Quote:
Originally Posted by Misty Blue
NB. I don't know why the MP officer would say that nobody including the NHMP monitors VHF ch.16.
NHMP does. Both at headquaters in Glendale and the NHMP auxiliary maintains a radio up in Melvin village.
What's more many private vessels listen when underway. A couple of years ago I was looking for a missing kayaker and it was resolved when a boater overheard my rodio contacts and informed me of the persons location. Case closed.
JSA. Read the "West Advisor" from west marine. They have good write ups on everything from lines to fire extinguishers to, yup, VHF radios.
Good luck!
Misty Blue
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I was surprised to hear the MP statements myself, but that answer was not just one officer on one occasion, during one season.
My boating background started on the seacoast. I bought my first cruising sailboat in 1974. I asked around to find out what
The BEST VHF radio was. I bought a MODAR VHF. It cost over $1100. The antenna was a "wire" whip at the top of a ~40 foot mast. A friend of mine with a Hinkley Bermuda 40 recommended it. He had a Modar. The range on a good day between my boat and his was (Masthead to Masthead) about 40-45 miles with NO land between us.
On a trip back from Bermuda in 1979 I could HEAR
Coast Guard Barnagat at about 300 miles out. The experts will tell you about "Line Of Sight"...curvature of the earth, etc. etc. OH Well.
SO: Seven years later I bought a new bigger boat. In spite of my experience with the Modar, I
chinced out and bought ~ $180
Horizon-Standard VHF for the new boat.
There was absolutely NO Comparison. The Horizon-Standard was was a Hundai Vs a Ferrari in the performance department. You sometimes get what you pay for.
I have NO experience with VHF on the lake but my guess is, a Handheld VHF would be a
hit and miss experience at best, what with all the land "Objects" in the way....w/antenna at 4 feet above the water. As has been stated here already, antenna height is
ALL important..and in IMHO, Radio Quality is ALSO.
Been boating on the lake for ~15 years (20 foot boat) and still don't have a VHF. Don't have a Stereo, iPod, or a Cell phone. GPS and Chart..YES.
NB