Received: from opus.hpl.hp.com (opus-fddi.hpl.hp.com) by jr.hpl.hp.com with ESMTP (1.37.109.24/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA294435080; Fri, 10 Apr 1998 17:38:01 -0700 Return-Path: <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Received: from zonker.hpl.hp.com (zonker-fddi.hpl.hp.com) by opus.hpl.hp.com with ESMTP (1.37.109.24/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA065575075; Fri, 10 Apr 1998 17:37:55 -0700 Received: (from poulton@localhost) by zonker.hpl.hp.com (8.8.6/8.7.1) id RAA27727 for wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis; Fri, 10 Apr 1998 17:37:54 -0700 (PDT) Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 17:37:54 -0700 (PDT) From: Ken Poulton <poulton@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> Message-Id: <199804110037.RAA27727@zonker.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis> To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: Re: Unlicensed VHF Use Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
> My experience and Carlos' recent one prompted me to buy a marine
> transceiver today. I got the new Apelco 520 which is supposedly
> submersion rated and has a 5 watt transmit power mode. Also has big
> backlighted display, and is fairly compact and light.
Regardless of ratings, keep it in a dry bag! Companies building radios
for boaters have no concept of what a radio attached to a windsurfer
goes through. West Marine sells one shaped for a radio.
> The question is - can I use this thing without a license?
Yes. See http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/fctsht14.html
> Bob Galvan
> posted some info. on this subject about a year ago or so, but I've
> misplaced it. Also, what is the emergency frequency, Kenneth? I think
> it's channel 16, but do the Coasties prefer that you talk to them on
> channel 22?
The general hailing channel is 16, and is your best bet for reaching a
boat. The Coast Guard seems not to listen on Ch 16 the couple of times
I have tried, but they do listen (and work) on Ch 22, so that seems to
be the right place to reach them. I wrote this on my radio bag so
I wouldn't have to tell someone this if I gave them the radio.
The last thing: if your radio does not have a battery indicator, get
a voltmeter to test your charging process! My new Apelco 510 (warranty
replacement last summer) did not make contact to either the new or the
old charging base, so when I broke my ankle I was out there with a radio
with enough charge to listen for a few minutes, but not enough to make a
call! The Apelco web page FAQ said "bend the charger contacts" so this
must have occurred on a bunch of radios.
Ken Poulton
poulton@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis
"This story has the added advantage of being true." -- Henry Kissinger
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