Marine Radios

[O2BBubbleFree]

If I saw the link correctly it wasn't a long wire. What it showed was a 1/2 wave J-pole antenna with a 1/4 wave matching section, made from twinlead. It's a dang good antenna. I have one I made and it hangs on the wall in my apartment. Using it and my HT I can talk over 13 miles south to a repeater and always get good reports. I'd keep the coax length to a minimum though as it is a high loss point for VHF.
I'm not sure I'm sold on the need for a radio, but this antenna would work great with a sausage if you decided to use one.
Several fiberglass pole sections with the bungee through the middle, like used in dome tents, would also make a great small package antenna mast.

1/4 wave antennas do need a ground plane. The metal housing of the antenna serves this purpose. I doubt you will find a "higher performance" 1/4 wave antenna as all 1/4 wave antennas are nominally 0db gain. Rubber duck antennas suck.

Joe

Wow, I blew it on that one. I just looked at the picture and jumped to conclusions. It even says at the top of the page that it's a j-pole, 1/2 wave. Maybe I was thinking of 1/2 wave antennae, not 1/4 wave when I said they don't need a ground plane? Sorry 'bout that.

I'm also not sold on the radio idea due to the waterproofing concerns, just thought that the antenna-on-sausage idea had merit, if one was to pursue the radio idea, as it would give advantage while not adding much to your gear. With the j-pole described, it seems you'd still have to worry about water penetration under the insulation.

Personally, I think a good signal mirror would be much easier to carry, and, properly used, would be good for getting the attention of a boat that wasn't too far away. I've played with signal mirrors both as a kid in Boy Scouts and as an adult in alpine search and rescue. It's pretty amazing how far away you can get someone's attention, even on overcast days. And, as previously mentioned, if you get left by the boat, it would work well in signalling a search boat, 'plane, or 'copter.
And the dye, and the flares, and... I need bigger pockets.

 

[mike_s]

why not take a "satelite phone". Will work anywhere and don't they have a GPS built in?

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

Drop this idea right now. You are wasting your time and $$. Most waterproofs are not really waterproof. I think the WP factor is a matter of minutes at a certain depth (20ft). A HH is fine if you're pretty close to who you want to talk to...they only transmit like 5 watts (base is 25 watts). We have 8 or 10 of the WP Icom HH's we use with our rescue squad. One of the guys rolled our jetski and it got dipped, still works but the squelch control is stuck...sure it's got a warranty, but you want to keep sending it back? We use the HH for boat to boat, boat to dock - at close range, but long range stuff - forget it. If you HAPPEN to be right next to a Coast Guard repeater and using channel 16...maybe. But there is one thing you can count on...the one time in an emergency you need it, it will not work. Try diving with it and it WILL flood, it's not made for that kind of submersion and the power is not there for much over a mile or two on a good day.

 

[String]

Im still saying one of the oil immersed EPIRBs if you want a radio location aid.

 

[Geddes]

In my opinion, if you want to call for help use an old cell phone, even ones not on a plan work to call 911. An old one in a waterproof box in something I'm planning for my dive gear. If you want to get found, EPIRB is by far the best bet. Almost all commerical aircraft and boats monitor 121.5. Many coastal ground monitoring stations as well as satellites that can pin point your position and have help to your quickly.

 

[mleong]

Why not consider this: http://www.acrelectronics.com/globalfix/globalfix1.html or something similiar

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

Getting a signal with a cell phone is not a guarantee. An EPIRB has a feature where it can be triggered if it gets wet or is turned upside down....you would not want to be the person that caused a massive SAR OPS because you were experimenting with an EPIRB.

Case in point, our SAR team responded to an EPIRB signal reported to us by the team at Langley (satellite) a few months ago. Us, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Sheriff's Dept., etc went looking. Next pass of the satellite showed it almost 100 miles away -inland. Guy had accidently triggered it on his TRAILERED boat. State Troopers finally found him at a rest stop on the Interstate....

 

[23angler]

Why not consider this: http://www.acrelectronics.com/globalfix/globalfix1.html or something similiar

thats great if you want to have a search tem looking for you every time you dive with it.

 

[weekender]

Getting a signal with a cell phone is not a guarantee. An EPIRB has a feature where it can be triggered if it gets wet or is turned upside down....you would not want to be the person that caused a massive SAR OPS because you were experimenting with an EPIRB.

Case in point, our SAR team responded to an EPIRB signal reported to us by the team at Langley (satellite) a few months ago. Us, Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol, Sheriff's Dept., etc went looking. Next pass of the satellite showed it almost 100 miles away -inland. Guy had accidently triggered it on his TRAILERED boat. State Troopers finally found him at a rest stop on the Interstate....

i have a friend who when diving far offshore puts a mini b epirb in a canister. with a manual on switch it cannot be turned on by water or being turned upside down. inside the canister he carries a dye slick, flares, mirror etc... if i ever make it to the doria i will do the same. just an idea

mini b

fyi, this is not an add for above retailer. just the first link i found.

 

[scubachris]

My two cents given the recent "fear" from the new movie Open Water of being left behind. BTW anyone get the email from leisure pro?

First always carry a visual and audio signaling device. What you carry may vary on conditions, dive boat/shore, day/night or site, so be preapared to switch out gear. For example I always carry a 6ft OMS SMB (with Halcyon mini reel), loud wind storm whistle and small signal mirror. The SMB is rolled up and bungied in the back of my BCD, the whistle is zip-tied to my inflator hose (for easy reach) and the mirror is in a neoprene case in a pocket. If I dive at night, poor light conditions, etc. I put a strobe on my shoulder strap. If it's a drift dive I might throw on a dive alert (man are those loud) but the whistle usually suffices. Oh, I also always have a compass. Not a signaling device but you need to have some idea of where you are/going.

Back on topic the EPIRB seems the best idea, if you have a radio and you're in open water how do you know where you are? If you really want to go posh, Breitling makes a watch, called the Emergency Mission that can broadcast on 121.5 Mhz in case of an emergency and is water resistant to 10 bar/330ft

http://www.breitling.com/en/models/professional/emergency_mission/

Lastly make sure you have a plan; shore diving does someone on shore know where you are going and when you'll be back? On the boat, is the operation reputible? And lastly do you know where you are going, where you migh end up with currents, etc.

Sorry if this is slightly off topic.

Chris