"Del Cecchi" wrote in
:

So to summarize, with the possible exception of CB there is no legal
way for me to keep in contact while out fishing that is affordable and
likely to work. However, since I am pretty well off in the boonies
with no Coast Guard and few federal officials I could likely get away
with VHF, since it would really be difficult to distinguish my "base
station" from another boat, and boat to boat communication is
perfectly all right. Besides by the time they tracked me down summer
would be over.
:-)

del



Del, the solution is very simple. Go to:
http://www.qrz.com/p/testing.pl
and click on the Technician License test.

Sit with the wife and study the simple questions. We GIVE THEM AWAY! You
don't have to learn anything but these actual test questions, multiple
guess. Ham radio isn't about electronics any more. It's just a tested CB.

Keep taking the tests until you've memorized most of the answers, then drop
by your local radio shack to find out when the local ham club is giving the
FCC test for Technician. This gets you a license for any ham band above 50
Mhz, especially the 2 meter 144-148 Mhz ham band. I'd bet you're boat is
in range of at least 10 repeaters, some 2000' in the air! Join the local
ham radio club to help support the repeaters' costs and improvements. We
don't bite, no matter what you hear on CB, and you don't have to talk like
a hick with a clothespin on your nose on the radio. A 50W 2 meter FM ham
rig is about $150 and another $30 for a good VHF antenna. (No, you can't
use your VHF marine antenna for 2 meters, so put that out of your mind.
They are too far apart in frequency.)

Getting a Technician ham license is so easy most ham's wives, who could
care less about electronics/radio easily get them just to call the husband
for food orders on the way home. You can also upgrade to General when
you're ready to join the HF marine ham radio nets. The 5wpm Morse Code
tests will shortly be abolished for good. The old farts at the American
Radio Relay League, who have used code to keep very nice folks off ham
radio for decades are all dying off of old age.

Get a ham license! The walkie talkie on my desk can talk 70 miles up the
road through the 147.300 repeater on the WCSC-TV tower N of Charleston.
It's 1,850' straight up!