RnR
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VHF Radio - Handheld vs Mounted?
Need some advice:
Thinking about adding a VHF radio to the equipment in my tin boat and am trying to decide between a handheld unit or a mounted unit with big aerial
and big battery.
Pros vs cons such as:
Range?
Battery life?
Durability?
Ease of use?
I have a 14 ft tin boat. Motor does not have a charging system so battery would have to be removed and charged on shore, when needed. (Use this
system now with a small gel cell for the depth/fishfinder)
Just spent 7 hrs sitting on a deserted beach waiting for another boat to come within hailing distance. Had motor troubles and had to beach the boat.
Time to draw on some of the Nomad's wealth of experiences. Thnx.
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Martyman
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I like my handheld. There's a good deal on Amazon $50 includes accesories
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shari
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Mood: there is no reality except the one contained within us "Herman Hesse"
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I would go with a handheld and spare battery with a waterproof bag to tie onto your belt. Having a handheld can be a lifesaver in many situations on
and off your boat. We usually carry them when travelling for road emergencies too where cell signals wont reach. Many mexicans have VHF radios in
their vehicles. the handhelds are more versatile too...I take mine when I go on someone elses boat...just to be safe.
Get a good one with longer range..some have outlets to plug in a bigger antenna too. Icom's are the best.
Do get the waterproof bag cause in an emergency..if you flip over or fall overboard...and find yourself in the water, you still have a dry radio to
call for help.
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Pompano
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For sure a quality handheld, but get both if you can.
Some of the basic differences:
Power-
Handhelds are limited to 2.5 - 5 Watts because of battery operation while fixed generally have a switch selection of 1 or 25 watts.
Antenna efficiency of a handheld is about 6dB less than a whip used with a fixed radio. 6 dB = twice the "possible range" all other things equal.
Antenna height is the most limiting variable when concerned about range.
Radio waves tend to travel in a straight line and are considered line of sight. They do bend some but this changes with the amount of moisture in the
air and other things in the atmosphere. In other words don't rely on bending for reliable communications.
The best thing to do is get the antenna as high as reasonably possible.
I always have both..a good floating handheld and a good boat-mounted vhf radio paired with a quality antenna.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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bkbend
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To echo above -- both are best, and antenna height will increase range. That being said, I'm in a tin boat and won't be out beyond the range of a
handheld (tested). I can easily reach the roof mounted antenna of my wife or a neighbor anywhere I'm going to go. Do invest in a
waterproof/floatable model and the spare battery. The battery will drain faster than you think if/when you need it and are using it.
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RnR
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Great responses, thanks.
Also, glad to see that every response mentioned a handheld as that was the direction I was leaning. The "fixed" option would seem to be more
complicated given the small, open nature of the tin boat and the lack of a charging system. (I did just see the photo's of Russ's tin boat w/ aerial
in another thread)
Seems that the antennae height of a handheld vs fixed is about the same in a tin boat. Standing with the handheld puts the antennae at about 6ft.
The average/midpoint height of a fixed antennae is probably about the same.
In general terms, what is the range of a handheld, boat to boat? 1 mile, 2 miles, 5 miles, ..... ?
With the tin boat I tend to stay close to shore. Going south the shore is low dunes and line of site back to home base for up to ten miles. Going
north the shore goes around a 500ft high rock headland after two miles that blocks line of site back to home base so communication would be
boat-to-boat rather than boat-to-shore.
Have always had a cell phone with me but that rock headland blocks the cell signal, too. Guess which way I went when the motor crapped out ..... ?
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Hook
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I'd go fixed mount, full power. Just use a two-pin, waterproof connector that allows you to detach the radio power cord from a fixed battery line.
Then use thumbscrews to mount the radio to it's mounting bracket. The radio is out of the boat in literally 30 seconds.
If you're using your fishfinder, you're removing and charging your battery each time, anyway. So, that's no extra work.
There are times when poor propagation conditions will limit HH radios to less than five miles. It's usually a bit more.........but if you want to
fish behind that 500 foot bluff, you're gonna need 25 watts output.
I have an inexpensive fixed mount radio (a Uniden that's sold as a West Marine model) on my property with a standard 8 db gain antenna. 25 watts max.
The top of the antenna is probably about 20 feet in the air. I was talking to boats fishing a tournament off the East Cape last week. That's about
275-300 miles over the water. Yeah, it was an amazing propagation day (and we have been having several in the AM, lately) but you get the idea.
A radio is a life or death device. Why not pay for the ability to make sure you can talk to others?
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vacaenbaja
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If you are going to use a hand held get the ones that are waterproof.
Also if they make them, get one that has a detachable rubber antenna
that terminates in a BNC connector
so that you can fit an adaptor to use a large fiberglass antenna mounted on the boat for better range if needed. That way you have the portability
when needed and the extended transmit/receive range of a 3db gain
antenna when you really need to "get your signal out."
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Cypress
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What's wrong with cell phones?
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RnR
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Cypress
What's wrong with cell phones? |
Have always had a cell phone with me and felt safe enough.
They work great if you are line-of-site back to the cell tower. However, you can only call someone on land and then a rescue/retrieval setup with
another boat has to be arranged.
Found out that the best way to get a "tow" is to call VHF boat-to-boat. There's LOT's of boat traffic 2-3 miles off shore, just not close enough to
be hailed from shore after the boat is beached without a radio. (This beach is totally inaccessible from the land side and impossible to walk from.)
[Edited on 6-14-2012 by RnR]
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chuckie
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Cell phone In Baja? You gotta be kidding...You should have both radios. I am currently running a short antenna "tram 1600" which is mounted console
high. I talk every morning when I am on the water, off Mulege to the net guy in San Carlos...Works way better than my tall glass one ever did. And I
have a HH for back up. Know the channel the local guys are on and your golden...
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Fishmagician
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Getting both is sound advise, If you can do it. Should things get real snotty and you have to go into the water the waterproof handheld will be your
best bet for recovery. One of the hardest things to find, is a person in the water by the rescue people. Being able to make voice contact is the
ticket to getting out of the big pond. Your sigh of relief will be heard round the world. Don't skimp with your life..just how much is making another
sunrise worth to you?
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bajaguy
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Hand Held FM
I have two of these, they work great!!!!!. Picked mine up at Wal-Mart
http://www.amazon.com/Midland-NTVP1-Nautico-88-Channel-Water...
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Midland-Nautico1-Handheld-Marine-R...
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Bob H
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I posed your questions to a long time friend of mine who is a Ham radio freak.... here's his response to me....
Hi Bob,
For your friend's application, I would suggest a handheld. They hold up very well, and most are waterproof and impact-resistant. Some even float, if
dropped in the water.
Most VHF is line of sight. Horizon is about 18 miles, so even a handheld may cover this in optimum conditions, over water. I doubt anyone with a 14'
boat, would go 18 miles offshore anyway.
Look for a Lithium-Ion battery. They have a long shelf life between charges and last very long,
especially in receive only mode. You would only turn this on occasionally or to listen to weather or fishing reports. Most come with a 12Volt charger
cord that you can plug into your car to charge while driving to the boat or trailering.
Transmit modes usually have a low and high power. Obviously, you'll get longer battery life if low power is used to transmit.
Most all radios are pre-programmed with all channels. You just have to read the booklets.
I use VHF for ham radio. I can reach a land based station 50 miles away on 10 watts.
Portables can usually do 20 miles on less than 5 watts. Power is not much on a factor on VHF frequencies. Terrain matters, but over water, is the best
condition.
Hope this all helps,
Regards,
Tony
The SAME boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It's about what you are made of NOT the circumstance.
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RnR
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WOW!
Great info, everybody. I knew that the Nomad's had been "down this road before" and would be able and willing to share their knowledge. Sure makes
it easy. just ask 
[Edited on 6-15-2012 by RnR]
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aguachico
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Both.
The handheld should be in your ditch bag. Be sure the handheld is on high. Register your DSC code with the USCG, not sure about how it works in Baja.
Standard Horizon has been the brand of choice, IMO, since kayak fishing 12 years and now owning boats.. Great customer service when you abuse your
handheld.
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captkw
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VHF
No guessing,wondering,no arguement !! mount a 25 watt with a 8ft ant.and dont cut the coax shorter than 8ft and get a GOOD handheld (standard or
Icom) isnt your life worth $200 bucks ???? A no brainer of the year !! also have somebody do the end connector (PL259) that has done many of
them..like a radio tech......and run its own power lead and water proof all connectors...... K & T
[Edited on 6-15-2012 by captkw]
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classicbajabronco
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+1 on the Icom handheld. I have two IC-M34 radio's...that float and are waterproof.
I pick up people in Matzalan from the eastcape on occasion...not bad for a handheld that cost $150.
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
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vhf's
Kenwoods are also a great radio..company was a big thing in japan during ww2 and make a good hand held but for some reason its sorta rare to find the
marine band HH in the states or mex  too bad as they make great hand held's in
other freq's...K & T
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