I've been away from Lake Michigan fishing for around 10 years but am upgrading boat next season and planning to try it again. I'm selling my old boat which has a marine radio and antennae. Wondering if I should keep those for the new vessel. I've fished Michigan off and on since the 80's. Back then, the radio always had chatter that you could glean info from. When I gave it up 10 years ago, the chatter had gone away with the advent of the cellphone/smartphone/texting, etc. There's always the safety end of a marine radio but I think that I trust my phone and coordinates on my mapping unit just as much if not more. Keep it or sell it with the boat???
Great Lakes Fishing
Marine Radios
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Did you ever consider getting into amateur radio as a back up? The test is pretty easy and there is a lot of repeaters along the shores of Lake Michigan. Good place for chatter during slow fishing. Also good place to keep track of incoming weather.
You don't need to know the Morse code.
You don't need to know the Morse code.
I agree most of the talk has moved to cell phones. That being said I wanted it for safety more than anything, I never found the chatter that useful. There are places on Green Bay where I don't get cell reception (quite a few). I also like it for the safety factor on Lake Michigan if out salmon fishing. I was even able to use it at Voyaguers National Park on Rainy Lake this past summer because the national park rangers monitored 16 and the only place with gas on the lake monitored 12. I also fish Lake Superior at least once a year and many times I'm the only boat out there.
I didn't like it sitting out on the boat though. I have a Lund with the track on the inside. I just put the antenna mount on a track bracket so I an remove it and store it in my front compartment (its an open compartment, I ran the wire up there). So I just reach in my compartment, pull it out, and pop it on the track. The antenna itself is the removable type so I can unscrew it and store it in my rod locker, out of the way.
I didn't like it sitting out on the boat though. I have a Lund with the track on the inside. I just put the antenna mount on a track bracket so I an remove it and store it in my front compartment (its an open compartment, I ran the wire up there). So I just reach in my compartment, pull it out, and pop it on the track. The antenna itself is the removable type so I can unscrew it and store it in my rod locker, out of the way.
Displaying 1 to 4 of 4 posts
