Hi all, With regards to Cat C registration, do yo

[Fanie]

Hi Moggy,

You can have a handheld beside the console radio.
The RX/TX of these radio's work line of sight, distance is a function of how high your aerial is mounted. Once you round a hill or some obstruction - no radio comms.

If you have a security concern, get yourself a satalite phone, they work everywhere on the planet. They cost around R5500 and talk is $1 per minute.

Sorry, make that a 'If you have a safety concern...'

 

[MOGGY]

Hi Fanie,

I have an Icom waterproof VHF and a liferaft VHF, but I need a mounted radio for compliance, more than anything else.

I spearfish, so the furthest that we typically would go is RIY banks @ 10 miles, from the harbour in line of sight.

90% of the areas that I operate in are either covered by the PE harbour, or PE/Cape Town radio, so safety is not the issue.

I also have a 29meg handheld, which remarkably still works fine. 

 

[Johnno s gone fishin]

Hey Moggy

Well in my opinion SAMSA have never taken much care of recreational fishermen, in fact it is getting worse and more expesive day by day to go fishing.
So if it does turn out that they make it compulsory to have a 'buit in' radio, I would mount my handheld on the boat and use a mike/ speaker extension. I would do it in such a way that I could easily remove the handheld.
From your posts, it is clear you have used radios for quite a while and understand a lot of the technical stuff, as you will know, mounting antennas is actually a tricky operation, with the physical spot being only a small consideration as far as efficiency goes. Usually the best SWR reading is in the most undesireable physical location.
 
It sounds as if you have a centre consol boat, which if you don't have a T top type shade to mount on, then -- Oh Boy it could be tricky

Sorry to harp on 'same ol same ol'  but has a surveyor actually refused to re-seaworhty your craft due to the handheld story ? If so, than if it was me, i would find another surveyor who does not have his head up his *** ( was going to use another word but see what happened on my previous post when i wrote Ka. >

Cheers for now
Johnno

 

[MOGGY]

Hi Johnno

I am a surveyor and we were told that handhelds are not acceptable by SAMSA at the surveyors course in PE.

I have a centre console with no T top, but I will mount it on my roll bar at the back and will use a 29 meg, because I have three spares.

I am going through the course notes now to see where it was written, because I still clarified it.

The radar reflector is my fault, because the marine notice says that you need one, but it has to be permanently mounted on vessels to the west of Port Alfred.It does not say that you do not need one and I brought it to their attention and the pricipal officer agreed, so after four courses, they changed the ruling, sorry, my bad.
 

 

 

[MOGGY]

I just spoke to the radio inspector at SAMSA to clarify.

There will be a marine notice in the near future, stipulating that handhelds will be allowed only for Cat E and that mounted VHF will be compulsory for Cat A to D.

BUT untill such time as the marine notice is published, the current laws apply.

He does not know when the Marine notice would be finalised.