Why a VHF radio should be used instead of a cell phone during a marine emergency

[Ronnie]

A few years ago I bought a hand held marine radio from Westmarine that I have never used and until now thought of as old tech. Per an article in this months edition of Boat U.S. Magazine (page 36) I realize I couldn't have been more wrong. Here is a pic of the illustration in the article. Points 1 through 4 are only possible with a vhf radio not a cell phone, the most important feature being the ability to locate the distressed vhf user. Anyone ever hear of the Coast Guard's Rescue 21 system that blanket 40k miles of US coast line?



I hope that I never have to make a distress call from the water but if I do I hope that I remember to use my vhf radio.

 

[Bruce]

Does your handheld VHF support DSC? My handhelds do not but my fixed radio does. I know that some handhelds do. Many radios support DSC but require connection to a GPS receiver and a MMSI number to function. Points 1 & 2 are DSC features.

 

[Ronnie]

I don't know if my radio has dsc capability (I've only turned it on to verify that it turns on and have not actually spoken to anyone though it) but even if only points 3 and 4 are benefits of using a vhf radio instead of a cell phone those are enough for me especially if I'm in distress on the water.

 

[subysti]

All of the point here are only in use if you have a DSC radio. Otherwise you're just calling on channel 16 but it wont give any other info, that's up to you to relay your boat name, coordinates and type of emergency.

 

[sysinu]

Not entirely true. Coast guard has multiple repeaters and if you call channel 16 they can triangulate you based on your broadcast. Now... the ocean is really big - so triangulation will give them a a huge cone for a search radius, ... DSC is the best bet, and if you had a DSC equipped handheld, you would know (because you would have paid quite a bit for it).

 

[Ronnie]

From the same article:

"...the Rescue 21 system was designed to extend VHF coverage to 20 miles offshore....Each tower is equipped with direction-finding equipment that can provide a bearing to your location. If your VHF radio call is received by multiple [Rescue 21] towers, those bearings can be used to triangulate your signal and find you, even if you don't know your position. In most cases, Rescue 21 can pinpoint your location in minutes, all but eliminating search time so that help reaches you much faster."

I don't believe everything I read but going forward I will be appreciating my hand held vhf radio a lot more and will make sure it is charged and ready for use.

By the way, DSC stands for Digital Selective Calling, its basically a panic button that when used transmits an ID number and location if the radio has its own gps or has been hooked up to the boats gps.

 

[subysti]

DSC handhelds have come way down in price lately. They can be had for around $200 now. I paid a lot more for towables so for something that can save my bacon in an emergency it's cheap insurance.

 

[GTBRMC]

DSC handhelds have come way down in price lately. They can be had for around $200 now. I paid a lot more for towables so for something that can save my bacon in an emergency it's cheap insurance.

My Standard Horizon HX851 is a few years old...model is now discontinued, but I believe I paid about $175 for it in approx 2011. It has been replaced by the HX870 - just saw a link on Amazon for $236.00 shipped. May be other cheaper options.

My trusty HX851 checked all the functionality boxes for me:

 

[Speedling]

I'm still running the vhf without a gps. I guess it's about time i got a charplotter or something to plug it into? Especially before bimini?
This is what I have:
https://www.cobra.com/products/fixed-mount/mr-f45-d#specifications
Comes with a plug that has two wires just hanging there. Totally helpful, right?

 

[tdonoughue]

If your boat has a GPS speedometer, you can hook your radio into that. See http://www.jetboaters.net/threads/installation-of-dsc-vhf-radio-to-the-stock-gps-antenna.518/#post-23902

 

[Speedling]

Nope. Older boats don't have that.
thinking a "basic" chartplotter would work somehow?

 

[tdonoughue]

Yeah, I thought yours might be too old. But it was worth a try. Yes. Most of the radios work on an NMEA bus, so you can hook multiple devices together. Later Yamaha's work on the same bus system, which is what lets you tie in. But many chartplotters do as well. There are 2 types of bus systems, tho, so you do have to make sure your devices are compatible.

 

[Bruce]

Nope. Older boats don't have that.
thinking a "basic" chartplotter would work somehow?

You will want a chart plotter if you want to go anywhere around Bimini without following someone who has one.

I did not see whether the GPS unit needs to be NMEA 0183 or 2000 in the manual. You will want to know before you buy a receiver.

My experience is that plotters that include a NMEA link are more expensive and NMEA receivers are often as expensive as the VHF radio. I opted for a deal on a Raymarine Dragonfly plotter and a Standard Horizon GX1700 plotter. The GX1700 has built a built in GPS receiver for less than the cost of buying a VHF radio and a receiver.

 

[cane.mba]

We took a boaters safety course a few years ago when we bought the boat. The Coast Guard Aux strongly encouraged using a VHF radio before a cell phone call to 911. Their reasoning was that a VHF call for help would be heard by people on the water and response time would be much faster. A 911 operator would have to confirm your location on the lake, then find someone on the water, or dispatch a team for a water rescue.

So even without the DSC and GPS, on our lake response times are much much faster with a VHF.

 

[SGMPhil]

I put a GX1700 VHF radio in my boat - not need to tie it into additional devices as it has GPS built in. The small footprint keeps it from taking up a lot of space and getting in the way. It has been a good radio so far. If you get in a bind, you can just mash the distress button and your position is automatically transmitted, a great safety feature in my opinion. Total cost for radio, antenna, antenna mount and such was around $300.

 

[Topper232]

My Standard Horizon fixed VHF has built in GPS for this reason. I believe that you can request a DSC ID number through Sea Tow, but I'm not sure if you have to be a member for this service.

 

[SGMPhil]

My Standard Horizon fixed VHF has built in GPS for this reason. I believe that you can request a DSC ID number through Sea Tow, but I'm not sure if you have to be a member for this service.

You need an MMSI ID to program into the radio. It is easy to get one and it is free - I got mine here: http://www.usps.org/php/mmsi_new/index.php

 

[Topper232]

You need an MMSI ID to program into the radio. It is easy to get one and it is free - I got mine here: http://www.usps.org/php/mmsi_new/index.php

That's right @SGMPhil ...too many letters to keep track of

Thanks,

 

[SGMPhil]

Ultimalty, if you can provide your Lat. & Lon. numbers you have nothing to worry about.

VHF is best; however, if you call via Cellular or VHF, all you need to do is provide your numbers on your Chartplotter/Fishfinder/GPS modual. If you don't have one, you can download an app that will use your cell phone's GPS and it will provide your Lat & Lon. numbers.

There are many ways to skin this cat. Worst case would be VHF only with no cell phone and no Chartplotter/Fishfinder/GPS modual. No way to obtain your Lat & Lon. numbers.

Agreed. Bottom line is that it is a really good idea to put in a VHF radio with built-in GPS - something like the GX1700 listed in this thread. Just mash the distress button on the radio and done. Personally I would not like to have to read GPS coordinates over the radio or phone in an emergency situation - in a stressful situation it is too easy to make a mistake. When your boat is sinking, on fire, or being taken over by pirates, the last think I want to be doing is trying to read a heap of number and letters to someone. Considering that the cost of a DSC capable VHF setup is about the same as what it costs to fuel my boat three times - it was worth it to me for the peace of mind.

BTW, if there is anyone in my area needing help installing a radio, I'll be glad to help, I have installed a lot of radios over the years. I work for beer - no charge.

 

[Gym]

Agreed. Bottom line is that it is a really good idea to put in a VHF radio with built-in GPS - something like the GX1700 listed in this thread. Just mash the distress button on the radio and done. Personally I would not like to have to read GPS coordinates over the radio or phone in an emergency situation - in a stressful situation it is too easy to make a mistake. When your boat is sinking, on fire, or being taken over by pirates, the last think I want to be doing is trying to read a heap of number and letters to someone. Considering that the cost of a DSC capable VHF setup is about the same as what it costs to fuel my boat three times - it was worth it to me for the peace of mind.

BTW, if there is anyone in my area needing help installing a radio, I'll be glad to help, I have installed a lot of radios over the years. I work for beer - no charge.

Wow, nice offer @SGMPhil. How many cases of beer would it take to come up to Cape Cod to install mine?