VHF Radio?

[G-Man]

This tragedy on the Cape has me thinking about my own safety. I pretty well prepared for trouble with my wetsuit, life jacket, lights, compass and stuff.

I'm thinking more about communication if I get separated from my kayak or hurt. I used to think my cellphone was good, but found it's useless around Winthrop. No signal.

How good are the cheaper handheld vhf radios? I imagine that's what you need to really call for help out on the ocean right?

Thoughts?
-G

[bones]

Handheld radios are good only for line-of-sight communications, are litttle more than an amusement, a toy. Because of their limited range and poor reliability, I'd not depend on one for survival.

The satellite communications beacon is called an EPIRB. Go to www.google.com type in EPIRB, then shop. $300-400 well spent.

[kayakninja]

There is nothing wrong with handhled radios. I have the uniden atlantis in a dry bag and works for me around Winthrop and have used it to call Coast Guard and Tow Boat USA for two boats disabled and radios were out. Yes the hand held is limited range but how far are we paddling here? Stellwagon Bank? 89 bucks for the atlantis radio and 20 bucks for the dry bag is a good buy and well worth it. To say hand held radios are not worth it, forget them!!!!!

[Wes]

I carry one in a lot of places but I really don't know what the range is. Might not need to be that far if there is boat traffic around. I haven't convinced my partners to go VHF and ditch the FRS we use yet for communicating among ourselves but it would be far more reliable for that. I know the range is a lot less if I'm in the water than on the water so I'm planning for it to be the last thing I do or take for survival but it goes with me anyway. Maybe it will show it's worth some day when I have to get somebody else some help. GPS might be a better investment for $200 as far as safety goes. VHF weather forecasts are useful and chatter is sometimes interesting. There isn't really a viable alternative as far as I know for use on the water despite the likely limited range.

I bought an ICOM M1v for abt $160 and it seems to be abt as waterproof and reliable as you could want, hasn't failed to work when I pull it out, just rinse it under the tap to remove salt after use.

I bought it a couple years ago after several incidents happened in a few weeks, things like bodies washing up on beaches near where I was fishing.

[bones]

Will you bet your life on one?

[ruge13]

Actually the handhelds work just find on Stellwagon bank. Occaisionally we had to hold it high to get a perfectly clear reception being so close to the water line and all, but we could pick up signals from Boston on the SW corner. That was a flat day though, and some swells to that and it would have been different. Some of the newer models will also link to a gps unit and will constantly broadcast your position on Channel 16 if need be.

[SamRiley]

We picked up calls from the Portland CG too. 100 miles away... not bad for a hand held.

bones-
I am curious about your EPIRB idea though. As I understand, they are designed to activate when they come in contact with water. Can the personal ones be manually activated instead so as to avoid false alarms? Given the extended range I have been doing this season in the yak, I may consider buying one that I could use with both my yak and boat.

[Wes]

Picking up a signal is one thing but any idea how far you can broadcast effectively with yr handhelds? i think it would pretty limited if you were in the water.

[SamRiley]

Have yet to test the broadcasting yet Wes ( Shaun and I are very secretive you know ;) ) but plan to. I think that our Icoms have the same signal strength as the stationary units but clearly the CG has some monster output on their end.

Want to hook up for a skunking one day and try it out Jim?

[titleguy]

I have used one for years duck hunting, both on the Cape and Lake Champlain. On Champlain, the coast guard is located in Burlington with a receiver/repeater on Mount Mansfiled about 60 miles and below line of sight from my hunting areas. I have called in on a cell and tested the radio- they can here me, I can't here them. As for model, I have a Uniden waterproff 1/5 watt with 16 and wx channels. It is always in my tackle bag, even on someone else's boat, and if looks nasty it is clipped to my belt and/or foul weather gear in case of untimely exit. (I had another VHF for my Fire Dept. which I also carried while hunting as the dispatcher could hear me and I them in case of badness, such as last December.)

[G-Man]

All good info...thanks guys.

From my brief research, I'm reading that handheld transmit range is in the 2-5 mile range with line of sight and antenna height being the main variables. Suitable for my travels.

Well, it seems the vhf, gps, and beacon meet different needs. I think a handheld vhf should be my next safety purchase.

Thanks
-G

ps. The beacons I looked at had a manual switch.

[Wes]

Sam, are you coming south soon to complete your set of NE state skunkings?

[Pauper Piscator]

You don't need an EPIRB for 99.99999% of inshore fishing.

Try using that electronic wonder machine screwed to the top of your neck.

That, the weather channel, a GPS, cell, lifejacket, and MAYBE a VHF and reasonable judgement are more than enough to pull your butt out of most fires.

Offshore, BIG water, BOATS (not yaks etc), EPIRB is a good idea and required for commercial applications.

The biggest challenge for most guys, myself included, is not being an idiot in the first place. It is challenging but I'm getting better.

If you MUST spend some money. Get a GPS, and a good chart of your bay. Dial in a couple waypoints, and you are never lost.

[SamRiley]

Originally posted by Pauper Piscator
The biggest challenge for most guys, myself included, is not being an idiot in the first place

That sums it up perfectly for me. I'd add:
Know your boat
Know your abilities
Know your location
and
Know full well that no matter how well prepared you might think you are, Mother Nature can come out of nowhere and give you a wallop that you never saw coming.

The only reason that I might consider an EPIRB on my yak is because there are days when I am out 1.5 hours from shore. If the wind and chop kick up in my face unexpectedly that can turn into 3 hours back which could lead to a dangerous level of exhaustion at the end of a 20 mile day. I follow weather reports closely and monitor my VHF for weather alerts but as bones says "would you bet your life on one?"

[Wes]

You can also rent epirbs just for those special occasions, I think I saw them for $50 a week.

[bluewatr]

Imagine.....


Putting your life in the hands of a battery manufacturer....

That would be easy enough and foolish......

If it can happen it most certainly will..................

[Mark Cahill]

is utterly important. I will take every bit I can carry, in the hopes of not needing it. The best safety devices, as Pauper reminds us, is brains and common sense. They are too often in short supply.

[talbot3]

Is it possible to attach the handheld to a wire antenna and run the wire up the paddle or a rod to increase line of sight?

Paddle idea bad in wind; rod idea bad in thunderstorms.

Duncan Talbot