Re: [Paddlewise] HX150S VHF

MJAkayaker_at_aol.com wrote:
> 
> Thanks to everyone who replied to my request.  It looks like the HX150S and a
> dry-bag for it are a good option.   Wish I could wait for the HX155, but my
> trip is coming up at the end of July and I really think I need the radio for
> it.  [snip]

What are the advantages of the HX 155 over the Hx 150?

>  Either way
> I know I'll be a lot safer with the VHF  than without.  Just got to remember
> that I should not go out in any worse conditions with the radio than I would
> have gone out without it.

This is the eternal question:  What rescue mechanism, exactly, does the VHF
enable?  This is worth giving some thought to.  Its range, if you are
*swimming* is probably not much over 3 miles to another boat;  maybe 10 miles
max to a Coast Guard repeater on a nearby hilltop.

Where will you use it?  Who will hear you if you send out a Mayday?

Will you leave it on continuously, so that you are part of the safety net? 
After all, if you expect other boaters to hear your plea for help, then it is
reasonable to listen for theirs.

In the end, I suspect the most useful feature of my VHF is that it is a much
better receiver for weather info than the el cheapo "weather monitors" which
sell for $20.  Paying heed to the forecast and sea state are the tactics which
have kept me out of trouble, so far.

You can't drown on the beach.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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