On Fri, 25 Nov 2005 16:24:47 GMT, "killie"
wrote:


I'm not sure which to go for, a fixed or handheld. Would the fixed radio set
be rather extravagant for the purpose ?
Any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks

I'm tempted to say there's no such thing as extravagance where safety
gear is concerned. In the best of all worlds, you have both. They are
somewhat complementary.

In over 40 years on and around salt water, I'm pretty sure a handheld
would have worked for everything I've ever really needed to do. The
limited power generally isn't a problem. The downside is if something
goes wrong, you are limited to the quantity and quality of batteries
on hand. Also, anything not attached to the boat might go missing
when things start to go wrong. In my personal experience, handhelds
have not been as reliable as fixed units.

The fixed vhf will have better reach if you need to yell for help on a
noisy channel. On the other hand, a significant percentage of the
things that go wrong on a small boat result in a dead electrical
system either immediately or eventually, making the fixed vhf useless.
You will need to mount an antenna, of course. You are tied to the
radio by the mike cord, maybe not a problem on such a small boat.

Bear in mind that this is not necessarily just emergency equipment.
On the US side of the pond, vhf radios also receive weather forecasts.
They are needed to communicate with bridges and locks. You can
contact marinas to request a slip. You can ask another boat how the
fishing is where they are. You can hear the Coast Guard broadcast
that there's a shipping container floating a few inches under the
surface in your path. For these routine tasks, a handheld is
sufficient and convenient. But if I ever seriously need help, I'll
reach for the fixed unit first. I really like having both.






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