If you're heading out in your boat, having a VHF is an extremely valuable safety tool. Many feel they can get by with a mobile phone, but today a handheld VHF is not an expensive proposition and something that once you get, you'll feel lost without.
Having one on board gives you the piece of mind that if you need assistance, its just a radio call away and you won't be told "You have no credit remaining" !! If you're entering Valletta port you are supposed to contact Valletta Port Control to state your intentions.....large commercial traffic can always be found moving around and they won't stop if you're in their way, the biggest wins. Nonetheless if you have suffered engine failure etc you need to be able to radio in as quick as possible to help the controllers take appropriate action.
If you're out at sea you can also speak with others boats if needed, keep an eye out on the weather with weather reports being transmitted over the Air etc. I make it a point of carrying both a fixed base unit on the boat as well as a handheld for backup purposes.
Keep on Boating and Keep it Safe!
Skip
Hey Skip,
Can you recommend any good handheld VHF's?
BG
Things I look for are waterproof or at least Splash proof. Icom make very good sets as do Humminbird, but I have a Handheld VHF shootout in a magazine so will post the top three shortly.
Skip
Skip, I am interested in buying one VHF could you pls help since it's the first one for me and I have no idea of what brands are good?? from where?? an estimate of costings?? all you need to know about it. (If it's a problem to mention brands and shops could you please reply back by sending a personal message) Thks in advance
Try this link. The shop is in Gzira.
You can choose either a hand held VHF or fixed.
http://www.medcomms.com.mt
Medcomms is good, but Icom are quite pricey, so it depends on your budget.
Then you have Fabian Enterprises in the same road as Medcomms, RLR on the other side offering Raymarine which are good too and next to him Camilleri offering Humminbird.
If you buy a fixed set, def get a DSC type as they will be the standard soon. Handheld there's no need.
I'm afraid I'm a bit out of touch on prices, but set a budget against your requirements. Waterproof will always be more.
This link might help you
http://www.rya.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1810320D-DB5D-4325-A263-4077A88172A2/0/HandheldVHF_DOC_working.doc
Skip
The difference between choosing hand held to base is how far out one intends to go. If you exceed 12 miles better go for a base unit as with a hand held it might get difficult to communicate in case emergency. Hand helds being less powerful that base. Mind you its always better to have at least a handheld unit whenever you intend to go out at sea. I always carry base and a handheld unit it is never safe enough when dealing with ones life.
I think that Caruana of Bir id deheb has some units as well. I have never complain and I had Shakespear, Lomax and last one is an Icom. A friend of mine bought one from Mecca (St pauls bay) and he found it ok so far.
Thks everyone for your useful help once more. Next Saturday I will go and searching in a few shops and compare them together. Thks again
I recomend icom m 72. I got one from medcoms in Gzira. Its water resistant, more powerful than most handhelds and compact. If you totally immerse it in water it will still work. It costs around Lm95 (Euro 221).
Thks Gottie therefore in your opinion one like that is good to stay coastal (approx 4 miles out approx) will be fine? Still will have good reception even if it is Handheld. Also normally these radios are covered with any type of waranty. Sorry for bothering but I am new on Boat Fishing. Thks again
By the way, since a couple of months ago licence fees on marine VHF's have been completely removed.
hi gottie where have you been during winter? to day i phoned the wireless dept and there was a very nice guy called alan cassar their technical officer and he told me that to be registered in malta a VHF has to be CE approved and has International channels only. he told me that a lot of people are buying them from the internet because they are cheaper but 8 out of 10 are not good to be registered in malta. so you have to pay attention before you buy one from the net
Indeed, US based models contain other channels and with no CE stamp cannot be imported into Europe. They are only FCC compliant, they don't meet EU ETSI standards.
Hi Gottie nice to hear u again, did u hibernate mate?
Not only that skip I bought a radio from Italy which is used by everyone there without any bother, and its was not complaint with Maltese authorities. I had to scrap it. I dont know if regulations have changed since then. Always make the necessary research before taking a decision.
I just got a relatively good handheld for less than Lm55 from Caruana in Bir id deheb (behind Montebello). The model is Navicom RT-311 and it is also registered (you need to take your boat licence with you to buy one). It also comes with a 2 year warranty.
http://www.scortel.com/upload/product_45_en.pdf
i have to check with the fisheries if a handheld vhf is good for them to use on a boat. does anyone knows if it has to be a handheld or a base vhf to use on a boat according to the law
I don't believe the law makes any distinction about that issue. Ultimately you are reducing your transmit range with a handheld which I believe has 1W/5W (Hi/Low) versus 1W/25W on a fixed that will also have an external whip antenna.
I feel that if you go offshore you should really consider a fixed unit and keep a handheld as a backup or for more coastal operations.
Hi guys,
I'm in the process of buying a VHF and would like some guidlines from the experts.
I was thinking of getting a handheld one as I think the battrey will drain out if I use the gps and vhf without charging the battrey (as i'll be using the small motor which is not connected to the battrey.) What's the range of a hand held one ? Do they have the DSC ?
Are there any advantages of a fixed one over a hand held except distance ? How long will a handheld battrey last ?
Any info is appreciated.
Thanks
Chris 8)
Chris, alot depends on the model for battery life. It isn't so much receive range which is line of sight bearing in mind the curvature of the earth, but transmit power which on handhelds is 5W versus 25W on fixed. Dont know how to translate that into a range figure.
Not sure about DSC on handhelds, dont think so.
i bought a handheld vhf from caruana marine bir id-deheb this morning the navicom rt-300 for LM40. i dont think that you will find cheaper. those that are registered MFC or MFB and need a vhf to go out more than 3miles handheld vhf are good. i cheked with the fisheries an malta comunication authority
Busumark, if you're MFC registered by under 6meters can you leave the 12nm limit normally imposed on vessels under 6m?
no under 6mtrs no one can go further tham 12nm even if you are MFB or MFA. on the west coast the miles start to count from a line that you make from filfla to the last point of gozo. on that imaginary line its like that you are still on land
Hi Busumark,
Seems really a good one !! Very reasonable price aswell. What distance does it cover ?
Thanks
Chris 8)
i dont know the distance but all handhelds are the same because they have 5W power. you can change the antenna and receive three times as much. but only receice because to send it will be the same
has anyone got a cobra vhf? what are your experiences?
Camkev and myself have cobra handheld vhfs. We bought them from white sails marine i nta xbiex. They are quite good radios and for a very reasonable price.
With mine i had some problems with the charging system but after them cheacking it i was givin a new one.
Though right now it seems that lowrance vhfs are some good piece of equipment and i am in the process of buying one to install onto my new boat.
Thanks bigboy,
I ll go have a look. I wish to buy a handheld as i do not intend to go more than 6 miles... and also its an open boat and if i leave it at sea i have to remove the base. But i guess the handheld is enough for us!
I have a handheld which I bought when I had a 13ft Dell Quay Dory which had a pull start outboard (so I didn't have a battery aboard), I still have it, & still use it to talk to friends, whilst my main DSC VHF is on "listening watch" on Ch16.
Seeing as we dont go a long way offshore like some of you guys in Malta do :o we can probably make do with a hand held, but has already been said they dont have the same power as a base set, & therefore dont have the same range. If I lived in Malta & travelled well offshore like you guys do, I would have a DSC VHF linked to a cheap hand help GPS, (or my main GPS), "just in case" ;)
I have a fixed cobra vhf bought of e bay it is good.
I am considering the cobra MR HH 325, as it seems to be quite good. 11hrs standby time, NIMH battery, illuminated display, 1/3/5 watts, signal strength meter, channel scan etc... for 154eur.
I think its a good deal
I have a ray marine 101e hand held. From tarxien when testing i managed to get ships about 2miles away from the freeport (what they stated to port control). I use recharable batteries and keep a set spare. I do not use that often so cannot tell how long will they last.
my only suggestion with hand helds is if u can buy a separate battery pack, there are some radios that have a blank frame and u can insert rechargeable batteries these can be charged with a cigarette outlet on board ur boat. Its amazing that when u need to use these items like a mobile, or vhf radio etc they die on u.
The power of a handheld is also limited due to that fact that if u are sending with a 5 watt power (max for a handheld) and someone else is ending with a base unit (25watt) then u will be overridden and whilst thinking that u are sending a msg (hopefully it wont be an SOS) nobody will be hearing u.
This also happens with base units but not as frequent as with a handheld.
Just things to consider when choosing ur unit.
those who have not doen the course in radio transmission, please do ask around how to a distress call and how to contact port.
Happy fishing
destination hearing ships 2 miles away is ok, but the most important thing is for u to be heard ............
I have a simrad handheld (besides the base unit) from Mgarr port i manage to get to Valletta port very clearly. i bought off ebay last year as a secondry vhf and paid some 50euros including postage
HI guys, why do you need to register a handheld VHF????
Any particular reason.!!
it is not just registering it but you cant even have a VHF unless you own a boat. Because the vhf has to be registered on the boat and the call sign belongs to the boat.
Before you buy a vhf the seller will give you some papers so one can go to the MCA ( Malta communications authorithy) where one has to show the registration document of the boat, a photocopy of id card of the owner of the boat and pay a one time fee around 50 euros. Those buying them from e bay or abrouad have to present their vhf at the MCA.
yes but only in Malta......in italy they use them in the streets and when I was in USA we didnt have to register anything. You buy it and use it..........here we have to make a big thing out of nothing.
Back in time they had the excuse of thieves using them........this doesnt hold any water as we have mobile phones. So why all this ado about nothing. We used to pay the licence for its use as well another rubbish (instead of encouraging u to have a safety factor they make it more difficult. A hand held can save lives and should never be taxed or made difficult for a person to have one on a boat.
I kept mine from USA and since I had a base unit i thought i didnt need to register it. WRONG i got a LM100 fine and the unit was destroyed........NICE.........for keeping a spare radio just in case something happened to my base. I also keep a spare handheld GPS apart from the compass.
i agree with shanook where it comes to safety the equipment should be without a tax or licence as the main use of such equipment is to save lives at sea,
can we try as a forum to stress this point and maybe remove any taxes from life saving equipment including lifejackets, epirb, sarrt & flares
Good idea okuma.
Shitty government.....
Taxes taxes taxes..........Money money Money
So It they find you on board a handhel vhf that is not registered, would they fine you??? Really shanook? Did it happen to you lately?
not lately about 5 years ago i think, just before we joined the EU i had a water proof box with handheld VHF and GPS and flares and the policeman was one who goes on the dinghy on sea. He should know better as he is used to sea navigation and knows what can happen and the importance of safety equipment.
Shanook i agree that every boat should have a VHF, and it should be free of charge but do not blame it on the police or AFM as they are only doing their job! Some regulations are not fair ... :-X
mmmmmmmm YES I do blame the police, AFM or whoever doesnt use logic, doing their job is one thing, being A--holes is another.
ezatt.. fejn hu s sens kommun..., tghid mhux ha noqodu nisimghu r radio tal puluzija, x ghaxqa!
kollox taxxa, ikolok delizzju trid thallas t taxxa talli ghandek delizzju.. halli thallas ghal inkompetenza tad dipartimenti tal gvern...... din malta
Exactly..where is the common sense....As if we are going to listen to the police radio, how sweet!
Evferything taxes, u have a passtime and u have to pay taxes on it...we pay for the Gov dept incompetence.......thatsd Malta
nies kif tkun taf jek hux jahdem tajjeb il vhf ? ez li andi jien nitfaw scan jamel hin twil ifitex u ma sib xjn, jew inkella gili jiqaf on ch 16 u jkun mtextex gili qas tifmu sew, u dan ma lart. xtahsbu li andi namel bix nicekjah daqxejn ? jista jkun mil arial ?
How can one know that the VHF is working? ex: i make a scan with my hand held and it doesnt lock onto a channel, or else it locks on channel 16 but I dont hear well enought to understand what is being said, and this from land. What do u guys think how can I test it? can it be from the airial?
amel radio check perla 165...ez ajjat fuq ic channel 6 u saqsi lil min irrispondik min fej qed jibat halli tara r range u kem huwa, u inti dehlin cari u bsahhitkom. tista tajjat ukoll lil valletta fuq channel 12 u ajdlu bix tamel radio check.
do a radio check perla 165...for example call on channel 6 and ask the person that answers from where he/she is sending to get a picture of the range that your vhf is capable. also, take note of the signal strength and how much is it clear. you can also call valletta on channel 12 for a radio check.
arznella arznella ara smajtnix bert :P jiena 33 mil gol vant ijed ara smajtnix
Arznella Arznella can u hear me Bert :P I am 33 miles East of Malta can u hear me
ehhe lol mela ibda min em italem lisem tajjeb bix tajjatli lol mhux arznella izda ARZELLA xD ... igifiri big namel bhal dak em tiftakru ta larmir u ahna em isfel haha viva il kbir lol " iva ax qed namel radio check" haha. 10x chris isa niehu cans nxt time. izda jek nibat il tal valletta iwigbek jew ? tipo jedlek ok jew ? 10x anke inti big :)
translate
Ehhe lol first learn how to call me as I am ARZELLA not arznella...so big i do like that one of armier do u remember him down there haha viv the big one "yes as I am doing a radio check" 10x chris i will try next time. But if I call Valletta will they answer or what? like they sa OK 10x even u are great
iva ajdlu bix namel radio check u jajdlek qed tidhol tajjeb jew tidhol hazin etc. imbad ajdlu thank you ux :p lol
yes tell him to do a radio check and he will then tell you if you are sounding good or not. then tell him thanks lol
illum ghamilna radio check mi ngol bini san gwann fuq id dajsa tan neighbor tijej qabadna car il valletta
imma xtredlu ezat tipo kif tajatlu ?
translate
but how exactly do u call him?
valleta port, valletta port, valletta port, bix namel radio check please.
...mbad jirrispondik
valletta port valletta port, valletta port, radio check please.
...he will then answer you
10x chris.. :)
you're welcome perla 165 :)
so if I buy a boat, and on the boat there is a vhf registered on that boat, but on the name of the previous owner.... Is it valid or you have to pay again to change the name?
As far as I know the VHF should be transferred with the boat. It is not registered on the owner but on the boat so you do not have to pay again.
okies benri
thanks
The way I know it, when you use the VHF, You first call 3 times the person you are calling followed by your call sign.
Eg: Valletta port, Valletta port, Valletta port, Clara. Radio check, over.
do handheld vhf bought from abroad need to be registered?
yes definately!
I am new to sea/boat fishing as some of you know.
I bought a new fixed VHF for the SOJ, for everyday use, I also bought a handheld water proof unit that I keep on the boat, for emergencies.
If we ever have a serious accident, while out at sea and get seperated from the boat, for what ever reason, the handheld unit, will be clipped on my life jacket, so that I will have communication, with other boats in the area.
Hopefully I will never have to use it, but it is there just in case.
Russ
One other quick question, if I am steaming out of Tax'biex. Going fishing for a few hours, do I have to inform Valleta Port Control that I am going out, or is it more of a courtisy call, when I am going out or coming back in to the same location.
Technically yes - You should inform VPC on your way out, your intentions and once again on your way in.
If they answer you!! They should have a dedicated team of Radio Operators for the leisure sector. Frankly I find it a disgrace when calling 6-10 times from right under their radio tower on the way out and you don't get an answer. Explains why most people don't bother.
You are more likely to get an answer and well within your rights to call them on Ch. 16 and then they'll instruct you to move over to a working channel
Yes Skip, I fully agree with you, I have called them on several ocasions, with no answer, thinking my radio was on the blink and I was right under their tower.
I dont think a spare VHF attached to ur life jacket will be any serious use. It will definitely help but an EPIRB is what u should be looking at. It relays a distress call and ur position, which is continuously updated, even if u lose consciousness thy will still get to u. With a handheld VHF u might pick up a boat close to u but its not an easy matter to get them to ur position. I had a distress call from a boat when fishing for Alungi (20miles out) he thought I was a friend of his as my boat looks similar. I was not sure whether he was hailing me or someone else and it took me some time to realise and find him out, He ran out of diesel.
Imagine u are in the water, and calling a boat which u can see in the distance how are u going to explain that u are addressing him. 'I mean u boat out there going inland, (there could be dozens of boats going inland). think about it.
Any recommendation for a home base VHF to communicate when out at sea?
most important is to have a good arial moonwalker and not the vhf!!!
I'd go for a lawrance or icom though
Ahna blicom nahdmu u qatt ma sibna problemi..
For home base (do you mean one at your house or fixed on your boat?) either a good well tuned Dipole Antenna aligned vertically and pointing in the general direction where you tend to be (West Coast) maximum elevation possible above your roof, one single cable run (keep as short as possible). Slightly better but more complicated to build is a groundplane antenna.
ICOM, Raymarine, Standard Horizon (Yaesu) all very good - I like the pricing on the Standard Horizon kit from Fabian Enterprises
Home base I mean at home (house roof).
The VHF does not need to be water proof or rust proof since it will not see and sea water.
The antenna seems to be the trick for long distance transmission. So those with a home base VHF can post the type of antenna and reliable transmission distance?
this might come handy for a diy enthusiast.
http://www.dxzone.com/catalog/Antennas/2M/
I am a diy man but free time is 0 these days. So something ready made is what I am looking for