Newbie VHF Questions?

[Chromedome]

Hi all, Excuse my ignorance, I've just upgraded to a 5.4m to get around more of the bay. Never had or really required a radio for the areas we fished in the the little tinnie. The new boat comes standard with a 27 meg radio and I've had a new EPIRB 406 model fitted. Will the supplied radio give me coverage in the bay and surrounds and to what distance, or will I have black spots. Does my mobile phone have coverage in the bay and how far. If I do put a VHF radio in, Can I leave it there for emergency use only, and not get a License.How long and how much are the license courses.
And I guess my final question is do many of you guys have the 27 Meg radio only and feel this is all you require.
Look forward to feedback.
Chromedome

[Jeremy]

your 27 mHz radio will cover you in most of Moreton Bay. Shouldn't be any blackspots. VHF gives clearer signal. Not all VMR and Coast Guard organisations monitor 27 mHz anymore. It is being phased out.

Mobile phone coverage depends on your carrier. I get signal everywhere I have been in the bay with vodaphone.

There are many people with VHF radios that do not have licences. I have never heard of anyone being prosecuted for using one without a licence.

VHF licence courses MROVCP or MROCP are regularly held by VMR Victoria Point. Next one on the 4th November. Go to
http://www.ausfish.com.au/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1158914364

Jeremy

[charleville]

your 27 mHz radio will cover you in most of Moreton Bay. Shouldn't be any blackspots.

Yep - that is my experience also. However, the following comments may be useful...

I did get my VHF licence through the training cited by Jeremy but have not installed a VHF set yet. I have been assuming that my 27MHz will fail through water damage at some stage (like the last one did) and I shall install a VHF set then. 27MHz sets have a reputation for not being especially water proof. I guess that they are made to a price rather than a quality standard. In the meantime, my 27MHz set looks after my interests quite well across Moreton Bay.

One item of relevance re your query re mobile phone usage though is the hint given by LLoyd (Ausfish member "Subzero" who very generously and competently conducts the VHF licence training) is that whilst mobile phones are not the preferred communications medium for help in the bay because of several reasons (eg unpredictable coverage depending on which phone company and which mobile phone technology and the fact that your distress call cannot be heard by nearby boats who might be able to help more quickly than the VMR) but nonetheless, they are useful as a back-up to the radio and more so because in areas of poor transmission or when your batteries are running flat, you can very successfully send a distress SMS message. This is becasue SMS messages require less power to be sent and received than voice communications.

[marlinqld]

I disagree Jeremy, I dont think 27meg is being phased out. Too many small craft use it, and it will be around and monitored for a long time yet.

Mike

[charleville]

, I dont think 27meg is being phased out. Too many small craft use it, and it will be around and monitored for a long time yet.

At the VHF Licence course that I attended which was conducted by Subzero a few months ago, he commented that some of the rescue organisations around the country were starting to not monitor 27Mhz but he was having some difficulty getting a definitive statement about which groups were abandoning it from the national Coastguard (I think) management.

[Chromedome]

Thanks guys, Ive made some enquiries re the VHF courses. I think I'll do the course and buy a radio after I'm finished,hopefully I'll pick up the good oil on the different brands at the course.
Greg

[Black_Rat]

Good advice Jeremy, i'd add that for a few hundred $$$ a VHF is well worth having. With a 5.4m boat the grounds on the other side off Moreton are not out of reach, it would be a good investment
To have a VHF with no licence and needing it is better than having no VHF onboard if you want to go further afield
PS: Yes do a course through Vicky Point VMR you'll be glad you did.
PPS: That's another carton Lloyd

[subzero]

Gidday Charleville, yes you are right mate as is Marlin_Mike.

About 6-7 months ago, one of the members on Ausfish from up north whom is a member of one of the Coastguard units stated that his unit was no longer monitoring 27meg radio, as were several other Coastguard units Nationaly. (I think, but am not sure it may have been Bay_Firey whom brought it to everyones attention). He went so far as to produce a local newspaper clipping that he had scanned with the full story about it, as well as the minutes of the meeting relating to the decision. Unfortunately, I am a tinkerer and have since formatted my hardrive and not saved half the stuff I should have.
To my knowledge, this only effects Coastguards, and I have not heard of any VMR's that intend on following this practice.

Initially to try and verify that this was possibly becoming Coastguard policy, and to find out which other units would not be monitoring 27meg, I sent a letter asking Chris Gillet the CG National Commodore what the story was. His one and only reply was that this is not happening and that the information was incorrect. I then forwarded him the scanned newspaper report, and the meeting minutes from the Rescue Units concerned when the decision was made, asking him to verify the reports just the same. I recieved NO REPLY. I sent him another 2 emails requesting his reply after that and have never heard another thing. 3 E-mails unanswered, I can only assume that the info IS CORRECT, and that the National Commodore was unaware what is going on at unit level, otherwise surely he would have taken the time to reply to this very important issue.

In conclusion, I wouldnt go so far as to say that 27meg is being phased out as it is not a general thing and appears to be limited to some CG units. It is certainly up to the units to determine what they will monitor, as sets breakdown, its fundraising dollars that replace them... not handouts from the governmeant or the ESD, so they decide if the number of people in their area that are using these sets require that the pay to replace them....
One things a certainty, if you need to replace your Radio, spend the extra $$$ and buy a VHF.
Cheers Lloyd