Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 17:47:22 -0500
From: Kenneth Cooperstein 
Subject: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

I have an Apelco 510 5w. handheld VHF radio that I use on my sailboat.
No one can hear me even 3 miles away unless I climb onto my cabintop.

I can boost the range by using a 4' base-loaded s.s. whip antenna (3 db)
at the masthead, which is the standard solution.  However, the folks at
Raytheon told me that I would do almost as well by just mounting the
whip on the rail, because that would get me almost to the limit of what
5w will do with a 3db antenna.  Although Raytheon wouldn't quantify the
range, they felt that it would at least triple -- going from the rubber
ducky in the cockpit to the whip on the rail.

I am considering bringing the whip antenna along on a paddle, in the
belief that if I need greater range, switching to the whip (handheld or
on a stick) will greatly increase my range.  Anyone know if this will
work?

Ken Cooperstein



Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 18:08:56 -0600
From: Gary Pewitt 
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

Hams don't call them "rubber dummy loads" for nothing.  The higher you can
mount the antenna the better.  T.V. station transmitting antennas are only
a few feet tall but are mounted on towers 500
to a thousand feet tall.  They don't spend all that money for nothing.  73
 Gary  N9ZSV/KT


Gary Pewitt  N9ZSV/KT 
6120 W. Calumet Rd. Apt. 204, Milwaukee, WI  53223
414 355 8147 home    414 297 4307 work
Sturgeon's Law "Ninty percent of everything is crap."



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 00:07:16 -0500
From: "ssives
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

Ken, I've thought about this problem as well.  I think the best solution
is to use your VHF for a glorified weather radio, and to just use your
cellular telephone in emergencies.  Assuming you are just using it for
emergency communication (as opposed to group conversation on the water,
or trying to raise a barge that is about to hit you), the telephone will
do the same trick with a much greater range.  I think the Coast Guard
can even be patched in.

  Last I heard, the cellular will cover the entire Chesapeake Bay area.

  Anyone else's thoughts?

  - Scott Ives



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 01:53:14 EST
From: Bluecanoe2
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] More thoughts on VHF & Cellular use


The primary positive thing about Marine VHF is it's ability to communicate
with the entire marine community, not just the Coast Guard.

Another positive point is "submersable" VHF radios are available.  Similar
Cell Phones are not!  If you have not heard about this, let one who
experienced it tell you about it.  One drop of water, one drop!, will put a
cell phone out of commission.  They are great little buggers, but one drop on
the keypad and you are "squelched out!"  If it is fresh and if you get it
dried out quick enough, your phone might live to work another day.  If salt,
forget it!

Also, if you think that calling a tug pushing a barge will stop it from
running you down, think again!  Try stopping one of those things in less than
a milke or two.

You better just plan to stay the hell away from harms way!

As fpr rescue, your best bet is using a VHF marine and hoping that tug pushing
a barge hears you and will stop adn help, because by teh time teh Coast Guard
responds, you are past the relm of need to be rescued and into teh relm of
needs to be recovered.

John



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 07:47:38 -0500 (EST)
From: "Gregory D. Welker" 
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

The senior trainer for the Annapolis Power Squadron told me the other night
that the Coast Guard can be reached at #CG anywhere within the Chesapeake
Bay area.  However, I do know that not all cellular services (even in roam
mode) have full coverage of the bay - I am aware of areas around Cecil Co
that are like this, and there may be others.

Current Designs Pisces
CLC Cape Charles Modified

"Good seamanship is using superior judgement to prevent the need to use
superior skills."



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 11:32:35 -0500
From: Bob Denton
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

> on a stick) will greatly increase my range.  Anyone know if this will
> work?
> 
> Ken Cooperstein

One of the reasons they suggested using the rail is that it provides a
ground for the antenna to work against. No SS rails on a kayak! You will
need a 1/2 wave antenna which is basically an end fed dipole which has it's
own ground "built in"

BTW I am still working on a VHF J  pole but had to order a connector for my
standard radio.

cya



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 11:48:26 -0700
From: Steve Jernigan
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range


Hi Ken et al!
Yes, you can use your whip from your boat, however, I do not believe that
would help all that much. The real problem lies in the fact that normally
VHF radio signals only travel in a straight line, much like a flashlight
beam. When you are sitting in a kayak with your nose only a couple of feet
above the water your horizon is quite close, probably only a mile or so.
Even less if you are in the trough of a wave. When you mount your antenna
at the masthead of a sail boat, you have effectively increased the horizon
the antenna can see. I hope no one minds, but I have included a couple of
small attachments to illustrate this. If you refer to figure 1, I have
sketched this, greatly exaggerating the curvature for the purposes of
illustration. (please, I know my artwork sucks . . .)
Anyway, what you really need is a way to get your antenna up in the air a
bit. I will present a method to make a very simple antenna and antenna mast
that will allow you to elevate your radiation point an arbitrary distance
above the waves (~18 ft in my illustration).
Refer to figure 1 again. Visit your local electronics junkyard (or Radio
Shack if nothing else), and find a ~25ft length of RG48 or preferably RG174
(thinner and more flexible) 50ohm coaxial cable with a connector on one end
that matches the one on your radio (BNC is common). Carefully strip back
about 18in of the outer jacket, and double the braided shield back over
itself to expose 17.75in of the inner conductor. Wrap a bit of electrical
tape around it to hold things in place. Visit a kite store or the like and
get 6 pieces of fiberglass tubing 36 inch long by 1/2in OD (figure 2). Size
is not real critical, consider your requirements for stowing it on your
boat. Also get a length of the next larger size to make coupling ferrules.
The OD if the smaller tubing should be a snug fit into the ID of the
ferrule. Cut an appropriate number of ferrules with a very fine hacksaw,
and superglue a ferrule onto one end of the 36in lengths. 6 of these as I
have illustrated, fitted together, will be about 18ft long, and stiff
enough that you can hold it straight up without excessive flex. Obviously,
change any dimension to suit. Next, slide the prepared end of your coax
into the tubing as illustrated in figure 2, and use epoxy or something in
the uphill end to hold it in place. You should then be able to separate the
sections starting from the top, and fold the entire thing up like a tent
pole. The 17.75in antenna length should be OK for a 160MHz marine radio,
but if you wish, you can use the following procedure to tune it before you
permanently fix the upper end in place. Have a friend with another radio
drive off down the beach until you can barely hear each others signals.
Slide the braid back or forward to change the length of exposed center
conductor in ~1/4in increments until you find the point where you have the
best signal. (do this with the cable inside of the tubing) Your bud might
have to move further away as you tune the antenna; you want to just be able
to copy each other. Admittedly, this is a rather low tech approach, but I'm
sure you will find it a vast improvement over the ol' ducky!
Feel free to contact me if you need more info! ByeBye! Steve J. KG0MB



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 15:36:36 -0500
From: Bob Denton 
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

I suspect you would actually decrease your signal due to the significant
losses RG174 introduces. That assumes it will fly!

cya



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 14:43:09 -0700
From: Steve Jernigan 
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

Possibly, as Belden predicts ~2.5 db loss for 25ft of RG174 at 150MHz, and
about 1.5db for RG58. RG59 might be a better choice with <1db, and would
probably be a better match at the feedpoint, but flexibility might become a
problem. You'd want to get the kind with the stranded center conductor,
RG58 A/U or RG59 A/U. Probably not worth the bother, tho, as the main
intent here is to get the antenna up out of the waves. I have used a
similar setup for 2meter portable operation while backpacking with good
results, way better than my dummy load :-)
ByeBye!  Steve J.
BTW I noticed the drawings didn't make it onto the list. Be happy to e-mail
if anyone wants 'em. S.



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 22:25:16 -0500
From: Greg Hollingsworth 
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

>   Last I heard, the cellular will cover the entire Chesapeake Bay area.

Years back, we chartered a 40' sailboat with a set of friends. 
Chartered boats always offered us a series of surprises (challenges). 
In this boat, we found, that the electrical system suffered a failure
when we tried starting the engines after a night of being anchored up a
fairly narrow river, the Southern branch of the Wye River in Maryland
just off of the Chesapeake. We thought, no problem... we're a sail boat,
we don't need any stinking engines to get us back to home port. We set
sail and tacked our way down the Wye out to it's mouth.  All went well
despite our not having a depth gauge.  Anyone who sails the bay knows
that this is a handy thing to have in such a boat as ours given all the
shoaling that exists.  We had kept our upwind legs short and centered in
the river.  Just as we saw open water in the distance, we ran aground
abruptly and were forced to wait for high tide to free us.  

Unfortunately, high tide did not occur until after dark and our contract
with the Charter agency restricted us to sailing only during the day. 
With no lights and our home port across the bay, we decided that abiding
by the terms of the contract was a smart move.

Given that we had no power and that the next day was a work day for a
job that I had just taken, I needed to contact the boss to tell him I
was stranded and would not make it in for work.  Our VHF was dead due to
the electrical failure, so I broke out the windsurfer and sailed over to
a neighboring anchored boat and asked if I could use their radio.  The
couple onboard stated that their radio was broken but they had brought
along their cell phone and that I was welcome to use it.  I left voice
mail for the boss stating my problem. It turned out that the message was
very fragmented due to poor signal quality, very few words that I said
were understandable.  

The next day, we successsfully avoided the sand bar and made our way
back to the dock sans power.

Since then, I've used my cell phone on the bay from the kayak numerous
times - typically when I'm running very late and I want to inform my
wife not to worry.  The cell phone network seems much better now then it
was back when I got "stranded" several years earlier.  I'm not sure that
full bay coverage is a reality though.

I now carry both a VHF and a cell phone when I paddle.  My problem with
the cell phone is that it is not submersible and  I can't imagine how
I'd use it successfully in the worst case condition where I'd get
separated from my boat in challenging conditions.  It's nowhere close to
waterproof and it has tiny little buttons that I don't have a chance of
using with neoprene gloves on.  I'd probably die of dialing frustration
before succumbing to hypothermia.  

I wonder if anyone makes a submersible cell phone with buttons that can
be used with heavy gloves on.

Greg Hollingsworth



Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1999 20:44:58 -0800
From: Dan Hagen
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cell phones

I also carry both a VHF (or two) and a cell phone.  I have a cell phone
that I purchased explicitly for sea kayaking.  Unfortunately it is not
submersible, but it can be used quite easily when double bagged (I use a
plastic VHF baggie with a thin inner bag as a second line of defense).

A good sea-kayaking cell phone has several key features: large buttons
(that can be operated through the baggie with gloves on), one-button
programming (for ease of dialing), clear sound quality when the volume
is set high (so that you can hear it through the baggies), good fringe
reception, a heavy-duty battery pack (I have three, but have never
needed more than one), at least some minimal water resistance (it
shouldn't fail the one-drop-of-water test!), and it should be ready to
operate without "flipping" it open (Motorolas need not apply).  I have
had mine for about four years or so, and it has always worked reliably,
including once when I used it to report that I had spotted someone
paddling my friend's stolen kayak--an incident that found its way into
Sea Kayaker magazine.

Most numbers that I want to call require only that I punch one number
and "send". You may have heard the joke, "What is the number for 911?"
Well, with my cell phone that is no joke--the number for 911 is 9! The
number for the US Coast Guard is 8, and the number for the Canadian RCC
(Rescue Coordination Center) is 7.  I also have one-number access to
information, which will connect me to any listed phone number.

I can't provide a recommendation for a current model, since the one I
bought has been discontinued and I really haven't kept up.  But I am
sure that you can still find one with the above features.  Although a
submersible would of course be preferable.

Dan Hagen
Bellingham, Washington



Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 15:15:48 EST
From: Bluecanoe2
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Cell phones and water

WARNING:  One drop of water on the keypad puts cell phones out of order!
One drop folks!  They are FOR DRY USE ONLY.  Run your own test if you don't
believe this.

Let the user beware!

John



Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 16:34:09 -0500
From: "Robert Woodard" 
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Cell phones and water

Since the subject of cell phones came up, I thought this was a pretty cool
link:

http://seaboard.ndbc.noaa.gov/dial.shtml

Dial-A-Buoy



Date: Sat, 23 Jan 1999 20:13:44 -0500
From: Greg Hollingsworth 
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Boosting handheld VHF range

"Gregory D. Welker" wrote:
> 
> The senior trainer for the Annapolis Power Squadron told me the other night
> that the Coast Guard can be reached at #CG anywhere within the Chesapeake
> Bay area.  

The Coast Guard web page states that "*CG" is the proper code.  Their
page also states some of the faults of using Cell phones over VHF radios...  

Here's what the Coast Guard says:


U.S. Coast Guard                             CONSUMER FACT SHEET
Office of Navigation Safety and Waterway Services
Washington DC 20593-0001


CELLULAR TELEPHONES ON BOATS

The Coast Guard does not advocate cellular phones as a substitute
for the regular maritime radio distress and safety systems
recognized by the Federal Communications Commission and the
International Radio Regulations -- particularly VHF maritime
radio.  However, cellular phones can have a place on board as an
added measure of safety.

CELLULAR PHONE LIMITATIONS IN AN EMERGENCY 

o  Cellular phones generally cannot provide ship to ship safety 
   communications or communications with rescue vessels.  If you
   make a distress call on a cellular phone, only the one party
   you call will be able to hear you.

o  Most cellular phones are designed for a land-based service.  
   Their coverage offshore is limited, and may change without 
   notice.

o  Locating a cellular caller is hard to do.  If you don't 
   know precisely where you are, the Coast Guard will have 
   difficulty finding your location on the water.

Note:  In some areas, however, cellular providers have 
established a special code (*CG) which, if you are in range, will
connect you directly to a Coast Guard Operations Center.  This
service may only work with the carrier to which you have
subscribed. 

CELLULAR/VHF MARINE RADIO COMPARISON

Cellular phones do provide the convenience of simple,
easy-to-use, inexpensive, private and generally reliable
telephone service to home, office, automobile or other locations. 
Placing a shore-to-ship call to someone with a cellular telephone
is especially convenient.  However, you cannot use your cellular
phone outside the United States, and you may need a special
agreement with your carrier to use it outside that carrier's
local service area.

VHF marine radios were designed with safety in mind.  If you are
in distress, calls can be received not only by the Coast Guard
but by ships which may be in position to give immediate
assistance.  A VHF marine radio also helps ensure that storm
warnings and other urgent marine information broadcasts are
received.  The Coast Guard announces these broadcasts on VHF
channel 16.  Timely receipt of such information may save your
life.  Additionally, your VHF marine radio can be used anywhere
in the United States or around the world.

On VHF radios, however, conversations are not private and
individual boats cannot be assigned a personal phone number.  If
you are expecting a call, channel 16 or the marine operator's
working channel must be continually monitored.

SHOULD YOU RELY ON A CELLULAR PHONE EXCLUSIVELY?

Actually there is no comparison between cellular phones and VHF
marine radio.  They normally provide different services.  The
cellular phone is best used for what it is, an on board telephone
- -- a link with shore based telephones.  A VHF marine radio is
intended for communication with other ships or marine
installations -- and a powerful ally in time of emergency.

If you have a portable or hand held cellular telephone, by all
means take it aboard.  If you are boating very far off shore, a
cellular phone is no substitute for a VHF radio.  But, if you are
within cellular range, it may provide an additional means of
communication.

                         --------------

Fact Sheet # 24
January 1994

    Coast Guard Consumer Fact Sheets are not copyrighted.  They
    may be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.  
    For further information contact the Coast Guard Consumer 
    Affairs and Analysis Branch -- 1-800- 368-5647.



Date: Sun, 24 Jan 1999 18:04:35 -0500
From: Kenneth Cooperstein 
Subject: [Paddlewise] Boosting VHF range -- actual test

I proposed augmenting  the ruber ducky on my Apelco 510 handheld VHF for
a Metz 3db bottom loaded 3' stainless whip (with internal ground)
connected to the radio with 15 ft. of RG58.  The predictions here ranged
from "its worth a try" to "it will get worse." Limited test results are
in.

The test was line of sight across a harbor, from points approximately 50
ft. above the harbor.  The receiver was situated approximately one mile
away.  The purpose was to see if there was a difference in signal
strength.  At 5w, both antennas were OK.  At 1w, the ducky was fuzzy;
the Metz was clear.  The Metz at 1w was equivalent to the ducky at 5w.

The Metz looks worthwhile for paddlers.  Not only does it seem to give a
stronger signal than the ducky, but -- if you need it -- you can strap
it to a spare paddle,  fishing pole or tent pole and get it way higher
than the ducky.  I wouldn't be surprised if you triple the range from 2
miles to 5 or 6.  If you are in need of assistance, this increases the
area you can reach by a factor of 9.

Ken Cooperstein