"Edgar" wrote in message
...
"Capt. JG" wrote in message
tions...
Just picked up my new handheld.. HX850S. Very cool - DSC/GPS/6-watts.
Registed the MMSI number.
Now I have three handhelds, that one plus the HX350S and HX270S.... all
submersible.
http://picasaweb.google.com/SailNOW....20498028943010
Don't you have a fixed one at all? It can give you more than 6 watts
output you get from those handheld ones and if you also have a fixed
chartplotter in the boat they can be linked so that the VHF can send out a
distress call including your boat's id and exact location at a press of a
button. If the boom knocks you overboard unconscious with the handheld in
your pocket how are your crew going to call for help? I have no problem
with a hand held one for a backup but would not have one or even two as my
main sets.
I was interested in the seacock diagram on your site. Ignoring the cockpit
drains and exhaust outlet which are above the water line why are all the
underwater ones marked 'open' except for the head outtake? Surely all
underwate thruhulls should be shut when the boat is unattended? Any one
of them can sink the boat if the hose comes off.
I have a notice, encapsulated in plastic, on my boat, kept where nobody
can miss seeing it. It gives the location of all seacocks and makes it
clear that all are shut when the boat is left unattended (except for
short trips ashore)
All great questions....
I do have a fixed VHF aboard. It's an old ICOM, which works fine. It's on my
list for 2010 to replace with a DSC-enabled. Since the boat is so small (30)
and I rarely go offshore, even more rarely overnight (unless anchored), and
almost always have more than just one person up top, I'm not concerned about
being AWOL without someone noticing.
I don't have a chartplotter (and an AIS), sadly. It's not in my budget until
2011 at least.
The 850 is my primary backup... I will be carrying it in my foulie pocket.
That's what I did with the 350, which will now be my secondary backup below.
The 270 is for the dinghy, should I need that and don't want to take either
of the other two (probably, I would take the 350, since it has better
battery life).
The ones marked open are when I'm there. Specifically, the head intake, the
sinks, the raw water.... They're closed normally when I'm not there (except
as you put it for short trips). I have them marked open, since I do this
before we leave the dock, and this is for customer/passenger orientation. I
keep a similar plastic-enclosed sheet in my orientation book, which is
revealed before we leave the dock. I have an emergency check-off list
displayed, but there's no reasonable place to put all the boat orientation
documents without papering the walls with them.
--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com