Posted by Steve on June 21, 2001 at 10:06:58:
I will try and keep this simple.
There is an international standard for marine VHF radios. Maximum power allowed is 25 watts. There is a low/high power
switch on all radios as required by this international standard. The idea is to use the low power setting whenever possible. This
keeps your signal from going somewhere it doesn't need to. An example would be if you are sitting in the boat in Black Sound
and want to talk to someone in Bottom Harbour. If you use the 25 watt setting, they are going to hear you in Treasure Cay,
GBH and possibly Rock Sound. You are cluttering the channel.
As for a hand-held radio, I would not want to be out on the water without a back-up radio. If your big radio fails, electrical
system fails, etc., you can still communicate.
Hand-held radios come in various power levels. Some have outputs as high as five watts. However, the performance and power
output of the radio is determined by the battery. If you use a hand-held at the five watt level, your battery won't last very long at
all. Probably a couple of hours of actual transmit time if that. There are low/high power settings on hand-helds too. Use only
the amount of power required to communicate.
VHF radios are basically the same in terms of electrical specifications. What makes one perform better than another is the
type of antenna you use and its location. The better and higher the antenna, the better the signal. That is why you can hear a
sailboat with a mast head antenna in Harbour Island clearly in Governor's Harbour. However, a power boat with its antenna near the surface probably
won't be heard.
The antennas on hand-held radios are virtually worthless from an electrical standpoint and meant for short-range
communications.
If you buy a hand-held radio, buy an EXTRA battery for it or get a separate battery pack that takes AA batteries. This way, you
can count on the radio in the event of an emergency.
It is interesting to note that the use of VHF radios in the Bahamas violates international conventions. You are not supposed to
use a VHF radio to communicate with an unlicensed shore station. There are severe fines for this in the US. The Bahamas did
try and enforce this some years ago as residents of Marsh Harbour might recall. However, they gave up due to public opinion
and the already accepted use of the VHF radio as a vital means of communications.
I personally think it is great that virtually everyone from the hardware store to the taxi drivers uses the VHF radio. If you get
in a jam on the water, SOMEONE is going to hear you.
Regards,
Steve