And these days I feel like I’m fading away
Like sometimes when I hear myself on the radio
Have you seen me lately?
Have you seen me lately?
– counting crows

Every once in a while it’s a good thing and to go back and cover a little old information, especially since there are lots of new faces out there.  Take the VHF Radio for instance.   It’s probably a good thing now and again to remind paddlers who are shopping for gear that even though it’s much more sexy to talk about GPS, EPIRBS & SPOTS, that on open water a VHF radio  is simply an absolute must.

Let me be totally clear here.. on open water you’ll be lucky if your cell phone works.  You should just plan on it NOT working.  Certainly cell phone coverage changes from area to area but suffice to say the beach and beyond are only covered by accident.  (I’m sure there was a 10 million dollar study done somewhere to verify that cell towers  sink.. just in case.)   On water you best line of communication is by VHF radio.  The VHF allows 2-way, line-of-sight (about 5 miles for handhelds) communication with other paddlers, big ships about to run you over, and the coast guard when you need it. Most allow you to tune into the weather and sea state forecasts as well.  A VHF can even help you relax.  When traveling I’ve found automated weather reports surprisingly soothing!

There are a variety of handheld VHF Radios on the market from ICOM, Uniden, Cobra and others.  Handheld prices have come down in the last few years some coming in around $50 on sale, but most between $100 – $200.  I won’t bother to try to tell you which one to buy. You have to pick one that fits your needs. Just keep in mind that while you do want one that is waterproof and floating if possible, don’t trust the advertising.  It’s wise to put your VHF in some sort of dry bag.  Also keep in mind that you want to keep the VHF Radio on your body at all times, NOT on the boat.  That’s not as easy as you may think either!  Personally I first bought an ICOM M1V and it died in PR and I had to borrow one.  Recently I bought an ICOM M43.  I like the M43 mostly because it’s easy to control one-handed. I major deal in a kayak.

Once you have your VHF remember to keep it charged or it won’t do much good on the water.  Also watch your battery connectors for corrosion.  Keep the radio clean, especially in salt water.

As I said you should keep the radio attached to you and not your kayak which is worth repeating.  As I mentioned in yesterday’s post there are not many PFD companies that make it easy to carry and tie off your VHF radio.  See the Kokatat “Tour” versions of their vests.  The inside of the VHF pocket offers a loop to attach a lanyard to.

Now that you’re all set up, the next thing to do is learn how to use one.  For that there is all sorts of information online including this quick overview from the Fish and Boat commission of Pennsylvania.  There are variances from country to country.

OK, so the main point is that if you are paddling the open waters of the great lakes or on the sea proper you really do need a VHF.  With prices as low as they are, there is really no reason not to have one and it would really suck not to have it when you needed it.  So go shopping..

Click Here for VHF radios and more signaling devices from Rutabaga in Madison, WI., because why not…

Now can we talk about something cool?

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