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Mike Schoonveld: Are marine radios obsolete?

Relying on a full-featured, handheld marine radio is much better than relying on a cell phone for communications when boating on our Great Lakes. (Photo courtesy of Mike Schoonveld)

Cell phones have made many electronic “things” obsolete, or at least made us wonder why we still need them.

Desktop computers, clocks, cameras, Walkmans, AM-FM radios, even televisions! Get the latest model, the right apps, and your phone will wake you up, chart your day, monitor your health, help navigate your car, order your breakfast, and who knows what else? Are VHF marine radios another piece of technology destined for the trash heap of ancient history?

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