An easy one: Know thy squelch. Your radio will have a squelch button or dial that you can activate to save power and bothersome noise. It simply cuts off reception until a clear signal comes through. Turn the dial until the hiss or static goes away. To try and hear a distant signal, turn it off.
Tip #7: Sustainable power
Okay, here's the dirt on keeping your radio in juice for an extended stay in the field. While a thorough knowledge of operation of a VHF radio can be a handy thing at times, it is a patch on the ability to keep your radio powered up on a long haul. That said, battery tech has found a decent imitation of the Fountain of Youth. The M-88 has amazing battery life with its Li-ion battery, and the M-IV with its Lithium battery isn't far behind. While battery life in reception mode might be 15 to 20 hrs, it drops like a stone when you push that PTT button, slicing way down to 20 to 30 minutes of transmit time. A chat via hand-helds can be a costly proposition.
The trick is to limit use or bring more batteries. To economize, transmit only when you need to, and try and get the latest weather forecast on a regular basis, not every time you feel like it. That's not to say that there isn't room for an exchange of interesting or useful information or emotion, but avoid the I talk therefore I am syndrome when you're bored. NOAA revises the forecasts 4 times a day; if you know their schedule you can more efficiently pick up the new prognostication (like that word).
I don't generally monitor channel 16 in a kayak with a hand-held unless there is something going on that I'm involved in. It's not practical. If you need to stay open to receiving messages from someone in particular, schedule a window of time to have the radio on, say 15-minutes at five o'clock If you're on a weekend trip, I wouldn't worry much about power consumption, unless you'll be calling in to check stocks every hour. But for a decent period of time on the water of, say, a week to several weeks or more, I'd carry back-up power.
The M-88 has three power modes. Five watts for the long distance needs, three watts for in between and one watt for close use. Talk with the salesman for details on this when you purchase your radio, but it's pretty straightforward. More watts uses more power means less time. Use the power setting relevant to your needs.
Keep your transmissions to a minimum, unless you have some means of replenishing power. We took an Icom M-IV out for nearly a month and used it fairly often in both broadcast and listening modes. One spare battery was all that was required and I didn't have to snap it in until week three.
Rechargeable batteries do have a life span, perhaps two years or longer, depending on the maintenance you give them. This will be outlined in the manual provided with purchase.
Not all hand-helds offer AA battery packs as options; in the event they do, you can more easily back up your power. In fact, this is a good criteria to add to your list for purchasing a unit. The M-88 has provision for both. Their Li-ion battery alone, though, is enough for most paddling venues. For a moderate-length trip you can carry a spare and for a longer trip you can buy an adaptor to use the AAs.
"Paddling around Vancouver Island, I would slip into a local library or kayak shop to plug in a fast charger while I did errands around town."
The M-88, like most quality radios, come with a DC power cable to use with a cigarette lighter-style receptacle. On a trip that will take you by the odd fishing village, floating logging camp, or even an amenable pleasure or fishing boat, you can usually find a way to charge up. Paddling around Vancouver Island, I would slip into a local library or kayak shop to plug in a fast charger while I did errands around town. Note that the charger supplied with your radio is likely a slow charge model. The M-88, for example, comes stock with a unit that takes 9 to 10 hours to do its thing, while their optional fast charger takes only two or three. Just as likely as the sweet old librarian in Port McNeil is the loan of a plug from a friendly captain mooring his boat in the cove with you overnight. Point is - going prepared to take advantage of such an option makes it possible. This necessitates, of course, having to haul the charger base and plug around with you; not always the most practical solution.
Probably the most extreme idea is to take along a roll up solar panel to recharge rechargeable batteries, Ni-Cads I particular. Given the increased run time with improved battery tech of late, this option is less attractive...perhaps if you're out for a very long time in sunny climes with a collection of rechargeable needs.
Lastly, disconnect your batteries when the radio isn't being used for a long while, like in transit to and from the water.
Tip #8: Know thy lingo
There are three major user calls associated with marine use. If you are in need of emergency help punch in 16 and repeat May-Day three times. Stay on the line to answer important questions from the Coast Guard when they answer. If your need is strong but not dire, repeat Pan-Pan three times. Whichever, be prepared to calmly describe your condition, whereabouts, description and location of your party. If you need to communicate something with other ships, say you're about to cross a channel in fog and want to give the captains a quick heads up, repeat Security three times, then announce your intentions and wait for a response...that's pronounced Su-cure-uh-tay, at least in Canada.
It was raining buckets and blowing hard that night when I scuttled into my tent and dialed up the latest weather forecast for the northwest coast of Vancouver Island. "Security, security, security," the voice on the radio repeated. "Four kayakers reported overdue, last seen in Winter Harbour..." The message included a full description of our party down to colour of boats and preference for facial hair, per the sail plan we'd filed with the coast guard prior to launch. Pinned in a pocket cove near the tip of the Brooks Peninsula for three days after having been pinned up coast for eight, we were running late and couldn't hail anyone. Once we got on the water though and had a decent line of sight we reported in.
Tip #9: Antenna tips
Making a radio connection when you're sitting a couple inches off the water can be dicey at times. VHF radio wave travels in a straight line. Sitting in your kayak that might only be about five miles over the water, but over 20 if you're shooting for a tower on a mountaintop. Even hailing a passing ship can be iffy from your kayak. If the ship operator is not paying attention to Channel 16 or can't be bothered with kayakers, your call may go unrequited. More reliable than ship-to-ship communication is ship to Coast Guard or BC Tel transceivers. Situated on the highest mountaintops along the northwest coast, a series of broadcast transmitters provide overlapping coverage for mariners...unless that is, you're tucked deep up a fjord somewhere, often the case for kayakers.
There are a couple of things you can do to improve reception and to increase your chance of a transmission reaching your destination. Simply moving around, paddling or walking around with your radio can drastically improve reception. The universe is a magical place and standing in just the right spot can make the difference between getting the latest weather forecast and silence. Rounding a point in your boat can open new transmission vistas, as can hiking a hill out of camp.
Another idea is an auxiliary antenna-if you can find one. A brief search on the Internet and chat with Tech Support at Icom, yielded nothing. I've a hunch you can find a telescoping unit that will screw right onto the spot where your rubber one does. This should improve reception in iffy areas, but won't do much to maintain waterproofness, not to mention fitting in that watertight bag.
Tip #10: Swizzle Stick
Last, and maybe not as potentially important as other tips, but a regular AM occurrence in my tent at least, the rubberized antenna makes a handy tool for stirring morning coffee. And, of course, tea in the evening.
Look for: "Guide for the Radiotelephone Operator," published by the Canadian federal government. Either the FCC or Coast Guard should be able to help you out.
