First let me say I think everyone should have a DSC VHF, with a masthead antenna, and that is permanently interfaced to a Chart plotting GPS. Some skippers just won't be convinced, so this is for them
Standard Horizon made the gear on my boat (DSC VHF & Chart plotter GPS) work flawlessly so I really too note when I saw BoatUS was having a give away of a HX850S 6 Watt "FLOATING" Handheld VHF with built in GPS. That's right if you've got to have a hand held here's on the can really do you some good. The Standard Horizon HX850S 6 Watt "FLOATING" Handheld VHF with built in GPS does DCS Distress, All Ship, Group, and position polling. And it has an SOS strobe light built in. DSC is particularly important when marginal voice transmission condition exist (like with limited HH range). What might have been a faint voice crackle mayday on Channel 16 could come through loud and clear as DSC Distress Call which includes the type of distress, your MMSI, and GPS location. Responders come to where you are and you have a strobe, sweet. Phil Agur s/v Wing Tip Secretary, Call Sign WCW3485 IC27/270A MMSI 366901790 www.catalina27.org Vessel Doc# 1039809 ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Shaw To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2008 6:13 PM Subject: Re: catalina27-talk: What kind of VHF do you have? Currently we have an International Automatic Battery Charger - Ready Amp 25 I have done some research and have been told that a replacement is a very expebnsive Protech I-12/20 We do not have any nav gear or radio because we are on a small 6x9 mile lake. So the charger is for dock use and just to keep the batteries charged. Rick Shaw ----- Original Message ---- From: Art Snapper <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2008 7:44:39 PM Subject: Re: catalina27-talk: What kind of VHF do you have? I am using an Icom M422 for primary comms with a Kenwood TK-705D as a backup in case of lightning/dismasting and for Ham/Public Safety needs. I am installing a RS-485 serial bus, to carry the RS-232 NMEA data from my GPS to various devices on the boat including the DSC Marine radio. My Gps is a GPSMap 76 not a real chartplotter. I keep it on the pedestal along with a marine handheld radio. Regarding radio upgrades, The USCG spent most of last summer jamming the distress channels, 9, 16, 22 etc. with an annoying hum sound broadcast from their malfunctioning transmitter in the Milwaukee area. I finally complained through Boat U.S., but it continued through the fall season. I did get a response from the CG indicating that they couldn't figure out the problem. I am hoping it is fixed for this season. It was a high-site, and jammed most of the southern half of the lake to the point that many were shutting off their radios. Art On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 7:27 PM, Phil Agur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Anyone that knows me knows it's a loaded question? The Coast Guard Rescue 21 deployment has lagged beyond belief but you can buy the same capability (well maybe not the antenna range) for a few hundred and thereby fill in the holes the CG has. So what's on your bulkhead? Is a GPS permanently tied to your radio? Is a Chart Plotter tied to your radio? Is the Autopilot tied to you Chart Plotter? Phil Agur s/v Wing Tip Secretary, Call Sign WCW3485 IC27/270A MMSI 366901790 www.catalina27.org Vessel Doc# 1039809
