BosnBill
Well-Known Member
Do you find yourself using your cell phone on the water more than your VHF? More so than you used to? Here are some reasons why a VHF is better, especially in an emergency. Cell Phone or VHF Radio...
Cell Phone or VHF Radio?
- Thread starter BosnBill
- Start date
rafiki_
Well-Known Member
You can't continually monitor a cell phone in the same way the C16 (in the UK) is the default on the VHF.
Much safer IMHO.
Cell phone usefull for calling up a marina to check berthing availability.
Much safer IMHO.
Cell phone usefull for calling up a marina to check berthing availability.
PaulGooch
Well-Known Member
Very dangerous to substitute VHF with cell phones.
Someone has fell overboard and i can't get them back onboard. I put out a mayday. You are anchored 1/4 mile away, oblivious to my predicament because you don't have a VHF, you rely on your cell phone. Sadly, by the time the CG arrive, my crew member has succumbed to hypothermia.
The reverse isn't true though. You have a crew member overboard and cannot recover them, so you phone the CG. They put out a call on the VHF for any boats in the area and i'm with you in minutes, i had my VHF on.
By al means, carry cell phones onboard, but don't stop fitting VHF sets and don't stop monitoring CH16.
Someone has fell overboard and i can't get them back onboard. I put out a mayday. You are anchored 1/4 mile away, oblivious to my predicament because you don't have a VHF, you rely on your cell phone. Sadly, by the time the CG arrive, my crew member has succumbed to hypothermia.
The reverse isn't true though. You have a crew member overboard and cannot recover them, so you phone the CG. They put out a call on the VHF for any boats in the area and i'm with you in minutes, i had my VHF on.
By al means, carry cell phones onboard, but don't stop fitting VHF sets and don't stop monitoring CH16.
oceanfroggie
Well-Known Member
I would not be without VHF for safety. Mobile phone good for contact with pals when close enough to the coast but useless when well offshore. The main thing with VHF when needing help, all nearby vessels will hear you, also if lost in poor vis recuse services can use direction finding kit to narrow down a search, but if you have a DSC VHF set your lat/long will be transmitted with distress and urgency calls.
