Radio - how often do you actually USE it?

[chewy]

Every morning this boat goes out for a radio check and does the whole over and out thing.

http://www.endeavourwhitby.com/endeavour.html

The one that cracked me up was when one fisherman decided to announce that "the hills are full of billetts" on ch16, he was promptly shadted by the CG.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Mollers

How many people have heard some one "over and out" on the radio, priceless!

I did it once, felt like a right prat even as the words left my lips.

[jyasaki]

Use it pretty often talking to boats we dive with (a bunch of us normally dive together off 3 boats.) You don't want to know the kind of drivel that goes on there. Also use it to talk to commercial dive boats to get condition reports, find out when they're leaving sites; that kind of stuff.

I've used it several times to talk to the CG when rendering aid; three or four times when I came upon a problem (didn't want the CG to scramble a boat for no reason), and a few times in response to a Pan-Pan call. Oh, and once to report a jetskier who was using anchored dive boats as turn buoys.

jky

[Simon B]

As previous responses; tell the CG where we are going etc, radio check, talk to other dive boats. Quite often on tri-watch ch16, ch07 PORT OPS, ch71/72 Leisure.

Not used DSC yet for polling requests and all that malarkey might have look at this on the new boat when we get it.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by Simon B

Not used DSC yet for polling requests and all that malarkey might have look at this on the new boat when we get it.

Tried this out for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Sent a position request to a friend who then accepted and responded and a little boat appeared on my chart plotter at his position.

Now I have tried it I can see it is something I will use especially when out on the Solent trying to find some fellow ribnetters !

[SeaSkills]

Originally Posted by tonymac

How often do people actually use their on-board radios?

We use the radio pretty well every time we go out

Is it necessary?

It's essential. As well as the fixed radio on the boat, we will have a waterproof handheld with us (usually in my pocket)

[doggypaddle]

Originally Posted by Nasher

Nearly every time I go out - at least twice.

As I normally launch at the Camber in Portsmouth Harbour I have to ask QHM for permission to cross to the other side of the harbour in order to use the small boat channel to get out into the Solent. Then the same on the way back in.

Its quite nice to be able to use the radio inter-RIB on cruises too.

Nasher.

Also useful for getting directions to yarmouth off NOS, when lost at sea and going around in circles near the harbour entrance ??????

[willfinch36]

I only ever use a VHF-DSC radio, probably once a year, when im support/rescue boating in "junior week"

[chewy]

All weather lifeboats can also use RDF if you have a VHF fitted to pin point your postion in fog.

[Jon Brooks]

Ours is used everwe go to sea, mainly as we are based in a harbour we have to request permission to leave and enter.

Use the DSC function a fair bit to, normally when cruising in company. Have also used it to contact Dover CG when doing some safety boat cover on the Goodwin Sands last summer.

We have two VHF fitted both always on.

Cheers

Jon

[alphaechcharlie]

The New Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat has RDF as well, it really does make a hell of a difference if your trying to find someone not only in fog but also if surrounded by other traffic!

Originally Posted by chewy

All weather lifeboats can also use RDF if you have a VHF fitted to pin point your postion in fog.

[m chappelow]

Originally Posted by alphaechcharlie

The New Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat has RDF as well, it really does make a hell of a difference if your trying to find someone not only in fog but also if surrounded by other traffic!

as long as there is no headland or reef in the way , lol

[chewy]

Teesmouth managed to RDF a certain paraffin budgie hiding in the fog above Kettleness when they said it was too bad for an exercise in Runswick Bay. The chopper reckoned they couldn't find the bay despite staring into it. Cracking boat and crew Teesmouth!

[TonyC]

We always have a VHF in the RIB when it's out, and it's usually used fairly often.

I keep it monitoring Ch16, Ch18 (Barrage Ctrl), P1 (Private Harbour Authority Channel), P4 (Usually used as the Centres Operating Channel) and if leaving Cardiff Bay - Ch69 (Severn VTS).

Obviously depending on what the boats being used for (from powerboat courses and safety cover to running exclusion zones for events etc) depends on what the primary channel we use is and how often it's used.

Although I always insist that whoever is using the boat, they always have a VHF onboard.

[Stevie J]

I bought a RIB last May which had a VHF fitted, first RIB I've owned to have one. Was cruising on Loch Fyne between Tarbert and Portavadie on the Clyde, when the channel 16 picked up a mayday. Two small boys had drifted offshore on a large plastic tub, used for transporting salmon from fishfarms they had found washed up on the beach. I was the only fast boat in the area and the wind was wrong for the yachts so I responded to the coastguard. Guided by the Portavadie ferry (using the vhf) I searched for about 4 miles up the loch in and out of small bays and finally found the boys, aged 9 and 11 about half a mile from shore drifted west into the pretty rough open waters of Loch Fyne. I came alongside them and lifted them into the boat, didn't even get their feet wet and zoomed back to Portavadie where their frantic parents (who had raised the mayday) eventually met us. Turns out the lifeboat would have taken 45 minutes to get there from Tignabruich on the Kyles of Bute and the helicopter 30 minutes and would have definately knocked them into the water from the downdraft (they didn't even have coats on never mind lifejackets).

That day could have turned out so terribly different if I didn't have a vhf on 16. Get one fitted and keep it on and hope that everyone else around you does the same. It could be your turn one day!

[jyasaki]

Good job, Stevie!

jky

[Stoo]

I have two Standard Horizon VHFs installed, with separate antennas of course. One stays on 16 all the time. The other is used for chatting with friends. We have no cell coverage here beyond a mile out or so, and the boat (and radio) traffic is so light, there's lots of channels to share.

As well, I have a S-H hand-held for shore excursions.

I can't imagine leaving shore with one.. or two... or three.