How to rig your boat electronically; VHF radios top list of boating essentials
3/22/2006 7:50:16 PM by Marshall Brodie
A VHF radio may lack the glamour and excitement of a big color chartplotter or fishfinder, but it should be the first piece of electronics that you buy for your boat. Why? Because in an emergency, a VHF radio is the best and most reliable means to call for help. Cell phones are often out of range even while you are still well within sight of land. A fixed mounted VHF radio on the other hand has a normal range of up to 25-miles or even up to 50-miles when talking to the United States Coast Guard with their tall radio tower.
VHF radios also have another critical advantage over cell phones. Anyone who is monitoring their VHF radio and is within range can listen to your distress call. Cell phone conversations are private. This may a good thing when arranging a date with that girl or guy you just met, but in an emergency on the water you will want everyone to hear. A nearby boater monitoring their VHF could be there to help in several minutes while the Coast Guard or towing service may be a half-hour away.
New fixed mount VHF radios include Digital Selective Calling (DSC), an operating mode that will broadcast your unique Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number at the touch of a button in an emergency. If your DSC equipped VHF radio is linked to a GPS unit, it will automatically relay your position as well.
DSC promises to increase the usefulness of VHF radios on a more routine basis. A DSC equipped vessel with a MMSI number
will be able to privately hail another boat with DSC and a MMSI number. Only the boat being called will receive the hail and it will be able to see who is calling, sort of like a caller ID on your home phone.
In addition to DSC, VHF manufacturers continue to add bells and whistles to their products to make them more convenient. For instance, remote control microphones have recently become a popular option available on select new models. Furuno’s FM3000 (MSRP $425) fixed mount VHF allows the option of a remote microphone with a speaker and complete controls (except for DSC). Instead of straining to see the VHF fixed mount unit in that overhead electronics box, the FM3010 remote microphone lets the operator change channels and adjust the volume conveniently.
ICOM is set to introduce the IC-M504 (no price was available at press time) VHF radio this month pending FCC approval. The M504 is a fixed mount unit that allows also for an optional remote microphone and control. Dubbed the CommandMIClll, this full function remote control (including DSC) will allow the operator to be as far as 60-feet away from the IC-M504 VHF radio. It is waterproof to 1.5 meters of depth for 30-minutes in the event it is dropped overboard. A multi-function jog dial provides quick control of the M504’s channel, volume, squelch and other settings. The LCD dot matrix display is easy to read and includes a seven-step dimmer to adjust the lighting.
Not to be outdone, Standard Horizon’s new Quest-X GX 1500S (MSRP $179.99) and Matrix GX3000S (MSRP $249.99) fixed mount VHF radios will accept a remote microphone and control option too. The Quest-X can be used with a single optional RAM+ microphone that allows complete control (including DSC) of the unit. Suited for larger yachts where a VHF radio is desirable at perhaps the flybridge, salon and tower station, the Matrix is capable of operating with two RAM+ microphones.
The Quest-X and the Matrix both have the ability to poll (request and send) the GPS coordinates of another vessel and show it on the radio display. If connected to a Standard Horizon chartplotter, the position of the other vessel will be shown on the chartplotter as well. This could be practical for keeping track of friends on another boat while trolling or cruising.
Raymarine’s Ray 240 (MSRP $675) completely does away with the controls on the black box transceiver unit. Instead, it relies only on the remote microphone to control it. The black box is mounted out of sight, leaving just the cell phone styled remote microphone on the console. A second handset can be added for dual stations. Like the above Standard Horizon units, the Ray 240 has a “polling feature” that enables the GPS coordinates of other DSC equipped boats to be displayed. The Ray 240 can be linked to select Raymarine chartplotters that will show the other vessel’s location.
The NS100 (MSRP $599) from Northstar marks its entry in VHF communications. Like the Ray 240, the heart of the NS100 is the black box transceiver that is mounted out of sight and is controlled by single or dual remote control microphone.
Uniden has launched a new series of fixed mount VHF radios called the ES Series. The UM625c ES (MSRP $299.99) is the top model and features a 2.2-inch diagonal color display. It includes a built-in loud hailer programmed with fog bell and whistle sounds. The WHAMx4 (MSRP $129.99) is Uniden’s full function 2.4GHz wireless remote that is compatible with the UM625c and lower priced UM525 (MSRP $199.99). Up to four of these remotes can be used with one radio. Each can act as an intercom station and includes DSC control. The pocket size WHAMx4 has a LCD screen and microphone/speaker.
Handheld VHFs are more than just an important backup to fixed mount units. Handhelds can go where you go; fixed mount units stay with the vessel. Handhelds are useful for communicating with the bridge deck of your boat if you are up in the tower or away on a dinghy. Like the fixed mount units, handhelds also have their share of innovations.
If your boat should capsize, besides a PFD, you should grab a handheld VHF. Showing awareness of this fact, Standard Horizon’s new HX500S (MSRP $199.99) and HX600S (MSRP $249.99) incorporate an LED strobe light. Ideally, your PFD should have a strobe light attached to it already but it certainly does not hurt to have a backup with either of these two handhelds. The HX600S includes DSC (handhelds are not required to have DSC). The HX600S can be linked to a GPS via its charging cradle so that it can transmit your position. Other bells and whistles on the HX600S include an AM/FM and aircraft band receiver.
ICOM is introducing for 2006 its newest handheld, the IC-M72 (MSRP $199). This compact VHF boasts 6-watts of power instead of the industry standard of 5-watts. It also meets the stricter IPX8 standard for being waterproof to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes instead of the 1-meter IPX7 standard. ICOM claims that although the antenna is nearly a third shorter, it performs as well as their normal longer antennas. The M72’s 2000mAh lithium ion battery is the largest in the handheld market for 15 to 16 hours of operation, according to ICOM.
Taking integration to the fullest, Uniden’s Mystic handheld includes built-in GPS, chartplotter and DSC. Developed in conjunction with Magellan, the Mystic includes a MapSend CD to download detailed charts onto the unit.
Street prices for fixed mount DSC VHF radios now range from just under $100 to over $500. Handhelds start at about $100 also and go up to less than $400. Whether you choose the basic model or opt for one with all of the bells and whistles, the purpose of a VHF transceiver is the same.
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Quest-X VHF radios come in all shapes and sizes. The Furuno FM3000 and Northstar NS100 are shown on opposite page. The Standard Horizon HX 6005 and the Quest-X models are shown above.
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