Portable vhf recommendations
- Thread starter Lodi47
- Start date
the top of the line I think is icom but if you want a good middle of the road the standard horizon and garmin are both popular ...haven't heard much about raymarine lately ....but if you're begging for a loaf of bread might as well beg for the whole grocery store
I have three handhelds, a very old Standard Horizon-very pleased with it, a new DSC Standard Horizon-not at all pleased with it as it is hard to adjust volume and squelch without having dedicated nobs and very hard to remove channels from the watch list,( the reason it floats is to prevent you from throwing it to the bottom). My favorite is a Uniden over five years old with tandem mounted volume and squelch knobs that are very easy to manipulate.
I find radios that require toggling between soft keys to change settings to be unpractical. The same has often been written about car stereo systems. I would rather have a basic system with a volume and tuning knobs than a fancy system that is hard to adjust simply.
I find radios that require toggling between soft keys to change settings to be unpractical. The same has often been written about car stereo systems. I would rather have a basic system with a volume and tuning knobs than a fancy system that is hard to adjust simply.
Larry's absolutely right. If you can't "manage" the radio, it's a POS. Icom has been reported within the past two years to have "lost its luster" as the TOP of the line. SH are great. West Marine units are good, but were for many years made by Uniden and had bad speakers, with lousy frequencies (for hearing) and poor volume, but you get what you pay for, and many need to be replaced within a few years - just my experience. Our SH has been great for over 5 years or more. The newer ones are more soft key, which I find a real PITA. If you need the manual to use it, F it.
Here's the one I bought last summer, SH HX870. Nice features. But, FYI, I keep it turned off attached to my belt, etc. If it's on all day doing GPS scanning and if you use it much to transmit, by the time you unexpectedly hit the water as the sun is setting the batteries may be well down!!
http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...73FCD911FF7D468A2E1&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0
Don't laugh, but I bought one of these about 6 months ago. I have a good radio below deck, but wanted something simple to call for bridge openings without having to go below.
Cobra Electronics MRHH125 Compact Waterproof Marine Handheld VHF Radio with 1 or 3 Watts
Definitely not submersible , but it was damn cheap <$40 with free shipping, and it works very well for what I use it for.
Cobra Electronics MRHH125 Compact Waterproof Marine Handheld VHF Radio with 1 or 3 Watts
Definitely not submersible , but it was damn cheap <$40 with free shipping, and it works very well for what I use it for.
I have an iCom handheld that is now about nine years old. It still is very reliable and the lithium-ion battery continues to hold its charge even over several months of no use. I actually use it more than the VHF in the cabin. Even at the one watt power setting , its fine for line of sight communication.
I don't concern myself with floatable, all my radios are on a long lanyard that attaches to me. Slip em inside your coat, pocket, or clip them to your harness. All of mine are Standard Horizon including one 15 year old unit that I just got a rebuilt battery pack back from the shop. Tough radios.
I have a standard horizon and an Icon handheld. I am going to be adding a house radio this year. Both radios work great. Get a 12V charge plug for whatever you get.
My advice, add a house radio instead. The handhelds are very short on range. I like having mine as back-up. It isn't that bad of a job to add a house VHF and you get a lot more range. Range = safety net.
My advice, add a house radio instead. The handhelds are very short on range. I like having mine as back-up. It isn't that bad of a job to add a house VHF and you get a lot more range. Range = safety net.
AMEN!!Larry's absolutely right. If you can't "manage" the radio, it's a POS. Icom has been reported within the past two years to have "lost its luster" as the TOP of the line. SH are great. West Marine units are good, but were for many years made by Uniden and had bad speakers, with lousy frequencies (for hearing) and poor volume, but you get what you pay for, and many need to be replaced within a few years - just my experience. Our SH has been great for over 5 years or more. The newer ones are more soft key, which I find a real PITA. If you need the manual to use it, F it.
I don't know what the manufactuers are thinking. Screw the bells and whistles, just give me handheld that does its job with voice communications.
That Cobra looks like a good choice to consider.
Depending where you are going the range can be a big deal. On my last trip I found out that my hand-held SH HX-851 didn't have near the range that I expected it to have. I bought it since I was single handing and wanted the GPS-DSC feature in case I fell overboard. If I would of had that happen and been down in the water someone would have had to been real close to me to receive the distress signal. Fine in most lakes and in areas with heavy traffic but not so good in lonely waters.
I had also added a SH radio with AIS to the boat and I'm going to get a ram mike for it to use in the cockpit as that radio has excellent range with the antenna at the top of the mast. I could receive NOAA weather in the Bahamas over 120 miles from the Florida coast.
I will still keep the handheld with me as a safety thing and hope if I fall in someone is close to me,
Sumner
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1300 miles to The Bahamas and Back in the Mac
Endeavour 37 Mods...
MacGregor 26-S Mods...
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/endeavour-main/endeavour-index.html
Mac Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida, Bahamas
Sumner, that sounds like a great setup. A good house radio and a handheld with DSC. Have the handheld fastened to your harness or life jacket and you can be found if you are a MOB.
On Lake Geneva, I'm not sure why there would be any need for VHF. I never used VHF on the lake. Now I have a SH HX290 hand held because it was inexpensive and seems to be all that is necessary at this time sailing on Barnegat Bay. I have no idea how to judge between a good VHF and a bad one, but I can remark that the sound quality is very clear and squelch adjustment is simple. So far, my radio has been useful for entertainment purposes only. (I thought foul language and radio checks were forbidden on Channel 16!) I'm still waiting for an opportunity to actually call somebody.
We have a WM VHF150 as a backup. "submersible" , they claim, but as a good little backup, or shorside "hey come get me" tool, it's just about perfect. The battery will last for almost 3 days in standby mode, and the base has 12v and 120v.
I have HX290 for a few years and the first one went bad but had a warranty and they WM replaced it and so far pretty good and it was on sale $99 a few years back and have a ram mic at the helm
and also down below and portable does come in handy but a good main station VHF with ant on the mast first and portable is a great backup.
Nick
and also down below and portable does come in handy but a good main station VHF with ant on the mast first and portable is a great backup.
Nick
My wife bought me a standard horizon about 5 years back that is submersible and is just built like a Sherman tank. I like
the portability of it and the ease of use....Mine has a range of approx. 17 miles, but is great for our lake. I bought this at WM.
I'm certain someone else recommended it to her as she is not an equipment report reader.