VHF Usage
- Thread starter PascalG
- Start date
Alk...there is a company that makes a speaker that is reeeeaaallly loud that you can hook into your vhf...some have a plug in the back and others have a set of speaker wires that are hanging in the back of the radio....the speaker costs about 40 bucks and really helps...for some reason bayliner and maxum puts the radio at your knee....so if I'm underway on plane...at speed...i can't here that stupid radio...so...after i bought the speaker...I can hear all the calls.......I'd go to west marine of your local boat shop ..they probably have that radio speaker extension....believe me..it works great....and yes I have a sunbridge....
Alk- That is why I have remote speakers at both stations so I can hear there is a call & can pick up the telephone style handset of my Simrad (2 handset stations to 1 black box & 1 antenna) VHF to hear extremely well. I absolutely love the phone-type handset for clarity of listening underway, nothing better, and the intercom feature and full numeric keyboard is handy as well. I've never used anyone's speaker/mic type VHF that worked anywhere nearly as well. Admittedly, my hearing is not as good as it used to be...
Alk, looks like Boatfix carrys speakers for a pretty darn good price for the VHF
http://www.boatfix.com/cart2/scripts/prodList.asp?idcategory=124&curPage=3&sortField=description
http://www.boatfix.com/cart2/scripts/prodList.asp?idcategory=124&curPage=3&sortField=description
- Joined
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Finding a speaker isn't a problem. It's finding room to mount the speaker, near enough to my head. Below is a picture of my dash, the VHF is not visible, but it's lower than the wheel, to the right, well below my knees. That's about the only spot where there is room for the speaker ( I know, horrible helm design), so when I'm standing, the speaker would be about six feet from my ears, or the same distance as the vhf. It's hard to beleive that a bigger speaker, mounted in the same spot, with the same wattage, would make that much of a difference.
I'm going to be honest and say this, at the risk of getting myself flamed, but I don't really care that I can't hear other calls when I'm running at cruising speed. In ten years of boating, I haven't once heard a hail that interested me, and I've heard plenty of hails - while sitting behind the windshield, running at slower speed, etc. I mounted a permanent VHF, and carry a handheld for three reasons, in case of emergency on my part, to keep abreast of weather info, and because I find the chatter to be soothing when I'm drifting or at anchor. That's about it. I know I'm required to be listening all the time, and in a legal sense I guess I'm complying since the radio is on - but the idea of fitting my boat with a larger speaker, and possibly an amp, so I can blare my VHF at 110 decibels to hear a bunch of people asking where the fish are biting, and for radio checks, and to hear the coast guard try to track down a ten hour old mayday call that was probably a hoax, while I'm running at 45 mph, isn't very appealing to me. But I do worry that I may miss an urgent hail from someone else, who could use my assistance. But of all the times I've helped others ( I've towed boats, towed waverunners, towed a boat that was on fire and then helped put out the fire, helped push off people stuck aground, helped people get their boat into the fuel dock, helped untangle a ski rope from a jet drive) of all these times, not once was I repsonding to a VHF hail - everytime it's been somebody without a VHF waving their arms.
Here's another question, could be a poll. Has anyone ever received a hail, on channel 16 or any other, that required their assistance, to the point that you, or they, were darn glad that you had the VHF turned on? Or any other hail that you were glad you didn't miss?
I'm going to be honest and say this, at the risk of getting myself flamed, but I don't really care that I can't hear other calls when I'm running at cruising speed. In ten years of boating, I haven't once heard a hail that interested me, and I've heard plenty of hails - while sitting behind the windshield, running at slower speed, etc. I mounted a permanent VHF, and carry a handheld for three reasons, in case of emergency on my part, to keep abreast of weather info, and because I find the chatter to be soothing when I'm drifting or at anchor. That's about it. I know I'm required to be listening all the time, and in a legal sense I guess I'm complying since the radio is on - but the idea of fitting my boat with a larger speaker, and possibly an amp, so I can blare my VHF at 110 decibels to hear a bunch of people asking where the fish are biting, and for radio checks, and to hear the coast guard try to track down a ten hour old mayday call that was probably a hoax, while I'm running at 45 mph, isn't very appealing to me. But I do worry that I may miss an urgent hail from someone else, who could use my assistance. But of all the times I've helped others ( I've towed boats, towed waverunners, towed a boat that was on fire and then helped put out the fire, helped push off people stuck aground, helped people get their boat into the fuel dock, helped untangle a ski rope from a jet drive) of all these times, not once was I repsonding to a VHF hail - everytime it's been somebody without a VHF waving their arms.
Here's another question, could be a poll. Has anyone ever received a hail, on channel 16 or any other, that required their assistance, to the point that you, or they, were darn glad that you had the VHF turned on? Or any other hail that you were glad you didn't miss?
Alk-
I am glad you said it. I can rarely hear the chatter on the VHF when I am running. If I hear a Pan Pan or Securite call come up, I will turn it up a notch, but thats about it. I carry a fixed mount and a handheld as a backup or for when we use the inflatable. I have both radios as more of a precaution. The marina that I travel to the most over the season does not even answer the VHF, you have to call them on the phone.
Dan
I am glad you said it. I can rarely hear the chatter on the VHF when I am running. If I hear a Pan Pan or Securite call come up, I will turn it up a notch, but thats about it. I carry a fixed mount and a handheld as a backup or for when we use the inflatable. I have both radios as more of a precaution. The marina that I travel to the most over the season does not even answer the VHF, you have to call them on the phone.
Dan
quote-Here's another question, could be a poll. Has anyone ever received a hail, on channel 16 or any other, that required their assistance, to the point that you, or they, were darn glad that you had the VHF turned on? Or any other hail that you were glad you didn't miss? end quote
Yes, 3x's
But only 1 scared the ba jeezus out of me. It was a boat in distress taking on water Fast and they also had children on board. I boat in cold waters of Puget Sound. The boat in distress was talking to CG and CG was asking for any boats in vicinity to assist. I was about 15 to 20 minutes away and altered my course and went WOT to hurry for them.
About 5 minutes later a boat announced it had them in view and would be picking them up.
I was relieved that they were rescued and the fact that I could get back on my course for home.
For this I always run with my VHF on 16
You should invest in the VHF speaker and mount it where it suits you,even if it is under helm. It will be better then what you currently have.
Yes, 3x's
But only 1 scared the ba jeezus out of me. It was a boat in distress taking on water Fast and they also had children on board. I boat in cold waters of Puget Sound. The boat in distress was talking to CG and CG was asking for any boats in vicinity to assist. I was about 15 to 20 minutes away and altered my course and went WOT to hurry for them.
About 5 minutes later a boat announced it had them in view and would be picking them up.
I was relieved that they were rescued and the fact that I could get back on my course for home.
For this I always run with my VHF on 16
You should invest in the VHF speaker and mount it where it suits you,even if it is under helm. It will be better then what you currently have.
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Always on 9 to start with. I have to go down New River to the Intercoastal then on to Port Everglades to the ocean. The Jungle Queen and any of those mega yachts are always using channel 9 and it is always nice to know when they are going to meet you before you see them. The railroad bridges are on 9 and only a jonh boat or dingy can make it under them. Once in the ocean I will switch to 16.
Navman: "Here's another question, could be a poll. Has anyone ever received a hail, on channel 16 or any other, that required their assistance, to the point that you, or they, were darn glad that you had the VHF turned on? "
Yes, quite a few times. That's why I believe in the VHF mandatory monitoring regs. It helps saves lives, though the situation is usually not quite that severe. Next time it could be any of you. Or me.
Yes, quite a few times. That's why I believe in the VHF mandatory monitoring regs. It helps saves lives, though the situation is usually not quite that severe. Next time it could be any of you. Or me.
I reckon that poll is for saltwater or big-water boaters?
No never mind. When we're on fresh-water lakes/inland lakes, we rarely turn the VHF on--especially if we're close to a larger town. When we're down on the coast in in the big boat, the ex-military in me has it monitoring the guard channels anytime we're aboard--above decks or below, don't matter.
Same in our airplane--we monitor the guard (121.5) frequency, especially on the long cross-country trips.
We've heard several emergency calls that turned out to be empty-bunker calls, but we did get a real-life distress call from a 48-footer in which pirates/drug-smugglers were attempting to board. This was down south of Brownsville, Texas, technically in Mexican waters.
--Jeff
No never mind. When we're on fresh-water lakes/inland lakes, we rarely turn the VHF on--especially if we're close to a larger town. When we're down on the coast in in the big boat, the ex-military in me has it monitoring the guard channels anytime we're aboard--above decks or below, don't matter.
Same in our airplane--we monitor the guard (121.5) frequency, especially on the long cross-country trips.
We've heard several emergency calls that turned out to be empty-bunker calls, but we did get a real-life distress call from a 48-footer in which pirates/drug-smugglers were attempting to board. This was down south of Brownsville, Texas, technically in Mexican waters.
--Jeff
- Joined
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- 4,831
JDK, for what it's worth, by not listening to 16, you might miss a boarding request or "warn off" by homeland security. In the last few years, quite a few areas are now "off limits" and ending up in those unmarked areas is easy. Maybe tuning in, even when inland, might be a good thing to do...
I do monitor 13, 16, 22A, 68, 69, 71 qnd 72. Not that I ever really hear anything. I have heard bear hunters using hand helds on land. And I do hear the Coast Guard make announcements regarding the Tennessee River on 22A 50+ miles away and on the other side of the Great Smoky Mountains Nat Park. Fontana Lake (or Lake Wamagoochee as Les would say) is considered "navigable waters" and every now and then the Coast Guard will make an appearance. But, in the 10+ years that I have had a VHF, I have never heard anyone call on 16. Never. I did once make a call to a marina because I came across one of their rental boats that was out of gas. No one answered. I went over there to alert them to the problem. I do not think that they had their VHF turned on. The other "marinas" on the lake do not have one.
Holy cow! Homeland Security is now out patrolling inland lakes???
Hell, we rarely even see a Game Warden or even a sheriff's deputy out on the lakes around here (north Texas). In fact, our favorite inland lake is a place we've been to literally over a hundred times just in the past five years or so, and we've NEVER seen any sort of law-enforcement out there.
Now, down on the coast, that's another matter. I see 'em all down on the Texas coast.
So DHS has finally bloated itself into a full-fledged, useless bureacracy that now has to go looking for little inland lakes to harass in order to justify its existence. . .
I guess it was just a matter of time.
Regards.
-Jeff
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
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For example:
Near a naval vessel in port
Power plant cooling outflow
"Suspicious activity" when boating on fresh water reservoirs. ie: tampering with the water supply.
I'm sure there must be other "off limits" areas...
Near a naval vessel in port
Power plant cooling outflow
"Suspicious activity" when boating on fresh water reservoirs. ie: tampering with the water supply.
I'm sure there must be other "off limits" areas...