Marine Radio

Hey I’m going to purchase a marine radio for my 17.5′ alumacraft for superior. Any advice on which radio to buy? Price isn’t a concern as this could potentially save my life lol. Also anything else I need to do or should do to my boat to make it Great Lakes ready. Thanks for any help!

Just make sure you know the antenna is as important as the radio that you choose. Buy a good one. Keep the cable as short as possible to reduce resistance. Wrap your connections in silicone tape to keep the moisture out to. I’ve seen a lot of good radios not work out on Erie. And it had nothing to do with he radio.
As far as anything else for a boat that size you may want to look at a set of wave whackers. A small boat and a big wave don’t go together very well.
Also, I always put my cell phone in a waterproof pouch and have it on my person. If your boat capsizes your radio may not work. Especially if your no longer in the boat. You can tread water with one hand and make a 911 call before your phone gets so wet it don’t work. Or crawl on top of your capsized boat. Not sure about Superior but I know Erie has pretty good cell phone coverage. The life you save may be your own.

You will want your radio hooked to your gps. In case of trouble it will transmit your location to all the shipping boats in the area. Also you need a flare safety kit on board.

Standard horizon makes a nice one. Had one in my last boat and was pleased.

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/lakesup_boatingguide.pdf

I attached a link to the Lake Superior Boater guide. There are several safety requirements you will need like flares, Horn and some more. They are listed in the manual.

I will say, If you find yourself in the fog make sure you are hitting your horn every minute of so. Radar is a great tool if you can afford it. You would be surprised how many boats wander around in the fog w/o radar nor hit their horn (if they even have one that is load enough).

Also, radio works by line of sight meaning higher antenna is better. Don’t skimp and a handheld or little 3′ whip antenna.

So do these marine radios run off your current antenna if you have a regular am/fm radio in your boat or do you need to install one with the unit?

You’ll need a marine antenna.