Handheld VHF Radio

[silasvirus82]

Good points Mark, to each their own I guess! Perhaps I will start using mine more often fishing with a group, but I won't be broadcasting when the fishing is good

btw, my name is John, silasvirus82 is a handle I've kept for a long time

[Mark]

John,

I think you will find your HF very useful when you fish with many of the folks you meet here.

Again, welcome to the group.

[rob-kayak]

silas,
But they lack the immediacy of HF radios. HF radios give you instant contact with your fishing companion(s) without dialing or waiting for the person(s) you are calling to answer the ring tone. Also, as you mentioned, for most cell models you have to keep them covered or in a waterproof container. Lastly, you can learn a lot about the day's bite just by monitoring the HF calls of other fishermen in your area. Some days I never speak a word into mine but I still find it useful.

+1

I was out a little while ago... and the weather reports at the home base had it clear and sunny, but the bay reports had fog... well what do you know... as soon as I got to the Bridge it turned to Pea Soup... I got to my launch south of Kent Island and the "soup" was intense.

But.. well.. had the GPS and charts... I hugged land as long as as I could marking my charts... but it was sure good to have the radio on.. I could hear boats around.. and the chatter on the radio was... "Well, I got about 100 yards of visibility..."

Finally I made a dash across the channel... to deeper water... but at least I had the assurance that I could communicate with people on the water.

The chatter on the radio that day was "catchin' at 40' feet"... But on my spot I had them stacking up at 20' feet.

I did a lot of kayak fishing without a radio... I'm so glad I got one this year.

It makes those Pea Soup days and night adventures a little bit more comforting.

I highly recommend the Standard Horizon 300... it flashes submerged... which is good if you are in the water.
I'd get it over the 150 in a heartbeat.

Forget wrapping things in foam when you don't have too. It's hard to shove a foam wrapped radio
in your vest pocket...

And if ya got the $ the radio Mark has is a great option.

[zeebyrd]

If you do carry your cell phone with you, it's always good to get the
local emergency numbers. I don't mean 911. For instance, if you are at Mallows Bay,
which is in Charles Co, dialing 911 will get you Occuquan. (The gatekeeper informed me of this.)
I'm sure there are other areas with similar situations.

It's always helpful even if you have your radio, to have your cell phone with you. The more you are
prepared for anything happening, the better off you will be if something does happen.

Didn't mean to to hijack the topic, but someone mentioned cell phones...