Posts Tagged ‘VHF marine radios’
Radios more important in rougher waters…
November is just around the corner and with that time of the year comes the inevitable gales of November. Smart boaters will always have their VHF Marine Radios turned on and tuned into Channel 16 (or Channel 9 in some areas) for the latest in weather updates. A half hour can mean the difference between being safe and being in peril. The US Coast Guard monitors channel 16 constantly (24/7). They also send out pertinent information for the boaters so they can have time to react to the rapidly changing weather conditions surrounding them. Nobody like to see waves coming over your bow when at sea. Yes – it’s kind of pretty and certainly awesome, but dangerous never-the-less. This fall, make sure that one of your friends on board is your VHF Marine Radio. Happy Boater.
Many fall days left to enjoy those tunes!
Although it may be sad to see the yard equipment and lawn furniture being put away and maybe you are rushing around to accomplish those fall jobs you’ve been putting off until a cooler day, there is still a long time to enjoy the fall weather…and certainly time to put together a great back yard party or a party on the boat! VHF Marine Radios are available to be used without the danger of being ruined by weather. They also have the ability to play the digitally recorded music through the MP3 plug-in available on most units nowadays. Waterproof marine speakers are available also. It is very easy to make a speaker box to be able to install your speakers into and you have yourself a first class outside entertainment center!! Enjoy your favorite tunes as you entertain your friends. Almost everyone enjoys music!! 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.
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