Dropped the hand signals for radio headsets on the Yazoo River

Spent 11 years running a cutterhead on the Yazoo and always used the old hand signals with my deckhand. Then last March we got a new hire who kept mixing up the stop and swing left signs, nearly put us into a barge. I finally bought two cheap Motorola two-way radios and waterproof mic kits for $160 total. Now we talk through every move, especially when the mud gets thick and visibility drops to nothing. Communication is way tighter and I can warn him about submerged logs before we chew them up. My old timer buddy says radios are for lazy operators, but I say he can keep his sore arms. Anyone else ditch hand signals for comms on their crew, or is it just me?

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1 Comment

taylor.amy20d ago

Man, that's funny cause I just read a thread on a dredging forum where a guy swore by whistles over radios. Said the static was worse than the mud. But $160 to not eat a barge seems like a steal to me. You do you.