But she helped fix my vhf. So I think her karma is in balance.
Bridge tenders recently have complained that my radio breaks up and that they can't hear me when I try to contact them. I hear them and a lot of other radio traffic fine. But the fact that multiple tenders complained, pointed to a larger safety issue.
Yah, I have a cell phone aboard. And I've had almost constant internet access on my trip. But the main means of communication with other boaters is through a vhf radio. The Coast Guard broadcasts alerts, you can call for assistance from towboat US, hail a marina or bridge, check the weather, or just talk to your buddy in another boat to arrange plans for anchoring.
And of course, if the s*** hits the fan, you can call for help. But obviously, if a bridge tender a few hundred yards away couldn't hear me asking for an opening, no one was ever going to hear me calling Mayday out in the ocean.
I bought a new antenna and with Buffy's help installed it. When I turned on the radio, it was like having the wax removed from my ears. It was the weekend, and the airwaves were filled with chatter, most of which I hadn't heard before. I asked for a radio check and the reply was instant from towboat US.
I feel a lot safer, and I don't think the bridge tenders will be complaining about me anymore.
Buffy only lost a bolt from the pole. We'll find a replacement tomorrow. It won't look good as new, but it'll add character to my pole.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Buffy Broke my Pole...
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3 comments:
Scott, another project to keep you busy. Your GPS program isn't working as it should. When you zoom in, the image of the boat stays constant resulting in a big boat image but no location information. Heisenburg's Principle is at work.
From sunny Las Vegas
My boat had the VHF located below at the nav station. This was great for many circumstances but terrible for others - i.e. - when I was in the cockpit trying to communicate with those bridge operators.
I ended up buying a handheld VHF and it turned out to be one of my most satisfactory purchases. Not only was it great for calling the bridges, etc. but it also turned out to be very handy when I when out on a 'mission' in my inflatable and my girlfriend (now wife) stayed on board. For example, I could be out on a dive with the handheld and 'call-in' if I wanted to let her know I'd be longer getting back than expected.
I also thought of it as an important piece of survival gear if I were ever to have a failure of my main VHF or be forced to abandon ship. If stranded at sea I'd much rather be trying to call a passing vessel on the VHF than attempting to get their attention by waving my arms and shouting pointlessly like they always do in films.
I know you're not looking for any new ways to spend $ but I thought I just throw out this idea for future considerations.
Grampa, I accidentally uploaded a production version of the gps program. I'll try to get it fixed soon.
Ross, fortunately with the layout of my boat, the vhf is a foot away from the helm. It's just inside the doorway to the salon. Even so, I sometimes have difficulty hearing it, if I have the motor running (which I always do when approaching a bridge). There is wiring for attaching external speakers. I'll likely attach some when I find the time.
It would be nice to have a hand-held vhf. If for no other reason than to have a backup. The guy at the marine store told me about the mmsi protocol. Apparently, this allows some vhf radios to interface with a gps and send out a distress call with coordinates. That would be pretty cool.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy right now with having gone from what was half a vhf radio to a fully functional vhf. I'll work on the redundancy later.
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