Should I get a VHF Marine Radio

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gznokes said:
I too have an inReach with sat texting ability. I've often thought how I would use it in an emergency or semi emergency. On the one hand I can hit the SOS button and theoretically it will notify search and rescue. In a true life or death situation, I like that peace of mind. On the other hand, if I get stranded (out of gas, engine problems, whatever) and it isn't really life threatening, I've thought I would have to text a friend back in civilization and ask them to call the ranger or the equivalent of a boat tow truck to come help (because I don't know how to text rangers and the marina). In the back of my mind, I'm also thinking about last season where either the starter or the alternator went out on my boat and we were just floating out there trying to wave someone down to come tow us a mile back to our houseboat. I had the inReach but it wasn't really much good. It was surprisingly hard to get help in part because the houseboat was parked someplace without cell service. That got me thinking if I had a marine radio, I might have had better luck finding someone like @PowellBride who frequently monitors channel 16. Anyway, if you have more thoughts about just using the inReach, I'd prefer not to have to get a marine radio.
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We use a Spot X, it's reliable and we have a batch of pre-written texts we can fire off quickly if we're out of cell range (for medical emergencies, mechanical help needed, safe and camping at these coordinates, etc). We also write and receive custom texts. It works in most places you can see sky, not super expensive, stays charged the whole trip.

Amazon.com: Spot X 2-Way Satellite Messenger : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com: Spot X 2-Way Satellite Messenger : Sports & Outdoors
smile.amazon.com

IMO the short answer to your original question is yes, you should get a marine radio for the powerboat, at least a handheld.
 
www.starlink.com

Starlink

High-speed internet. Available almost anywhere on Earth.
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Honestly I think star link is a bad idea 🤷‍♂️
 
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I can tell you that almost every year we rescue (or help) 1 or 2 boats. I know that I go during monsoon season so it can get really bad. For the first time, I has a sat phone and we needed it 2 times.

Bottom line, be a boy scout and get prepared.
I now have: 1 Sat phone, 2 marine radios on the houseboat, 1 high powered ham radio 200watts +, 1 marine radio on the runabout, 4-5 handy talkies (HAM). I have a few other toys as well.
 
shams said:
We camped out at the pumps for a couple of hours until they got turned back on. Unfortunately we had arrived shortly after somebody pumped 70 gallons of gas into the flag holder of a rental boat. They then went in and yelled at the staff for ripping them off because the gas tank was only 50 gallons. When they returned to their boat and turned it on, the bilge pumped drained that 70 gallons into the lake. We had to wait until the spill was cleaned up and all fumes were gone before the pumps were turned back on. It was during the middle of the day and hot! Thankfully it was pre-covid and you could still get ice cream!

To your other question, I will still take the inReach but am getting a radio as well.
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OMG!! LOL!!! That’s too funny, unless of course you’re the inconvenienced by the brain fart. 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣
 
i keep a print copy of the marine channels and phone numbers for the various marinas on the houseboat and in my contacts list on the cell. exec services does not monitor 16.

my CC is on file due to our HB, but if it wasn’t one precaution I would take would be to have my CC on file with Exec services. Our friens]ds had to be towed from the SJ one year and Exec wouldn’t even leave the dock until they had a CC number. Not something I want to be sharing over the marine radio
 
I have both and use them both. I text home and friends all the time, if I was stranded I would have used the sos and then tell them my situation through texting. I know people who have done that. You pay for the service and if the rescue doesn’t cost then it doesn’t cost you. A phone call from the InReach folks wouldn’t cost anything I am pretty sure. I have the app on my phone so texting is almost like texting on the phone except you are limited to so many characters on each text. I have had a radio in my last two boats for almost 40 years and don’t regret it for a minute. Thats my two cents worth. Like a life jacket, a bit of a pain until you need it then you really need it.
 
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Situations like PowellBrides are not uncommon on Powell. Many rescues have been performed through the "relay" system. But you gotta have a radio or some other communication device to initiate it.
 
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So a marine radio story from about 15 years ago. We always monitor CH16 ...

We had a bit of wind near Whaweep, in the evening and had died down and was getting quiet (finally). Well about 9:00PM we hear someone calling out on the radio with a heavy Indian accent say,

"Help me I don't know what to do"
We hear this and everyone is listening but we do not answer

Again a call from the same boat
"We are lost and need help"

Now keep in mind that this was with a funny heavy accent, we here a crackle but noting really understandable.
Then "This is the National Park Service on 16, vessel hailing, what is your location"

From the boat "I don't know"
NPS "Vessel hailing what the name of your boat"
From the boat "I don't know"
NPS "What is your name ..."
"Why would you need my name, I need to know where I am"
NPS "Where did you launch your vessel"
"I don't know, we were at the dock and now we are not"

My family and I are laughing at this point

NPS "Did you rent the boat"
"Yes, from the dock"
NPS "what color is the boat and how big is the boat"
"About the size of my home, back home, and the boat is mostly white"
NPS "Does your boat have a number on the side or top?"
"Yes"
NPS "Please provide that number so we know where you rented the boat from?"
"I can't see the number now, it's dark"

Pause, pause, pause ....

NPS "Is everyone on boat safe?"
"Yes"
NPS "Please contact the rental agency in the morning, thank you"
"Wait I need help to find my way back to the dock"
NPS "We need to know where you are located to be able to help you"
"You know where I am, please tell me so that I can return to the doc"
Silence
" You can triangulate my location with your antennas and tell me, please do it now"

There was more but that was most of it
I think this was a hoax but if true it was hilarious.

So the moral of this story, get a marine radio, it may save your life or, you will at least be entertained.
 
PowellBride said:
i keep a print copy of the marine channels and phone numbers for the various marinas on the houseboat and in my contacts list on the cell. exec services does not monitor 16.

my CC is on file due to our HB, but if it wasn’t one precaution I would take would be to have my CC on file with Exec services. Our friens]ds had to be towed from the SJ one year and Exec wouldn’t even leave the dock until they had a CC number. Not something I want to be sharing over the marine radio
Click to expand...
Powell Bride, I don't want to send you on a goose chase, but if you have any of that info handy that you keep in your phone as far as channels and can copy and paste it here, I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Based on your comment, I did some research on this site and other online resources and found another good discussion about communication on the lake. I'll copy and paste that link VHF Radio - What Marinas or NPS Stations Are Monitoring?

I found this link helpful for refreshing myself on marine radio protocol http://www.riverlakes.com/marine_radio_protocol.htm
1 is for weather,
16 is for hailing and emergencies and is monitored 24 hrs a day at Lake Powell by the NPS
26 is the marine operator (relay telephone calls)
10, 12, 68, 72 are commonly used once communication is established

Another member, @Docker posted a list for the North lake,

North Lake Marine Channels
9 - Fuel Dock
10 - Working Channel Exec Services (They don't ask to change channels)
12 - Dry Storage
14 - Secondary Boat Rental Channel (Usually hail them on 16 and they will ask you to change to 14 to make conversation)
16 - Hailing and Emergencies (This is the NPS Channel which has repeaters on the lake.) (Believe Halls and Halls Fuel Dock also monitor 16)
61 - Ticaboo on Lake Services
68, 69, 71 - Open Public Channels
 
Jackalope said:
So a marine radio story from about 15 years ago. We always monitor CH16 ...

We had a bit of wind near Whaweep, in the evening and had died down and was getting quiet (finally). Well about 9:00PM we hear someone calling out on the radio with a heavy Indian accent say,

"Help me I don't know what to do"
We hear this and everyone is listening but we do not answer

Again a call from the same boat
"We are lost and need help"

Now keep in mind that this was with a funny heavy accent, we here a crackle but noting really understandable.
Then "This is the National Park Service on 16, vessel hailing, what is your location"

From the boat "I don't know"
NPS "Vessel hailing what the name of your boat"
From the boat "I don't know"
NPS "What is your name ..."
"Why would you need my name, I need to know where I am"
NPS "Where did you launch your vessel"
"I don't know, we were at the dock and now we are not"

My family and I are laughing at this point

NPS "Did you rent the boat"
"Yes, from the dock"
NPS "what color is the boat and how big is the boat"
"About the size of my home, back home, and the boat is mostly white"
NPS "Does your boat have a number on the side or top?"
"Yes"
NPS "Please provide that number so we know where you rented the boat from?"
"I can't see the number now, it's dark"

Pause, pause, pause ....

NPS "Is everyone on boat safe?"
"Yes"
NPS "Please contact the rental agency in the morning, thank you"
"Wait I need help to find my way back to the dock"
NPS "We need to know where you are located to be able to help you"
"You know where I am, please tell me so that I can return to the doc"
Silence
" You can triangulate my location with your antennas and tell me, please do it now"

There was more but that was most of it
I think this was a hoax but if true it was hilarious.

So the moral of this story, get a marine radio, it may save your life or, you will at least be entertained.
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You find it funny that someone unfamiliar with the lake was lost at night?
 
Here's my silly vhf story. We were monitoring the radio and suddenly a very small voice came on the radio: hi hi hello hee hee hee hi hello hee hee Park Service dispatch gets on the radio: little boy, you get your mother on this radio right now. End of problem.
 
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shams said:
I got stranded at Dangling Rope a couple of years ago - went on a gas run and the pumps were closed. Sent a text with my inReach to my buddy's inReach back at the houseboat to let him know our situation. Text didn't arrive for 9 hours. Makes me a little nervous having to rely on it in a real emergency.
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With an inreach you sometimes have to hit the check messages icon. I have made that mistake in the past. I hook mine up to my cell phone with the app and it makes texting as easy as being in cell phone range.
 
Peto said:
You find it funny that someone unfamiliar with the lake was lost at night?
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Trust me, you would have been laughing too ... We still talk about that. If there was something I could have done, I would have helped but it was well in the hands of the NPS and they were being as nice as they could but, near the end you could here someone giggling in the background.
 
Peto said:
You find it funny that someone unfamiliar with the lake was lost at night?
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I'm pretty sure it was a prank, but either way there was nothing to be done in the dark. I can pretty easily imagine some drunk 20 year olds making that call over the radio. It's harder to imagine someone not having any kind of information about their situation.
 
gznokes said:
Powell Bride, I don't want to send you on a goose chase, but if you have any of that info handy that you keep in your phone as far as channels and can copy and paste it here, I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Based on your comment, I did some research on this site and other online resources and found another good discussion about communication on the lake. I'll copy and paste that link VHF Radio - What Marinas or NPS Stations Are Monitoring?

I found this link helpful for refreshing myself on marine radio protocol http://www.riverlakes.com/marine_radio_protocol.htm
1 is for weather,
16 is for hailing and emergencies and is monitored 24 hrs a day at Lake Powell by the NPS
26 is the marine operator (relay telephone calls)
10, 12, 68, 72 are commonly used once communication is established

Another member, @Docker posted a list for the North lake,

North Lake Marine Channels
9 - Fuel Dock
10 - Working Channel Exec Services (They don't ask to change channels)
12 - Dry Storage
14 - Secondary Boat Rental Channel (Usually hail them on 16 and they will ask you to change to 14 to make conversation)
16 - Hailing and Emergencies (This is the NPS Channel which has repeaters on the lake.) (Believe Halls and Halls Fuel Dock also monitor 16)
61 - Ticaboo on Lake Services
68, 69, 71 - Open Public Channels
Click to expand...
Good to know . THANKS
 
Here’s what I have

Lake Powell Emergency 800-582-4351

Bullfrog Medical 435-684-2288

Bullfrog Medical after hours 800-582-4351

Halls Crossing Marina 435-684-7000

Halls Fuel Dock 435-684-7015

Executive Services - Bullfrog 435-684-3062

Bullfrog Main 435-684-3000

Wahweap Main 928-645-2433

Wahweap Marina 928-645-1037

Buggy Taxi - Page 928-645-6664



National Park Service - Halls 435-684-7460

National Park Service Information -Wahweap 928-608-6200
 
gznokes said:
Powell Bride, I don't want to send you on a goose chase, but if you have any of that info handy that you keep in your phone as far as channels and can copy and paste it here, I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Based on your comment, I did some research on this site and other online resources and found another good discussion about communication on the lake. I'll copy and paste that link VHF Radio - What Marinas or NPS Stations Are Monitoring?

I found this link helpful for refreshing myself on marine radio protocol http://www.riverlakes.com/marine_radio_protocol.htm
1 is for weather,
16 is for hailing and emergencies and is monitored 24 hrs a day at Lake Powell by the NPS
26 is the marine operator (relay telephone calls)
10, 12, 68, 72 are commonly used once communication is established

Another member, @Docker posted a list for the North lake,

North Lake Marine Channels
9 - Fuel Dock
10 - Working Channel Exec Services (They don't ask to change channels)
12 - Dry Storage
14 - Secondary Boat Rental Channel (Usually hail them on 16 and they will ask you to change to 14 to make conversation)
16 - Hailing and Emergencies (This is the NPS Channel which has repeaters on the lake.) (Believe Halls and Halls Fuel Dock also monitor 16)
61 - Ticaboo on Lake Services
68, 69, 71 - Open Public Channels
Click to expand...
I think 26 went defunct with the advent of cell phones. I remember when we first started trips,and cell phones didn’t exist, part of the evening entertainment was listening to people call home.

Hi Hiney, how are you - over
Good, did you catch fish?
It was slow today, hoping for more fish tomorrow- over
is the weather good? It’s snowing here
Snowing!! How much - over
why do you keep saying “over”
im on a marine radio, it protocol- over
what’s protocol ?
when you’re done speaking you say “over” - over
but we’re not done talking
no, you say it when it’s the other persons turn to talk - over
well,it sounds stupid to me......😀
 
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gznokes said:
Powell Bride, I don't want to send you on a goose chase, but if you have any of that info handy that you keep in your phone as far as channels and can copy and paste it here, I wouldn't mind seeing it.

Based on your comment, I did some research on this site and other online resources and found another good discussion about communication on the lake. I'll copy and paste that link VHF Radio - What Marinas or NPS Stations Are Monitoring?

I found this link helpful for refreshing myself on marine radio protocol http://www.riverlakes.com/marine_radio_protocol.htm
1 is for weather,
16 is for hailing and emergencies and is monitored 24 hrs a day at Lake Powell by the NPS
26 is the marine operator (relay telephone calls)
10, 12, 68, 72 are commonly used once communication is established

Another member, @Docker posted a list for the North lake,

North Lake Marine Channels
9 - Fuel Dock
10 - Working Channel Exec Services (They don't ask to change channels)
12 - Dry Storage
14 - Secondary Boat Rental Channel (Usually hail them on 16 and they will ask you to change to 14 to make conversation)
16 - Hailing and Emergencies (This is the NPS Channel which has repeaters on the lake.) (Believe Halls and Halls Fuel Dock also monitor 16)
61 - Ticaboo on Lake Services
68, 69, 71 - Open Public Channels
Click to expand...

I’ll be adding the following VHF radio set up to my boat before going to LP for the first time later this year. As mentioned earlier in this thread radio is line of sight, as well as crude power, therefore the taller the antenna is the further you can send and receive. From my research the 4’ Shakespeare antenna below performs very well, and will be mounted on the T top of my boat which will put it 12’ above the water.

I like this type of radio as it takes very little space on deck as the main unit is mounted below deck. The control head can be easily removed and stowed for convenience and security, same thing with the antenna.

My friends will be renting a sat phone too.

The big advantage to a radio is that other boats will be able to hear you and possibly render assistance far faster than the park system as those boats may be close by.

Another important item is to know your location, so that you can provide this information quickly when making a call for assistance. I would imagine gps coordinates would be best, or a buoy number. I was trained to write down my location and leave it right next to the radio in the event something happens the information is right there. Unlike the folks that may have been pulling a prank Mentioned earlier in this thread.

Radio: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BO0KG36/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1?smid=A1XZ3F9NNVUMB8&th=1

Antenna : 5400-XT Galaxy Little Giant™VHF Marine Band Antenna - Shakespeare Marine Antennas

Antenna mount: Amazon.com: Shakespeare 4188-SL Rail Mount Ratchet Mount for 1" to 1.5" Rails: GPS & Navigation
 
We wouldn't go to the lake without one. Even is you never need to use it, it's still a better option than the alternative.

Plus, if you are on the lake for more than a few days, you can almost always get a signal and catch the weather forecast for the area.

If anyone is needing a radio, I have used ones $10 and up
 
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