How to Boost a VHF Marine Radio

Whenever your boat is moving you should have your VHF radio turned on and tuned to Channel 16, except when your are using the radio to talk. To keep your battery from draining and to avoid any interference you could cause other users, you should keep your radio set at a default power setting of one watt. This will be more than adequate if the party you want to talk to is just a few miles away. Sometimes, if you want to talk farther you will have to boost the power.

Things You'll Need

• Cobra MRF-45 Marine Radio

Instructions

How to Boost a VHF Marine Radio

1. Press the "High/Low Power" button. The readout will show which is in effect, either low power at one watt, which should be your default setting, or high power at 25 watts.

2. Toggle between power levels and transmit at the selected power level.

3. Some channels are restricted to low power and your radio will need to be over-ridden to boost power to 25 watts. For example, in an emergency situation when using the USA channel map, you want to increase power on Channel 13 to be heard over a long distance. Simply press and hold down the "High/Low Power" button.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't transmit more than half of the time the radio is in use The radio is transmitting when the Talk button is pressed. This is particularly important in high power mode.

References

• Cobra MRF-45 Manual