Just wondering how many of the boat owners in the club have a marine radio on their boat. It seems to be an overlooked piece of safety equipment.

I agree with you PG...Marine radio is probably one of the most overlooked pieces of equipment. I know a bunch of guys on the water that don't have a radio or don't have it connected. What good is it if it's not on? I always have mine on...Channel 16. The radio I have is a Standard Horizon. It's an old one, but works. I want to upgrade (eventually) to the newer DSC radios. I'll probably go with Lowrance LVR-250 DSC VHF being that my chart plotter/fish finder is Lowrance.

There are some advantages to sticking with one brand. In some cases an interface is possible. Not owning a boat, my radio is a portable Humminbird. Not a fan of their fishfinders or GPS but the radio was the best available for the money. The S/H are good units without a doubt. They have been building aviation stuff for more years than I can remember.

I have a handheld portable one that fits in a cradle. Not as powerful as regular model, but I'm never usually far from land.

I'd NEVER be on the water without mine. My fishing buddy and I can communicate anywhere on the lakes we fish. If one of us shows up hours after the other, we simply key the mic, and figure out where to meet. I broke down on Lake Pleasant once and people just blew by me as I tinkered with the motor, cowl off, perched on the transom. I keyed my mic on channel 16, hailed Vessel Assist and had a tow boat on the scene within 15 minutes. I also have BoatU.S. unlimited towing so the entire towing bill is paid by BoatU.S. That's another piece of mind I'd never be without........BoatU.S. unlimited towing and trailer assist towing. Check it out at boatus.com. Happy Fishing!

One of the advantages of the newer DSC radios when connected to your GPS thru NEMA network, is if u hit the emergency/stress button or the MOB on your GPS, your location/coordinates, will be available to the Coast Guard, or anyone who has a DSC radio without you ever saying a word. The only thing with a DSC radio, it has to registered with the FCC I believe. And Tow Boat US..is the way to go!

I have mine and a hand held as well fish to far off shore not to have one.

I have a 25 watt fixed station VHF DSC radio aboard my vessel and also a portable hand held 5 watt VHF radio as a back-up aboard my boat. The portable also is great if I need cruise with another boater without a VHF on their boat. The portable also is available if I want to assist another boater in need wth a tow or other assistance.

I often carry my portable VHF in my bag if I am going fishing on a friends vessel, just in case!

I have had a VHF onboard every boat I've owned. It is a very important part of safety gear, mine is a Uniden, it will switch from low (4 watts) to high (25 watts). Along with a 8', 6db gain antenna it performs well. The only problem we have around my neck of the woods is, people think they are on the CB. The proper way of comunicating with a VHF is a thing of the past. Our Coast Guard Unit gets very tired of telling people the proper channels they should be using to talk or chat on. I wish more boaters were responsible enough to take a short class to educate themselves on how to properly operate the radio, especialy in the case of an emergency. Example, a boater called the Coast Guard last season, the converstaion went something like this; "Coast Guard, Coast Guard, help I am out of gas......." C.G. reply..."This is the United States Coast Guard Group Buffalo, we understand you are out of fuel. How many souls onboard, and please put on PFD's, over"......Boater response....."I am out of fuel and need a tow, what are souls?" Let me tell you, that radio operator had more patience than me, after five mintues of that agonizing conversation I had to turn off my radio! Ok, sorry for getting carried away. Yes it's an extremely important piece of safety gear, but if you don't know how to use it correctly, and that includes teaching passengers the basics, it is just taking up space. Like a PFD, if it's not on when you hit the water what good is it?

I just recently purchased a boat and a friend of mine gave me a marine radio. Come to find out this radio was used on a rifle range next to the water. It's good because i needed one for the boat and i still need other items to get it ready.

I fish Lake Erie, so we have a marine radio on our boat. We always carry cell phones too. If you have a marine radio on your boat, make sure it works! Ask for a "radio check" every time you leave the dock. If your radio and antenna aren't properly matched you may be able to hear people but they may not be able to hear you.

I couldn't agree more with "Bass or Bass?". We also have a Boat U.S. Membership. I try to keep our boat in perfect mechanical condition, but you never know when a component may fail or an emergency may come up. The annual cost of membership is less than a half tank of gas, and the piece of mind that this membership provides greatly outweighs the cost.

One last point; make sure you have at least one fire extinguisher on your boat. We're required to have one on the Great Lakes. I have two - one near the engine compartment and one in the cabin. Every boater on every lake one should carry one.

Safe boating to all,

Bill

I never considered a cell phone a reliable backup for a few reasons. On the Great Lakes, it is way too easy to be in a no service area for one. Another thing to keep in mind is that cell phones usually are not waterproof. If the worst happens and you end up in the water, two things are likely. One is that your cell won't work, the second is you become very hard to see. If you go in with a handheld VHF, you probably will find it easier to see a rescue vessel and direct it to you than it would be for them to see you! I have never fished Erie, but I can testify that Lake Michigan is danged cold even in August/Sept.

I'm not suggesting a cell phone is a suitable replacement for a marine radio, as there are far better pieces of equipment to use. For example, on our boat we also carry an auxillary air horn, several signaling devices, waterproof aerial flares, a distress flag etc...

I fish out of Monroe, Michigan and have taken our boat as far as Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio. Our cell phones have always worked. I also fish in Lake Michigan, where my cell phone never works, so I understand what you're saying.

I have a permanent 25 watt radio in the boat, which has a much longer effective range than a 5 watt hand-held unit. If you think a 5 watt hand-held has much of a range when used at water level I'd tend to disagree. The natural curvature of the earth will give that little antenna a range of mere feet! The best device for use in the water is an EPIRB or a PLB, although I can honestly say I don't know any freshwater boater that owns one!

I ALWAYS monitor the NOAA buoys before we leave the dock and stay tuned into the NOAA weather while boating. This eliminates most of the likelyhood that I'll get caught in a storm in the first place, although they come up very quickly on the water, especially during the hot days of summer.

If an emergency should arise, my money is on lifejackets, a mayday call on my 25 watt fixed radio, aerial flares, and my U.S. Power Squadron training. The Coast Guard can pinpoint your location as soon as you hail them, so assuming they actually receive your transmission they will know where to find you.

I would never suggest that a 5 watt handheld has all that much range even when it is used well above water level. My point is that a person in the water can see a rescue boat much farther away than the boat can see a swimmer and if you can see the boat, a 5 watt radio should under most circumstances be able reach the boat. Also, that mounted radio isn't much use when your boat has a total power failure (not unheard of) or is capsized! A good suggestion for anyone who carries a handheld in addition to a mounted radio is one of the inexpensive adapters that allow you to hook up your boat antenna to the handheld. The improvement in range is significant.

Okay, then let's make this easy... your question was "Just wondering how many of the boat owners in the club have a marine radio on their boat. It seems to be an overlooked piece of safety equipment"

My answer is yes, I have a marine radio on my boat.

Several people have mentioned using cell phones for safety equipment. Here in Arizona they are virtually useless. Cell phone service does not exist on most lakes here, and when there is service it is inconsistant. With VHF radio however, the sheriff's department monitors channel 16 on VHF, and Vessel Assist monitors channel 16 on Lake Pleasant. So in an emergency, keying channel 16 will bring assistance within minutes.Again, I'd never be on the water without VHF radio.