going blank on what to say. Over time, it did get easier and I did get pretty good at picking up right away who was new on line and who was an old hat at it. Besides meeting new people on a CB Radio, it can really come in handy for listening to truckers talk as they weave their way in and around traffic and construction zones. It’s like they are breaking trail for you as you go. Just fall in line and enjoy the ride. Who knows – they may even know where the best fuel prices are along the way! Happy Boater.
One less thing to worry about – speakers…
As I look out the window right now, we are having a downpour of rain. Sure – it’s real nice to raise the lake level, clean things up a bit, and give the flowers and trees a drink, but what if you were out on the lake and it started to rain really hard like this. I’m sure the first thing you’d be thinking of if you hadn’t already made the move to install a set of the new design marine speakers on board is something like…”I’ve got to cover up the speakers”. The old design speakers were not impervious to the weather conditions. Rain won’t hurt these speakers – not one bit!! …so enjoy!! Maybe the fish will bite better in the rain…! Life’s too short to worry about your speakers when the fish are biting!! Marine speakers are the way to go. They have the capability of transmitting sound in digital quality so you can FEEL those low notes. The best part is that they are really not an expensive item! Check some out for your boat or pontoon today. Happy Boater.
Channel 16 is where it’s at…
If you’re like everyone else who doesn’t use a marine radio every day, it’s natural to wonder just what in the world you’re supposed to do with all those choices of station frequencies. Well, all you really have to remember is to tune in channel 16 and leave it there. The latest coast guard weather updates as well as any other information you may need to know about is brought to you regularly on that channel. If an emergency should arise, you will probably be asked to switch to another channel to talk so you don’t monopolize that emergency channel in the event someone else needs to use it. Always be considerate on that channel. If you should have an emergency, it’s very likely that you may get assistance from even another vessel in the vicinity because they would have overheard your distress call. The point is, you can’t talk on the radio if you don’t have one installed. Move to the head of the class and invest in your own safety and well being when out on the water. Have fun, but be safe. Happy Boater.
The further away you are, the more critical the need for communication…
Hello – It’s Monday again and I’m reminded of a conversation I had this weekend while attending a wedding. The wedding was in farming country and I discovered that what I used to consider a farm isn’t even a drop in the bucket. I used to consider a farm about 400 acres or so. Upon sitting around after the wedding and talking to a few of the “kids” that were children of the folks I know were now farming around 5,000 – 6,000 acres each. Even the thought of farming that many acres blew my mind. Imagine how important the communication would be on a farm that big. Now with the technology available in today’s world, I would consider a VHF Marine Radio for a farm this size. True – these require that there be no obstacles in the way of the broadcast as the broadcasts always require a straight line between the two points (i.e. there can’t be a building between you and the receiver of the transmission). But, on an area that large, I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t be a real nice fit for using a VHF radio. Now, if you have some obstacles, a CB Radio may be your best option, but for the most part, you will receive clearer radio signal with a VHF Radio. After all – it’s always nice to know when dinner is…………….right!! Happy Boater.
Why not add music to your outing?
I happen to like listening to music a lot. My outings are mainly on my boat so it makes sense that I bring my music with me when I go. The new technology built into the marine radio receivers is amazing. You no longer have to tune in a local radio station (if you even have reception) in order to get some music. At best maybe one of your favorite tunes pop up about every fifth tune played and then the DJ babbles between tunes – probably when you’re trying to talk to others on the boat with you. Most folks in today’s world have either an I-Pod or an MP3 player. Those will plug directly into the marine radio receiver and BINGO – you have your favorite tunes – one after another with no talking between. That’s the only way to go. If ther are others on board with you, however, be sensitive to the taste in music they may enjoy also or they may not appreciate it. For instance – Grandpa probably wouldn’t appreciate an afternoon of hip-hop music, would he?? Have a great day on the water!! Happy Boater.
Doesn’t do any good to have a good radio if you don’t understand what’s said through the speakers!
Garble, Garble, Garble – that’s what it sounds like when someone is trying to reach you if your speakers are faulty. The old style speakers leave a lot to be desired as they get wet, tear, mold, and mice even get in and chew at the membrane. All these things make for impossible communication! The new marine speakers – besides having digital capability – are waterproof which means the weather will no longer bother them. You can mount them anyplace you please on your boat. The cones are backed with a dense styrofoam product and the sound reproduction is incredible. Don’t be one of those that only do half the job – finish the job with the proper speakers when installing a marine radio on your vessel, whether that vessel is a speed boat, fishing boat, or pontoon boat. These new speakers are very reasonably priced in today’s market. Happy Boater.