Hand-held VHG radios have limited range, but suffice for boaters who stick to inshore fisheries such as the Florida Keys, where numberous marinas and land based VHF radios exist.

VHF marine radio may be aging technology, but it’s not dead.

Due to the privacy afforded by cell phones and the fact that practically everyone carries one all the time, these devices have become the communication method of choice for inshore anglers. If you get on a hot bite and you want to tell your buddy about it (but not the five boatloads of sports fishing just down the bay from you) a cell phone gives you that opportunity. And, though cell phones have a reach limited by the shoreside towers, and often won’t work in remote locations like the Everglades, the dropping prices of satellite phones may soon make this a moot point. Sat phones may become the communication method of choice for boaters—and maybe for all of us if economies of scale affect the price as they have for global positioning systems—and for cell phones, for that matter.

But until that happens, VHF remains a very useful tool. And improved technology in handheld units is making these little radios much more compact and user-friendly for the typical inshore angler, either as the primary means of communication or as a backup to the cell phone.

A compact VHF.

Many handhelds are now only slightly bigger than a cell phone. They come with belt-clips so that you can have them ready at hand wherever you are on the boat. They recharge quickly in a cradle similar to those made for wireless telephones, and their digital screens allow intuitive use, with almost no learning curve for anyone who is at all computer savvy.

Handhelds don’t have the reach of standard cabinet units. Expect no more than five miles with a handheld; you’ll sometimes get more, but you’ll sometimes get less, too. The 25-watt, fixed-mount units, on the other hand, typically reach out for 25 miles or so, enough for most coastal and nearshore operations.

Boost Your Signal If you fish regularly in waters far from the travel routes of other boaters, but like the portability and small size of a handheld, you might consider carrying along a 25-foot length of antenna cable with couplers to fit the handheld. If you really, really need to communicate, you can use a couple of nylon tie-wraps to secure the antenna to your pushpole, attach the cable to the antenna and handheld, and hoist your antenna vertically to greatly extend your range.

But, their reach is adequate for boat-to-boat communication under most inshore circumstances. The output on handhelds is limited to six watts—adequate juice to reach close-by marinas, and across most bays and estuaries to tip off your buddy that the snook have just turned on at the mouth of Double X Creek.

Most handhelds are waterproof. This puts them well ahead of most cell phones, which die if you even sneeze salt water on them. (Careful, some VHF’s are water- resistant, which isn’t the same thing, at all!) And, you can leave these little radios on standby for up to 14 hours without discharging the built-in, rechargeable batteries. That’s a big step up from handhelds of a few years back, which were usually out of juice by lunchtime. Most of today’s handhelds also have cigarette lighter charger attachments available at an extra charge—worth paying if you rely on the VHF as your main method of communication.

Many VHF radios have programmable memory scan, which allows you to monitor only the channels you and your buddies usually use. And the prices, like those of most electronics, are very competitive. Most range from $99 to $150. The most expensive units, including a built-in GPS, don’t exceed $400. You have no monthly service charges with a VHF radio. You can use it anytime, as much as you want, with no added cost after you buy it. It can stay on all day long if you can stand to listen to the chatter that much—and for some who grew up on VHF, that chatter is as much a part of a day on the water as is the cry of the gulls.

Handy belt clip keeps the unit within easy reach.

And, the Coast Guard monitors channel 16 24/7, which provides a safety net for that awful day when you really, really need to call in a MAYDAY. Just a reminder, though, MAYDAY should never be called in when you are out of gas or the motor won’t start or you forgot your mosquito repellent. It is used only when there is imminent danger, as in the boat is sinking or on fire, or involved in a serious collision where rescue is necessary.