VHF still rules

Regardless of what technology you install on your boat, a VHF radio will always remain your first, and most important, form of emergency communication when out on the water. This may seem counter-intuitive to the Facebook generation, but experienced boati

Whatever technology you choose, check that your antenna and device (whether a booster or a Wifi Modem) are compatible. Also, ensure the device is installed in a protected location, since few of these devices offer anything like the IPX waterproof rating that we have come to expect of marine equipment.

I recently installed a high-gain mobile antenna from Cellutronics, and a mobile Wifi device (hotspot) from Vodafone. While the Wifi hotspot device requires its own SIM card, this was obtained free from Vodafone and linked to my existing mobile plan. So using this hotspot doesn’t cost any more than using the phone directly.

The important detail though is that the Wifi module has a plug to connect to an external antenna, as can be seen on the side of the device. When ordering your antenna from Cellutronics you need to specify which device you have and the appropriate connector is supplied.

INSTALLATION

It was extremely simple.

After choosing a suitable position for the antenna, as high on the radar arch as possible, we drilled four holes for the mounting screws to hold the base. An existing hole allowed the cable to be threaded down through the inside of the radar arch, and it then carefully followed the other cables runs inside the cabin down to the main cockpit.

The Wifi device has an internal battery and so can be located anywhere, but a location close to one of the previously-installed powered USB sockets means that is can be charged up as and when required.

Configuring was as easy as any other Wifi hotspot, with the mobile devices (Smartphone or ipad) finding the hotspot and registering onto it using the supplied password.

We have not yet had a chance to test the effectiveness of the unit, but there are several spots around Great Barrier island where cellphone reception is patchy or non-existent. We look forward to being able to continue to have network access in these areas in the future! B