Marine Electronics Improves Onboard Safety
Whether you are a pleasure boater, a fishing enthusiast or a serious mariner who makes a living on the water, boating safety is of primary importance. There are a variety of useful marine electronics available in single or multifunction systems that can enhance your safety and provide you the assurance that you can navigate confidently and protect your boat, as well as your crew, from hazardous conditions.
On a boat, communications equipment, perhaps more than any other marine electronics is vital for security. FM broadcast radio base and capacity, combined with a good antenna is essential. The United States Coast Guard monitors Channel 16 for voice and channel 70 DSC (Digital Selective Calling). Channel 9 is used most often to communicate with other browsers, is worthy of monitoring channels 16 and 9, even if you do not use them. Channel 9 can be used as a secondary channel of an emergency.
Marinaradios can be fixed mount or portable and may incorporate other electronics such as the ability to connect to a microphone and serve as an intercom or a hailer. Note that you might need additional marine electronics, such as a hailer horn, to make this work. Modern marine radios come equipped with Bluetooth and the ability to connect to a keypad for electronic data entry or a voice scrambler for security.
Marine VHF radios operating in US waters can also have the ability to receive weather broadcasts when they are available which makes them an invaluable aid in navigation as well as in electronic communication. Consider this feature when shopping for discount marine electronics for future expandability.
A fixed mount radio is often more reliable, more powerful and can receive and transmit for larger distances, but a portable radio can be carried into a lifeboat or on shore if necessary and most are waterproof. If your boat is longer than 65 feet you are required to have a VHF radio on board and an FCC radio station license, but smaller boats are not required to have a license.
Marine electronics communications devices are not just for emergencies. You can use VHF radios for chatting with fellow boaters, keeping multiple boats together or for collision avoidance with unanticipated vessels. However, ranges are limited and radios are often not effective if you plan to travel more than twenty miles off shore. Also, since VHF radios are primarily walkie-talkies, conversations are intended to be short and informational.
Other electronics you can use for marine communications include mobile phones and cell phones. These are especially good if you need to have a lengthy conversation, but coverage at sea is not assured, so don't depend on a cell phone alone. If you are limited to communications on your VHF radio, it is a good idea to tune in to a channel other than 16 or 9 once you have made contact so that the emergency channels are left free for other users.
For more assuredness at sea, consider heavy duty marine electronics such as a satellite phone. An Iridium phone or an Inmarsat phone offer dependable mobile communications. These phones are battery powered and use satellite communications channels to provide coverage anywhere in the world, including out at sea. Satellite phones are expensive, but if your life depends on good communications from anywhere on earth, they are definitely worth the money.
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