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Thread: VHF Handheld Marine Radio Suggestions

  1. #1
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    Default I'm Out


    OUT
    Last edited by tool; 03-06-2005 at 10:55 AM. Reason: I'm Out

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    Why not just get a cell phone instead? They work the same way and would be usable for lots of other things besides on the lake. Like getting the daily honey do list from Momma! Maybe that is why you want a VHF Radio instead?
    Regards,

    Moose1am

  3. #3
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    Arrow vhf radio..

    Quote Originally Posted by Moose1am
    Why not just get a cell phone instead? They work the same way and would be usable for lots of other things besides on the lake. Like getting the daily honey do list from Momma! Maybe that is why you want a VHF Radio instead?
    ..Just guessing but in NC you can talk to people on lake to see if anybody catching anything. .without having to know their cell phone #.....certain groups on certain channels....also get weather reports....was hoping Tool would get some feedback... am interested in buying 1 also..
    Tighten er down till ya strip it--then back off 1/4 turn..
    HEY,,Y'all watch THIS..........

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    Oh OK,,I never thought of that until you mentioned it. Which reminds me of a story about my uncle. He had a ocean type fishing boat back when I was about 10 years old. He took me and my dad out fishing in the Atlantic Ocean a few times one summer. That is the reason I remembered this as he used on of those UHF OR VHF radios to talk to all the other boats. I forgot that people did that until you brought it up. And I guess that the radio is free NO OVERAGE CHARGES. I used some good radios when I was on the Fire Dept and had some friends that used those types or radios on their pleasure boats. I know that my friend could make as ship to shore call though a radio operator and that he could be connected to a land mine phone via the marine operator somehow. So you could call home and get the honey do list if you had to..

    Good luck on getting the information. Wish I could help more than just bumping this post up the list.



    Quote Originally Posted by KARL
    ..Just guessing but in NC you can talk to people on lake to see if anybody catching anything. .without having to know their cell phone #.....certain groups on certain channels....also get weather reports....was hoping Tool would get some feedback... am interested in buying 1 also..
    Regards,

    Moose1am

  5. #5
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    Default Not Happy With Mine

    Purchased a Uniden last year, not happy. They have a line of sight distance of about 5 miles, but if you put in a few hills like we have here on Watts Bar, the distance goes to heck. I wound up putting a stationary unit with a fold down antenna, works much better and for about the same price. The handheld is 5 watts and the stationary is 25 watts, even with the hills I can talk about 20 miles from the boat. That's my 2 cents worth.

  6. #6
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    Barnacle Bill is offline Super Mod and 2014 Crappie.com Man of the Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Because of the high frequencies, VHF is basically line of sight communications. When you go to the stationary type you have to install an antenna which is normally longer and therefore higher. The higher, the better. Even those have several channels which are internally restricted to 5 watts by law. If all you want to do is to talk to someone on the lake you are on, the handheld should work fine.
    Fair Winds and Following Seas

    Bill H. PTC USN Ret
    Chesapeake, Va


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    i have a stationary unit on my boat. with the 8 ft antennae, the s/s base and the radio it was probably close to 200 dollars total. i dont know what the hand held units sell for but the limiting factor would be the distance you could talk. I put a coupling there where the cable comes out of the antennae so i could take the line apart there and unscrew the antennae for storage when i dint want it on the boat. i usually leave the antennae up as its not in the way. three or four years ago, i was taking a huge interest in the catfishing down at santee and talked to a guide down there and asked him what i needed to do to set my boat up for fishing them big lakes. he said start with a good radio. nothing is more important than the radio if a situation arises while you are on the lakes.. i seldom use mine, but its good to know its there if i need it. on lakes that big theres a lot of radios on monitioring the distress channel, 16. thats good to know when you are out there.. a cell phone would be better than nothing, but it would be a poor choice in gettin help FAST if you need it... If you dont wanna mess with the 8 ft antennae, you could look into the stainless steel whippet type. they might serve your purpose and are a lot less imposing on the boat. the talking distance wont be as great as the 8 footer, but it may be enough to do what you want it to do.
    listen with your eyes---its the only way to beleive what you hear...

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    I use to use one of those antennas Rango mentioned on a boat I used in the Chesapeake Bay. It was base loaded and about 3' long. It was ideal for my use and I could talk to anyone in the bay. Especially the Coast Guard if need be.
    Fair Winds and Following Seas

    Bill H. PTC USN Ret
    Chesapeake, Va


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    Well, there is another way to go. If your handheld marine radio has a removable "rubber duck" antenna, you can always get one of those larger antennas, either the base loaded whip or the 16 footer & connect it to your handheld with some coax & the appropriate fittings. I used to do that with an amateur radio handheld in the car, & I've even done it with a base station beam-type antenna at home. It will get out a good bit better with a base antenna than it will with the rubber ducky. If the radio puts out 5 watts of power then it should talk at least 20 miles with a base-type antenna.

    I sure am glad you guys occasionally ask something I know something about. Now, if I could just learn something about catching crappies, I'd be in business.

    Tugaloo

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    Yeah, tool, Radio Shack should have what you need, but be SURE to look at the rubber ducky on the handheld first. The amateur radio that I do this with has a BNC connector. It's a kind of bayonet mount, of sorts. It would be different from the connector you would find on most stationary radios. And the antenna may come with the coax & connectors already installed, so you may have to do a little work on it. Another option, if all the above is the case, is that you might can find a fitting that works as a converter. It mates with the standard coaxial fitting on the antenna on one end & the fitting you need for the handheld on the other. It never hurts to ask!

    Tugaloo

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