VHF HANDHELD RADIO^

[soundoftheseagull]

Has anyone purchased one recently?
The price as with all products varies greatly
I assume that irrespective of what it says on the tin that a waterproof cover is mandatory.
The Silva S12 appears both popular and reasonable
Any advice out there?

[Helen M]

Hiya - there's a wealth of information here:

http://www.ukriversguidebook.co.uk/foru ... sc&start=0

Check out the almanac section of the seakayakguidebook for more info on VHF radios.

Happy paddling

H - x

[Mudflap]

Hi Bought two of these recently ICOM M1-V EURO H/HELD VHF

as used by the coastguard I believe £149.99 under half price (Was £259.95)

http://www.marine-super-store.com

Bargain !

Steve

[miko]

Are these radios any good?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cobra-Marine-Spla ... dZViewItem

Cobra Marine Splashproof Hand held VHF marine radio

Only 2W full power. They are cheap (£50) and very small.

[boggled_iam]

As this is an item of safety kit I'd be wanting to spend as much money as I could afford on a Vhf.

As for the power output I'd also want it to be as powerfull as possible. Sod's law says that the time you'll need it will be when you're stuck close in under some cliffs. The extra 3 Watts might mean the difference between getting through or not.

Just my two penneth.

Boggled???

[soundoftheseagull]

Thanks to all my first post what a helpfull bunch and loads of tips.

[Airth]

Cobra Marine Splashproof Hand held VHF marine radio.

I picked one of these up from the site you posted on Ebay for £44 delivered from USA.

I have only used it in my living room at a range of 4 miles, but it seems OK.

I'm not sure how good it will perform at sea, but for the money it's better than nothing if you can't afford a bigger radio.

[Sean Morley]

I used this radio on my six month trip around the UK and Ireland and it was totally reliable, spent the whole time in a leaky aquapac case and is still going strong. I am no teckie but it worked for me...

[miko]

The low price is a major factor. I have been looking for a good second hand VHF on Ebay for ages and nothing turns up. Apart from price, the small size and the fact that you can use ordinary aaa batteries are advantages.

I'm speaking from a position of ignorance; but isn't “line of sight” more important than output power? How significant, for example, is the difference between broadcasting, on a 5watt radio on “full power” and “low power” ?

[Geoff Seddon]

Quite significant and so is the extra drain on your battery, not usually a concern on a day trip. Using more power than necessary may also mean that you prevent others using the same channel simultaneously. Why shout when talking will suffice, it's only good manners. The most important point to remember is to have your aerial as high as possible and pretty damn vertical, for both reception and transmission. It's a bit like four wheel drive, in that if your tyres are bald all you get, gripwise, is twice nothing.The analogy is possibly not very clear, but I know what I mean.

[Mark R]

I used this radio on my six month trip around the UK and Ireland and it was totally reliable, spent the whole time in a leaky aquapac case and is still going strong. I am no teckie but it worked for me...

A year ago I stopped storing mine in an Aquapac, on advice (from here) that this carried its own risks. My S12 is still going strong and was working up to yesterday.

[Mike Marshall]

You may want to check this item out.
http://www.marine-super-store.com/posit ... ortorder=1
Third item up from bottom of page!!! Thought the link took it to the radio but it didnt!!
I have just purchased one from them, £99.95 delivered (2 day delivery), waterproof, mnh battery, car charger, home charger, instructions, low power, high power all international, USA and Canadian channels, scan etc etc.

It is heavy, but small enough and fits nicely in my Palm Extreme Ocean right side pocket.
Switched it on after charging and listened to the coastguard reports for Liverpool bay and I am 10 miles away from the sea, so I guess it works OK!!!

Regards,
Mike Marshall