handheld vhf

[spanner]

As I'll mostly be yakking/fishing on my own I'm looking at getting one as a safety aid rather than for chatting.

 

I've been wondering about their transmission distance vs line of sight and just what I can expect. I'm looking at Sliva S12 or the more expensive Icom M1V with a no-memeory more powerful Li-Ion battery. The S12 is 4watt and the M1V is 5watt.

 

How far can I expect to transmit with 4 or 5 watts given that we are awfully close to the water?

 

How restictive is the need for line of sight, i.e. does a cliff or headland act as a total block to the signal?

 

A lot of the places I'll be fishing on the west coast will not have any other vessels within line of sight, partly as its remote but mostly because Slartibartfast was pretty busy around there and the coastline is so crinkly

 

Its one of those 'if it saves your ass one time its definitely worth it' expenses, but I'm concerned it might not actually be able to do that for me.

[Simon Everett]

Spanner,

line of sight improves your transmission, but radio waves are not linear, they are circular, so your signal can get over headlands and over the horizon.

Bear in mind that the Icom is the tool of choice for the emergency services - for one very good reason, they are the best! It is worth spending the extra, believe me. I have the Icom M1EuroV - it is waterproof to 1m for 30 minutes - so if you dunk it is still going to work.

The battery when charged will last you all weekend - with the Lithium one that you are on about. ALSO it may be only 1 watt - but that is a 25% increase in power of transmission. We are the same around Anglesey - and I can reach Holyhead Coastguard from anywhere around the island with mine. Go for the Icom, you won't regret the extra. You should be able to get about 6 or 7 miles with it even at water line.

[spanner]

Thanks for that Simon. I was leaning toward the Icom and knowing you can reach Holyhead from anywhere around Anglesey is exactly what I needed to know

 

Another question now ..... I'm not sure if they already have, but when the coastguard stop permanently monitoring Ch16 what is the 'correct' way to put out a distress? Do any of these handhelds have the DSC facility? I cant find any mention of it in spec sheets so I guess not.

[Dirty Dave]

Don't know if you can get these over in the UK. I use a Uniden Voyager, it retails for around $190 US. I got mine on sale at $90 awhile back and had it for over a year. This radio has seen plenty of abuse and it is still working great. Best of all is its size, just slightly larger than a pack of fags.

 

[SpeciMan]

I have the Icom m87 an updated more compact version to the Icom M1EuroV. Its fits in my pfd pocket with ease. I've managed to contact Solent and Portland coastguard more than 5 miles away whenever I've been out. If you can get the M87 at a good price I recommend that otherwise the Icom M1EuroV is a very good tried and tested choice (its what a lot of the coastguards use for handheld use).

 

A VHF with a selectable power option will help aid battery life particulary when transmitting as will a LiON (lithium) battery.

 

The coastguard will continue to monitor channel 16 for the forseeable future - however other ships/boats may not. DSC is only required by law for vessels over a certain size however all vessels are strongly advised by the coastguard to upgrade to DSC.There are only a few handheld DSC radios on the market - they tend to be very expensive & some still need to be linked to GPS if your location is to be given with the DSC emergency call.

 

I use a handheld vhf and waterproof wristband gps. I can call and give out my location if I lose my kayak and end up in the drink (thats if anyones listening!)

 

Good luck with your purchase - not many people like buying handheld VHFs twice so choose wisely.

[spanner]

I had a trawl through the net and a found few DCS handhelds, starting at about £300 and going up to ....gulp...

 

I've got the GPS mounted and running NMEA out to the fishfinder, so I could it rig up to get it into the VHF, but most of them seem to connect through the charger. While that would work it wouldn't be waterproof ... and the chances are getting wet is going to be involved in an emergency.

 

I called the Aberdeen Coastguard and they said that while they don't have to have somebody listening to ch16 on a headset any longer, they often do, and if not they have it on speaker, so it is still always monitored.

 

That's good enough for me, so it looks like it'll be the M1EuroV then.

[Elton]

I was told it's generally on loudspeaker now, rather than headphones, so spanner's comments seem spot on.

 

£300 may sound a lot, but it's cheap if it saves your life.

[spanner]

I think the problem with a DCS handheld is not so much the cost but getting the GPS signal into it in an emergency.

 

They seem to be designed for yachts with a charger in the cabin where it will usually sit and get continually updated. If you grab it to go up the pointy end or whatever it will transmit an out of date location so obviously the intention is that it isnt out of the charger for very long, yachts can be pretty quick after all.

 

While a yak is a fair bit slower its a whole lot wetter. You'd need a suitable wet-latch connector, waterproof but able to be pulled out in an emergency.

[Salar]

I can't see the practicality of a DSC handheld in a yak. I've got a fixed DSC unit in my boat which works fine, the only pain is it keeps warbling whenever there is a DSC call, so you have to cancel. The only value of DSC for most angling use is transmitting position, which means having a waterproof gps wired to a waterproof handheld with waterproof connectors, with the whole lot not getting in the way. I just can't see it, I'm afraid. If you know roughly where you are, and you can talk to the coastie, you'll get found in an emergency.

[Starvinmarvin]

Spanner,

 

If you have a good set of Flares, Rocket and Smoke, 5 watt VHF, GPS and Compass as back up, and knowing how to use everything properly, you are pretty much covered for all events.

 

When you go out for the first time with the VHF, just ask for a radio check with the coastguard before you paddle out and once again when out paddling, and keep listening for other ships (this doesn't mean that they can hear you though as their equipment will be more powerful and their aerials higher) it's very comforting.