*JimH* wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
I continue to feel that boats in most areas except remote inland lakes
should carry a VHF.

Here's a story of a collision that could have been *easily* prevented
if the boaters had a VHF. Or flares. The fact that the battery was dead
on the boat makes a good case for a hand-held VHF on the smallest boats
and a hand-held backup for larger craft.

The tug and barge may have been technically wrong, but the other
boaters could have been "dead right" without a couple of lucky breaks.


I have struggled with the decision of whether or not to install a fixed
mount VHF radio/antenna on my 20 footer. I have a pretty reliable Standard
Horizon HX260S hand held VHF (subject to battery discharge and without the
range of a fixed mount) and we always carry our cell phones when on the
boat. We are near shore boaters on Lake Erie because of the size of the
boat and do not go out when storms or bad seas are predicted.

The $200 for the purchase of the fixed mount VHF and antenna/ratchet mount
is not the concern...I just wonder if it is overkill for our situation
considering the emergency communication hardware we already have.

Even a hand-held would have been adequate in this situation.

The tug probably monitors 16, and if that didn't get a response the
bridge-to-bridge frequency (13) would be a good second choice. When the
barge is a couple of hundred yards away and closing fast, you don't
need a lot of range.

I have a fixed mount VHF and a hand-held backup. The combo works well
when my wife sets out in her little kayak. I don't kayak, but I am
nervous about her
paddling around without any communication so I always give her the
handheld
(set to channel 9) and I monitor 9 when she's kayaking around in a cove
or a marina. If she got swept away in a current, lost her paddle,
capsized or etc I could always launch the inflatable to go help her
out. If you have a situation where anybody is going to be away from the
boat for any reason, the hand-held and fixed mount makes sense and
nobody is going to hassle you for using it as long as you stay off 16
and don't chatter like a magpie on 9.

(Note, some CG districts use 9 for hailing and distress so if you live
in one of those areas you would pick a different channel)

On Fri, 9 Sep 2005 17:21:39 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:


wrote in message
roups.com...
I continue to feel that boats in most areas except remote inland lakes
should carry a VHF.

Here's a story of a collision that could have been *easily* prevented
if the boaters had a VHF. Or flares. The fact that the battery was dead
on the boat makes a good case for a hand-held VHF on the smallest boats
and a hand-held backup for larger craft.

The tug and barge may have been technically wrong, but the other
boaters could have been "dead right" without a couple of lucky breaks.


I have struggled with the decision of whether or not to install a fixed
mount VHF radio/antenna on my 20 footer. I have a pretty reliable Standard
Horizon HX260S hand held VHF (subject to battery discharge and without the
range of a fixed mount) and we always carry our cell phones when on the
boat. We are near shore boaters on Lake Erie because of the size of the
boat and do not go out when storms or bad seas are predicted.

The $200 for the purchase of the fixed mount VHF and antenna/ratchet mount
is not the concern...I just wonder if it is overkill for our situation
considering the emergency communication hardware we already have.


My last 'emergency' was made worse when the radio would transmit only about 1/2
mile and the battery in the cell phone died.

Granted, it was all my fault, but that's my $0.02.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

PocoLoco wrote:
On Fri, 9 Sep 2005 17:21:39 -0400, "*JimH*" wrote:


wrote in message
roups.com...
I continue to feel that boats in most areas except remote inland lakes
should carry a VHF.

Here's a story of a collision that could have been *easily* prevented
if the boaters had a VHF. Or flares. The fact that the battery was dead
on the boat makes a good case for a hand-held VHF on the smallest boats
and a hand-held backup for larger craft.

The tug and barge may have been technically wrong, but the other
boaters could have been "dead right" without a couple of lucky breaks.


I have struggled with the decision of whether or not to install a fixed
mount VHF radio/antenna on my 20 footer. I have a pretty reliable Standard
Horizon HX260S hand held VHF (subject to battery discharge and without the
range of a fixed mount) and we always carry our cell phones when on the
boat. We are near shore boaters on Lake Erie because of the size of the
boat and do not go out when storms or bad seas are predicted.

The $200 for the purchase of the fixed mount VHF and antenna/ratchet mount
is not the concern...I just wonder if it is overkill for our situation
considering the emergency communication hardware we already have.


My last 'emergency' was made worse when the radio would transmit only about 1/2
mile and the battery in the cell phone died.


Your point is what? You will henceforward boat with out a VHF radio or
even a cell phone because they let you down last time out?

Besides, John.....you would have no way of knowing that your VHF was
transmiting
a half mile unless somebody heard it from a half mile away. Wasn't that
the whole idea? :-) (busted)

Granted, it was all my fault, but that's my $0.02.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."