Why You Need It

A VHF radio can save your life. Next to your personal flotation device, a very high frequency (VHF) marine radio is the most important piece of safety equipment you can have on your boat. If an emergency arises, it can immediately put you in touch with the Coast Guard or other boaters in the area who can render help or, in some cases, automatically provide rescuers with your latitude and longitude. But besides the safety factor, a VHF radio is a huge convenience, allowing you to talk with other boaters, hail lock and harbor masters, make ship-to-shore phone calls, monitor weather around the clock, and communicate with members of your crew who disembark.


What You Need To Know

There are two basic types of VHF marine radios: handheld and fixed-mount. The handheld is mobile and can be taken with you wherever you go, including on a life raft if the boat sinks. The downside to a handheld is that it generally only transmits up to five watts, whereas a fixed-mount VHF usually offers 25 watts. Also, a handheld’s antenna is only a few inches long compared to several feet on fixed-mount units — meaning the handheld doesn’t have the range of a fixed-mount. When it comes to transmitting with either unit, the higher the frequency the better, because VHF radios operate on line-of-sight signals rather than satellites. Most radios offer the ability to transmit on as little as one watt to save power and prevent your conversation from being broadcasted as far when you prefer a measure of privacy.


By law, fixed-mount marine radios now come equipped with digital selective calling (DSC), which provides instant distress notification with an accompanying GPS location. Not all handhelds come with this feature, however. Backlit buttons and LCD screens with adjustable brightness are handy features for nighttime use. Other available features include a public address option, mikes with redundant control buttons, speaker-equipped mikes, and units with built-in GPS displays. You can also choose between waterproof or submersible units, the latter being preferable for boating.


The Final Word

It’s best to have both a fixed-mount and a handheld unit, but if you have to choose only one, go with the more powerful fixed-mount. While recreational boaters no longer need to have an FCC license to operate a VHF radio, you’re required to register your radio’s unique Maritime Mobile Service Identity number to tap into DSC’s full safety capabilities.