Hi guys,
I asked this on a couple forums closer to home but always seem to get better advice from you guys. Looking at buying a handheld VHF radio for my boat and want to know what you guys like in the $100 - $300 price range?
Thanks,
Brad
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Hi guys,
I asked this on a couple forums closer to home but always seem to get better advice from you guys. Looking at buying a handheld VHF radio for my boat and want to know what you guys like in the $100 - $300 price range?
Thanks,
Brad
Brad,
Mine is a Uniden Atlantis 250. Had it a long time and no problems ever.
Motorola is the only brand I would consider based on past experiences.
Thanks for the input sandflea and stik, I appreciate it.
I should have noticed where yer from Brad. I'll make it easy for you..................
Go see Russ Francisco at Marine General in Duluth MN. He will put you on to what's currently the best radio. That's where I bought my Uniden umpteen years back.
Say hello to him for me.
Are you from "Up North" originally sandflea? If I do go to Marine General (great store) will he know who you are if I say "sandflea says hello.....? Thanks!
Yeah,
Though I had kin down here in the 1800's and have been vacationing here for 20 years or so, I lived in rural Duluth until I retired. Still have the lake home up there where we escape to for a couple months in the summer.
I'm getting the feeling that we have met. We had a 22' C-dory for a while and we boated some in the Apostle Islands area of Lake Superior.
Think I'll send you a PM.
I had a Hummingbird years ago that worked great until I dropped it overboard in 6' of water in December.
Replaced it with a Uniden, that worked just fine as well.
Standard Horizon HX370s. I've had mine for three years and it's given me lots of reliable use in both freshwater on the boat and offshore in the kayak. Any of their handhelds are solid radios.
Dutch, you know if the HX370s has built in GPS? Not sure if I would ever need it but seems like a good idea.
It doesn't. Gotta step up to the HX851 for that and more $$$. I have GPS on the fishfinder for the kayak and a Garmin handheld I use for GPS in other situations or in the woods. The smartphone in your pocket most likely has a built-in GPS receiver. Put a waterproof case on it and you have communication redundancy without spending a ton of money.
Yep have the smart phone with GPS, even the waterproof case. Is smartphone GPS the same as VHF radio GPS? Sorry if this is a dumb question...Quote:
Originally Posted by Dutch
Are you looking for a handheld as a backup or an alternative to a fixed mount VHF? While being able to monitor radio chit chat, receive warnings and listen to weather radio broadcast (if equipped) are all nice, being able to broadcast as far as possible when needed is what I look for in a radio. As far as handhelds go marine VHFs seem to work better than others, but compared to its fixed counterpart it's just another walkie-talkie. Another thing to consider is there going to be anyone to hear your broadcast. Is it common for freshwater boaters up north to own and use VHFs? I know you will find none to extremely few recreational freshwater boaters in Dixie using them, making them fairly useless.
DRH, most inland fisherman up here don't use them. But when we go out on Lake Superior pretty much everyone has them. I'm kinda leaning towards a portable since we won't be that far out should something happen.
As DRH said, consider a fixed unit also. If you have the means get both. Keep you a ditch bag onboard and have your CHARGED handheld in it with the rest of your emergency gear. Hopefully it'll never be needed but it's there if the situation ever arises.
I have a Standard Horizon HX370S, I can monitor traffic at Dauphin Island from from my place on Fish River, never tried transmitting.
Thanks PurpleNGold, very good advice!