Music on board

[Auzzee]

I was just this week reminded of one of my pet hates. I was afloat on a lake in Pha yao, sailing a Laser like little boat thinking just how wonderful the world, the Thai countryside and the landlocked town of Pha yao really are.

Scudding about on a small boat, under blue skies, with the gentle zephyr occasionally strengthening to maybe 10 knots, was idyllic. Some distance from shore I became aware of the unmistakable antisocial bass, blurting out across the water from a small cabin cruiser, which accompanies the 1600bpm duff-duff, that characterises a specific musical subset.

Making a bloody noise in the suburbs is one thing. Man builds effective baffles through architecture, which can be used to mute all manner of noise emanating from a wide variety of sources.

But on the water, there is nothing save the amplifying effect of the atmosphere above a reflective plane of H20. I try to moderate my comments in the knowledge that I may be approaching the age where the grump in me is not so well camouflaged...and in the certain knowledge that one man's beautiful music is another man's bloody awful racket.

I enjoy playing music occasionally when I am on my 'proper' boat, although it is rarely when I am under sail. At anchor, I listen to classic rock down below but I genuinely care that I do not cause anyone else any form of annoyance. If people want music they can listen to their own, and it is an arrogance and a discourtesy for one person to try to impose his or her music upon others, at any volume.

But it happens.

God invented earphones so that we can all revel in our own particular noise or to choose the sounds of nature.

I'm going to buy a set of bagpipes and an amplifier!

[mico]

ha!

Perhaps we're all grumpy old bastards! Just spent a few weeks cruising Borneo's west coast with another couple aboard. Things become a little testy when I insisted that if they couldn't live without music blaring away from the moment they woke up - they were going to have to live with headphones the entire voyage. Thing's got even frostier when I was asked not to put out a snubber on the anchor chain as they didn't like the occasional squeeking in their forward cabin and found myself yelling back from the bow - well sleep with your headphones on!

Fair winds - mico

[Janet H]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

I'm going to buy a set of bagpipes and an amplifier!

That seems redundant... just the bagpies would do

[Auzzee]

Originally Posted by mico

I was asked not to put out a snubber on the anchor chain as they didn't like the occasional squeeking in their forward cabin

[Coyote]

Last week I was driving 75 miles per hour on the California freeway (101N) with an SUV behind me thumping the bass so loud my ears hurt. Behind me. 75 miles per hour.

I wanted to see if his ears were bleeding.

Yep. I'm a grumpy old man. It happened about 8 years ago.

[Auzzee]

Originally Posted by Coyote

Yep. I'm a grumpy old man. It happened about 8 years ago.

Interesting that you can define the point of onset of the Grumps. I'm still not sure if I have a full blown case but.......

Back in a tick. Some inconsiderate ratbag hasn't tied his halyards away from the mast and they're banging like the gongs of hell. I'll just have a quiet word.......

[Coyote]

Originally Posted by Auzzee

Interesting that you can define the point of onset of the Grumps.

40 hit like a freight train. I was young one day, old the next. Instead of staying up till 2:00am, I started getting up at 4:00am.

The good news: Old women started looking better and better.

[Kyhendrix]

50 is just the beginning

[BJSmith]

Early 60's is working put well for me................

[Joe Hill IV]

LOL ))) did you buy the bagpipes and amplifers? Can't stop laughing as I can well imagine the site of you and the sound of amplified bagpipes, "dunka, dunka-ing" it out on the high seas...

actually you're quite right just be sure to use a mile high stack of marshall amps á la ac/dc so hopefully the dunka-dunkas will take the hint and use earphones

[Auzzee]

Just noticed the new wave of stereos (Mechless) available cheaply for boats. The lack of a CD drive doesn't worry me; the addition of SD card and USB slots is a good addition. I will relent and buy one so that I can plug in talking books for when I want someone to read me a bedtime story...

I am also starting to look seriously at satellite radio. No adds, high quality digital separation and a stunning array of mixes between music, news, weather, current affairs etc.

Does anyone have direct experience with satellite radio and is there one which has true world, or at least Pacific coverage?

PS. I make the distinction between digital internet worldwide radio coverage and satellite direct radio coverage. Obviously, the internet can be a 'little spotty' when one is a squillion miles off the coast.

[GoneTroppo]

I do not think there is one that gives global coverage. We used to have a WorldSpace radio that was brilliant, best thing since sliced bread, but they went bust years ago. It covered from Asia to Europe. It was great on passages with a large selection of channels to listen to. It also had a data channel that had a huge amount of weather info including text, sat photos, coloured wind and pressure charts etc, that could be downloaded to the laptop and animated.
We certainly missed it when it ceased.
Hope you have luck in finding one, and if you do let us know.

[haiqu]

There are high powered DRM broadcasts in the HF band throughout Europe. Don't know how far it travels before the signal vanishes though.

[Auzzee]

From what I understand DRM is using the old AM and shortwave frequencies. It seems that the more things change, the more they remain the same. I must admit a real affection for shortwave. But the allure of static free digital quality sound in the middle of the oggin, really appeals.

PS. Thanks for bringing this up Haiqu, there is real promise with DRM. This is from Wikipedia Digital Radio Mondiale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia