A necessary piece safety gear for kayak fishing open water is a Marine Very High Frequency (VHF) Radio. Personally I have had great experience using a Standard Horizon Handheld HX209 VHF Radio. The MTI Dio F Spec PFD has a built-in pocket for the handheld VHF. Along with the VHF radio I like to use an external microphone/speaker. The radio fits inside a zippered pocket designed with a built in antenna port allows it to protrude through the pocket. Attatching the mic to the shoulder strap of the PFD easily allows monitoring the radio along with keying up to speak. The external mic is submersible which works best for us kayak anglers. The speaker/mic also has a clip making  it easy to keep on my shoulder area. it is necessary to access the radio only when switching channels and changing the volume.

Marine Radios vs Cell Phones:

Marine radios are the primary device for on water marine communication including distress. Cell Phones are primary land based communication devices that contact land based telephones. So they both have their own uses. A Marine Radio is able to be heard by anyone in ranged dialed into the same frequency.  A cell phone is a person to person connection which will not enable assistance from other vessels in the area.

That being said, they are not comparable since they both do different things. A VHF Marine Radio is best for on water use due to ability of multiple vessels hearing your transmission. This greatly reduces arrival time for assistance.

HX290 Features

• Floating
• Submersible IPX8 (1.5 meters or 4.92 feet for 30 minutes)
• Slim form fitting case
• Selectable 5 and 1 Watt transmit power output
• Supplied with a 1140 mAh Li-ion battery, AC and DC chargers and a charging cradle
• Glow-In-the-Dark strip
• Huge channel display
• Optional speaker microphone or headset capable
• All USA, International and Canadian Marine Channels
• Programmable Scan, Priority Scan and Dual Watch
• NOAA Weather channels and Weather Alert
• Key lock
• Squelch level on display
• Low battery indicator
• Preset key used to recall up to 10 favorite channels
• Optional FBA-42 Alkaline battery tray available
• 3 Year Waterproof Warranty

Great features of this model VHF radio are the Key Lock for in pocket use. The additional external mic ability. Rechargeable Li-ion battery. Weather alert.

Manufacturers website http://standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=85&encProdID=43176D11CC8DF3B49149D8AF658C0CC3&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0

Sealect Designs sent over an awesome package of rigging hardware for the new Kilroy LT! This hardware will enable the install of the Torqeedo Motor and also leash points for the flush mount rod holders. Look for the installation write up and video in a few weeks!

The package includes the K747205-1 Tru-course Foot Braces for Torqeedo Steering Control, a few different style clam cleats for tie down lines, deck fittings, line rigging hardware, Low Stretch deck line for trim/tie down lines.

Also included new stainless steel cable adjusters! The original ones are aluminum and tend to oxidize in salt water. I will be changing out all of my steering installs with the new ones!

Looking forward to the install!!

Last year I reran all of my kayak steering cables on the Big Rig for the Torqeedo. Instead of swaging the cable termination at the foot brace I used a 3/16″ wire rope clamp. The original clamps made it through the season, but galvanized steel had rusted and corroded in no time.

The reason for this upgrade was to grant the ability of leaving the steering cables fully adjustable and removable for maintenance. A wire rope clamp is a U-bolt with a saddle and 2 nuts. A wire rope clamp is used for clamping down on 2 strands of wire rope to securely form a loop. They range in all different sizes. For this application a 3/16″ clamp is best. To assemble, insert the end of wire rope into clip saddle loop back around and set the end inside the saddle under the U-Bolt and tighten nuts until secure.

Previously using cable swages which permanently crimp to the cable and are only removed by cutting off. This made any sort of maintenance impossible without cutting the cable. Previously I was able to remove the swages using a Dremel tool precisely not to cut into the wire rope. This took time and was not ideal.

The new clamps pictured are stainless steel and should last much longer in the saltwater environment. The steel rope clamps are pretty inexpensive at around $1.50 to $2.00 apiece but can be purchased in bulk cheaper.