Johnlebl_at_aol.com wrote: > > Folks, "line of sight" with reference to VHF-Fm marine radios is not line of > sight if mountains, ant hills or anything is in the way. Line of sight is > line of sight period. > To "monitor" anything iwth a handheld is admitting you do not want to use it > in an emergency. You will not have enough battery power. Transmitting uses a > lot more than listening. If you want to use it in case, then turn it off and > conserve battery power for that time when you need it. If want your cake and > eat it too, carry extra batteries. Good points, John. The comment about limited battery life applies for sure if you use NiCad batteries. My VHF's are equipped with alkalines, and I typically get many days of 4-6 hours of monitoring, with some transmitting, before the batteries indicate they need to be retired. (I use the Duracell units which have a "PowerCheck" strip which allows you to check them.) I've gone on several extended trips (1 - 2 weeks on the water) with the alkaline backs, and find I can expect at least 4-5 days of use before I begin to get concerned about reserve power if I have to transmit. I no longer trust NiCads in VHF radios. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Wed Dec 02 1998 - 19:48:25 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:01 PDT