VHF low power button - myth or reality?

[flaming]

Racing in Hayling bay this weekend the committee were working on 72, and the number of times they were overspoken by requests for moorings and lifts ashore from Folly Water Taxi was quite staggering. I can only assume that the low power option fitted to the VHF sets I'm familiar with has been discontinued from newer sets.

Shame really, it was a very useful function!

The good news is that modern sets do seem to have excellent range, even when East Cowes is in the way.

 

[sailorman]

5 watt pwr on a high aerial will cover most of the world that is known to locals as The Solent

 

[michael_w]

Very high pressure can do odd things to VHF transmissions. I remember speaking to Falmouth Coastguard when we were crossing the Bay of Biscay and probably 200 miles away.

 

[flaming]

5 watt pwr on a high aerial will cover most of the world that is known to locals as The Solent

Yet strangely we weren't hearing the other side of the conversation. And they frequently had the power to cut across the mark laying boats but not (thankfully) the main committee boat. Given where they started their conversations it also seemed obvious that they couldn't hear the mark laying boats.

 

[prv]

I'm sure the OP was tongue-in-cheek, but just in case: no, the 1W option has not been discontinued from modern VHFs. People (myself probably included) just forget to use it.

My modern Standard Horizon, with new Metz Manta antenna and a downlead the size of a garden hose, does indeed have excellent range, thanks . I've picked up Jobourg Traffic in the Solent several times this year.

Pete

 

[prv]

Yet strangely we weren't hearing the other side of the conversation. And they frequently had the power to cut across the mark laying boats but not (thankfully) the main committee boat. Given where they started their conversations it also seemed obvious that they couldn't hear the mark laying boats.

Of course. Both the Folly launches and the mark boats will have had low antennas, quite possibly handhelds. It's only the yachts asking for berths who were blasting out 25W from the tops of 15m masts.

Pete

 

[flaming]

Of course. Both the Folly launches and the mark boats will have had low antennas, quite possibly handhelds. It's only the yachts asking for berths who were blasting out 25W from the tops of 15m masts.

Pete

Precisely my point. We knew they weren't on 5W as they were cutting across much closer boats. Unless of course they were lost.

 

[Malabar]

Very high pressure can do odd things to VHF transmissions. I remember speaking to Falmouth Coastguard when we were crossing the Bay of Biscay and probably 200 miles away.

Yes; atmospheric conditions (high pressure) was certainly an issue this last weekend. Lots of transmissions from France being received when within the Solent.

 

[DJE]

My Icom set deaults to 25W on Ch16 but 1W on all other channels. Don't they all do that?

Thread drift but why were you all playing in Hayling Bay this weekend. Can't have been just to avoid the HHSC racing in the Solent. Was it just a case of going where there was a bit of breeze?

 

[snowleopard]

My Icom set deaults to 25W on Ch16 but 1W on all other channels. Don't they all do that?

AFAIK mine only switches to low power on 15 & 17. All others have to be selected manually. Most people don't bother as after all it doesn't affect them.

Icom programming is bizarre at the best of times. Ask people with their SSB sets!

 

[flaming]

Thread drift but why were you all playing in Hayling Bay this weekend. Can't have been just to avoid the HHSC racing in the Solent. Was it just a case of going where there was a bit of breeze?

Yes. 2 hour motor each way. Against the tide both ways of course!

 

[TQA]

Low power at 5 watts is mentioned in an earlier post or two.

I though low power was 1 watt.

Not that it matters.

 

[st599]

5 watt pwr on a high aerial will cover most of the world that is known to locals as The Solent

So will 1 watt. With conservative figures for receiver sensitivity, antenna gains and antenna heights, I get 22 miles for 1 watt, 34 miles for 5 watts and 48 miles for 25 watts - line of sight.

 

[flaming]

Low power at 5 watts is mentioned in an earlier post or two.

I though low power was 1 watt.

Not that it matters.

Most VHFs that I'm familiar with are 25/5 for a fixed set, and 5/1 for a handheld.

 

[prv]

Most VHFs that I'm familiar with are 25/5 for a fixed set, and 5/1 for a handheld.

My Standard Horizon is 25 / 1, and I thought that was normal. The button is sometimes marked "1W", as it takes less space than "low power".

Pete

 

[Lucky Duck]

My Standard Horizon is 25 / 1, and I thought that was normal. The button is sometimes marked "1W", as it takes less space than "low power".

Pete

My Simrad also has 1W/25W settings but I can't immediately think of the last time that I used that function - perhaps because I rarely use the VHF to talk to boats nearby.

 

[Racecruiser]

Pretty sure the convention with race committees is they always transmit on low power but I'm not sure one we heard repeatedly talking to competitors largely unnecessarily on Sat morning were - trying to concentrate on what we were doing so I'm not sure, was it Fareham SC? Anyway reception was particularly good due to high pressure as others have said.

JOG Brixham on Friday evening was turned into JOG Poole on Saturday morning which was a very pleasant race capped by an immediate return to Newtown for Saturday night - a bit crowded but very beautiful and we had someone on board who knew all the seabirds. Tide both ways too so that's a bonus!

 

[MM5AHO]

Almost certainly a function of the enhanced VHF radiowave propagation over the past weekend. Higher atmospheric pressure often causes this, and distances of several hundred km are possible.
On saturday, using a freq very similar to Marine VHF, I made a contact from southern Scotland to near Montpellier, France.

For an idea on where the enhanced VHF propagation is, see this.. http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo_nat.html#hour6

 

[st599]

Yet strangely we weren't hearing the other side of the conversation. And they frequently had the power to cut across the mark laying boats but not (thankfully) the main committee boat. Given where they started their conversations it also seemed obvious that they couldn't hear the mark laying boats.

Was it a duplex channel?

 

[st599]

Almost certainly a function of the enhanced VHF radiowave propagation over the past weekend. Higher atmospheric pressure often causes this, and distances of several hundred km are possible.
On saturday, using a freq very similar to Marine VHF, I made a contact from southern Scotland to near Montpellier, France.

For an idea on where the enhanced VHF propagation is, see this.. http://www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo_nat.html#hour6

In the '50s there were reports of people watching the BBC Television Service from Crystal Palace in Johannesburg.