Conference wahoo::fishing

Marty,

That might be a good question to put into the amatuer radio notesfile.

I think it's on:	AMUCK::HAMRADIO

-Joe-

    I believe that you are talking about a VHF radio. I own a 23' SEAWAY
    I/O (made in Maine, moored in Hingham, MA.) and I have a 25 watt
    permanently mounted VHF. I believe all permanent mounts are 25 which
    is the maximum allowed. You can pay anywhere from $150-$1000 for
    such a set. The handhelds are also good, but max wattage is usually
    5-6. They are great for short range and/or as backup. They usually
    run from $150-$500. The only advice I would give you is to buy a
    brand name from a reputable dealer. The cadillac of VHF's is ICOM,
    but other decent brands include Standard, Raytheon, and Furuno.
    Call me in Stow, MA. if you want to talk more about them.
    
    Fred Smith
    

    Your right Fred, I did mean vhf ! I looked through my boat/us
    catalog this weekend at radios and am leaning toward a SMR Sea Lab
    9000G list 399$, catalog price 189$. It had more features than most
    of the other hand held units for a lower price.
    

    Most  of what has been stated above is correct about VHF radios.
    The handhelds are great for harbor work, lake use, and I also use
    a handheld if another boat runs with me and does not have a VHF
    on board.  I would suggest you purchase a 25 watt radio before the
    handheld if you need a range of 4 miles or more.  Under ideal
    conditions you can expect about that with a handheld. Sometimes more
    or less, but overall, the range is limited.  As far as the 25 watt
    rigs, you can expect about 25 miles, give or take 10.  These ranges
    are not cast in stone, but using an 8' fiberglass antenna mounted
    on the gunwhale, you can expect about the same.  An important note,
    is that you should mount you antenna as high as possible, and have
    a good grounding system.  I am currently using, probably the most
    inexpensive radio on the market, and it does a great job.  It is
    the Ray Jefferson 5000.  It is a 25 rig with fifty some channels
    and four weather channels.  It runs somewhere around 140 dollars.
    Just about all major manufactured VHF radios on the market will
    provide reliable service for years.  The price mostly depends on
    how many bells and whistles you want. ie scanning, auto 16, dual
    monitoring........  I think that is enough for one reply, dont you
    think?  I would be happy to answer any questions you might have
    about marine communications.
    
    					Vince Caruso  KA2HFX
    					DTN 338-5662
    
    
    
    
    							Good Luck!
                                                   

    To continue what Vince and some others have said.
    
    The handheld is maybe the better choice - only if the boat has sunk
    or the "conditions" make it impossible to leave the one permanently
    mounted in the boat. (Id even remove it over weekends if I had to
    make choices.)
    But whats most important -- is the antenna. A good one - even if
    you end up HAVING to choose a handheld will give you optimum
    performance over the handhelds antenna. If your in trouble you want
    to be heard... Thats whats really important..
    
    The hamnotes will give you some indications - but I think the BOATERS
    notes has already discussed (Marine VHF anyway) in great detail.
    
    Jack   KI1X and sometime fisherperson.

    Double ditto on the handhelds! Don't waste your money. They are
    like using a "CB", God forbid!!!!
    I have a Ray Jeff 5000M. Runs about $139.00 in the rag sheets and
    works great! I also support the antenna statements! Don't scrimp
    on it. Get the best you can afford. If you don't have a generator
    system on board, its still worth the effort of installing a marine
    battery just for the radio and charging it a couple times a year
    (if you even need to do that).
    
    Don
    

re:< Note 634.6 by USRCV1::FRASCH >
        -< NO NO on HANDHELDS >-

I don't understand what is wrong with handhelds that brings out 
such strong feelings. OH WELL--if the handheld is used for 
emergency use only or close range communications there is nothing 
wrong with them. Actually they have an advantage that they can be 
easily taken with you on someone elses boat. SUPER for safety 
sake. Also in any locals around here there is not a problem on 
range because of two antenna systems that are normally high 
enough to solv that problem for you. Recal that the mobile marine 
operator monitors at lease one channel and they can easily pick 
up an emergency call from as far as 30 miles from a 3 watt 
handheld. Also the Coast Guard towers are normally quite high.
I sure have been glad when on someone elses boat and the 
electrical systems went dead and we were taking on water when I 
had a hand held along.
Just my two cents worth

norm

    Has anyone used a power booster hooked to a handheld.  I know in
    the VHF ham world they sell a small box for about $25 which you
    hook your handheld to via the antenna connection. This unit then
    raises the output by a factor of five (i.e. 1watt = 5watts or
    5watts=25watts).  I've used it and it works good.  Only this I don't
    know is if the fequency tuning is within range.

    For what's it worth, you should aware that boosting your power output
    as discribed in reply .8 , is illegal. The VHF Marine Band Radio
    authorization is for "FCC Type Accepted" equipment. Ham license
    holders can get by this legally. We ordinary folk cannot. 
    
    The earlier comments about antenna height are right on. Little power
    is required if the antennas (sending and receiving) are within direct
    line-of-sight. There are numerous places along the NE coast where
    even the Coast Guard's antenna towers are not enough. There are
    several "blind spots" around the R.I. coast line.
    
    The handhelds have their place, do not address all the possible
    situations, but then fixed full power units don't either. You may
    need both for more adventurous outings!
    
    Jerry
    

    Thanks for the info, I didn't known there were any regulations around
    the issue of Booster Power.  You saved me the money in going off
    and buying one and then finding it out.               
    Steve

    I'm glad to here that in an emergency situation the handheld
    can be picked up by the coastguard as this is what I was really
    interested in. Most of my travel is within a few miles of the shore,
    on lakes, so the extended range is not critical. The time of year
    that I'm really concerned about is this time and the late fall.
    I've got a couple of minutes to live if I go in the water, so
    if help is 5+ miles away it probably doesn't matter anyway. If
    I'm not sinking then between the handheld and flares if nescesary,
    I think I could draw some attention to myself in a reasonable
    amount of time. I also have not had the fortune of finding a place
    to fish in the northeast yet that I'm not almost always near other
    boats. Even when I head out in the ocean 20-30 miles out there's
    hundreds of other boats out there. I think that I could at least
    attract one of them with the handheld. If anyone hasn't guessed,
    I ordered the handheld. It already came too ! (one day fed x)
    I sat in my livingroom last night and could hear conversations
    that I think might have been down at the ferry boat docks. This
    is probably 4-5 miles from where I live. The bottom line is i'll
    take it to Ontario with me next week and give it a try, and if I'm
    not pleased with the range when talking with other boats I'll
    take advantage of us/boats 30 day, no questions asked return policy
    and order the fixed unit. I guess if I was going to be on the
    ocean more than once or twice a year there'd be no question about
    getting the fixed. I'll report on the results when I get back.
    
    What are the channels frequented by fishermen anyway? I read the
    channel guide that came with the unit, and it gave the impression
    that not that many are suppposed to be used for recreational
    type boaters. Is this the case ? I've got to try and get the thing
    licensed before next week. Hate to get caught by the radio police
    (ha ha!). Has anyone ever had to show a license to anyone ?
    
    Marty (who everyone can laugh at, except norm, when his bones
    wash up on the English coast cause he didn't buy a 25 watt unit!)
    

    Marty,
    As I know it;
    Channel 16 is "emergency and calling frequency" ONLY. Make contact
    and switch to a "working channel".
    "Working" channels are 68,69,71 and 72. Don't use 70 anymore as
    a working channel. It was assigned as such but has just been reassigned
    to another use (forgot what).
    The Coast Guard broadcasts general messages on ch 22, but will announce
    them on ch 16.
    You should have received a temporary license with the radio to cover
    you until you get one from the FCC. You now only need a "Station
    License" and not an Operator License as might be indicated in the
    instructions that come with the radio.
    Also, you are required to monitor ch 16 when you have the radio
    turned on and not talking on a working channel.
    Be sure you follow the rules on Lake Ontario!! The CG will get on
    your case if you don't!
    
    Don't forget to let me know how you do fishing!!!
    
    Don 

re: < Note 634.11 by HOZZER::MARTY >
    
re:    Marty (who everyone can laugh at, except norm, when his bones
re:    wash up on the English coast cause he didn't buy a 25 watt unit!)
    
Sorry to mislead anyone but I was not advocating  handheld be the 
only radio aboard. In fact on my boat are two fixed units and a 
handheld. The handheld is super for emergency use such as close 
range communications (example towing someone) and as I stated for a 
backup or unit to take aboard someone elses (or your own) boat. With 
the price of handhelds today everybody on the water should buy one. 
Good luck Marty with yours. Now convince your wife that you also 
need a fixed unit and that the handheld is for back-up safety.
norm
 

re .11 

<    What are the channels frequented by fishermen anyway? I read the
<    channel guide that came with the unit, and it gave the impression
<    that not that many are suppposed to be used for recreational
<    type boaters. Is this the case ? I've got to try and get the thing
<    licensed before next week. Hate to get caught by the radio police
<    (ha ha!). Has anyone ever had to show a license to anyone ?
    
Marty,

	Keep in mind when you check out your new toy, that it is NOT a CB.

	The informal chatter, BS, and general lack of discipline we see/hear on
the highway on the CB's is frowned upon on the Marine VHF band.  You would do
yourself a favor to go to the library or a bookstore and check out the Coast
Guard Auxiliary Boating Skills and Seamanship textbook and study the chapter on
Radiotelephone (chapter 12 I think). 

	As indicated in re .12 you are supposed to monitor channel 16 at all
times unless you are actively communicating on a working channel.  If you want
to monitor some other channel, it means 2 radios.

				Good luck with your new radio,

						Al

    For the reason above my next radio will have a scanner. I like to
    monitor 16 to hear security broadcasts etc. but like to listen in
    on other fishing boats to know where the action is.
    
    Bruce

    My early spring test run of SUPER STRING went well on Sunday, but
    there was one very distrubing thing I noticed on the VHF. Several
    boats in the area were not using an circuit discipline regarding
    the use of channel 16 or the use of FCC call signs. I had to look
    twice to be sure I wasn't listening to the CB!
    
    I would strongly suggest that for our own saftey, like when you
    really have a distress and channel 16 is so cluddered with junk
    that you can get through, that we need to make courtesy reminder
    to our fellow boaters about using the working channels and leave
    channel 16 clear for initial contact and emergency only use.
    
    As reply .14 pointed out there are numerous channel available, but
    without some self discipline, we'll just end up with another CB
    channel 19!!!
    
    Jerry
    

    Regarding the ability to monitor a working channal and ch16 a auto
    scan is the only way to go. I have a regency Polaris 5500xt that
    does just fine and didn't break the wallet to buy.
    
    Anntenna placement is critical. Get it up as high as possible and
    go for the best you can afford. Be sure to peroidically clean the
    coax connector and waterproof it with a bit of vasilene. Same with
    power connectors; And dont skimp with wire gage when you install
    the power.
    
    As far as idle chit-chat the coasties normally remind violaters
    to get off ch16. If there is a problem in your area get the fcc
    involved, its their job; and VHF is not a toy. Someday your life
    may depend upon it.
    
                                         Have fun and good luck
    
                                         Walt   (Rainbow Chaser,
                                                 Newburyport, Ma.)