Loudspeaker

[tara11]

I want to add a loudspeaker to my marine vhf, it has the hook ups, so do all I do is buy the speaker that mounts somewhere and wire to the radio, push the botton and it works, or is there more to it ?

 

[greatcir]

Some VHF radios can have an external speaker added. Usually the speaker will be weatherproof to mount say outside facing aft so you can hear radio calls better when you are out back. The specs for it can be provided by your radio manufacturer. Maybe your radio has a weak speaker in it and sometimes one can mount an external speaker nearer to their ears to hear the radio when running.

Some VHF radios can also handle a Hailer which is usually a large weather proof rectangular cone thing that is usually on the roof and it will transmit your voice when you are in the Hailer mode and you key the mike - not in the radio mode just in the voice broadcast mode like when you want someones attention at a dock. Depending on the radio, some can also have you hear the responses over you radio. So if it was raining and you called to someone on the dock with a question, then you could hear their response with the mike key off and the radio in the Hailer mode.

Enough to confuse you?..............................Pete

 

[cbigma]

My VHF is mounted down on the console below waist level, and the older I get the tougher it is to hear all traffic clearly from the internal speaker in the VHF.

Rather than move the VHF to the overhead position, I mounted a small external speaker up above the Stbd windshield, to the right of the wiper motor. Its at "ear-level" and much easier to hear now.

 

[J.A. Veil]

My VHF radio has a quiet internal speaker. I bought an external speaker that just sits in the electronics box next to the radio. In the photo, the radio is on the right, the speaker is the white rectangular shape between the radio and GPS/fishfinder. The external speaker has a plug that fits into a jack on the radio. It is low-tech, but has worked for me for 6 years and involved no holes in the boat.

 

[tara11]

Thanks, they actually make a hailer sort of radio, it is cool and has all the loud alarms , like a loud horn for in the fog and you can yell at the fools on the water, but they range dramatically in price, Ray marine is 229.00 and Furuno is 669.00, hudge difference ! But now i know the difference !
Thanks

 

[evinrudejim]

Before you mount that external speaker, you may want to experiment on various locations to determine what if any effect it will have on your compass. 3 Ft maybe not too much; closer and I have seen as much as 5-10 degrees of variation, depending on the distance and the magnet size of the external speaker.

Something to think about.