By Dennis Dorratcague
With our cruising season cut short due to the coronavirus, my wife, Pat, and I finally left on a two-week cruise on Sept. 2, 2020.
Equip your boat with a marine radio
By Scott Erickson
Any vessel equipped with a marine VHF radio and operated solely in U.S. waters must comply with U.S. Coast Guard usage rules for operating communications equipment. If you are new to boating or thinking of upgrading your equipment, you need to know the basics of a marine radio.
Connect your GPS to your VHF radio
By Ron Schwiesow
Modern VHF marine radios include Digital Selective Calling, a semiautomated method of making radio calls. DSC allows mariners to send instant, digitally coded distress calls to the U.S. Coast Guard and other vessels within transmission range. It also allows selective, digital communication with other DSC-equipped vessels. When a GPS receiver is connected to the VHF radio, your vessel’s location is automatically included in the transmissions—distress or otherwise.