Hello, I have a problem that I knew the amateur radio community would probably be able to help with.
I am a recreational fisherman, and recently I was involved in a situation where VHF marine radio communication was falling a little short in range, and and EPIRB had to be deployed.
In the future, should a dire situation develop, I would like to be able to extend the range of the VHF marine radio to transmit and receive further than I currently can get with my 8 foot antenna mounted about 8 foot off the water and my standard 25 watt vhf marine radio. I understand the legalities of the 25 watt limit, but I am only talking about a life or death situation, not regular chit chat.
I have been looking at a few amps that supposedly will take a 25 watt input and amplify to 100-200 watts, depending on the model.
I am assuming this would substantially increase my transmit range. However, probably do nothing for my receive range.
Is this a good solution? Would I need a different antenna or upgraded cables?
Would the amp still allow the signal to feed the receiver when not transmitting? Is there a amp that can boost both transmit and receive signal?
Can anyone recommend a good solution for communicating more reliably at 40-60 miles offshore? The boat is 27 foot open console, so VHF is really my only choice. Would a taller antenna make a substantial difference?
Here is a link to an amp I was looking at, any advice would be appreciated:
vhf amplifiers 156-161 MHz
Regards! Jim
I am a recreational fisherman, and recently I was involved in a situation where VHF marine radio communication was falling a little short in range, and and EPIRB had to be deployed.
In the future, should a dire situation develop, I would like to be able to extend the range of the VHF marine radio to transmit and receive further than I currently can get with my 8 foot antenna mounted about 8 foot off the water and my standard 25 watt vhf marine radio. I understand the legalities of the 25 watt limit, but I am only talking about a life or death situation, not regular chit chat.
I have been looking at a few amps that supposedly will take a 25 watt input and amplify to 100-200 watts, depending on the model.
I am assuming this would substantially increase my transmit range. However, probably do nothing for my receive range.
Is this a good solution? Would I need a different antenna or upgraded cables?
Would the amp still allow the signal to feed the receiver when not transmitting? Is there a amp that can boost both transmit and receive signal?
Can anyone recommend a good solution for communicating more reliably at 40-60 miles offshore? The boat is 27 foot open console, so VHF is really my only choice. Would a taller antenna make a substantial difference?
Here is a link to an amp I was looking at, any advice would be appreciated:
vhf amplifiers 156-161 MHz
Regards! Jim