Posts Tagged ‘VHF marine radios’
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.
VHF – a likely lifeline…
I know its still August as I write this, but in just a couple months we will have November staring us in the face again. With that realization, it isn’t a far fetched reach to realize that November can bring with it some nasty storms on the lakes – at least around the area I am familiar with around Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. Having a VHF Marine Radio on board gives you access to broadcasts sent out 24/7 by the US Coast Guard – advising boaters of incoming storm systems as well as other things that may hamper your great day on the water. Some of those broadcasts may be the one thing that may give you just enough time to get off the lake to a safe harbor before the waves became too treacherous. VHF Marine Radios are really not that expensive and are available even as a hand held VHF marine radio style. Many of the hand held units are waterproof to a minimum depth and float as well if dropped into the deep blue. Take a minute and consider how little money it really takes to be safe! Happy Boater.
NOAA weather alerts are of most importance…
This past weekend, I was on the water and the day started out really kind of calm and soothing. In just a couple of hours, I was in some giant swells and white caps and found that the wind was gusting to 40 mph. That kind of sea is not really fun to be out in. Now, I was on a small enough body of water at the time that it wasn’t a safety factor for me or the others on board, but if I had been on Lake Superior (for instance), it could have been quite another story. Having a radio on board capable of bringing in the NOAA weather alerts is an essential part of your safety equipment. You can obtain these alerts from a variety of CB radios, or VHF Marine Radios. Channel 16 is typically where you will be alerted by the US Coast Guard as to any fast developing weather systems or small craft warnings for the lake you may be on. Always put safety as a number one status level. Happy Boater.
What’s the difference between “Simplex” and “Duplex” transmissions?
Most modern day VHF Marine Radios offer the basic transmit and receive capabilities. One way they can communicate is where communication can take place in only one direction at at time. This is called “Simplex” transmission. On each of the radios, there is a button on the side of the microphone which determines whether the user is transmitting or receiving a communication. You press the button to transmit or release the button to receive a communication. “Duplex” transmissions (where communication can take place in both directions simultaneously) is, however, available on the majority of channels. Each duplex channel has two frequency assignments. The history behind this indicates that in the days before mobile phones and satcomms became widespread, the duplex channels could be used to place calls on the public telephone system for a fee via a marine operator. So you see, we’ve come a long way in improving our communication possibilities when on the water. History was never my favorite subject in school, but when you come across some of these interesting facts, and you realize that all this happened within your own lifetime, it really hits home. Let’s enjoy (and appreciate) those simple marine radios we take for granted! Happy Boater.
Time for a quick VHF overview…
The new boating season is coming and with it, a new set of both challenges and happy times. I’m quite sure that I’m not the only one in the world that tends to get a bit “foggy” on what all those channels are for if you don’t use them on a daily basis. So, let’s take a bit of a look at them and try to jog some of those memory cells so we can prepare ourselves for the new boating season.
Your VHF operates through standard, international frequencies known as channels. VHF Marine Radios can both send and receive within the same unit. Channel 16 is the international calling and distress channel and can be found at 156.8 MHz. Channel 9 can also be used as a secondary call and distress channel. Never use these frequencies for talking about plans for the weekend – meet on this channel and immediately go to another channel to chat so it doesn’t tie up these very important channels. Larger vessels can communicate for up to 60 nautical miles where smaller boats with possibly a hand held VHF marine radio will probably be limited to about 5 nautical miles at sea level. Antennas should be in a vertical position in order to achieve the best reception (called vertical polarization). Those are the basics. Of course, there are a lot more rules, but if you remember to only use channels 9 and 16 for hailing and emergencies only, then switch to another channel, you can’t be far wrong. Remember – the US Coast Guard monitors channel 16 24/7 so let’s be courteous to the needs of others and keep those channels free for emergency weather advisories as well as distress calls from other vessels. Happy Boater.
Mobile people require mobile communication!
I stopped to think the other day just how different we are in today’s world compared to just 50 years ago. People are flying through the woods in the winter time on snowmobiles and in the summer you see atv’s, motorcycles, boats, and many other variations of motorized “toys” going in every direction. When I was a kid (at risk of dating myself), we had motorcycles and boats, but nobody every thought of all terrain vehicles, jet skis or snowmobiles! We used to be outside making our own fun – building tree forts or just walking in the woods during the day and then we were all expected to be home at suppertime to eat with the family. Things have definitely changed and I for one am not sure it is for the better. I can certainly see how it has become more critical than ever that we have better communication devices available to us like hand held CB Radios, or hand held VHF Marine Radios just to keep in touch with those we love! I really do like progress, but it seems to me as we look at the summer season upon us, we should not overlook that the first line of communication isn’t an electronic device, but a simple conversation over a meal. 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.
Windy Easter Weekend
Well – Easter weekend kinda blew in and blew out as it is calm again for this week ahead. White caps were everywhere on the lake over the weekend with the cold wind blowing from the northeast. There was a 650′ ore boat anchored with her bow headed into the wind just off the breakwall in Two Harbors this past weekend for several hours. I can only guess that she was sitting there waiting for the evening calm before departing – probably in constant communication with the coast guard weather alerts on their VHF Marine Radios on board. The new week promises less wind which will bring out a lot of fishing boats. Hopefully they will all be properly outfitted with good communication equipment right down to their marine speakers. Safe boating. Happy Boater
I miss the piles of blue ice…
This year on the shores of Lake Superior something is amiss. Warmer weather this year in the northland has played havoc with our normal sequence of events. Nearly every year the lake is white with ice so the ice breakers have to plow and chew their way through the masses of ice. Usually they are escorting a ship either out or into the Duluth harbor – communicating constantly on their VHF Marine Radios with the loaded vessel to insure safe passage through ice that sometimes reaches 4 feet thick or more. These “chunks” of ice or mini ice flows usually end up on the shore in piles many feet tall following a strong northeast wind which drives the ice against the shoreline and piles it high. When this happens, you experience the beauty of “blue ice”. Why does the ice appear blue? When the light penetrates deeper into the ice, more photons from the red end of the color spectrum are lost. A lack of reflected red wavelengths produces the color blue to the human eye. We have to enjoy each day! Happy Boater
Keep CB transmissions close to be clear…
The other day, as I was filling in for the school district driving school bus, I became aware of just how irritating that constant “squawking” on the CB Radio was when driving. Now, it isn’t irritating when you can understand what is being said, but sure is frustrating when you have to guess if someone is trying to reach you or if there is a message out there that the base station is trying to communicate with all buses. All equipment reaches it limit at some point – that’s why there are different types of antennas as well as different types of communications devices available from CB Radios, to VHF Marine Radios and others. Don’t expect one radio to be the answer to all your needs – take a step back and try to anticipate what distance you will require of your equipment for clear, safe communication. …and above all – be safe! Happy Boater