Hand Held VHF radio. Does Standard Horizon HX300 have good VHF radio range?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Here's another video that covers a very important subject related to boat safety! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGTOp6KKrZp0m7c

[@BurchellAtTheWharf]

2:30 there is a radio course specifically for vhf radio's an teaches you the process and protocol for appropriate use of the vhf calls and signs , no cussing, not telling people where the fish are, must listen to ch16 for atleast 15mins before departure, (supposed to be a hour) and learn how to operate it plus off of it's functions you particular vhf has an what other things it can do, (example -like TV or internet/wifi on the boat, mind you that is a several thousand dollar radio, but if you know a radio tech, he can turn it on in a basic vhf)

[@charles.neuman18]

Glad you got a response. One thing I noticed, when I was new and going through the same thing, is that you have to hold the button and wait a full second before talking. It's longer than you think. And say it twice. In an automated radio check, where it played back what I said, I noticed that it didn't catch the first half second or so of my transmission. Also, try standing up. As a sailboater, I'm always down low, and I can't transmit very far. I found I did better if I lifted the radio up a few feet. Made a difference. (Also check to see what power level you're on, if you have that. Higher power can transmit farther, but it soaks up batteries.)

[@BurchellAtTheWharf]

Always highly recommend that Evey boater have a vhf, an portable ones are great, but if you are looking for a good an relatively "cheap" $350cad is as about as cheap as you can get with the emergency distress function, it is an uniden 330G but the airral / whip/ antenna is extra, this is where bigger is better (in the realms of hight) an for a 6'on is useally $100 but it can save a live or ten, but if your more inshore and don't need the GPS , you can get the Uniden 330E fer like $225cad

[@clydeosterhout1221]

When you get your new built in VHF radio, set your mobile unit in front of your cell phone on video record. Take your boat out a couple of miles, and do a radio check. Repeat as desired. When you get back listen to the recording to see how it did. Then do the same with your mobile unit. That’s how I test my radios.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That’s a very cool idea to check it out all by yourself!! Thanks

[@elimackinnon06]

Also at 18:47 a hull number is actually what your supposed to use if you dont have a boat name or callsign at least in Canada which follows the same regulations of the U.S. of course in the Nato Phonetic alphabet and numbers.

[@budgie003]

The area code of U or I or C is not shown which may be why it doesn't work?

[@darrylmcleman6456]

you can get adapter to connect a 2 meter antenna to the handheld if so desired. Also in Canada you can (unofficially ) transmit land to sea with 5 watts or less.VHF license required in Canada and probably U.S.A. too.That is so you know proper protocol. You need vessel name to make a call and need to know how to make different degrees of emergency calls.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

A 2 meter antenna would't make this thing quite as portable that's for sure lol! What's surprising to me is how an average person technically can't even check to ensure a device is working properly if they're on land. I am fairly sure it's an antiquated law from back in the CB radio days (1970s) when kids would play with HAM and CB radios. I also realized that when I was calling on 69, 71 and 72 asking if the fish were biting (to solicit any response indicating my mic was working) I was also "breaking the law" because I wasn't addressing a specific boat.

[@jannld]

You can call the local marina on their VHF channel to test your VFH radio. They will be happy to respond to your radio check. Assuming that your marina or a nearby one has a VHF radio, most marinas in Europe do.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I thought so too but oddly on my river, it seems most of the marinas do not use VHF. I went to a commercial one to fuel up when I was making this video and asked if I could call them on VHF and they told me I could call their phone. I imagine closer to the ocean I'd have better luck.

[@scottshirley9424]

I had the same experience with a portable handheld on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Unfortunately, I the occasion to communicate with both the Coast Guard and Sea Tow. The radio work just fine when I hailed the Coast Guard and when Sea Tow hailed me. So my guess is that your radio is functional.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Thanks! Yeah I've been able to use it since making this video and it works well.

[@southpaw_reels]

So I'm researching handhelds and come across your video, after a few moments I recognized the guy doing the video. Hey Wayne, not sure if you remember me but we worked at the same company years ago. We were working a sales conference in Anaheim CA. Hope all is well. Good vid. it was helpful. The HX300 is on my radar.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Hey Jon!!! Yes - didn’t we rent a car so we could go step in the Pacific Ocean?

[@southpaw_reels]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy Sure did. Gearing up for boating season now. Took my new kayak out today. Still need to get a handheld radio. Are you happy with the HX300?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yes it's been good and I I have used it on my big boat as well as the kayaks and little boats!

[@alannorthdevonuk763]

Hi, I enjoyed this video. My daughter is 'into boats' and I am researching marine radios. I have used a radio at work for 32 years, I am also a radio Ham and I used to fly (with the help of an aircraft of course). I have always had a call sign or something to identify who I am when calling. Putting a call out with no ID and responding to a non-ID'd station is difficult and awkward. Could you use and call ID of 'Boat Guy'? Another thing to consider with transmitting is polarization: ensuring your antenna is in the same configuration as other antennas. Most UHF | VHF antennae are mounted vertically and not at an angle ensuring the electromagnetic waves are employed in their most efficient way possible. Plus the height, of course, it's all physic really and the tiny antenna is a compromise. Would it be possible to mount an external higher-up resonant antenna on the boat and connect the lead to the antenna socket? I'd love to know how you are getting on. I'll subscribe to your channel and thanks for the video. This boating thing mixed with radio has opened up a whole new playground for me.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Thanks for watching!! As an update - many commercial boats and sailboats have fixed mount VHF radios with a tall antenna. I was planning to add a fixed mount to my new boat, but this portable one has been working very well for my needs. I get weather alerts, can hear transmissions from far enough away and have used it to communicate with other boaters on occasion. I only use my boat in the river and the bay so I am always within sight of other boaters. Because our radio "requirements" are quite minimal around me, I do worry that many of my passengers wouldn't have a clue how to use the radio in an emergency. Mostly because only pilots, serious boaters and commercial drivers use any 'push to talk' radio devices these days, so most people are not comfortable even understanding the basics.

[@chrisaju8745]

Channel 13 is bridge to bridge Most ships switch to a less congested channel and switch right after to 13 or 16

[@AnimalScienceTV]

I dont understand if the radios communicate directly with each other... or if they both have to bounce off of a radio tower. Like would they be able to communicate which each other in the middle of the Atlantic? Or is it required to bounce off a radio station?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I think they work like walkie talkies - so no tower.

[@clydeosterhout1221]

No, Marine VHF radios do not use repeaters, like a Ham or some games radios. The only do direct communications.

[@akseakayaker]

You can transmit on land as long as the other station is a vessel

[@AnimalScienceTV]

Is this useful mostly incase of an emergency or more to communicate with your boat friends?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

these are very useful to communicate with harbor masters, the coast guard, boat towing people and also with your buddies (but not on 16!)

[@-shakir5152]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy why not on 16

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

@@-shakir5152 16 is supposed to be left open for distress calls and hailing another boater. So I might call you on 16 and when you respond we switch over to another channel to have a conversation.

[@-shakir5152]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy oh thanks!

[@AnimalScienceTV]

Well I am an amateur pilot and the only way for the control towers to respond to you is to announce who you are immediately. It could be the same with the coastguard

[@ThomsonVlogs]

The auto test channels only work with DSC you make a test call to them in the menu, and it will respond with an acknowledgment if it worked.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Nice! There used to be a way to do it with a regular VHF radio but they stopped that service apparently.

[@innovruptly1769]

I wonder if the HX150 had a similar issue, discontinued radio but very few reviews.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

If I was shopping again, I would only consider a VHF with DSC and GPS - but that's because I boat in the Chesapeake Bay and those features make distress calls much easier.

[@mikeromiski1250]

I have a the same radio, I only get static on all the channels. Do you what I can do?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

These radios don't have a long range, and if nobody is transmitting, there's nothing to hear. When I have been out on the water on a Saturday with other boaters around, there's stuff to hear but when I am at my house 1/4 mile from the river - there's literally nothing to hear.

[@mikeromiski1250]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy thanks so much!!

[@BurchellAtTheWharf]

3:22 it is a cigarette lighter adapter ahaha thats just the best way to put it

[@AnimalScienceTV]

So this is basically useless in the titanic disaster situation? Or maybe a nearby ship could have helped faster if they both had it?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I believe that larger boats and commercial vessels might be required to have a VHF radio. Smaller personal boats are not.

[@AnimalScienceTV]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy yes the titanic was able to communicate the problem, maybe they were just too far away is the reason it was a disaster. We have helicopters and stuff now

[@emanuelkalergis1796]

good luck mate.

[@gregoriocambara9149]

Question I'm a new boat owner, don't have a radio yet, you recommend that one better?

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

The mounted VHF radios have better range than these portable ones. Depends on where you'll be using your boat. Some people have both so there's a backup.

[@hizzleman4111]

Any update regarding the handheld VHF radio? I'm experiencing the same problem.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yes! Thanks for asking. I ultimately tried it again another day (exhausting all the correct channels first) and got a response on 16. It's been working really well, and I like being able to put it up to my ear to hear better when I'm underway.

[@TheDcrocks1]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy what did you do differently on this day compared to when you finally got a response?

[@davidbrazell3866]

Radio the Coast Guard for a radio check.

[@gerrabath]

May I recommend anyone who is new to marine VHF radio to purchase an official course book on the subject. You could save yourself a lot of embarrassment (as well as potentialy thousands of $ in fines) when it becomes apparent that no-ones returning your calls because you're not following the highly regulated marine VHF radio proceedures to the letter. Also, just for insight as to what we're dealing with here, this particular radio has a range of around a mile if you're sat in a kayak on the ocean. Not a lot you may think, but if you concider a typical coastal station has a range of 30 miles that means for you to be out of communicable range of that typical coastal station you'd need to be more than 31 miles away from it!

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Most of what I do hear around here isn't close to proper VHF procedures and to the best of my understanding locally, we aren't required to have any training at all except to be advised how to make a distress call.

[@gerrabath]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy Sympathies for your geographical situation but your video is available world wide and not just restricted to your locality ;-)

[@elimackinnon06]

at 18:10 he admitted he didn't use proper procedure for a radio check. although I dont think he realized it though.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yeah you're right! I didn't use proper procedure. Unfortunately, the reality is that most boaters are not thoroughly trained in proper use. Most of the communications I hear around here do not follow proper protocols. A lot of it is "Hey Jimmy are you out there?" on Channel 16. It seems about 20% use the radio correctly, and like anything it takes practice to get that skill mastered. I'm sure it's very frustrating for commercial, and/or lifelong boaters to have to deal with amateurs like me, and on weekends there's lots of amateurs out there! But so much with boating seems like "the secret handshake". If you don't already know it, when you're out on the water, nobody will show it to you. And without an easy or obvious way to check a radio's ability to transmit in case of emergency, it doesn't help those of us who are trying to learn.

[@elimackinnon06]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy In Canada you are required to take the ROC(M) course before operating a radio. I dont know what its like in the U.S. So I actually have a question are you required to get a certificate/card to operate a marine radio in the United States? I know foreign vessels do like ones coming from Canada. But I do think most of your videos are good!

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

We are not required to have a certificate to operate a marine radio. Our marine laws vary by state as well. For example in Maryland, if you were born before July 1, 1972 you aren't required to have any certifications to operate a boat. People born after that date are required to pass a certification class. I believe radio use is covered in the course, but there isn't any separate certification that's required. In addition, a radio isn't required on many smaller vessels. My experience has been that sailboats and serious fishermen are mostly the only non-commercial vessels using VHF in the middle Chesapeake Bay area. I like having it and I monitor Channel 16 every time I am out on my boat.

[@MrSimonetbenoit]

Good product until I fell overboard of my Hobie cat and it stopped working...2nd time it happens and will definitely not buy a 3rd one. Waterproofing label (30min at 1.5m) absolutely to be reconsidered

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Dang - that's not good news at all. I haven't dropped mine in the river yet, but it's been splashed a couple times and still doing well.

[@rinse9570]

I have a hx 210, great receiver poor transmitter, always use it on 5 watts

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I've been pretty happy with this one this summer.

[@rinse9570]

@@WayneTheBoatGuy great to hear i use it for receive even a gx 1400 but they are great in receiving, gx 1400 also great in transmit but hx210 yeah it is a handy and you have to put up a high antenna

[@brianrea4853]

you have to register the radio to transmit

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

I don't think we're required to do so where I live. We just aren't supposed to use it on land.

[@gerrabath]

You don't have to register the radio as such. If the radio is installed in a vessel then the vessel has to be registered. If the it's a hand held portable (as in this case) then the radio user needs to be registered.

[@ivorbiggen9599]

It seems like there could be snobbery involved in this boating lark, think I’ll sell the boat and radio

[@ChrisOakesCO]

How many frequencies or channels does it have Plz? Sorry if you told in the vid and I missed it

[@rcasewst]

Hand held transmits very short distance. If you don't see those boats they won't get you. You are receiving their signal because they have longer antennae and more power

[@jaimewanda]

I feel you 110%, I did a radio check on channel 16 and the Coast Guard got on me, Id rather have taken the chance of getting scolded by the Coast Guard then waiting for an emergency situation where nobody can hear me and it cost me my life!

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

If the auto response channels worked as they should, we wouldn't have the trouble we have!

[@Guitarsdetectors]

Should change your channel name to “Wayne the Lonely boat guy”.

[@pixeluser175]

I called my boat "FCC FUCK OFF" and I've never got the $ 10.000 fine.

[@bobford9505]

breaker breaker 16

[@ve3xtr]

As a long time amateur radio operator my opinion is amateur radio and marine radio is a dying technology. I rarely see vhf marine antennas on boats nowadays and the HAM bands are dead. Plus, these operators tend to have niche little groups, no outsiders allowed. Get a garmin inreach or PLB. Lots of other options out there.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Yeah I hear ya! The ships and commercial boats around here have them, use them and need them but I rarely see another recreational boater with one that's turned on.

[@valdesanchez6411]

wait untill the coast guard docks jump on board and just ask for a F_cking radio Check!

[@MrJr298]

Its only a 5 Watts radio.Not enough power to reach anyone pass around 2 to maybe 3 miles away if your lucky.You will need more like 25 Watts.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Where I typically am operating my boat, there's usually plenty of other boats within 2 miles of me. If I was fishing in the ocean, this radio wouldn't make sense.

[@clydeosterhout1221]

VHF is line of sight. It has little to do with wattage. A 5 watt signal can carry 30-40 miles easily, if nothing (like the curvature of the earth) is in the way. If two people are sitting in kayaks, VHF range is about 3 miles. If two people are sitting on the raised bridge of a boat, the range is 6-8 miles. If one person is on the deck of a ship, and is communicating with a Coast Guard station with an elevated antenna, the range with a 5 watt radio could well be over 50 miles. Dual band UHF/VHF 5 watt hand held ham radios regularly hit repeaters (which are usually positioned on ridge tops or other elevated areas) 25-30 miles away. Higher wattage just helps push the signal thru more of the “background noise” and atmospheric interference.

[@bobmary963]

Braker 29

[@jamiestewart4087]

Get a better antenna.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

That antenna should be able to do the job - and on the water this year, it has.

[@tomelew8465]

What is your point?! So no one would reply to your request for a radio check. That says nothing about the radio. Your request to 'Revere' and 'Jolly Roger' indicates nothing if they were out of range of your 6w radio. For all you know, you could hear their transmission because they were transmitting on 25w! Dude you know little about VHF marine radios. Try movie reviews.

[@bigduke6431]

OMG! Horrible