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[email protected] gfretwell@aol.com is offline
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First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Jul 2007
Posts: 36,387
Default TotalBoat Work Skiff Completed - Last Episode

On Fri, 28 Apr 2017 11:03:01 -0400,
wrote:

You can get in real trouble back there since there is virtually
no cell phone service and marine VHF reception is spotty unless you
have a very good antenna.


If you had a marine antenna on an old AMPS66 phone you had pretty good
service all over that area. My Pine Island buddy was limping home from
Marathon in his 23' Rabalo with a banged up prop (coral head in the
keys) He got into trouble in the Florida bay and tried to raise
someone on the VHF 16 with no joy. Then his phone rang. It was his
neighbor asking if he was OK since he was running late. He was still
underway so it was not a 911 thing. They stayed in contact on the
phone regularly until he cleared the Naples fishing pier. At that
point he knew I could come get him if things went south.