VHF radios...

Nate Grace

Nate Grace

Well-known member
Hi folks,

I am looking at getting a VHF radio for the boat. There seem to be a lot of choices and models out there. I'd like to get something that is reliable, well made, and not too difficult to figure out in a pinch. Not looking to bust the bank either. I'm looking at the hand-held types. For those that have bought VHFs, do you have any insights or advice on what to look for? Any models or brands that are better than others?

Thanks in advance.

Nate
 
Are you talking about a marine radio or the little hand held, 2 mile range jobs. If you are talking a marine radio for your boat I assume it is primarily for safety reasons as well as talking to other boats when you are out fishing. I'd stay away from the hand helds for the simple reason that they don't have the range of a mounted radio and that is due primarily to the antenna as well as the power level in some of them. For maximum range and fidelity you need a good 8 foot antenna - Shakespeare makes many of them and private labels for West Marine also. My mounted radio with 8 foot antenna has a range in the neighborhood of 13-15 miles depending on conditions. My buddy has a handheld in my boat and he has a range of 2-3 miles usually and occasionally out to 4-5 but is severely limited by the 6" antenna.

As far as radios, I bought a Humminbird marine radio over ten years ago and it has performed flawlessly ever since. It is waterproof and I would strongly suggest that any boat radio should be waterproof. Uniden is another manufacturer that I see a lot. Make sure that your radio also has the NOAA weather stations on it (I think they all do but check anyway). My radio breaks into any channel I am on with weather alerts - not all do as I learned on Lake Erie one day during a storm.

When you get your radio and antenna either buy or borrow a SW meter to check your antenna for optimum performance. Any shop installing radios should have one but ask to be sure, makes a big difference when your antenna and radio are tuned to each other.

Treat your radio like your life vest, flares, etc. - it could save your life someday.
 
Thanks Pete. I'll have to look into the mounted models. At the most, I'd be no farther than 6 or 7 miles out. Some of the spots we sea duck are a good 6 miles out. Do they make a mounted version that can be removed and carried in a padded bag or something similar? The only issue I would have with a mounted radio is that it could be stolen? The boat will likely be on a mooring or in a slip most of the time, and various people could have access to the boat.

Thanks,
Nate
 
Nate:

I have a cardboard box of vhfs in the basement. Of them all, the ICOM M72 is the one I reach for (or already have in my go bag), and the Standard Horizon 270 is the one I loan to the other captain.

If your expectations are modest, any of the various $100 hand-held Cobras, Humminbirds, Unidens, etc. will be OK, in kind of the same way that a $15 rechargable spotlight is OK. We use them for chattering between layouts and tenders. But in foul weather or after a couple hours, they go away in a hurry, and that ranges from damn annoying to dangerous, depending. For keeping track of multiple parties spread over long distance, or emergencies, I wouldn't want any of them to be my sole means of communication.

If you want a radio that's more pleasant and reliable, Standard is good, hell for stout and priced right; Icom gives and gets better reception but they are spendy, especially their itty bitty radios. Both of them are, at a minimum, twice as useful as the other brands mentioned above.

Whatever you choose, insist on Li-ion batteries versus any other. Battery life in a handheld is more important than you might think, because performance goes to hell as the batteries discharge. For this reason, the slightly larger, midsize handhelds (with their larger batteries) suit my needs better than the itty bitty radios. They work better with heavy gloves on, too. My M72 needs to be charged less often than my dad's M88, and it's about $100 cheaper too. On the other hand, a radio's like a pistol, doesn't do you any good if you're not carrying it, so the smaller radio might work better for you.

Cabela's and West Marine both have good deals on private-label radios made by Standard if you're looking for a bargain. I wouldn't hesitate to buy either one. The one Cabelas has in particular looks like a good deal.

Pete's right that none of them will give you the kind of range (or big-ass 12v lead-acid battery life) of a console radio with an 8' antenna. The M72 at 6W comes closer than any of the others though, we have no problem raising each other over 4-5 mile expanses of open water, as long as both parties have good radios. And it's awful comfy to have it clipped to my vest should I be separated from the boat.

For the ne plus ultra in versatility, it's possible to get a mast antenna setup with an adapter that will allow you to connect your handheld to a big auxiliary antenna. I imagine this would give you significant improvements in range, especially in terms of reception (for transmission, there's only so much antenna a 5w radio can drive). But I have never felt the need to do so.
 
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Nate,

I use a mounted radio on the Lund. For the first couple of years I tried to get away with a hand held but it just didn't have the reach or convenience of a mounted radio. I have "permanently mounted the antenna and radio mount but I do not keep the radio mounted. It gets installed only for day as well as my fishfinder and GPS. It adds to the rigging time but they don't develop legs and I hope last longer. The antenna mount folds down for trailering.

Lund.jpg


The antenna is behind the fish finder and you can catch a view of the mont and top of the radio in the lower rt of the picture below. As far as radios, I'll leave the recommendations to those who have tried a number of different radios.

consol.JPG



My recommendation it to go with both a mounted and a fully submergeable hand held. The hand held can be handed to layouts or another rig without a radio and can be used as a back up or very short private discussions when you don't want to share your hot fishing spots.

It's only money!!

Scott
 
If Safety is your goal get both. The boat unit will kick the hand held's but with better battery and antenna. If you lose the boat the hand held will allow you to talk to whoever is going to save your bacon. Can't count the number of times I have read, "We could see the helicopter and they missed the: flare,whistle,light,shotshells....
Moral-never leave a ditch bag without a waterproof hand held.
I like the Icom above, but Standard is what I use at work every day. Get good baterys and throw them if they get iffy.
 
I have an ICom IC-M32 handheld that seems to work pretty well, it waterproof and didn't break the bank. Picked it up at the local marine store, but you could probably get a better deal online if you don't have a local place.

Charlie
 
I vote for the Uniden Atlantis. Very nice handheld. You can get one for less than $100 and it's submersible. We have two of them and they've performed admirably. Like Pete said though, know that you're lucky to have a 2 mile range with it. It's not even close to the serious kind of VHF with a high gain antenna you need for going offshore, etc. The Uniden is what I carry in my 15 foot flat bottomed marsh boat. In my bayboat I have a 25 watt radio with an 8 foot antenna.

Ed.
 
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