Marine radio

[Wake Turbulence]

I wanted/needed a marine radio but didn't want to install a full size. This was my compromise-

 

[Bruce]

When I bought my 230 a handheld marine radio holder was attached to the windshield. Having the radio higher up would help with reception.

Others likely have differing opinions but if I believed I might need the radio I would buy something with a little more quality and likely DSC / GPS functionality.

 

[swatski]

Check out @MrMoose setup, he has got a tall antenna with a quality handheld that has worked well for him, I think.

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[Wake Turbulence]

When I bought my 230 a handheld marine radio holder was attached to the windshield. Having the radio higher up would help with reception.

Others likely have differing opinions but if I believed I might need the radio I would buy something with a little more quality and likely DSC / GPS functionality.

This is up higher than previously which was just in a cup holder. It's actually right next to the windshield and on the SX190 it would have only changed about a foot if I mounted it up higher. I like that's it's out of the way but not taking up a cup holder anymore!

 

[Joe Hellaby]

I like it. I also have a handheld radio. Got it over the winter, haven't had a chance to use it yet
I was thinking about mounting it, did your radio come with that mount, or what that something you found online?

 

[Drift Away]

When I bought my 230 a handheld marine radio holder was attached to the windshield. Having the radio higher up would help with reception.

Others likely have differing opinions but if I believed I might need the radio I would buy something with a little more quality and likely DSC / GPS functionality.

Whats the rang on a hand held like that?

 

[Joe Hellaby]

Most handheld are 5w, which even in the glove box should work a few miles. Which for my use on inland lakes and the St. Lawrence River should be more than fine. I'm close to Lake Ontario, but in my 19' I'm not planning on making any crossings in my near future

 

[Glen]

When I bought my 230 a handheld marine radio holder was attached to the windshield. Having the radio higher up would help with reception.

Others likely have differing opinions but if I believed I might need the radio I would buy something with a little more quality and likely DSC / GPS functionality.

Handheld (really, any) VHF radio today, needs to include GPS and DSC.
If you can't afford the $100 upgrade, you should not be boating. (Not meant as a financial insult, but more as a responsible citizen in a 'hostile' environment. $100 is a half day of fuel, for some.)

Even though my experience is that power boaters, under 25 feet, generally do not have, or turned on, their VHF, when you need it (emergency), you just might catch a sailor, commercial boater or USCG relay station, and 'save a life'.

 

[Wake Turbulence]

Good info. My radio is mainly used to let buddies know what bar we're at with no signal for some cell carriers!
Any time I'm on the Mississippi or heading out to the gulf by barges I monitor 9 and 16.

 

[jdonalds]

I found out the in California if you have a VHF radio on board you MUST have it on and monitor channel 16. This created a little problem for me because the new radio I bought won't last through an 8 hour day, and there is no way to power it externally. I have to carry a spare battery, or my old VHF radio to back it up.

 

[Bruce]

@jdonalds has a good point. The Coast Guard rules state "In general, any vessel equipped with a VHF marine radiotelephone (whether voluntarily or required to) must maintain a watch on channel 16 (156.800 MHz) whenever the radiotelephone is not being used to communicate."

https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtWatch

I follow this rule in salt water and sometimes on fresh. Most radios have a built in feature to monitor 16 & 9 while on a ship to ship communication channel. I do not recommend monitoring 16 on the way to Bimini as I will make sure that someone is monitoring 16 & 9 for the group, those channels are quite busy in that area and we will be communicating amongst ourselves on ship to ship channels.

 

[Glen]

For me, 16 is the communal responsibility to monitor, always. It is where all emergencies will be hailed to. It is my responsibility to hear, forward and/or respond to these calls.

It is also the universal hail station. Make contact and convey movement to another station (69 or other).

Most radios allow a dual station monitoring capability so that we can hear both 16 & our arranged channel.

Having a preference for getting underway before sunrise over the past decade of boating, I have rarely found 16 to become busy before 11 AM, when most recreational boaters start looking for their boating buddy's.

.02-

 

[jdonalds]

Both of my radios have a tripple scan feature for channels 9, 16, and a third of my choice.

 

[Bruce]

@Glen, when my family returned from Bimini alone in 2015 we heard at least two if not more pan pans that were responded to by the Coast Guard plus a lot of other traffic. I believe channel 16 is unusually busy in the Miam area.

I believe all of my VFH radios, four different models, have triple scan functionality monitoring channel 9, 16 and whatever they are set to. Some add weather channels to the scan.

A really nice feature of radios that support DSC is that they are always listening for DSC distress calls and record the coordinates without the operator having to listen to the audio. This both makes you more likely to catch an incoming distress call and others more likely to catch your call.

 

[jdonalds]

Wow thanks Glen. I was completely ignorant of DCS. I just read this informative article http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2015/december/setting-up-a-vhf-radio-with-dsc.asp

I may choose to buy a new radio based on this information.

 

[jdonalds]

I just put a Standard Horizon HS870 on my wish list.

 

[Bill D]

I mean, surely there would be no repercussions to having a VHF on board with a dead battery right?

 

[Bruce]

I mean, surely there would be no repercussions to having a VHF on board with a dead battery right?

The issue beyond legal concerns is that you might not hear a warning broadcast or a distress calls. Both of these situations have cost lives. I like to leave my VHF monitoring 16 and 9 just in case.