27meg and VHF

[SNAP-ER]

Sorry raiders for the stupid question,can someone freshen me up on what is the difference between VHF and 27meg thanks

[Fisherman36]

Hi mate. Apart from the obvious frequency differences, these are the basics...

27mhz is ok for inshore etc but has a limited range. It works best in line of sight conditions (not too good when there are hills / cliffs etc in the way). You don't need a license for 27mhz. It is also affected more by interference. Mine has an annoying whine whenever I use the tilt/trim.

VHF has better distance as it isn't affected as much by obstacles getting in the way. If you're going offshore then you must have a VHF (i think it's a regulation but may be wrong). You also need (well, you're supposed to have) a license (think it's a certificate of proficiency) to use a VHF radio.

I have both types on my boat.

Hope this helps a little.

Cheers

[Juggs]

Offshore can be either

You need a licence to use

But it is not illegal to posses one without a licence

And in times of distress it is not illegal to operate to call for assistance

[SNAP-ER]

Thanks guys for the reply

[a boat]

Hi, well said by the guys and I agree and as simple as it gets VHF works and 27 Meg does not work, but having both can be a bonus if wanting to talk to another boat (in line of sight) and he only has 27 meg. A bit like VHS/Beta days, slowly 27 meg will die off would be my guess.

Cheers,

Huey.

[Juggs]

Hi, well said by the guys and I agree and as simple as it gets VHF works and 27 Meg does not work, but having both can be a bonus if wanting to talk to another boat (in line of sight) and he only has 27 meg. A bit like VHS/Beta days, slowly 27 meg will die off would be my guess.

Cheers,

Huey.

27mhz works fine in areas where its still supported, which is all vmr stations still

i can reach bar point from 30kays out and i get use 27mhz from browns, you just get more idiots on 27mhz as they havnt upgraded to vhf yet (well as many idiots)

last year we were talking to people in south Australia in botany bay,was a unusualy conversation till we worked out what was going on

and regualry get people from wollongong etc

Edited May 18, 2012 by Juggs

[a boat]

Hi Juggs, that is good going then because of all the 27 meg radios I have used I would be lucky to get anything like that reception and are you saying you were tlaking to people in SA from Botnay Bay using 27 mhz?

Cheers,

Huey.

[Juggs]

Hi Juggs, that is good going then because of all the 27 meg radios I have used I would be lucky to get anything like that reception and are you saying you were tlaking to people in SA from Botnay Bay using 27 mhz?

Cheers,

Huey.

yes huey crazy as it sounds its not uncommon for the wave to skip long distances, people have picked up from very random locations

you cant always transmit back though

27mhz have a bit of a issue with etecs seems similar frequencies are emitted by the engines so a vhf is needed when running a etec

with the dash space in new boats id just fit both

[Testlab]

And VHF enjoys the benefits of the repeaters at Killcare and North Head (Ch 21 and 22) to get better range offshore. Just like 27MHz VHF is also limited to line of sight distances but because it is less affected by interference it has better usable range.

DSC is also supported by current VHF transceivers.

DSC is a burst of data sent on Ch 70 and is used to send distress messages, send position reports and request position of other boats. When connected to GPS and the distress button is pressed for 3 secs the radio sends the boat ID, the GPS position and the reason for distress (if selected) automatically and keeps sending it until acknowledged or 5 times in total. The radio also automatically changes to Ch 16 when the acknowledgement signal is received. A radio receiving a distress message displays the lat, long and id of the distressed and if connect to a compatible plotter it will also show on the chart.

The preferred way to place a distress call is to initiate it by DSC as it includes the boats globally unique ID and it's position, allowing 'you' to get everybody organized and ready to do whatever is necessary without trying to manage the radio too.

If you want to know where your mate is, send a DSC position request to his MMSI (his VHF radio address) and on reply you get his lat/long on your radio and plotter. If you're fishing in a group, send a group call and all the boats in the group automatically change to the channel you've selected for a sked. Likewise to report position, instead of long winded verbal exchanges, send a position report to the club base or another boat by pressing a couple of buttons.

It's all available now and has been for a few years. Just buy a VHF supporting Class D DSC. In the USA and EU they are only allowed to sell DSC equipped radios whereas AU has non DSC radios available (DSC is actually cheaper overseas than non-DSC here).