I have heard that there is a two way radio used by sailors to communicate by crew members while docking. Does anyone have a suggestion as to what this is? I seem to recall them being referred to as "marriage savers" and I can certainly see the need for this gizmo in my boating life!
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Not FRS
The radios in question operate at the edge of the AM broadcast band. I have a pair on my boat and they work great. I can't find the adv in any of my current magazines right now. They are built into a headset with a boom mike. Work for only a few hundred feet.
The radios in question operate at the edge of the AM broadcast band. I have a pair on my boat and they work great. I can't find the adv in any of my current magazines right now. They are built into a headset with a boom mike. Work for only a few hundred feet.
gmrs/frs
FRS "walkie Talkies" have been around for a number of ye4ars and I use them all the time on the boat. I have one in the v-berth, one in the cabin and both me and my girlfriend carry one around with us. The range is about 1-2 miles depending on conditions but for using on the boat thwey are indespensible......while anchoring I can talk into the mic and without yelling let her know when to drop the hook. If she's down below and I need something again it I call on the radio. I have the newer version Motorolla Walkabouts and they come with an earpiece similar to a cell phone. I talk into the mic and hear very clearly. Another great use is on vacation. You can't get lost!!!! ( many people use them while skiing to keep track of family members)
FRS "walkie Talkies" have been around for a number of ye4ars and I use them all the time on the boat. I have one in the v-berth, one in the cabin and both me and my girlfriend carry one around with us. The range is about 1-2 miles depending on conditions but for using on the boat thwey are indespensible......while anchoring I can talk into the mic and without yelling let her know when to drop the hook. If she's down below and I need something again it I call on the radio. I have the newer version Motorolla Walkabouts and they come with an earpiece similar to a cell phone. I talk into the mic and hear very clearly. Another great use is on vacation. You can't get lost!!!! ( many people use them while skiing to keep track of family members)
FRS is not full-duplex
Here's a link to the "Marriage Savers" headsets. I don't think that our marriage would have dissolved without them, but it certainly is nice to come into an anchorage or naviagate rocky waters with just a quiet conversation between helm and crew! The full-duplex means it works like a telephone: both parties can talk and listen simultaneously without having push-to-talk buttons, or voice-activation delays.
Here's a link to the "Marriage Savers" headsets. I don't think that our marriage would have dissolved without them, but it certainly is nice to come into an anchorage or naviagate rocky waters with just a quiet conversation between helm and crew! The full-duplex means it works like a telephone: both parties can talk and listen simultaneously without having push-to-talk buttons, or voice-activation delays.
FRS radios are great to have
They are simplex not duplex but they have longer range and some selective calling options. They are cheap, too, $5 and up. I got a pair at Christmas that was $20 with a $20 rebate and they work well. They are not hands free like the headphone ones mentioned but they are handy. We like to use them when shopping in Costco.
They are simplex not duplex but they have longer range and some selective calling options. They are cheap, too, $5 and up. I got a pair at Christmas that was $20 with a $20 rebate and they work well. They are not hands free like the headphone ones mentioned but they are handy. We like to use them when shopping in Costco.
Perfect! Thanks
Thanks, Colin. The site is perfect. That is exactly what I wanted: cheap hands-free comms. It's frustrating to yell back and forth. With my boat being 34' long I can't hear what he's saying from the bow if his head is turned forward and I'm at the helm. Thank you all for your suggestions, too. It's nice to know there is so much help out there for the novice sailors like we are!
Thanks, Colin. The site is perfect. That is exactly what I wanted: cheap hands-free comms. It's frustrating to yell back and forth. With my boat being 34' long I can't hear what he's saying from the bow if his head is turned forward and I'm at the helm. Thank you all for your suggestions, too. It's nice to know there is so much help out there for the novice sailors like we are!
Just use a lanyard.
Those little FRS radios are very convenient but I can't seem to keep them from going overboard. One fell from the belt clip and the other from my hand. Use a lanyard.
Those little FRS radios are very convenient but I can't seem to keep them from going overboard. One fell from the belt clip and the other from my hand. Use a lanyard.
My Story
Several years ago, maybe before the FRS radios were all the rage, I found a pair of "toy" communicators being closed out at Radio Shack. Each unit had a belt clip and an "ear bud". These units were full duplex, and all you had to do was stick the "ear bud" into your ear and talk and listen. The "ear bud" would pick up your transmitted voice as well as the received voice. They worked great for communicating while anchoring. A cute story is that we had guests on board one time while we were anchoring. I was at the bow with the anchor while my wife was at the wheel. We talked to each other in normal tones. Our guests didn't know that we had these radios, and thought that they should relay our conversation by yelling back and forth what we already had heard via the radios. It was quite a hoot when they found out. I haven't seen these radios being sold since I bought them, but what a great idea, for far less then the FRS radios and much easier to handle.
Several years ago, maybe before the FRS radios were all the rage, I found a pair of "toy" communicators being closed out at Radio Shack. Each unit had a belt clip and an "ear bud". These units were full duplex, and all you had to do was stick the "ear bud" into your ear and talk and listen. The "ear bud" would pick up your transmitted voice as well as the received voice. They worked great for communicating while anchoring. A cute story is that we had guests on board one time while we were anchoring. I was at the bow with the anchor while my wife was at the wheel. We talked to each other in normal tones. Our guests didn't know that we had these radios, and thought that they should relay our conversation by yelling back and forth what we already had heard via the radios. It was quite a hoot when they found out. I haven't seen these radios being sold since I bought them, but what a great idea, for far less then the FRS radios and much easier to handle.
Cobra MicroTalk
My son bought me a set of Cobra MicroTalk PR4750WX radios for Christmas. They are 22 Channel, with a range of up to 12 miles. I've seen them listed for about $100. In addition to using them for anchoring and cockpit to bow comm, we use them between our two sailboats. We can have private conversations, without tying up vhf channels. So far, they've been great.
My son bought me a set of Cobra MicroTalk PR4750WX radios for Christmas. They are 22 Channel, with a range of up to 12 miles. I've seen them listed for about $100. In addition to using them for anchoring and cockpit to bow comm, we use them between our two sailboats. We can have private conversations, without tying up vhf channels. So far, they've been great.
We have 2 pairs of FRS radios
They are cheap, well, inexpensive anyway, It is too bad they don't have a connecting hole for a lanyard, so I had to rig something for them. When I go up the stick, or working on the foredeck, we put the lanyard around our neck so we don't ever have to search for them. All we have to do is reach down and click and talk. Plus since they are very close to our ears so everything comes across loud and clear. We also use them when hiking, or when one of us is out on the dink. Costco carries them, with either a 2 or 4 unit kits, and uses AA batteries, You just can't beat them.
They are cheap, well, inexpensive anyway, It is too bad they don't have a connecting hole for a lanyard, so I had to rig something for them. When I go up the stick, or working on the foredeck, we put the lanyard around our neck so we don't ever have to search for them. All we have to do is reach down and click and talk. Plus since they are very close to our ears so everything comes across loud and clear. We also use them when hiking, or when one of us is out on the dink. Costco carries them, with either a 2 or 4 unit kits, and uses AA batteries, You just can't beat them.
Get an "Earpiece" with remote mic for the FRS radi
You can put your FRS radio in a "Fanny" pack and connect the radio to: a lightweight headset with a boom microphone; a "Throat Microphone" with an EarBud speaker; an "EarBud" speaker and remote lapel microphone; or an "EarBud"/"Bone Mic" combination headset. You can buy then at any electronic store, cell phone store, or on the Internet. The throat microphone is mounted on a flexible "C" shape band that fits around the back of your neck. The throat microphone is pressed against your voice box and picks up your voice through your skin. It is suppose to eliminate most background noise. If your FRS radio has the VOX (Voice activated transmit) option you can transmit hands free. It's not the same as duplex, there is a slight time delay; it's a simplex transmission so you have to use regular radio protocols. I haven't used the throat microphones, I've heard good and bad comments about them. They work on neck sizes less then 17 inches. If your neck size is larger, the throat microphone might not be close enough to your voice box. I've also heard that women with small necks or with a high voice have trouble being picked up by the throat microphone. You can get the "Press-To-Talk" (PTT) switch, which allows you to transmit without accidentally broadcasting your cough or sneeze when you are on VOX. You can also get the "Ear Bud" speaker and lapel microphone clip with the PTT switch. You can also get an "Ear Bud" speaker with a "Ear Bone" microphone. The "Ear Bud" acts as both a speaker and microphone. I don't think you can get them with the VOX option; it comes with the PTT switch. If you are concern about losing your FRS radio overboard, keeping it in a "Fanny" pack and wear a lightweight earpiece and a remote microphone. Fair Winds, Clyde
You can put your FRS radio in a "Fanny" pack and connect the radio to: a lightweight headset with a boom microphone; a "Throat Microphone" with an EarBud speaker; an "EarBud" speaker and remote lapel microphone; or an "EarBud"/"Bone Mic" combination headset. You can buy then at any electronic store, cell phone store, or on the Internet. The throat microphone is mounted on a flexible "C" shape band that fits around the back of your neck. The throat microphone is pressed against your voice box and picks up your voice through your skin. It is suppose to eliminate most background noise. If your FRS radio has the VOX (Voice activated transmit) option you can transmit hands free. It's not the same as duplex, there is a slight time delay; it's a simplex transmission so you have to use regular radio protocols. I haven't used the throat microphones, I've heard good and bad comments about them. They work on neck sizes less then 17 inches. If your neck size is larger, the throat microphone might not be close enough to your voice box. I've also heard that women with small necks or with a high voice have trouble being picked up by the throat microphone. You can get the "Press-To-Talk" (PTT) switch, which allows you to transmit without accidentally broadcasting your cough or sneeze when you are on VOX. You can also get the "Ear Bud" speaker and lapel microphone clip with the PTT switch. You can also get an "Ear Bud" speaker with a "Ear Bone" microphone. The "Ear Bud" acts as both a speaker and microphone. I don't think you can get them with the VOX option; it comes with the PTT switch. If you are concern about losing your FRS radio overboard, keeping it in a "Fanny" pack and wear a lightweight earpiece and a remote microphone. Fair Winds, Clyde
I saw some at a show designed for boats
They were displayed at the Seven Seas Cruising Assn. Meeting in Florida last year. They were really neat but i dont know the manufacturer. This set used a head phone arrangement and worked really a lot better than the frs radios. keep looking they are out there somewhere!
They were displayed at the Seven Seas Cruising Assn. Meeting in Florida last year. They were really neat but i dont know the manufacturer. This set used a head phone arrangement and worked really a lot better than the frs radios. keep looking they are out there somewhere!
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