twitchy bum/b'mouth air show--time for a vhf

shetland536

shetland536

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poole,dorset,england
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hi
yesterday we had a fantastic day watching the air show just off bournemouth pier.

once the vulcan bomber had done its stuff we headed back to poole harbour with the mases.

there were 4 off us in a 15ft picton.

it was generally pretty rough but when we reached the entrance it was bedlum and the sea state was massive choppy pyramids.

it was heavy concentration on the throttle all the time but at 1 point we just fell off of one wave straight through another, we all got drenched along with every thing in the boat and for a second i thought we were aiming for the bottom as it all went dark.

ok. so we had life jackets on and i always carry flares and a mobile in a waterproof case and on this occasion we were so close to other boats we would have been recovered pretty quickly if we had gone under or capsized.

lesson learnt..."mobile in a water proof case" not any more i am know researching vhf hand helds to purchase asap.
i dawned on me that i dont want to be flapping around in the water with the family trying to mess with a mobile in a bag and only having slower access to emergency services.
i have always thought my reception was ok in the bay but while out fishing around by old harry last week in my dory i tried to phone home but had no reception..alarm bells went off in my head(quietly) but after the air show they are very loud. "BUY A VHF..****".

if anyone has any input of what to go for i am budgeting around £120-£140 mark.
my shortlist is:-
cobra hh330 floating
standard horizon hx290e floating
entel ht 644 submersible.

yours
slightly ashamed
 
shetland536 said:
hi
yesterday we had a fantastic day watching the air show just off bournemouth pier.

once the vulcan bomber had done its stuff we headed back to poole harbour with the mases.

there were 4 off us in a 15ft picton.

it was generally pretty rough but when we reached the entrance it was bedlum and the sea state was massive choppy pyramids.

it was heavy concentration on the throttle all the time but at 1 point we just fell off of one wave straight through another, we all got drenched along with every thing in the boat and for a second i thought we were aiming for the bottom as it all went dark.

ok. so we had life jackets on and i always carry flares and a mobile in a waterproof case and on this occasion we were so close to other boats we would have been recovered pretty quickly if we had gone under or capsized.

lesson learnt..."mobile in a water proof case" not any more i am know researching vhf hand helds to purchase asap.
i dawned on me that i dont want to be flapping around in the water with the family trying to mess with a mobile in a bag and only having slower access to emergency services.
i have always thought my reception was ok in the bay but while out fishing around by old harry last week in my dory i tried to phone home but had no reception..alarm bells went off in my head(quietly) but after the air show they are very loud. "BUY A VHF..****".

if anyone has any input of what to go for i am budgeting around £120-£140 mark.
my shortlist is:-
cobra hh330 floating
standard horizon hx290e floating
entel ht 644 submersible.

yours
slightly ashamed
Click to expand...

Save a bit more and buy the standard horizon with built in DSC HX851e - about £200.00
 
i see that dsc is the thing to really have but i believe you need to register all your boat details so they can be transmitted along with any other info but my problem is that i can either be in me dory fishing,speed boat or kayak.

is there a way of registering more than one boat?

if i fit a static vhf unit in a boat in the future it will definitely have dsc.
 
shetland536 said:
i see that dsc is the thing to really have but i believe you need to register all your boat details so they can be transmitted along with any other info but my problem is that i can either be in me dory fishing,speed boat or kayak.

is there a way of registering more than one boat?

if i fit a static vhf unit in a boat in the future it will definitely have dsc.
Click to expand...

Handheld dsc is not registered to a vessel

http://licensing.ofcom.org.uk/radiocommunication-licences/ships-radio/faq/vhf-faq/
 
A short definition for those in doubt:

VHF is what allows you to call and, if any replies, talk to somebody about getting you help (or anything)
DSC is, among others, the automation of sending/receivng VHF calls, including your ID and position (provided it's hooked up to your GPS or has it's own built-in)
EPIRB is what get's you found, even if none of the above succeded. It is a one way transmitter, so you cannot use it for speak/communication.

I get the thing about using same device in more boats, but as mounting height/length of antenna and transmitting power decide your ability to get in contact, small radios held at or below surface really are limited in range.

article3_1.jpg


The EPRIB does not transmit to land or other vessels and will do it's job anywhere (also in the outback or mountain trekking). It delivers data for SAR:
COSPAS-SARSAT%20SYSTEM.jpg
 
Last edited:
Just to keep it in perspective we're talking about a 15' boat in the Poole area. PLB would be nice but it's not like we're talking of Bay of Biscay or even Lyme Bay. I've never had a problem with a handheld VHF (SH 280 usually) in the area though you definitely can't rely on a signal for your phone. The only important thing is making sure your VHF is kept well-charged. If you can get a DSC handheld that's even better - for the area you're in it's probably even more effective than an a PLB as it's a distress call so gets acted on locally by everyone that hears it instead of a delay while it goes through the coastguard centre. The only risk is that no-one hears it of course but that's unlikely in the Poole area.
 
shetland536 said:
nice explanation
so dsc is really any good if i dont have the ability/time to press the button and talk and it does not reach any larger audience.
Click to expand...


Activation of a single button automatically sends a distress call to all DSC equipped ships, boats and shore stations in range. The call automatically includes:

your identity;
your position (if a GPS receiver is connected); and
the nature of your distress (this can also be edited, if needed).


The call will be automatically repeated until stopped by an acknowledgment message.

DSC is particularly useful if you have to abandon ship quickly – just push the red DISTRESS button and go – your plight will be automatically signaled to all until your boat sinks…
Click to expand...

If you have a handheld with DSC it will work the same - and may suffer the same regarding range as mentioned above.
 
Last edited:
shetland536 said:
nice explanation
so dsc is really any good if i dont have the ability/time to press the button and talk and it does not reach any larger audience.
Click to expand...

In practice DSC is a little better than voice over VHF because it's a digital "squirt". There's some clever software that means that quite a bit of the signal can be missing but the receiver can still work out what it should be. Also digital has an advantage as the receiver only has to decide black or white instead of trying to reproduce shades of grey (not the book). That means your DSC signal may be received and translated even though there's no voice comms available. It's not a huge difference though - 50% increase in range at best I'd say and sometimes a lot less. The thing to remember with EPIRB's and PLB's is that there is a delay while the Coastguard go through the process of checking, etc. With a PLB or EPIRB you've got the nearest you'll get to a 100% chance of being found and rescued but it's going to be an hour in the water probably - with a DSC message a passing boat will be able to pick you up possibly within a few minutes in that area.
 
just got out of work early today and have decided its enough time to go out boat fishing.
just got down to my local force 4 and plumped for the icom m23.its all i can afford at the moment and that was pushing it. no dsc but i think next year i might plump for the pocket epirb for that extra bit of safety. but thats another £200-£300.

look out fish here i come.
 
shetland536 said:
just got out of work early today and have decided its enough time to go out boat fishing.
just got down to my local force 4 and plumped for the icom m23.its all i can afford at the moment and that was pushing it. no dsc but i think next year i might plump for the pocket epirb for that extra bit of safety. but thats another £200-£300.

look out fish here i come.
Click to expand...

Ypou will need to register for a portable ships radio licnence and then get an operators certificate via a 1 day course. In the meantime, download the Mayday Procedure so you know what to do if the **** hits the fan - Mayday Procedure

Based your size boat, you really won't need a PLB. You won't/ should not be going that far off shore. The VHF and flare pack will be fine.


Here is the linkl for you to apply for the Portable Ship Radio Licence
 
Last edited:
thanks for the help and links.

i felt happy out there today knowing i had a vhf already but i will get the course done as soon as i can, it'll help to not talk giberish if i need to use it.



p.s the fish live to fight another day.................again ;-(
 
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