Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 3: Getting from Point A to Point B: Marine Navigation
Marine Communications
There are a few more items you’ll want in your cockpit before you watch that thin blue
horizon that marks land disappear behind you for the first time—or even before you
cruise down your local river.
The most important electronic device to carry aboard is some sort of communications
device. It’s a handy way to find where the fish are biting or which beach the sundown rendezvous
is planned for. It’s also useful when you want to talk with the harbormaster in a
new port to learn which slip he wants you in, and even to call the waterfront restaurant
and reserve a corner table.
Boat Bytes
One disadvantage of cell
phones: You have to pay a
monthly fee whether or not
you use the phone, and
maybe more every time
you hit the “Send” button in
areas outside your home calling
zone unless you have unlimited
long distance included. Other
forms of marine communications
are free once you have the basic
gear.
Bet You Didn’t Know
You can sometimes increase cell
phone range by taking the
phone up on the bridge of a flybridge
boat. The higher position
gives a better chance for the
antenna to pick up signals from
towers ashore. Touching the
antenna of a cell phone to a
steel outrigger can also increase
range at times. There are also
aftermarket “cell phone range
boosters” available, although
quality (and possibly legality)
may vary.
And if things ever go really bad—sinking boat, lifethreatening
injury, heart attack—you need dependable
contact with the world ashore, pronto.
Reach Out and Touch Somebody
For lakes and inshore areas, you can’t beat a cellular
phone. It’s immediate, easy to use, dependable, and something
that most families already own. Just be sure to put
the phone in a waterproof container, and keep the battery
charged—a connector to the 12-volt system is a great plus.
However, most cell phones won’t work when they get too
far from the nearest tower—many won’t function more
than 25 miles offshore.
Anglers like the cell phone because it doesn’t broadcast
information on where the fish are biting—they can share
secret spots with their pals and not find a fleet bearing
down on them. On the other hand, in an emergency the
“party line” aspect of an open radio channel can sometimes
bring help from another nearby boater.
VHF—Everyman’s Radio
VHF stands for Very High Frequency, the most useful of
marine radio communications gear.
VHF works where cell phones won’t, many miles at sea, to
allow you to reach out and touch nearby boats or passing
ships even if you don’t have their telephone number. And
you can call as often as you like, at no charge whatsoever!