Posts Tagged ‘hand held VHF marine radios’
Does wisdom come with age or experience?
Yesterday I was pondering this question – don’t ask me why! It does seem that possibly both of these statements are true as I reflect upon my own life. I know that I did things when I was younger that I’d never do today – like head out on the blue waters of Lake Superior without so much as a VHF marine radio!! At least I could have had a CB Radio along so as to be able to raise another boater in the event of trouble. Then, when I was younger, I never really had the opportunity to work and play in and around those experienced in the art of boating or possibly commercial fishing. If I had, then just by default I’d have attained a level of proficiency in the art of boating by simply gleaning off those more experienced. It’s really fun to talk to these old guys (who, by the way, are looking younger every day, the older I get) down at the harbor and hear some of the hair raising tales they tell. Sure, some of them are probably exaggerated, but, the bulk of the story probably really did happen – and just the way it was spelled out by them. What’s scary is that they headed out many times in the lake to empty their nets in an 18 foot wooden skiff and outfitted in rain gear to face 6 foot or higher waves. In those days they didn’t have such a thing as hand held VHF marine radios – or hand held CB Radios as far as that goes!! They were just fearless and they got the job done. I tend to like to operate a bit more in the comfort zone – and I hope you do to. Happy Boater.
Who gets the trophy for inventing the radio??
The answer to this question is probably much like casting something in jello. You come up with a definite “maybe” as a final answer because the reality of this is that the expertise of several elite inventors from around the world all contributed to the success of this incredible invention. Several inventors actually claim that the invention of the radio was actually theirs. Those include Jagadish Chandra Bose, Guglielmo Marconi, Alexander Stepanovich, and Nikola Tesla and there were many other contributors to this new way of transmitting “wireless telegraphy” as it was called. Now, some of these names are a bit less talked about, but I know I have heard of Marconi because his name is linked with life saving wireless communications on ships and Tesla was able to publicly demonstrate the principles of radio by producing radio frequency currents. This enabled the transmitting of long distance signals. We now have the modern day VHF marine radio which is available in both a fixed model as well as a hand held model. These radios have saved countless lives over the years and certainly would have exceeded even that number of lives saved if we had had the waterproof technology we have today with the hand held VHF marine radios. Happy Boater.
Who’d ever think a kayaker may require a VHF Radio?
Everyone can picture a large watercraft with a radio mounted to it’s dash, but for some of us, it’s a bit of a stretch to imagine a kayak with a VHF radio on board. Well, that’s just what a lot of kayakers are doing. With the onslaught of hand held VHF Marine Radios in the marketplace, more and more kayakers are including a VHF Radio as part of their standard equipment – and why not??? They are small, easy to store, waterproof to 1 meter, and an incredible life line if you should happen to capsize. Just last week, I was told by my friend who was on a trip into the boundary waters wilderness that he encountered a female capsized in her kayak and blowing a whistle for help. They were able to help this person, but with more and more kayaks hitting the larger bodies of water like Lake Superior, it would sure be a smart thing to have along so at any given moment, you could be in contact with someone who could assist you. Happy Boater.
Hand Held VHF Radios come in “handy”.
With the newest style of hand held VHF marine radios available, they are so compact that they can be stowed away until they are needed (that is – IF they’re needed). We all hope when we have made the investment (which is really very reasonable) in a VHF Marine Radio that we never have need of using it to call for help when out on the water. But what a sense of security it offers the boat owner if the need arose call the Coast Guard for help and know that they will be monitoring their end of the radio 24/7 if you need them!! A lot of folks put 2 VHF marine radios on board – one is a fixed unit for daily use and the other a hand held unit which is stowed in the “emergency bag” to take with in the event that a person had to transfer to a life raft. Most of these hand held VHF marine radios are not only waterproof to about a meter, but they float as well – a real handy thing to have on board!! Happy Boater.
Is “splish splash” a good sound??
Normally, when you’re out on the water, the sound of something hitting the water isn’t necessarily a good sound. I was out on a fishing charter a few years back out of the Duluth-Superior harbor out on Lake Superior fishing for lake trout and salmon. We had a couple of deep lines out and noticed that the one on the port side of the boat was seriously bending down. I reached for it and announced “fish on”. The captain told me to stop for a minute before taking that pole out of the holder. He said that he had rarely seen that pole with such weight on it and told me to get a good grip BEFORE I took it from its mooring. Otherwise, he told me that 2 splashes would follow……the first would be his new pole and reel hitting the water, and the next would be me!! Well, needless to say, I’m still here so all went well, but after a half hour fight with whatever was on the end of my pole (we suspected a large atlantic salmon) let go and I never got a chance to view what I had hold of. Oh well – it was a lot of fun! Now with the technology that is offered with the new hand held VHF Marine Radios, you don’t have to worry about getting them wet as they are waterproof up to a meter below the water for roughly 30 minutes. That makes them a great asset to have on board a life raft – or simply for fumble fingered users! Have a great day on the water. Happy Boater.
A VHF gift!
How many times do you get to give a gift that both classifies as a “gadget” (with real buttons that we all know is an important element in a guy’s gift!) as well as a very sophisticated piece of safety communication equipment? My guess would be not very often. Why not make this year the year that you give the gift that can really give back if an emergency ever happened while on the water? Not a lot of money has to be spent, as these units (both fixed VHF Marine Radios and Hand Held VHF Marine Radios) have become very affordable for the end users. Ladies – Father’s Day is coming! This would be a GREAT investment in your family – even if you some day were able to avoid a storm by receiving the auto updated weather broadcasts (NOAA). What a gift! Happy Boater.
What frequency to I use for NOAA?
NOAA (stands for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) is the site used by the weather service to broadcast and forecast watches, warnings and other hazardous information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some of the VHF Marine Radios including hand held VHF Marine Radios purchased today as well as a lot of CB Radios have those frequencies pre-programmed into them and and labeled as such. If your radio doesn’t have this easily identified, you will be able to find the NOAA broadcasts on your VHF Marine Radio under 7 frequencies. They are as follows….. 162.400 MHz; 162.425 MHz; 162.450 MHz; 162.475 MHz; 162.500 MHz; 152.525 MHz; and 162.550 MHz. There’s not much you get for free nowadays – let’s be sure to take advantage of this one! Happy Boater.
Handheld is Handy!
Don’t have enough room in your recreational vehicle – whether you have a boat, RV, camper or some other form of recreational vehicle? Maybe a handheld VHF Marine Radio is just the perfect fit for you! You can clip it on your belt, slip it into your pocket, or keep it just about anywhere! Over the past few years, these units have become very affordable. It has pretty much followed the same course as the transistor radio as far as price history. Remember how expensive they were when they first came out? I believe I paid nearly $40 for a small 6 transistor radio back in the early 1960′s. That was a lot of money back the for something like that! …how about calculators? They’ve sure come down from the time they were introduced into the sales market! There was a time you could hardly afford them, and now some companies give them away as “promotional gimmicks”! How about making it a goal this year to include a VHF marine radio on your list of “must haves” for your boat (either fixed or handheld VHV Marine Radios)? Let’s make this year a safe one for all! Happy Boater.