Radio Communications While Salt Water Fishing from Kayak

Hey, Hobie Kayak Fishermen. I've been unsuccessful (so far) in finding an effective way of communicating from my kayak to home. Cellphone coverage is spotty at best. The walkie talkies (despite their advertised range of "up to 23 miles") have failed to support more than 1/2 - 3/4 mile.

Using CB may be an option, despite having to use an ungrounded antenna. But, that range will likely be the same.

I need to have confidence in my ability to communicate no less than 5 miles between my kayak and my wife (at home in out RV, or in our Ram truck). I have a 2019 PA12 kayak and live in Tampa, FL near the MacDill Air Force Base.

Any suggestions?

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP- ... _title_wld no personal experience, just saying.

Option 1: Explore GMRS. There may be an open repeater in your area. (Need license, no exam.)
Option 2: Ham radio 2m repeaters. (Need license, some effort required to pass exam.)
Option 3: Satellite phone.

Peter

Thanks. Appears the Baofeng radio requires a license if you want to transmit. But, it appears to be VERY strong. That's a good thing. But not sure if that will be an issue near the Air Force Base.

Any idea what is required to get a HAM license and what the levels are?

The scenario you describe will require a repeater due to line of site limitations. A repeater has a high antenna and, as its name describes, receives on one one frequency while simultaneously repeating on another. This setup can provide reliable communications over 30 miles or more, versus maybe 5 miles at best between 2 walkie talkies without a repeater.

There are plenty of GMRS and Ham Radio repeaters out there, and an assortment of reasonably priced walkie talkie, mobile, and base rigs for both. Waterproof handhelds are also available. For Ham Radio you would need a Technician class license which requires passing a 35 question exam on electronic and radio theory and rules and regs. The questions come from a published pool and many people have passed just by memorizing the correct answers without understanding the theory (which is unfortunate). There are many resources and practice tests availble to aid your study.

Though GMRS also requires a license, it appears that since 2015 there is no longer a fee and a license can be requested online. For GMRS repeaters can be open (for use by anybody) or closed (dedicated for a specific group of users though they may allow others to join for a fee). If there is an open GMRS repeater with the coverage you desire, this is the easiest solution.

+++EDIT+++ The 2015 FCC change only eliminated the regulatory fee but not the license fee. A license will cost $70 and is good for 10 years.
Apply here: https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/systems-ut ... ing-system

Peter

I got the GMRS license last night (no test) for $70 via the FCC. So, now I will order the Baofeng 8W walkie talkies. I understand I may need to reprogram the Baofeng radios to ensure they are FCC compliant, especially since I'll be operating the radios in close proximity to an Air Force base.

Hopefully, the GMRS repeater in Tampa will work.

For anyone following this thread now, or reading it in the future, note that use of this family of BF HT rigs in the US for GMRS is of questionable legality as they are not FCC type certified for this use and, additionally, lack the required frequency and power limitations. Additionally, they can be somewhat complex to program and use versus the many quality, dedicated, turn-key, FCC type accepted GMRS HTs available.

Peter