What I don't understand

[Twister_Ken]

What I don\'t understand

is that here are people who can afford to own/charter boats in the Solent, but balk at paying for mobile phone calls.

If they'd just call their buddies on the dog, rather than Ch 16, life would be so much more relaxing for the rest of us.

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[zefender]

Re: They do use their mob

The radio is just in case they're not listening

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[wakeup]

Perhaps they also don\'t realise

they are breaking the law.

VHF radios are for use in the assistance of safe navigation only!!!! Especially channel 16!!!


<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by wakeup on 27/05/2003 15:16 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[colvic]

Re: What I don\'t understand

You want to hear the merchant ships off Gib giving there life stories to each other. Last year one got a rude awakening from an HM naval craft for blocking the channel for over an hour.


Phil

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[Peppermint]

Re: This Saturday brought the usual

crop of misuse.

Some guy arranging the minutest detail of how his mate should raft up on him in Yarmouth. Children singing. Calls to marinas and of course radio checks gallore.

I was also surprised that the tugs parking a tanker at Hamble did a lot of chattering on 16.

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[sailbadthesinner]

Re: aah but then

if you air everything on CH16
someone may have some advice that mate at t'other end of dog dokes not.
Ken you need to regard it as access to an entire radio net of potential advice

you'll be off in no time

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[jimi]

Re: What I don\'t understand

Much better if you and your mates get sets with Channel Zero, then you can chatter away to your hearts content without being overheard by the hoi polloi.

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[Mirelle]

There is a simple answer

Don't switch the wretched thing on. Better still, don't even fit one to the boat. You don't have to have one. We are all told that we ought to have one for safety's sake, but we carry flares for that, and in all probability the VHF would pack up right away if things turned nasty.

How often do you ACTUALLY NEED to use a VHF? The only case that I can think of, offhand, is getting bridges to open in Holland. You don't need it for the Thames barrier. You don't need it for marinas. You are actually (and rightly) discouraged by the High Court from using it to avoid collision. So what's it for? You are more likely to get a distress call out, fast by dialling 999 on a mobile phone, if in cell range, which 90% of the time we usually are, and the MCA will very shortly have legal acess to cell data, so they will be able to locate a phone call without a position.

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[longjohnsilver]

Re: There is a simple answer

Agree with you in many ways, but I do keep mine on just in case there's anyone in trouble who needs assistance. Have helped a few people this way, saved calling out the lifeboat, not real emergencies but they did need assistance.

Fortunately have never needed to use it in anger myself, and being in Lyme Bay can go for hours without hearing a peep from the set. Suspect if I was Solent based I may feel differently!

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[Sybarite]

Re: There is a simple answer

The only time I really needed mine was in thick fog north of Scillies sailing through an area indicated as submarine exercise area - and we heard canon fire ! Right beside us ! Called Falmouth to make sure we were not in the middle of an exercise pretending to be the target - they told us to go away as they had an emergency underway - switched on the engine so that we would be picked up on sonar - but apart from some more rounds we got through to safety.

The following day my sister sat up with a start and said "CONCORDE ...!"

John

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[Birdseye]

Re: What I don\'t understand

silly question. when you've paid South coast marina charges you cant afford to use your mobile phone!

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[Guest]

Re: What I don\'t understand

why don't more use CB radio can then chat all day always had one on board left radio on to monitor CB to chat. No problem or is that too simple?

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[Guest]

Re: What I don\'t understand

Why cant they use CB radio? simple

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[Twister_Ken]

Does CB still exist in UK? nm

`

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