Communication question for offshore cruising

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Old Sailor 2

Old Sailor 2

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Oct 19, 2011
181
Hunter 42 Passage San Diego, CA
I have not started offshore crusising yet however I am trying to get my needs on a list so I am prepared when I retire and can sail to my heart's content. So, I have a good VHF radio which works well and is at the cockpit and the nav station. No worries. My question is what is the range of the VHF radiios and if I plan on cruising off shore what means of communication is recommended? Short wave or other means? Will VHF be good for cruising to Catalina? If in the future we go South to Panama Canal or elsewhere will I need some fancy communication system??

Again, thanks for the info and the help! Sandy
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Most likely the reason you haven't received a reply yet is that most of us are local recreational sailors.

Some ideas to answer your questions:

www.cruisersforum.com go to electronics

try to find some offshore communications vendors' websites, like www.panbo.com

Google is your friend.
 
Rick D

Rick D

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Jun 14, 2008
7,182
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
A lot of people are skipping Single Sideband in favor of sat phones. I question the wisdom of that however, and think a SSB is still a wise investment. Just talked to a boat neighbor who had a medical emergency a couple of hundred miles out of San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and the SSB was critical in that situation and another friend had a terrible time with his sat phone on a current cruise (may have been the provider rather than the phone itself).

VHF is just fine for your coastal work. The Coast Guard has high power transmitters and high towers. I think the tow companies do also. Typical range of a regular VHF to VHF radio is about 15 miles; sometimes as much as 25. In some atmospheric conditions, it can be much farther; I was hearing boat transmissions from Ensenada Bay on my way back to Long Beach from Catalina, some 125+ miles. I even made a radio telephone call once from mid-Baja via San Diego, a distance of several hundred miles. It only lasted five minutes, but it did connect just fine. That, however, is rare.
 
syoun10

syoun10

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Jan 28, 2012
101
2006 Hunter 33 Santa Barbara
Range of VHF is line of sight, so with the antenna at the top of your mast, you should be able to communicate to another boat, also with top of mast antenna, about 20 - 25 miles. US Coast Guard have higher antennae, so range to/from them can be a lot higher - even up to 100 miles or more.

If you go far offshore and want to communicate a long way, you will need a Single SideBand (SSB) radio and most of them (perhaps all of them) are HF and MF. MF has a range of up to 100 - 200 miles (depending on many factors, including time of day). HF can go thousands of miles. Strongly recommend you get an education about all of this before laying out any money. Go for your Ham license. You'll need it if you plan to use HF or MF (except under limited circumstances), and it'll teach you a lot.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Here's another idea:

If you are going coastal down the, uhm, coast, then VHF is all you'd ever need.

zeehag has sailed from SD to Mexico and contributes here regularly via wifi. Find a good wifi source and an antenna that will "get" the signal. Alfa is a good start.

Then, meet the serious cruisers on your way and find out what works for them.
 
Slow Mo^cean

Slow Mo^cean

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Jul 1, 2012
155
Catalina C22 Georgetown
Not a bad idea to get one of those SPOT transmitters either. My dad has one that bleeps location info every half hour which can be tracked on the internet. No communication can be made through except a distress signal, but a good bit of insurance as a last resort.
 
srhummer

srhummer

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Mar 25, 2010
152
Hunter 34 Rose Haven MD
There are also the newer Personal GPS Locators (Spot Connect and others) that will allow you to send text messages from your cell phone via bluetooth to the unit. Simply pair your smartphone with SPOT Connect, and get connected to a global satellite network that lets you send messages and GPS coordinates from virtually anywhere on the planet. Update Twitter and Facebook. Send email and text messages. Request non-emergency help from professional service providers. And in the case of a critical emergency, send an SOS message requesting emergency assistance.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
22,979
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Shouldn't communication be TWO way? A SPOT is an entirely different animal than the OP asked.

Kinda like asking: How do I find a good telephone? vs. buy a GPS.
 
Slow Mo^cean

Slow Mo^cean

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Jul 1, 2012
155
Catalina C22 Georgetown
Stu Jackson said:
Shouldn't communication be TWO way? A SPOT is an entirely different animal than the OP asked.

Kinda like asking: How do I find a good telephone? vs. buy a GPS.
Click to expand
I don't know about you, but when I go sailing, I go to disconnect from the world. Only reason I have a cell phone is for emergency use. Maybe the OP wants stay attached to the rest of the world, maybe not. He didn't specify otherwise..
 
Old Sailor 2

Old Sailor 2

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Oct 19, 2011
181
Hunter 42 Passage San Diego, CA
Sorry I was out of touch for the day after asking the question. And the advice is perfect as usual. The best point made is that when sailing we want to stay "disconnected" and that is oh so true. BUT, if an emergency arises I will then want to stay connected. The SPOT is a good idea and for the forseeable future we willnot be in blue water to hawaii but if I ever do go then it will start with Ham License.

This site is so fabulous for us who are getting into cruising! I always appreciate all the good experienced advice. Sandy
 
B

BJV

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Jun 8, 2004
61
Island Trader 41 foot Ketch, CC Arnold
Stu Jackson said:
Shouldn't communication be TWO way? A SPOT is an entirely different animal than the OP asked.

Kinda like asking: How do I find a good telephone? vs. buy a GPS.
Click to expand
Electronically speaking communication entails the passage of information, does not specify it has to be two way..so
Basic Spot provides a location and premade message sent to 10 selected emails/sms recipiants. I would consider that communication.
Just like recieving a weather fax via SSB is also considered comms.

Like others have stated SSB/HAM is a good thing aboard, excellent way to connect with other cruisers, great for getting weather from various sources and good method for emergancy traffic.

Other option is OCENS system, which provides basic weather and also email capability, but initial set up and monthly fees are not negligable.
 
J

Jon Bastien

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Jun 3, 2004
71
Hunter 290 Tampa, FL
I want to weigh in on the Spot-type devices for a second... Spot sounds great, but it is very limited as a communications device. It's limited to a small number of pre-defined e-mails (which can be changed when you have a 'net connection), but can still let friends and family know you're OK wherever you are.

If you want something a little more robust, DeLorme makes a similar product called the 'InReach' which can pair with a smartphone for 2-way messaging via satellite. It doesn't cost much more than the Spot for the device and basic services, and could prove valuable in an emergency if you're able to relay exactly what's wrong and where you are.

These devices would allow Sandy to stay relatively disconnected when sailing, but have a reasonable reach-back capability if needed.

I don't own either of these yet, but the DeLorme is on my Christmas wish-list of cruising toys...
 
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