leong

I can't tighten the Thule metal straps to the cylindrical Yakima bars tight enough; the whole unit easily rotates in the vertical plane unless I over-tighten the bolts. Of course, with the kayak in the carrier there is no torque in the vertical plane so I guess it's not a problem.

Any suggestions?

Please send some of that refreshing cool water to southeast Florida. It's about 86 F down here now. I have the opposite of a cold water gasp when I practice rolling.

Bet they're good at roll tacking.

On 10/1/2019 at 7:46 AM, kate said:

Love the blow-up roller idea, they look like they can handle sharp rocks and heavy loads, and they would take little space in a loaded boat. OTOH, it's hard to beat the cost of a pool noodle! And, I hope others post their brilliant-moment ideas here. It's really a conundrum when you are out by yourself. My poor boat has had to face all too much rock-grinding....

Wouldn't it be nice if a cylindrical dry bag (or even a paddle float) could double as a blow-up roller?

Kate, I used to use blow-up rollers to pull my sailboat onto the beach. Something like these but they come in smaller sizes.

-Leon

On 9/22/2019 at 6:54 PM, rfolster said:

I refer back to #1. I don’t think having a roll makes anyone invincible to taking an occasional swim. 

I included and/or another self rescue technique. My roll recently failed but I had a backup. I shouldn't have said or. But I agree qualified friends are better.

On 9/17/2019 at 2:11 PM, rfolster said:

 

2) Do you know the people on the trip and how much can you trust them to get you out of the water if things go sideways?  Still, refer back to #1.

 

How about do you have a reliable roll and/or another self-rescue ability?

On 9/17/2019 at 11:19 AM, josko said:

Stuff with straw and float in the harbor for Halloween.

Don't do that. The CG has enough trouble.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/Coast-Guard-Finds-Missing-Kayaker-Off-Gloucester-560365471.html

On 9/16/2019 at 9:31 AM, josko said:

The fall bonito run has brought out numbers of kayak fishermen to Woods Hole. I towed one guy who got caught in the current and pushed out to Buzzards bay. 'Didn't know there was current there', no PFD, no spray skirt, ...  To me, the whole fishing thing looks like an accident waiting to happen, and I'm not at all sure what, if anything, i should do about it. Lecturing folks about stuff like PFDs and sprayskirts doesn't work. Is it any of our business if one of them washes up dead? If it is, what's a reasonable course of action/? I'm not finding one.

Don't jump on fisherman. It's a recreational kayak problem. I've been fishing from sea kayaks long before recreational fishing kayaks were invented. I use long skinny kayaks like my QCC 700X, Epic 18X, Seda Glider and Falcon 18. Take a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=9jw6S8hfQEI

On 7/22/2019 at 5:26 PM, Paul Sylvester said:

  You have salt marshes, sand dunes and no Greenheads? Not sure I buy that and the jury is still out..  Need further data..

I thought Herr Hair drained the swamps and marshes.

Thanks, Mike.

Recommendations for repair requested. Composite Engineering is too busy.

Hmm, not a Chinese hoax? It really exists?

1 hour ago, JohnHuth said:

I don't know if there's any perfect way of doing it.   FWIW - I capsized with my VHF in August, and it bit the dust.   I have a new one, supposedly waterproof.   

 

 

It seems to me that the perfect fail safe way to design a handheld VHF is: Upon pressing the "CH16" push button the VHF radio will switch to VHF CH 16 on full power, no matter whether channel lock is set or not. Not operating this way is akin to a DSC radio that doesn't send the distress message when the distress button is pushed whenever you have channel lock set. Or, for an airplane, if the autopilot doesn’t disengage when the pilot presses the takeover pushbutton.  

I often practice Eskimo rolls with my Icom M73 VHF and it keeps on working. I just wash it in fresh water when I get home.

7 hours ago, JohnHuth said:

In a group, I can set to scan to our favorite communications channel and also 16.   

 

John,

From my point of view the problem is the following: If I want to quickly call, say channel 72, to check on a fellow paddler pressing the transmit button chooses a random channel from the scan set of channels. So, I have to press the channel up or down keys to get to 72. If, in the alternative, the radio is locked to channel 72 and one needs to make an immediate emergency call to the CG, the 16/C button (the emergency button to go to channel 16) doesn't work. So, one has to unlock the lock first.

The latter is the heart of my complaint about handheld VHF radios in the associated thread (Unsafe VHF Design); i.e., the 16/C button should immediately override the lock. Given enough time, someone (especially one who needs to raise the CG ASAP and is, say, using a borrowed radio) will not be able to unlock the lock and a possible preventable catastrophe might occur.

-Leon

4 hours ago, Dan Foster said:

I just turned on my Standard Horizon HX870 and confirmed that it works as Rob describes:

1. pressing Transmit while in Tri/Dual Watch mode always transmits on the selected primary channel. Leon, did you actually test this behavior with your VHF?

2. listening to weather channel while in Tri-watch causes an audible dropout every two seconds while the receiver momentarily monitors the other channel. Given that they'd have to put an entire second RF receiver into each radio to allow an uninterrupted background scan for traffic on the other channels, this seems like a reasonable design tradeoff.

Receiving: I can monitor ch 72 and 16 and 9 constantly with Tri-watch, or disengage it to only monitor 72.

Transmitting: Always transmits on 72, unless I press 16/S key to switch to 16. Pressing again switches back to 72. If the keylock is engaged, I have to press that first, and then press 16/S.

That doesn't seem like too much to keep track of.

I would welcome a laminated cheat sheet with best practices for radio settings and channel presets, recommended use on group paddles, a template for distress calls, etc.     

Robert and Dan, thanks.

I didn't say dualwatch is an unsafe design. I said the lock channel mode is unsafe because the emergency channel 16 button doesn't release it.

My race training use of locking channel 72 is not for emergencies. You might say it’s to determine if there is an emergency or if there is a change of plans. For example, I paddle through some rough water in a cut between some rocks and when I exit, I don’t see my partner following me. So, I call to make sure everything is okay. If there is no response I back track to see if there is a problem. If there is a problem that I can’t handle, then and only then would I call the CG. And I'd like to be able to do that by pressing the channel 16 emergency button (without having to unlock first).

I just tested dual watch. Yes, if channel 16 is quiet, pressing xmit does transmit on 72; however, if the receiver is in the middle of listening to a transmission on 16, pressing xmit transmits on 16. That's not as bad as I thought it was, at least for me, but not for the CG. It took a while to demonstrate this because there wasn't any traffic on 16 for over half an hour.

I'd still prefer a design where I could lock 72 and the channel 16 emergency button would release the lock and switch to channel 16. It’s as simple as that.

-Leon

Note: Posted here and elsewhere.

Okay, would someone please answer my question: Say you're in dualwatch or tri-watch or scan mode with, say, channel 72 included in addition to 16 (and perhaps 09 and other channels). Now you want to contact the pod on channel 72. How do you get to channel 72 without using the channel up (or down key) to move to channel 72 before pressing the transmit button? I think there is no way to do it. If you just press the transmit button you might transmit on 16 or 09 or 72 (or what ever other channel in the scan set) with equal probability. And that's why you need to set the channel lock to 72. So, that's the heart of the matter; i.e. if you have the VHF locked on 72 the emergency channel 16 button is disabled. So, you're faced with the additional step of unlocking before calling Mayday. What a stupid way to design VHF handheld radios.

Okay, would someone please answer my question: Say you're in dualwatch or tri-watch or scan mode with, say, channel 72 included in addition to 16 (and perhaps 09 or other channels). Now you want to contact the pod on channel 72. How do you get to channel 72 without using the channel up (or down key) to move to channel 72 before pressing the transmit button? I think there is no way to do it. If you just press the transmit button you might transmit on 16 or 09 or 72 (or what ever other channel in the scan set) with equal probability. And that's why you need to set the channel lock to 72. So, that's the heart of the matter; i.e. if you have the VHF locked on 72 the emergency channel 16 button is disabled. So, you're face with the additional step of unlocking before calling Mayday. What a stupid way to design VHF handheld radio.

On 2/4/2019 at 8:16 AM, Daniel Carr said:

 I cant imagine having a similar exchange with the present occupant of the White House. 

 

I'm sure you're more stabler and geniuser than he is.

On 2/4/2019 at 8:16 AM, Daniel Carr said:

Admittedly I have the radio on my life jacket if 1) I am with a group or 2) paddling solo that involves a long crossing and or 3) if there is a threat of fog or rough seas.  I put the radio in the mode to scan 9, 16, a station for local boat traffic/the station the group has selected. 

For what it is worth, I was in periodic contact with the H.W. Bush marine security team and occasionally HW and/or Barbara when paddling off of Cape Porpoise/Walkers point.  During the first gulf war there was surface to air missile batteries posted on Goat Island. I exchanged words and challenged HW to a boat race which he took in good humor.  I cant imagine having a similar exchange with the present occupant of the White House. 

 

Okay, suppose you're scanning 9, 16 and 72 and you want to call the group on 72 immediately. How do you get to 72 without stopping the scan and using the up arrow key to move to 72, unless, of course, 1/3 of the time the scan just happens to stop on 72? Am I missing something?

Unless it's some kind of secret, I couldn't find any mention of SAMs on Goat Island. I worked on the Patriot anti-missile upgrade just prior to us entering the first gulf war. Prior to that Patriot was just designed to identify, track and shoot down aircraft targets.

I waived to Barbara Bush once and the secret service pulled her into the house. I turned and sprinted away as fast as I could.

14 minutes ago, Alex Debski said:

Never! I’m busy listening to music while I paddle.

Sounds good to me. But is your receiver capable of surviving a roll or a wave over the deck?

6 hours ago, billvoss said:

I do not carry my VHF on Walden Pond or most other bodies of fresh water.  I normally carry my VHF (and PLB) on the ocean.  Whenever I carry my VHF radio I follow the monitor 16 rule. My radio is a DSC VHF radio, so I also automatically monitor for DSC distress signals whenever the radio is on.

I have not yet paddled on the ocean without following the "3 to Sea" rule.  If the group is using a designated channel, I add it to dual watch or multiple channel watch.

I am willing to set the squelch high enough that I only hear Coast Guard and local voice broadcasts.

Interesting. I usually keep my VHF off when I'm paddling with a group and voice communication is possible. But, sometimes in long-distance race-training (like, for instance, paddling the Cape Ann loop), we might get out of earshot and eyesight and we turn our radios on to channel 72. I don't bother with 16, unless I need help. I don't believe the rules for monitoring channel 16 apply to kayaks, canoes, inner-tubes or SUPs, although the rules don't specifically exclude them.

42 minutes ago, billvoss said:

Yes my standard operating procedure is to follow the monitor 16 rule.

Just when you're paddling with a group or all of the time? Do you use a scan between the group channel and 16, dual watch or other?

6 hours ago, EEL said:

Leon:

Congratulations on another successful troll.  It took awhile, but eventually you succeeded.

Ed Lawson

Now isn't that special, Ed. I appreciate it.

I trolled for tarpon for three hours and caught just one barracuda. Not very successful, but it was fun.

Now that you got that off your chest, do you anything constructive to say on the topic?