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Cell phones at sea

Hi all,

I am a final year undergraduate student, studying Marine Navigation
(BSc) at the University of Plymouth (UK), conducting a study of the use
of cell phones by recreational boaters. This includes an assessment of
the practices and views of a broad cross section of all recreational
boaters, and I would be very grateful if you would contribute to the
study by taking two minutes to complete a short and anonymous
questionnaire. Please follow the link below to access the
questionnai

http://facultyj.hs.plymouth.ac.uk/cellphone/

Many thanks,

Nick Loewendahl

If you would like a copy of the completed report please email me with
your contact details.

Cell phones at sea

wrote:
Hi all,

I am a final year undergraduate student, studying Marine Navigation
(BSc) at the University of Plymouth (UK), conducting a study of the use
of cell phones by recreational boaters. This includes an assessment of
the practices and views of a broad cross section of all recreational
boaters, and I would be very grateful if you would contribute to the
study by taking two minutes to complete a short and anonymous
questionnaire. Please follow the link below to access the
questionnai

http://facultyj.hs.plymouth.ac.uk/cellphone/

Many thanks,

Nick Loewendahl

If you would like a copy of the completed report please email me with
your contact details.

I filled out the survey. I hope that the survey doesn't encourage some
neophyte to think that he can safely substitute a cell phone for a VHF
aboard a boat operating "at sea", or that there's even some serious
debate about the subject.

Cell phones at sea

wrote:
wrote:

Hi all,

I am a final year undergraduate student, studying Marine Navigation
(BSc) at the University of Plymouth (UK), conducting a study of the use
of cell phones by recreational boaters. This includes an assessment of
the practices and views of a broad cross section of all recreational
boaters, and I would be very grateful if you would contribute to the
study by taking two minutes to complete a short and anonymous
questionnaire. Please follow the link below to access the
questionnai

http://facultyj.hs.plymouth.ac.uk/cellphone/

Many thanks,

Nick Loewendahl

If you would like a copy of the completed report please email me with
your contact details.

I filled out the survey. I hope that the survey doesn't encourage some
neophyte to think that he can safely substitute a cell phone for a VHF
aboard a boat operating "at sea", or that there's even some serious
debate about the subject.

It's the law to have a VHF so that of itself is not a problem, but the
normal everyday cell phones are becoming much better for normal boat
contacts. Most boats rarely if ever actually go offshore & so most
always have cell coverage. The conversations are private, the other end
doesn't need to have a VHF & be next to it monitoring it 24X7.

I'm clearly well chuffed with the mobile phones from a marine
perspective, mostly I can contact my other halves anytime & like & they
me. In the event of a "problem" short of a sinking or burning boat, I
think a phone call to someone you actually know & trust to organise
whatever you need organised is a better bet than a maybe it's being
monitored VHF. Of course for that to work you really need to be in
serious trouble.

As I said not suggesting throw the VHF over the side but .............
put the mobile in one of those special placky bags for them because it
will do you most good, most places a rec boater is likely to really need it.

Just so you know the barrier reef is probably 30-40 miles offshore in
the Whitsunday region & for tourists they have daily big ferries going
out & a permanently manned pontoon in one of the lagoons. After much
national park compromise they allowed a repeater to go in one of the
mountains on Whitsunday Island now all around the area even out at the
reef people can make & receive normal in the bay type communications.

K

Cell phones at sea

K. Smith wrote:
wrote:
wrote:

Hi all,

I am a final year undergraduate student, studying Marine Navigation
(BSc) at the University of Plymouth (UK), conducting a study of the use
of cell phones by recreational boaters. This includes an assessment of
the practices and views of a broad cross section of all recreational
boaters, and I would be very grateful if you would contribute to the
study by taking two minutes to complete a short and anonymous
questionnaire. Please follow the link below to access the
questionnai

http://facultyj.hs.plymouth.ac.uk/cellphone/

Many thanks,

Nick Loewendahl

If you would like a copy of the completed report please email me with
your contact details.

I filled out the survey. I hope that the survey doesn't encourage some
neophyte to think that he can safely substitute a cell phone for a VHF
aboard a boat operating "at sea", or that there's even some serious
debate about the subject.

It's the law to have a VHF so that of itself is not a problem, but the
normal everyday cell phones are becoming much better for normal boat
contacts. Most boats rarely if ever actually go offshore & so most
always have cell coverage. The conversations are private, the other end
doesn't need to have a VHF & be next to it monitoring it 24X7.

I'm clearly well chuffed with the mobile phones from a marine
perspective, mostly I can contact my other halves anytime & like & they
me. In the event of a "problem" short of a sinking or burning boat, I
think a phone call to someone you actually know & trust to organise
whatever you need organised is a better bet than a maybe it's being
monitored VHF. Of course for that to work you really need to be in
serious trouble.

As I said not suggesting throw the VHF over the side but .............
put the mobile in one of those special placky bags for them because it
will do you most good, most places a rec boater is likely to really need it.

Just so you know the barrier reef is probably 30-40 miles offshore in
the Whitsunday region & for tourists they have daily big ferries going
out & a permanently manned pontoon in one of the lagoons. After much
national park compromise they allowed a repeater to go in one of the
mountains on Whitsunday Island now all around the area even out at the
reef people can make & receive normal in the bay type communications.

K

In the US, believe it or not, private vessels are not required to carry
a VHF radio. Looks like you folks in AUS are more safety conscious in
this regard.

With DSC, there is now more privacy than before for non emergency
conversations on a VHF.

I carry my cell phone everywhere I go, including out on the boat. My
land line office phone forwards to the cell 24/7, so I can be "working"
on those days I may not actually be doing much work. (Gets to be a
nuisance on the long vacation cruises). The cell phone works great for
calling ahead to a marina to check on the hours of the fuel dock or
arrange transient moorage. My wife can call one of her girlfriends and
yak away for an hour or so in the unlikely event she gets bored with my
company......(so she spends hours every day on the phone). I think a
cell phone is a useful communication device, and there is no good
reason *not* to carry one- but if I had to boat with only a VHF or only
a cellphone, I'd leave the cell phone on the dock.

Cell phones have pretty well put the marine operators out of business,
and that's no loss for nearshore boaters. It used to be that if we
wanted to make a phone call from the boat we would have to hail the
marine operator, and then the marine operator would patch us through to
the number at the other end. I think the rates used to be several
dollars a minute- I clearly remember a bill of over $40 for a marine
operator phone call that really wasn't all that long.

Cell phones at sea

wrote:
K. Smith wrote:

wrote:

wrote:

Hi all,

I am a final year undergraduate student, studying Marine Navigation
(BSc) at the University of Plymouth (UK), conducting a study of the use
of cell phones by recreational boaters. This includes an assessment of
the practices and views of a broad cross section of all recreational
boaters, and I would be very grateful if you would contribute to the
study by taking two minutes to complete a short and anonymous
questionnaire. Please follow the link below to access the
questionnai

http://facultyj.hs.plymouth.ac.uk/cellphone/

Many thanks,

Nick Loewendahl

If you would like a copy of the completed report please email me with
your contact details.

I filled out the survey. I hope that the survey doesn't encourage some
neophyte to think that he can safely substitute a cell phone for a VHF
aboard a boat operating "at sea", or that there's even some serious
debate about the subject.

It's the law to have a VHF so that of itself is not a problem, but the
normal everyday cell phones are becoming much better for normal boat
contacts. Most boats rarely if ever actually go offshore & so most
always have cell coverage. The conversations are private, the other end
doesn't need to have a VHF & be next to it monitoring it 24X7.

I'm clearly well chuffed with the mobile phones from a marine
perspective, mostly I can contact my other halves anytime & like & they
me. In the event of a "problem" short of a sinking or burning boat, I
think a phone call to someone you actually know & trust to organise
whatever you need organised is a better bet than a maybe it's being
monitored VHF. Of course for that to work you really need to be in
serious trouble.

As I said not suggesting throw the VHF over the side but .............
put the mobile in one of those special placky bags for them because it
will do you most good, most places a rec boater is likely to really need it.

Just so you know the barrier reef is probably 30-40 miles offshore in
the Whitsunday region & for tourists they have daily big ferries going
out & a permanently manned pontoon in one of the lagoons. After much
national park compromise they allowed a repeater to go in one of the
mountains on Whitsunday Island now all around the area even out at the
reef people can make & receive normal in the bay type communications.

K

In the US, believe it or not, private vessels are not required to carry
a VHF radio. Looks like you folks in AUS are more safety conscious in
this regard.

Really that does surprise me, a functioning radio is part of the safety
equip, as is an epirb if you're 2 miles offshore & recently the very
controversial compulsory "wearing" of life jackets. I do believe you & I
guess it's just a part of being American, more freedoms & less regs,
which is in general a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Till as the
boat goes down I can't get out a mayday on ch16, then find myself
treading water with no life jacket nor epirb:-). Sounds crazy I know but
for me on balance I'll take your way than ours:-)

With DSC, there is now more privacy than before for non emergency
conversations on a VHF.

I carry my cell phone everywhere I go, including out on the boat. My
land line office phone forwards to the cell 24/7, so I can be "working"
on those days I may not actually be doing much work. (Gets to be a
nuisance on the long vacation cruises). The cell phone works great for
calling ahead to a marina to check on the hours of the fuel dock or
arrange transient moorage. My wife can call one of her girlfriends and
yak away for an hour or so in the unlikely event she gets bored with my
company......(so she spends hours every day on the phone). I think a
cell phone is a useful communication device, and there is no good
reason *not* to carry one- but if I had to boat with only a VHF or only
a cellphone, I'd leave the cell phone on the dock.

Na Chuck no woman would ever get bored with you, besides if you get
stuck for material just use one of the camera threads from this boating
group:-)

Cell phones have pretty well put the marine operators out of business,
and that's no loss for nearshore boaters. It used to be that if we
wanted to make a phone call from the boat we would have to hail the
marine operator, and then the marine operator would patch us through to
the number at the other end. I think the rates used to be several
dollars a minute- I clearly remember a bill of over $40 for a marine
operator phone call that really wasn't all that long.

Not realising you didn't "have" to have a radio I was well out of order,
if it's an either or choice then you better have the radio:-)

K