Scanner aboard boat

[Scannernitwit]

Hello everyone.

Not just kidding with my screen name; as mentioned in previous posts, I can barely put batteries in a flashlight! (Yes, I read the manual.)
Radio Reference has helped me many times and I am reaching out again.

From Newport, RI to Northern Maine, I am frequently aboard my boat. The boat is a 24-foot center console with T-top and it is not uncommon for me to put in a 100-mile day. I am often alone. Though I am not a scanner user, my idea is to put a scanner aboard to have something to listen to as I travel the coast.

Home Patrol Two: Touch screen, bigger text, color and just add a zip code. However, recently handling one it appears somewhat flimsy. From what I was told, battery life is mediocre. I really like the size.
BCD436hp: A bit more robust and if I want I can put it in my pocket. Smaller text. (I’m getting old.) Same zip code ability. ( A colleague owns it and he can help me.)
Antenna: Is it feasible to put an external antenna aboard a fiberglass boat?
My current Uniden 125AT* does what I typically need. Local FD, PD and basic inter-agency. It’s beat and I would buy another. However, I thought being able to listen to the Massachusetts State Police, DCR, Environmental Police would be good to have.
The 100 and 200 SDS radios are expensive and truthfully all the complexity I read about her at RR is a bit too intimidating.

I recognize issues of water and salt. The new radio would be stored in a secure and (relative) dry place with external speaker used on the console

Suggestions, comments or questions are welcomed.
Thanks everyone and take care.

* For the twentieth anniversary of WTC/911 I motored a 17-foot open Boston Whaler from Boston to NYC then up the Hudson to Albany, NY. Nine days, 480 miles. Listening to random radio traffic and NYC agencies during the trip was a blast.

 

[trentbob]

Well, the fact you're not a big scanner user could be a drawback, it's difficult to set up in a boat. Not the mechanics of it, that's easy, it's more reception and being able to actually hear.

I grew up in the Philly area but spent every summer at the Jersey Shore around boats as far back as I can remember and had radios of all types for as long as I can remember as my dad was a ham.

I moved to Long Island, to go to College starting in 1971. In the summer worked as a licensed Bayman, better known as a Clam Digger. Also worked as a commercial fishing boat mate.

I had two boats, one a professional wooden Garvey for clam digging and a 16 ft Boston Whaler. Both outboards.

So I assume you are using a 24-ft center console with an outboard? And your go-to radio is a125at and you're considering purchasing a new radio to be able to use in your boat.

You're unfamiliarity with scanners is going to be a big drawback for you.

Yes you can put an antenna on a fiberglass boat, it would have to be a certain type of antenna but that would be the least of your issues.

If you're going to go to all the trouble of putting a radio in that's going to work and that you're going to actually be able to hear, you really want a higher end radio as maybe your 125AT is doing it for you now but I assure you a simulcast digital radio will certainly open up so much more to you and if you're going to buy a new radio you kind of want to avoid much much older radios.

When I was operating a scanner on my boats and basically scanners had just come into being, we used slide rule dial tunable monitors at that time, but the new crystal-controlled radios had limited channels, perhaps four or eight. Simple to use and didn't take a lot of attention. I was on the Great South Bay of Suffolk County, they had a large police Marine Division with many vessels on VHF High repeaters and we had the New York State conservation police who basically regulated my craft who were on a Statewide VHF High repeater system. It was great to be able to listen to them to ply my trade.

Just wanted to give you a background on my experience even though it was well over 50 years ago.

Being a boater and knowing what gasoline cost today and it's going up again, to do a hundred miles a day with an outboard motor, money is obviously not a consideration.

I would go for something that would get the job done. Large display that you can set for bright white and black background. And that would be the sds200. You're not going to leave it in your boat, you're just going to unplug it and bring it inside.

You're going to need to hear this thing over your outboard motor and I'm assuming we're talking 60 to 100 horsepower? Some people would probably suggest an SDS 100 because it is water resistant but only has one earphone receptacle and puts out very low volume because it's meant for an earphone.

Some might suggest earphones but you would still need real good quality insulated earphones and quite honestly as a license professional boater, I wouldn't recommend that, you want to be able to hear what's going on around you.

You're talking about Amplified speakers or better off a horn.

I know that's pretty basic stuff, I'm sure they'll be plenty of other people that have put scanners in their boats and can give you more details.

I just wanted to give you a background of my experience having scanners in my boats and always enjoyed it.

 

[mmckenna]

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

 

[FKimble]

Personally, I'd install a CD/memory stick player and load a stick with my favorite music. A medium size mem stick full of MP3's can play all day an still not wrap back around. A CD full is good for 10-12 hours. Mid 60's to mid 70's, the good stuff!

Frank

 

[dave3825]

Antenna: Is it feasible to put an external antenna aboard a fiberglass boat?

You can do an antenna to the boat but you might get by with the antenna on the scanner even a good distance from the coast. Wont be much obstructions between you and the coast. I have had my 436 on the boat many times in the Great South Bay and was able to receive plenty with Remtronix 800 Mhz antenna.

For the twentieth anniversary of WTC/911 I motored a 17-foot open Boston Whaler from Boston to NYC then up the Hudson to Albany, NY

Have not had my Whaler in the Hudson but its on the list. Did make journey from Great South Bay to LI Sound via Hells Gate on a friends boat and the 436 was non stop action.

 

[Scannernitwit]

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

 

[Scannernitwit]

Scanner antenna on a boat isn't really a challenge. You'd need to be a bit creative, but there are options.

I'd be looking closely at what you want to hear. Choose a scanner that does what you want. Get a good clean power feed. Make sure the scanner will drive an external speaker with enough kick to be heard over your outboard. Mount it all in an appropriate location. Get a dedicated water resistant external speaker designed for marine use.

Thank you Mr. Mmckenna. You have helped in the past and I appreciate your reply.

The overwhelming frequencies I listen to are basic UHF/VHF.

My listening habits are casual using basic VHF/UHF frequencies. When in Boston Harbor or vicinity I listen to local PD, and Fire and a few Harbor Masters. Buzzards Bay... same thing.
If the grandkids are aboard, we tune in to aircraft flying over our head landing at Logan. On longer trips I put into towns along the route and listen to the locals. (In Kingston, NY I listened to FD get called out to a fire alarm at my motel! That was cool.) Passing Long Island NY I listened to all kinds of stuff using the search mode. (worked okay +/-) Maine coast is near all VHF Fire and Police.
I like city to city and county wide channels. Near all are UHF and work fine on my 125AT.

I recognize I could use a new Scanner. The 100 and 200 would be great, but honestly, I believe they are overkill for me. Despite that, I keep thinking about the SDS 100.

Listening to Massachusetts State Police Marine, Environmental Police, and others that that have trunk systems would be “nice”, not necessary. However, I spend a significant amount of time on Massachusetts Dept. Conservation/Recreation lands and they are trunked.
Hence the HP2 and 436hp idea.

I have watched many YouTube videos, read manuals and read the RR comments about the various trunk capable radios. I can not grasp some of what I read. Especially, blocking and unblocking unwanted radio traffic and having “banks” of channels loaded for regions I travel.

My preference will be portable to avoid issues of power on the boat.
It is my intention to get a amplified waterproof speaker.

Lastly, you helped me a lot last year regarding a robust commercial radio for UHF Public Safety and GMRS. The Kenwood has been excellent and a beast. Loud and beaten on, I use it regularly when instructing. One possibility is if I decide to forgo listening to MA trunked systems I may have the Kenwood reprogramed for the various regions I cruise along.

Thanks again, take care.

PS: I have no idea how I sent the previous message with the many text boxes. My apologies.

 

[Scannernitwit]

Personally, I'd install a CD/memory stick player and load a stick with my favorite music. A medium size mem stick full of MP3's can play all day an still not wrap back around. A CD full is good for 10-12 hours. Mid 60's to mid 70's, the good stuff!

Frank

Hi Frank.
Yes, I agree!
I have a few music files for long distances. This weekend I am heading down to Easton, Pennsylvania (from Boston) and have my lists ready to go. The thought about having a scanner aboard is due to my interest in what's happening around me.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
Take care.

 

[trentbob]

Yes the above post is totally off topic for this thread. As I said, you can install a scanner antenna on a fiberglass boat. Just need to consider certain factors. Not sure what your intent here is but, did my best to respond appropriately. This thread has gone off topic.

 

[mmckenna]

Here's what I'd do:

Get one of these:

EM Wave EM-BSA001 - Thick Surface Mount up to 1" | The Antenna Farm

Antenna Adapter, NMO to Type N Female, 0 to 3000 MHz

theantennafarm.com

Mount it somewhere up as high as you can get it and out of the way of everything else. If you have a top over the center console, that's where I'd put it. If not, put it on the center console near the windshield. Ideally, put some wire mesh, foil or other conductive surface on the underside of the fiberglass and sandwich it between the mount and fiberglass. That'll give you the ground plane.

Add this antenna. I'm using these at work and we are near the ocean. It's VHF, UHF and 7-800MHz.

EM Wave EM-M43002 - Triple Band Mobile Antennas

EM-M43002 Tri-Band IP67 Rated Roof Mount Antenna, 150-162/450-490/763-870 MHz

theantennafarm.com

Purchase or make a jumper from the N connector on the mount to your scanner.


Or, if you really want to go completely nuts and make your own Russian Trawler:

Morad VHF-156 HD - Marine Antennas | The Antenna Farm

Heavy Duty 150-158 MHz (Marine VHF Band) Antenna 6dB gain

theantennafarm.com

and

Morad UHF-HD Special - Marine Antennas | The Antenna Farm

Heavy Duty UHF 300-850 MHz Marine Antenna 6dB (Custom Tuned)

theantennafarm.com

Add a diplexer to combine the two antennas and feed the antenna input on your scanner.

 

[Scannernitwit]

You can do an antenna to the boat but you might get by with the antenna on the scanner even a good distance from the coast. Wont be much obstructions between you and the coast. I have had my 436 on the boat many times in the Great South Bay and was able to receive plenty with Remtronix 800 Mhz antenna.

Have not had my Whaler in the Hudson but its on the list. Did make journey from Great South Bay to LI Sound via Hells Gate on a friends boat and the 436 was non stop action.

Hello Dave.

The trip down to NYC was very tough due to passing remnants of hurricane. Thankfully despite harsh sea conditions the weather was very good with excellent visibility. It was not until we headed up the Hudson that my son and I were able to open up the throttle on flat water.
Two prior experiences on the Hudson. Both Albany to NYC and back. Keep a close eye for semi-submerged objects. We had a close call. Regardless a great experience. If you travel on the Hudson stop at the Hudson Museum in Kingston. A very good take.

I keep thinking about whether to get the SRS100 over the 436hp. ( The HomePatrol 2 does not strike me as a robust radio)Some colleagues have suggested what you have written.
The portable antenna will work fine receiving nearby broadcasts. My 125AT does great in my truck driving around using stock antenna.

Thank you for the reply.

Take care.

 

[Scannernitwit]

Well, the fact you're not a big scanner user could be a drawback, it's difficult to set up in a boat. Not the mechanics of it, that's easy, it's more reception and being able to actually hear.

I grew up in the Philly area but spent every summer at the Jersey Shore around boats as far back as I can remember and had radios of all types for as long as I can remember as my dad was a ham.

I moved to Long Island, to go to College starting in 1971. In the summer worked as a licensed Bayman, better known as a Clam Digger. Also worked as a commercial fishing boat mate.

I had two boats, one a professional wooden Garvey for clam digging and a 16 ft Boston Whaler. Both outboards.

So I assume you are using a 24-ft center console with an outboard? And your go-to radio is a125at and you're considering purchasing a new radio to be able to use in your boat.

You're unfamiliarity with scanners is going to be a big drawback for you.

Yes you can put an antenna on a fiberglass boat, it would have to be a certain type of antenna but that would be the least of your issues.

If you're going to go to all the trouble of putting a radio in that's going to work and that you're going to actually be able to hear, you really want a higher end radio as maybe your 125AT is doing it for you now but I assure you a simulcast digital radio will certainly open up so much more to you and if you're going to buy a new radio you kind of want to avoid much much older radios.

When I was operating a scanner on my boats and basically scanners had just come into being, we used slide rule dial tunable monitors at that time, but the new crystal-controlled radios had limited channels, perhaps four or eight. Simple to use and didn't take a lot of attention. I was on the Great South Bay of Suffolk County, they had a large police Marine Division with many vessels on VHF High repeaters and we had the New York State conservation police who basically regulated my craft who were on a Statewide VHF High repeater system. It was great to be able to listen to them to ply my trade.

Just wanted to give you a background on my experience even though it was well over 50 years ago.

Being a boater and knowing what gasoline cost today and it's going up again, to do a hundred miles a day with an outboard motor, money is obviously not a consideration.

I would go for something that would get the job done. Large display that you can set for bright white and black background. And that would be the sds200. You're not going to leave it in your boat, you're just going to unplug it and bring it inside.

You're going to need to hear this thing over your outboard motor and I'm assuming we're talking 60 to 100 horsepower? Some people would probably suggest an SDS 100 because it is water resistant but only has one earphone receptacle and puts out very low volume because it's meant for an earphone.

Some might suggest earphones but you would still need real good quality insulated earphones and quite honestly as a license professional boater, I wouldn't recommend that, you want to be able to hear what's going on around you.

You're talking about Amplified speakers or better off a horn.

I know that's pretty basic stuff, I'm sure they'll be plenty of other people that have put scanners in their boats and can give you more details.

I just wanted to give you a background of my experience having scanners in my boats and always enjoyed it.

Oh, I forgot.

I will be in Easton Pennsylvania this weekend. Regrettably I am committed. A beer and burger meet up would have been fun!

Take care.

 

[dave3825]

Keep a close eye for semi-submerged objects.

Yeah, your not kidding. With the friend, we hit a piling partially submerged in front of Statue of Liberty with his Grady White with twin 200 Evinrudes. Both went up, only one came down. Could not crack the pressure relief valve. Trip thru Hells Gate was torture. His Bro in law was a CO at Rikers Island. We stopped there and 6 officers all tried to crack the screw, with no luck. One motor from there to Great Neck with decent South West winds. What a long ride.

The portable antenna will work fine receiving nearby broadcasts.

You could always try before buying and mounting something to the boat. I have a vhf antenna on mine and never had the urge to even hook it to my 436 since I was getting a good amount of reception while a mile or 2 off the shore with the stock antenna.

 

[trentbob]

Oh, I forgot.

I will be in Easton Pennsylvania this weekend. Regrettably I am committed. A beer and burger meet up would have been fun!

Take care.

My condolences on having to go to Easton, only worst place I can think of would be Scranton, Pa.. LOL.

You are new, always check out posters, check their number of postings and reaction scores. You've had some good responses here from legendary posters.

If your intent is really to put a scanner in a running boat to serve you in the best way it can, don't cut corners.

I would certainly meet up anytime lol. Done it many times.

Learn, read, listen and study.. Bob.

 

[Scannernitwit]

Thanks Bob.

There are skills I am very good at and I have decades of experience doing what I do. I truly recognize and appreciate your comments about not cutting corners. When it comes to safety, operations, etc., I don't, but for this it will be a comfort decision.

There are many things I do not know. When uncertain, I like to use forums. Here at RR, ninety percent of the replies are very helpful.
I am not familiar with the various etiquette accepted. I reply to every post to me and do my best to be polite.
Until you mentioned it, I have never given thought to scores and I will take time to learn about that.

Eh...Easton is not so bad! Been there a few times and I can grab Crayons for the grandkids.

Later today I am going to the HAM Outlet in NH to take a look at radios and seek opinion. I will make a decision and let you and others know and end the post.

Take care.

Kevin

I've had a few drinks at Mickey Gannon's pub in Scranton. Not sure if it is still there.
Good place to chill.

​

 

[trentbob]

Haven't been to Easton in a long time for my job and across the bridge in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, yes Crayola crayons factory is a plus, Scranton has fallen on some pretty hard times but is known for Steamtown, which is a huge outdoor train museum and is a federal park.

Getting back to the topic of installing a scanner in a boat and going by your username LOL, just keep in mind as you travel on your boat more and more communities are moving over to simulcast phase 2 systems, including state governments. Even though a radio is Phase 2 capable, like the 436 which is 9 years old, it may not handle simulcast distortion well. You get what you pay for.

Radio reference is a great source, the database, wiki, doing searches, lots to read.

I see you're thinking about the SDS 100, that is a radio that has an SDR chip and is designed to handle simulcast transmissions, it is water resistant (they used the carcass of a pre-existing marine radio to save money) and there are good aftermarket antennas that will replace the standard issue one which is meh. There's also a good choice of leather and nylon cases.

As I had said, big problem on a boat is noise, you need a good amplified speaker. The earphone jack on the 100 is designed for earphones and delivers very low volume, in my experience the speaker on the radio is adequate but not for a boat.

When I attach an amplified speaker in the car to the earphone jack it delivers equal or lower volume than the speaker on the radio itself. Something to consider, while you're underway at near full throttle.

That's why I was recommending the SDS 200, it has a earphone jack on the front and a speaker jack on the rear that will deliver much louder volume to a amplified speaker. It also has a large screen that can be modified to have white text on a black background.

Enjoy your trip!.. Bob.

 

[RichM]

I always ran a scanner on my Boston Whaler Montauk. Reception on the water was always excellent, I just used a handheld with the rubber ducky antenna. Hearing anything - marine radio, stereo or scanner is always a challenge while underway in an open boat. A good external speaker mounted high on the console will be a must. My vote is for the Home Patrol, the large color touch screen would look great next to your other electronics and be easy to see and operate from the helm. Try it with the stock antenna first, it very well might be good enough as is.

Rich

 

[PD47JD]

Well, the fact you're not a big scanner user could be a drawback, it's difficult to set up in a boat. Not the mechanics of it, that's easy, it's more reception and being able to actually hear.

I grew up in the Philly area but spent every summer at the Jersey Shore around boats as far back as I can remember and had radios of all types for as long as I can remember as my dad was a ham.

I moved to Long Island, to go to College starting in 1971. In the summer worked as a licensed Bayman, better known as a Clam Digger. Also worked as a commercial fishing boat mate.

I had two boats, one a professional wooden Garvey for clam digging and a 16 ft Boston Whaler. Both outboards.

So I assume you are using a 24-ft center console with an outboard? And your go-to radio is a125at and you're considering purchasing a new radio to be able to use in your boat.

You're unfamiliarity with scanners is going to be a big drawback for you.

Yes you can put an antenna on a fiberglass boat, it would have to be a certain type of antenna but that would be the least of your issues.

If you're going to go to all the trouble of putting a radio in that's going to work and that you're going to actually be able to hear, you really want a higher end radio as maybe your 125AT is doing it for you now but I assure you a simulcast digital radio will certainly open up so much more to you and if you're going to buy a new radio you kind of want to avoid much much older radios.

When I was operating a scanner on my boats and basically scanners had just come into being, we used slide rule dial tunable monitors at that time, but the new crystal-controlled radios had limited channels, perhaps four or eight. Simple to use and didn't take a lot of attention. I was on the Great South Bay of Suffolk County, they had a large police Marine Division with many vessels on VHF High repeaters and we had the New York State conservation police who basically regulated my craft who were on a Statewide VHF High repeater system. It was great to be able to listen to them to ply my trade.

Just wanted to give you a background on my experience even though it was well over 50 years ago.

Being a boater and knowing what gasoline cost today and it's going up again, to do a hundred miles a day with an outboard motor, money is obviously not a consideration.

I would go for something that would get the job done. Large display that you can set for bright white and black background. And that would be the sds200. You're not going to leave it in your boat, you're just going to unplug it and bring it inside.

You're going to need to hear this thing over your outboard motor and I'm assuming we're talking 60 to 100 horsepower? Some people would probably suggest an SDS 100 because it is water resistant but only has one earphone receptacle and puts out very low volume because it's meant for an earphone.

Some might suggest earphones but you would still need real good quality insulated earphones and quite honestly as a license professional boater, I wouldn't recommend that, you want to be able to hear what's going on around you.

You're talking about Amplified speakers or better off a horn.

I know that's pretty basic stuff, I'm sure they'll be plenty of other people that have put scanners in their boats and can give you more details.

I just wanted to give you a background of my experience having scanners in my boats and always enjoyed it.

A finicky SDS100 for a person who writes "I am not a scanner user, my idea is to put a scanner aboard to have something to listen to as I travel the coast." I know of scanner hobbyists with two and three decades of experience and cumulative knowledge and even they have issues with the SDS100 not to mention the SDS200. This is sophisticated equipment for the sophisticated or serious hobbyist. As an aside, don't count the money in someone's wallet.

 

[trentbob]

A finicky SDS100 for a person who writes "I am not a scanner user, my idea is to put a scanner aboard to have something to listen to as I travel the coast." I know of scanner hobbyists with two and three decades of experience and cumulative knowledge and even they have issues with the SDS100 not to mention the SDS200. This is sophisticated equipment for the sophisticated or serious hobbyist. As an aside, don't count the money in someone's wallet.

Unfortunately if you're going to listen to the things that the poster said he was interested in and you're going to travel up and down the eastern coast you're not going to hear very much without a sophisticated scanner. Fact of life.

Some people take on the challenge and learn to get the results they want and others don't. It's a choice, just as spending the money is one's own choice. Tongue in cheek, I made reference to having resources because the amount of gasoline he appears to purchase using his boat🙂.

Reading the entire thread...
The original poster was looking at a possible BCD 436 which is basically the same level of sophistication of operation as the SDSXXX. You will hear less secondary to simulcast distortion.

He expressed interest in an SDS 100 also.

I have suggested the sds200 as the 100 is not going to deliver the volume with only an earphone jack to hook up to an amplified speaker, it won't be loud enough. It also has the larger screen.

So again, reading the entire thread, I think Kevin shows a little more knowledge than you think he has here, despite his playful username and is going to Ham Radio Outlet in New Hampshire to seek advice and I imagine window shop.

Hope he comes back and tells us his progress as he said he would.

Believe me having a scanner in a boat was a lot more fun over 50 years ago as I described above when crystal controlled scanners were new, can you imagine?, you could actually listen to eight different channels at once and were able to pick up whatever you wanted. You weren't stuck on one frequency on a slide rule dial monitor anymore. Space Age stuff. 👍

 

[Scannernitwit]

Hello everyone.

Whether a screwdriver or in this case scanner, when I am uncertain I reach out to user forums. It is not just about opinions, and suggestions, I really enjoy the back and forth and I learn. I read every comment carefully, thank you for the varied comments regarding my scanner on a boat question.

Yesterday the SDS100 weighed heavy on my mind, but I purchased the 436HP.

“Buy once, cry once”, get the best you can afford is an adage we all understand.

For this, the purchase cost is not the leading factor in my decision and I am thankful for that.
There are a handful of reasons that I bought the 436HP.

Two thirds of my boating is between Rockport, and Plymouth, MA., even so, most of it is in Greater Boston. The rest is NH, Maine and occasional trips to visit my son in Newport, RI. All the frequencies I listen to work well on my 125AT. It was my desire to listen to the Massachusetts State Police and a couple of other Massachusetts trunked systems that moved me to purchase a new scanner. Honestly, I don't have interest in any other trunked systems.

The 436HP is older, but I believe it will do what I want. Importantly, a colleague has the same radio and can help me and I was given a Uniden GPS that works with this radio.

For me there is no consequence if I miss a call due to simulcast, engine noise or any other reason. I am not an advanced hobbyist nor is the radio used in my job. My use is recreational curiosity. Nice to know versus need to know. The 436HP is not future proof and I recognize that and that may bite me in the ass. Not being able to listen to a Sheriff’s Dept. in Colorado this summer might be a bummer, but that’s all.

After some basic research, I have found the overwhelming Public Safety channels along the New England coast are not trunked or digital. (Did I say that correctly?) There are other radios aboard for matters of safety and of course my phone.

After forty or so years, (Military, Public Safety and some other cool stuff) I am retired now. I have used many radios; some very sophisticated. Me, I push to talk, anything else I have colleagues that can help. You all know the saying, “Those who can, do, those that can’t, teach.” I teach and still use radios. RR helped me a great deal last year with that.

Many years on boats, professionally and for recreation.
GPS, chartplotters and other devices really make a difference, however, when able, I use a chart, compass and pencil. That’s just the way I am. Technology and I do not get along!

For now, I will put off buying the external antenna and learn the radio. I will purchase an improved rubber duck antenna; a powered speaker is next on the list. Later today I am driving to Pennsylvania and if I figure out how to turn it on I will try it out the radio. We’ll see... wish me luck!

Again. Thank you everyone for helping me.
Keep an eye out for the sale of a slightly used 436HP!

Take care.
Kevin