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Hand held VHF Radio
- Thread starter Bingo
- Start date
Too lazy to type out a response, so i just copied a pevious response of mine!!
Hiya
I'm not a big fan of handheld radios. Firstly, they run on their own batteries, which need to be charged. Realistically, we tend to forget about charging things!! A dead battery will not help.
The biggest downside is that handheld radios have an output of 5w. VHF radio's operating range is greatly influenced by line of sight. So, with the small antennae and 5w of power, roughly 5nm or so is their range, in ideal conditions. Throw in some rough water and your range decreases.
If you're planning on using your craft in remote area's or area's away from other boaters, a handheld VHF is not going to help you much.
NO RADIO LICENCE IS NEEDED FOR A 5W HANDHELD VHF RADIO.
Cellphones don't always have reception at sea. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Its very dependant on the weather. Not really a suitable saftey device. Since you will most likely have your phone with you when you go down to the sea, there's certainly no harm in taking it with you.
A fixed mount VHF is a far better option. Once again, your aerial will dictate how much range you will get. A short metal aerial will work better on a jet-ski. You should still have 15-20nm range with it. Since the majority of VHF's are waterproof, you can mount them anywhere on your craft. Costs about R2500 for a Icom VHF plus aerial. Very simply to install yourself and MUCH better than a handheld. Only downside, you'll now have a aerial on your jetski!!
You will also need a radio licence, which costs about R350-400 from ICASA. Then a yearly subscription fee of about R30.
CHANNEL 16 is the emergency channel. All the radio's that i have seen have a special button with "16" on it, so that you can simply press the button and then send your distress message.
Regards
miles
Hiya
I'm not a big fan of handheld radios. Firstly, they run on their own batteries, which need to be charged. Realistically, we tend to forget about charging things!! A dead battery will not help.
The biggest downside is that handheld radios have an output of 5w. VHF radio's operating range is greatly influenced by line of sight. So, with the small antennae and 5w of power, roughly 5nm or so is their range, in ideal conditions. Throw in some rough water and your range decreases.
If you're planning on using your craft in remote area's or area's away from other boaters, a handheld VHF is not going to help you much.
NO RADIO LICENCE IS NEEDED FOR A 5W HANDHELD VHF RADIO.
Cellphones don't always have reception at sea. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Its very dependant on the weather. Not really a suitable saftey device. Since you will most likely have your phone with you when you go down to the sea, there's certainly no harm in taking it with you.
A fixed mount VHF is a far better option. Once again, your aerial will dictate how much range you will get. A short metal aerial will work better on a jet-ski. You should still have 15-20nm range with it. Since the majority of VHF's are waterproof, you can mount them anywhere on your craft. Costs about R2500 for a Icom VHF plus aerial. Very simply to install yourself and MUCH better than a handheld. Only downside, you'll now have a aerial on your jetski!!
You will also need a radio licence, which costs about R350-400 from ICASA. Then a yearly subscription fee of about R30.
CHANNEL 16 is the emergency channel. All the radio's that i have seen have a special button with "16" on it, so that you can simply press the button and then send your distress message.
Regards
miles