Ireland Spearing 2012

[bobdonny]

Can't do friday to sunday... I figure I'll have the best viz if I get in on Monday

 

[Jonny250]

yea I have an old handheld waterproof Etrex to bring with me this year, I figure it will be handy for marking off any good locations I might find while I'm out there. I also have a handheld VHF transceiver that I kept when I sold my boat but that's maybe a bit overkill. A waterproof bag with a mobile phone in it is probably a better option to stay in touch with a buddy or in case of emergency.

derek, dont forget that a vhf allows the rescue services to home in on a transmission if necessary. They get you to count down/up and triangulate the signal. Well worth having.

Good luck if you guys get in the water... Catch report...

 

[johnnybuoy]

Your just jealous rob. Working is for losers. Quit your job and come with us........

 

[bobdonny]

Your just jealous rob. Working is for losers. Quit your job and come with us........

you have nooooooooooooo idea how tempting that is!!


anyway, regarding the old the formula for vhf range.... A handheld at water level would be only slightly better than useless. At a height of 1m it would be good for abut 1.2miles but how you'd get above 1m would be tricky... You'd prob need a mast.... A handheld vhf used at water level has an effective range of a third of a mile and is really only good to stay in touch with buddies or a boat and it completely assumes you have direct line of sight.

mobiles on the other hand are digital, much bigger range and can be used at all heights and is not terribly restricted to line of sight.

best case scenario... Use both.... But a brightly coloured float and torch are still the most sensible options imo along with staying shallow and a dive buddy.

I am very keen to use some Argos walkie talkies in a dry bag however!!!

 

[foxfish]

Rob I can Use my hand held to talk to other boats many miles away & I regularly talk to the port station for a radio check at least 5 - 6 miles away.

 

[johnnybuoy]

A VHF on water would broadcast to a rebro on a high cliff and in turn bounce that signal to where ever. They travel in straight lines, yes, but they don't necessarily travel horizontally in straight lines. heavy swell could be a prob bit if u go put in heavy swell then that's your own tough shit and if u don't check the forecast then that again is your own tough shit.
The weather is broadcast via VHF on Chanel 16 at 0103, 0403, 0703, 1003, 1303, 1603, 1903, 2203.
Far from useless IMO but a mobile phone is more effective if u have coverage.
I have compact flares on my boat vac packed........ Great job if u see someone within eye shot.
I'd never discourage anyone from carrying a handheld VHF.

 

[johnnybuoy]

I think your getting VHF mixed up with walkies rob. They broadcast unit to unit but VHF broadcasts to rebros and other units.

 

[bobdonny]

mart, assuming your radio had the power to transmit that far then I would say it is almost certainly rebroadcasted as johnny said. Basically as the earth is round antenna needs to be a height proportional to distance. The workable distance in miles is the square-foot of 1.5 times the height of your device. So if you are on the water with your handheld and you want to talk to another handheld on the horizon your range would be 1.2miles a handhelds effective range would be 1/3 of a mile to the same spot...

This also changes based on the height of the receiver/ transmitter and the formula is 2.5 times the square root of the rebroadcaster + your own height. So if the tower is 50m tall your range is about 16 miles (assuming you handheld can transmit that power) and if you are in the water your range is approximately the same...

however in a boat you can maintain line of sight with the tower in 2m swell... But with a handheld any swell over 10cm will break line of sight and render it useless to everything bar a nearby boat or aircraft.

likewise if you are shallow in a bay or near a cliff you would need to swim out to deeper water to get line of sight on a nearby tower.... Assuming there is one... Any if you are in difficulty swimming out into the ocean is prob last on your mind

johnny.... When was the last time you took a handheld on a shore spearing sesh??

 

[johnnybuoy]

Never. But I have one on my boat which is a very low boat and works fine. There is a rebro at inch and another few near weavers and more above dognose. It's never let me down. No maths can change that man.

 

[bobdonny]

Never. But I have one on my boat which is a very low boat and works fine. There is a rebro at inch and another few near weavers and more above dognose. It's never let me down. No maths can change that man.

damn maths any sciency crap eh!! Always getting in the way of facts

 

[johnnybuoy]

Correct. Wikipedia is great but experience is better ;-)

 

[bobdonny]

Correct. Wikipedia is great but experience is better ;-)

Didn't look to wikipedia... I normally wouldn't consider there as a source of citable material...

Nah, I got it from the radio operators VHF course
But I came across it 2 weeks ago from the dept of transport when looking at the licensing for passenger vessels....
http://www.safetyonthewater.ie/upload/general/9504-17.doc
And I was again looking into it when I was trying to figure out what height external antenna to buy for that warrior i put an offer on at the weekend... I have the cobra handheld but want to improve my height for safety in swell.

But ya, for a guideline wikipedia is ok

 

[johnnybuoy]

The frame on the cuddy is ok for a standard antenna on the warrior. I did radio checks from the lings and way down east. No probs.
How did u find the course? Can't even remember mine it was so long ago. Must do some more courses. Getting bored now being off work. Only so much of Jeremy Kyle u can watch.......

 

[bobdonny]

Well the warrior had a radar arch but no ariel so I was looking to get a 1m collapasable one.... So total would have been close to 3.3m above sea level.
But don't even get me started on that...........it fell through or rather was given to someone else ....... looking now at a pilot 590, halfheartedly to be honest Might just keep my own boat for fishing and the kayak for diving and save for a year or two and get a nearly new outfit. The predator seems a bit better with the swim platform.
Sick of boats....

 

[chealy]

Hi
Anybody know where might have some good viz this wkend? around Cork county would be great ...

cheers

 

[johnnybuoy]

Should be 3/4m vis anywhere on the cork coast. Not much to be speared though. Flatfish are too skinny this time of year. Few bass going and mullet around. What area are u thinking?

 

[chealy]

Not to sure, was thinking either around Nohoval as the viz is usually not to bad round there or Roches point.

 

[johnnybuoy]

Good chance of cod at both places. I'm heading out sunday if u wanna come. Going from shore.

 

[bobdonny]

Nice conviction, but the fines....

Convictions and fines for two fishermen who used nets to catch bass.

Yesterday at Midleton District Court 2 fishermen were found guilty of using nets to catch bass. IFI Fisheries Officers observed the nets on the evening of 11 July 2011 and in the early hours of the next day apprehended the two men.

In evidence the Fisheries Officers stated that following a report they observed a net fixed out just off the shore at Aghada Power Station which was subsequently hauled into an unlighted punt used by the two fishermen in conjunction with a sea fishing boat which was also unlit. The officers quietly approached the punt in a protection boat and using a powerful hand-held spot light suddenly confronted the fishermen. The pair reacted by heaving a fish box containing approximately 20 Bass over the side of the punt into the water.

The fishermen, who retained a Solicitor to fully contest the offences on their behalf, stated that they were fishing for mullet and had taken the bass as a by-catch but had not had the opportunity to discard the Bass, which were in the fish box, before the Fishery Officers appeared on the scene.

Judge Olann Kelleher said he was satisfied that both men were guilty. For using a net to catch bass he fined each man €600 and ordered each man to pay €300 costs. He also made an Order for the Forfeiture of the nets.

 

[johnnybuoy]

That's a pathetic fine. They had the balls to call it by catch.... That's why the quotas are in place and fish go back dead. It's all due to morons like these who can't be trusted.
U can't say to a fisherman that he can sell his bycatch because by magic the bycatch becomes the main catch. It's all down to trust. Trust v greed...... Greed wins every time.
Glad people are blowing the whistle on these criminals but the courts need to step it up a good bit.