Need Ship-to-Shore Radio recommendation

[Danthehitman]

Hi everyone, I'm very new to boating, recently purchased a 17' Bayliner Speed Boat. Due to a lot of rain all the lakes near me are closed due to high water so we're looking at launching into our local Lake Michigan.

I don't currently own a VHF radio but feel this would be a great idea. I'm hoping to get something that won't break the bank. I see some come with GPS which I'm THINKING may be a bit extravagant for my needs.

Can anyone recommend a basic radio that would be good for basic recreational boating? I don't plan on crossing from Wisconsin to Michigan or anything crazy like that but if there's a radio I can communicate with other boaters or Coast Guard in the event of an emergency that would be my goal.

Thank you for you assistance in advance,

Dan

 

[Stuartbp]

I don't remember which one I have off hand, but I bought a handheld marine radio from Amazon. I got online and read the reviews and picked one with good reviews at a descent price. You can select high or low power input and it uses a rechargeable battery pack, 12v power from the boat, or you can use 8 AA batteries as a last resort.

I've only used the radio to communicate a couple times with my friends on the water, otherwise I pull it out and monitor when I'm on the big lakes. (I'm from Michigan too) When I'm on the smaller inland lakes I usually just leave it in a plastic Ammo can I have in the boat.

 

[Danthehitman]

I don't remember which one I have off hand, but I bought a handheld marine radio from Amazon. I got online and read the reviews and picked one with good reviews at a descent price. You can select high or low power input and it uses a rechargeable battery pack, 12v power from the boat, or you can use 8 AA batteries as a last resort.

I've only used the radio to communicate a couple times with my friends on the water, otherwise I pull it out and monitor when I'm on the big lakes. (I'm from Michigan too) When I'm on the smaller inland lakes I usually just leave it in a plastic Ammo can I have in the boat.

Thank you Stuart! Very helpful, really appreciate it.

 

[harringtondav]

I have an old Shakespeare 25 watt. Hand held radios are OK ...if you are hailing from a short distance. But if you are going out onto big water you want to shout help loud and for a long distance, I say go with a dash mount 25 watt, and an 8' antenna. ...don't know current brands.

 

[JimS123]

I have an old Shakespeare 25 watt. Hand held radios are OK ...if you are hailing from a short distance. But if you are going out onto big water you want to shout help loud and for a long distance, I say go with a dash mount 25 watt, and an 8' antenna. ...don't know current brands.

Absolutely. A hand held is almost worthless unless you are a 1/2 mile from shore.

Regardless, (at least in my area), VHF is only sparsely monitored. Get a cellphone, jot down the numbers of TowBoat, the local Marine Patrol, the USCG (if applicable), and your father (LOL).

If cellphone coverage is spotty in your area, be sure to watch the weather, keep your equipment well maintained, and of course always have a kicker.

 

[harringtondav]

Get a cellphone, jot down the numbers of TowBoat, the local Marine Patrol, the USCG (if applicable), and your father (LOL). If cellphone coverage is spotty in your area, be sure to watch the weather, keep your equipment well maintained, and of course always have a kicker.

In '97 we bought a cell phone for distress calling. Back then coverage was worthless in the boonies. Then the Shakespeare. Better. We managed a tow once with it. Now that cell phone coverage is better I use the VHF to listen to NOAA, and the local barge fleeting guys chatter with the long haulers as they are hostling barges. ...Rarely lock through these days, but a phone call works best.

 

[southkogs]

I've got a similar boat as you. I carry a 5W handheld VHF. When I'm out on the coast (I've used the radio in SC and FL), I get very good reception, but transmit power is only a couple miles. Here in TN, because of the hills even around lakes and rivers, VHF is almost worthless on the water even if you have 100W. (VHF is line of sight, so you can't transmit over the horizon, trees, rocks, hills, etc.) So, I've never installed a larger set.

Check your cell phone coverage. Mine worked very well down in Florida (we didn't go too far off shore, though). I even used it for some navigating.

 

[dingbat]

Unless your on the coast, a hand held is all you need.
A lot of people don’t understand the huge advantage a VHF has over a cell phone in an emergency situation.

In an emergency, time is of the essence. You need assistance right now... not 20 minutes, not an hour from now.

You’ve hit a rock and your sinking with wife and kids onboard. Who do you call with your cell phone?

Having the ability to transmit your position (DSC) to local authorities and send a distress call to every (potential rescuer) boat within range is paramount to a successful rescue.


Something to think about....
https://www.uscg.mil/Portals/0/documents/budget/FY17 APR 15 May 18 - Final - POSTED.pdf

The time it takes to reach the scene of distress is a key performance factor that may influence the response outcome. The Coast Guard’s performance benchmark is to arrive on scene within two hours of notification 100% of the time. In FY 2017, Coast Guard search and rescue assets met this standard 91.0% of the time.

 

[Danthehitman]

Thanks, everyone, very great perspectives on this topic! I had a fairly crappy weekend, this last weekend, with our boat that failed to start for an hour upon launching...had to use starter-fluid-spray, luckily it started again just fine once warmed-up. Needless to say, I will be looking into the issue before taking her out again! I purchased a 6watt Cobra VHF and kept a cell-phone with me, as well. This is just another reason to have communication with others!

I was surprised that nobody was talking on channel 9, or at all for that matter. I was on a fairly large lake, "Chain of Lakes" in Illinois so I would have thought SOMEBODY would be jib-jabbing, but nothing. At one time I tried calling over 9 to see if anyone could help tow a boater who was stuck in shallow water, no response. Weather Channel was broadcasting just fine so I don't suspect any issues with the radio.

It's tough being a nube! Thanks again, everyone.

 

[southkogs]

I monitor 16 most of the time, and then scan. Here in TN, typically the only thing I hear is the consolidated report from the USCG. Otherwise, I rarely hear any traffic. There's something like 6 different agencies operating on some of our lakes, and even the tow boat dude is looking for you on a mobile phone.

 

[Danthehitman]

I monitor 16 most of the time, and then scan. Here in TN, typically the only thing I hear is the consolidated report from the USCG. Otherwise, I rarely hear any traffic. There's something like 6 different agencies operating on some of our lakes, and even the tow boat dude is looking for you on a mobile phone.

I was of the understanding that 9 was used for recreational use while 16 was emergency...so, I was thinking I wouldn't use 16 unless it was a distress situation. I'll try keeping on the scan mode next time, that's a good idea. Thank you!

 

[southkogs]

In theory, all boats/ships are monitoring 16 in the event that they should render assistance in an emergency. It's also considered a "hailing" frequency, so it's appropriate to contact another vessel on that channel and then switch over to 68 (non-commercial) for the conversation. 9 is kinda' the smaller boats channel and 13 the big boats/ship channel.

Chart of frequencies HERE

In my experience, radio discipline on marine channels is not like aviation channels. It's a little more "open ended." Or at least unenforced. (Not saying they don't pay attention, or that you can't get in trouble)

 

[Danthehitman]

In theory, all boats/ships are monitoring 16 in the event that they should render assistance in an emergency. It's also considered a "hailing" frequency, so it's appropriate to contact another vessel on that channel and then switch over to 68 (non-commercial) for the conversation. 9 is kinda' the smaller boats channel and 13 the big boats/ship channel.

Chart of frequencies HERE

In my experience, radio discipline on marine channels is not like aviation channels. It's a little more "open ended." Or at least unenforced. (Not saying they don't pay attention, or that you can't get in trouble)

Good to know, and thank you for that link!

 

[mike_i]

I'm an old retired radio guy and only use my boat in saltwater and know nothing about boating in freshwater so your case may be different. Is there any police/harbor patrol on these lakes? If so they and other boaters should be monitoring ch 16 which is the hailing and distress channel. The radio you want depends on how far you will be from shore and other boats, for us ocean guys we need a full function 25watt fixed mount radio with a 6db gain antenna since we may need to communicate 20 to 25 miles away, this may be overkill for your needs. I doubt you need AIS or DSC on a lake. Here's a link to a marine frequency chart, you want to talk on any non commercial non coast guard channel, subject to your lake area which I know nothing about.
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Marine_VHF_Channels
In the ocean nearshore a cellphone is OK but when you have to scream for help you want a 25watt VHF since theoretically there are many more ears listening than hoping for cell service and calling 911 for help. Since you made a call on ch 9 and got no response would make me curious. What type of antenna do you have? Is the radio you have a handheld or fixed mount? If you have an external antenna the only way to test it is with a thru line watt meter, don't rely on a radio check as many people do out here. Next time you're on a lake pull up to another boater to ask what if any channel they monitor and make a test call to them to make sure your radio does have audio. If you have an external microphone the cords do go bad. I can go on further so if you have more questions just post them here.

 

[Danthehitman]

I'm an old retired radio guy and only use my boat in saltwater and know nothing about boating in freshwater so your case may be different. Is there any police/harbor patrol on these lakes? If so they and other boaters should be monitoring ch 16 which is the hailing and distress channel. The radio you want depends on how far you will be from shore and other boats, for us ocean guys we need a full function 25watt fixed mount radio with a 6db gain antenna since we may need to communicate 20 to 25 miles away, this may be overkill for your needs. I doubt you need AIS or DSC on a lake. Here's a link to a marine frequency chart, you want to talk on any non commercial non coast guard channel, subject to your lake area which I know nothing about.
https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Marine_VHF_Channels
In the ocean nearshore a cellphone is OK but when you have to scream for help you want a 25watt VHF since theoretically there are many more ears listening than hoping for cell service and calling 911 for help. Since you made a call on ch 9 and got no response would make me curious. What type of antenna do you have? Is the radio you have a handheld or fixed mount? If you have an external antenna the only way to test it is with a thru line watt meter, don't rely on a radio check as many people do out here. Next time you're on a lake pull up to another boater to ask what if any channel they monitor and make a test call to them to make sure your radio does have audio. If you have an external microphone the cords do go bad. I can go on further so if you have more questions just post them here.

Hey Mike, thanks for your response. I am far from any oceans, so all small lakes for me. The largest would be Lake Michigan but I don't think I'll be out on that very often, too cold & rough most of the time. I have a 6watt Cobra handheld: https://www.cobra.com/products/mrhh350flt

This boat has been nickle 'n dime-ing me like crazy so for my purposes this should be adequate...though I may upgrade at some point with all the great advice I've been getting.

I like your suggestion to test w/ a near bye boater.

Thanks again,

Dan

 

[achris]

There's one very good reason to have VHF, and that's RDF (Radio direction finding). With a VHF set, a coast station (or a vessel with RDF) can get a line on you. They can't do that using a mobile phone. If 2 RDF equipped stations get a line on your signal, they have your position. I used to be a member of a rescue group, and the WORST thing was people calling up on mobiles. Usually they didn't know their position (and we couldn't get it because...mobile phone :facepalm, or would give us there 'best guess' usually miles out, and the battery would run low at just the WRONG time. Fixed mounted 25W VHF is really the best way to go. By all means, carry the mobile, but don't use it for emergencies, that's what the VHF is for. (and SK is right, line of sight, so get as big an antenna as you can)...

One last thing. Download any one of the many free GPS apps onto your phone. Then you will have your position, accurate to 3m, if you need to call for help. I use GPSTest. Works really well, and will even give you your speed (for when you're running in speed limited areas.

Chris.........

 

[Danthehitman]

Thank you, Chris!. Good stuff, really enlightening. I really love this forum, lots of great information. I'll get some GPS apps downloaded.

 

[southkogs]

What size lakes are you running on? Lake Michigan would be a completely different ball game than an inland lake. Some inland lakes will be more likely to see radio traffic, some rivers for sure. Other inland lakes, not so much.

A program that does seem to work pretty well for inland lakes and rivers is Navionics. I've used it quite a bit.

 

[Danthehitman]

What size lakes are you running on? Lake Michigan would be a completely different ball game than an inland lake. Some inland lakes will be more likely to see radio traffic, some rivers for sure. Other inland lakes, not so much.

A program that does seem to work pretty well for inland lakes and rivers is Navionics. I've used it quite a bit.

I haven't tried Lake Michigan yet but if I did it wouldn't be very far off shore. I prefer the near-bye lakes in Wisconsin & Illinois. I'd say these smaller lakes have about 10-20 boats on them on the weekends when we're out.

 

[southkogs]

I grew up in Michigan ... on the inland lakes I was on, no one ever heard of marine radios Maybe on the bigger stuff like Houghton Lake, and definitely on Lake St. Claire, but the typical "cottage" lake - nope.

Down here in Tennessee, on the bigger impounds and rivers I'd say it's probably 50/50 with radios. Some do, and many don't. More likely to seem them on the Tennessee River, but even then - only in certain applications.

I wouldn't run the big rivers (Tennessee / Mississippi) down here without a radio personally. I prefer having one on the bigger lakes, particularly on Percy Priest and Dale Hollow. I find them essential down on the Gulf Coast and the Great lakes.