vhf radio for your ski?

[mookyandlumpy]

i have bought a fx ho and i'm rigging it for fishing with a gps/fish finder and a esky/fishing rack.
i will be fishing Moreton bay and right over at Moreton island so i 100% want a vhf radio
I'm up in the air about which radio to get and what type
do you carry one on your skis at all ?
is it handheld or permanent mount with ariel?
will a 5w hand held get reception on the eastern side of the bay from a vmr??

mooky

[Seahorse]

I think it will be be, where to put it. I think you might need a second battery, if you are going to run sounder as well.

[Runlikehell]

I reckon the GME GX660 is the go. It floats, which on a ski is a good thing as it's likely to get wet or dropped.
You don't necessarily have to talk to a VMR yourself, so long as you can communicate with any other boat via CH16, they can relay the message.
Not sure if there's a repeater station on Moreton, but if there is then you'd be able to use (eg) channel 80 and get to the VMR that way. The local VMR will be able to advise if there's a repeater, and what channel(s) it uses and what they monitor.

[Mr__Bean]

Hi all, the issue with VHF is that it works on "line of sight", so the Island itself will almost always be in the way unless you get a bit further offshore.

How far out on the Eastern side are you likely to be when you were to use the radio?

It may be worth asking VMR about the island black spots for radio, they will have a good idea where they lose contact with their boats around the island.

Darren

[The Woo]

I've toyed with the idea, but given the relative lack of performance of hand held VHF's, I've elected to run EPIRB, a PLB, and a Telstra phone in a waterproof case (which means I can even take pics and upload them to Facebook WHILE snorkeling! :)
The Telstra iPhone gets coverage on the eastern beach, and close to the continental shelf too.

[mookyandlumpy]

How far out on the Eastern side are you likely to be when you were to use the radio?
i guess thats the things i wont know when ill need to use it, if an emergency occurs i want to be able to radio in.