I just called a marine electronics shop and they said to "just do a
radio check". Couldn't tell me if there was a preferred channel in
this area such as is reported for the West Coast (22 A).

Maybe if I'd bought the radio from them

--

Roger Long



wrote in message
oups.com...
Roger's post said he's "looking for more range" than a handheld can
provide; the only way to feel good about an 'installed' VHF (assume
mast mounted antenna) system is to know that the antenna is
'accepting'
all of the power delivered to it (as opposed to 'rejecting', or
'reflecting' some of it back to the transmitter - a rough definition
of
'Standing Waves'). If you know any Ham (Amateur Radio) operators,
ask
if you can borrow their "Bird Model 43" thruline wattmeter. Easy
to
use, and the results will provide peace of mind about your new
radios
ability to provide "more range." Note: Because receivers are so
sensitive these days, even a very poorly matched antenna will likely
result in a "sounds ok to me skipper" radio check. This seems to me
to
be a poor way to check a vital piece of safety equipment...

MW
Los Angeles

On Thu, 27 Jul 2006 13:28:08 GMT, "Roger Long"
wrote:

I just called a marine electronics shop and they said to "just do a
radio check". Couldn't tell me if there was a preferred channel in
this area such as is reported for the West Coast (22 A).

Maybe if I'd bought the radio from them

Make a call to a specific vessel or shore station (marina, yacht club,
SEATOW, etc.), on either ch 16 or 9.

Otherwise you can buy your own SWR bridge for about $40.