In our last post we talked about some options for boaters who enjoy small rivers and lakes, well this time it is for those that are out in the open water. We have a nice selection of marine radios here on our site, but how many radios do you need on a boat?
Most of you think that all you need is perhaps a nice hand held VHF two way radio or fixed transceiver. Often this is all you need to basic communication, especially when you are not going far from shore.
However, have you thought about a radio for your ditch bag? You do have a ditch bag correct? If the answer is "no" or "what is that?" you really may want to learn more about one. Essentially a ditch bag, or overboard bag, is an emergency kit you take with you in a worse case situations such as abandoning ship. It should contain some basic survival equipment and should be a waterproof bag or container. (For more information on what you should have in your ditch bag, there are a lot of online resources that can help.)
One of the most important items you can have is a VHF hand held two way radio. Most marine radios are water resistant, but you should also have the radio in its own waterproof bag or container. Being able to send out a radio message to recue searchers in an overboard situation is lifesaving. In an emergency you may not have time to search for a radio (or you have one that is installed), much less gather all the survival gear you may need. A well prepared emergency ditch bag, that is easy to get to, should be one of the most important safety items on your boat.
