All At Sea
-- It is amazing how cell phones differ from handheld VHFs as they both
perform similar jobs. Now, I am not advocating the idea of turning
your portable marine radio into a games console, but one the world’s
leading manufacturers of portable VHFs has borrowed a few features from
cell phone development to its latest range. Essentially, a handheld VHF radio performs a very simple job; it
transmits sound waves using radio waves to a receiver which converts
them back to sound waves, thus allowing a conversation between two
people who are miles apart. So the humble portable VHF is a pretty
basic tool and most of the models on the market have fairly similar
features. So when it comes to deciding which brand to buy, what is the
most important consideration?The most important feature of all is that it is reliable; not being
able to communicate with other boats or to shore can be a serious
problem. Jim Allen is the racing manager for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09
and it is a tough job. He is in charge of the event on the water,
overseeing the Race Management team. Every start and finish of every
offshore and inshore race all over the world, Allen makes sure the
spectator boats stay out of harm’s way and ensures that the fastest
ocean going boats in the world race fairly and safely through crowded
harbours. “Having reliable communications is absolutely essential to my job,”
says Allen. “If I am honest, in my job as race manager, the VHF radio
is never something that you spend too much time thinking about, you
just pick it up and use it. It is only if it doesn’t work that you
realise how important it is. I have always found Sailor radios to be
extremely reliable even long before I joined Volvo Ocean Race. If I was
buying a radio for myself, I would definitely look at the Sailor range.
They are very robust and Thrane & Thrane are very committed to
making sure their products work. They have done a tremendous amount or
research and development to make sure their products can stand up to
the job and are designed for ease of use.”
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