Essential Marine Electronics for All Boaters
The latest advances in marine communications technology provide a huge range of choices for your craft, whether you’re into leisure boating, long-distance sailing, commercial fishing and touring, or securing our harbors and coastlines. Using the right equipment and best marine antenna for your unique needs is critical to your safety on the water.
Communicating With Others
Rough water, bad visibility, illness or the actions of nearby boaters can all put you at risk in an otherwise enjoyable escape from land-based life. Communications gear takes many forms. Even if you use nothing else, a Very High Frequency (VHF) radio is a must-have for all types of boaters, reaching 20 miles or more from your craft. You can use it for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship conversations, including automated location reporting in an emergency.
When you really need help and you’re too busy or out of radio range, two types of beacons can alert the Coast Guard and others to your situation. An Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) will identify your ship’s position via satellite, triggered by you or the presence of water. If you’re separated from your boat, a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) device attached to your clothing provides a similar SOS broadcast.
Finding Your Way With Visibility Challenges
When you’re venturing far from the harbor, many devices can help you stay on course and avoid coming too close to other vessels and objects in the water. An Automatic Identification System (AIS) collects information about nearby ships including speed, size and name, displaying all on a built-in navigation screen. A Radar system gives you at least 20-70 miles of visibility into bad weather or fog. Detailed navigation charts are still available on paper, but with an electronic chart plotter you can call them up on-screen and navigate using real-time data that shows your current position, speed, planned route and other important information.
Each of these critical safety and navigation devices may require its own antenna system. To help you choose the right marine antenna and communications equipment, consult an experienced professional supplier who’s familiar with all of today’s technology. Installing durable, appropriate electronics on your vessel will bring you peace of mind and increased safety on your voyages for many years to come.