why is vhf radio considered the best for help？

VHF radio is considered the best radio for help due to its many advantages. Marine VHF radios allow ship owners to listen to broadcast messages, call other ships or shore stations or groups of ship stations, and broadcast distress, emergency and safety messages. At the same time, obtaining an operator certificate is very simple.

Advantages of VHF Radio

First, VHF radio has a very wide frequency range, allowing it to communicate with a variety of different devices.

Second, VHF radios have long battery life.

Third, VHF radios are very affordable.

Which one is better, cell phone or VHF radio?

Signal strength

In most areas of the ocean, there are no cell towers. So your phone will be roaming. So your cell phone cannot be your first choice in an emergency.

A VHF radio should be your first port of call for help in an emergency. If your boat's GPS is connected to a VHF radio, first responders can quickly find you and assist you. At the same time, today's walkie-talkies can run a selective calling (DCS) function, allowing you to implement a quick distress call function. For communications with the U.S. Coast Guard, only channel 22A is available.

The U.S. Coast Guard has a vast network of towers that listen for distress calls, and if you send out a distress call, any nearby boaters with radios can also hear you, increasing your chances of being rescued.

Time of use

If properly maintained, the battery of a handheld VHF radio can last all day. The reliability of the installed VHF radio is even more apparent because it is connected to the ship's power supply. Generally speaking, VHF radio equipment lasts for many years.

The cost

Compared with mobile phones, VHF radios will be your more cost-effective choice. VHF handheld devices for use at sea are waterproof and buoyant. And if your phone falls into sea water, you may need to spend more.

Summarize

From the above factors, using VHF radio will be a more helpful tool at sea.