i'am looking to buy a handheld vhf ,any suggestions on reliable brands and their weather resistance on the lower priced models because i also would like to look at a waterproof digi,besides 90% of the places i go are within mobile phone range
thanks simon
Simon,
I picked up an "Oregon Handheld VHF" from Whitworths for a good price (about $150.00 I think).It's pretty good and reception hasn't been an issue with going out to the 30 fathom reefs off the gold coast, however I haven't used it in a couple of months and when I did use it on the weekend, the LCD display had an issue with displaying the 2nd channel number, so I'll been returning it under warranty, but otherwise I'm more than happy with it.
now thats in the price range ,igot one of their cats here i'll have a look thanks Sabre
I bought an ICOM M1V hand held for about $150 fully serviced. It came from one of the islands in my area.
MILTON
Nah, not in agreement - sorry!
Hate handhelds AND mobiles!
Did eight years in the marine rescue business and not impressed with their reliability or range.
We had more problems with mobiles than any other piece of equipment (but carry one all the same) and the handheld radios can have major range problems just when you want them!
Trust me, get a decent VHF set and antenna and go boating in safety!
I've done eight years(and still working) in the radio communications industry and I'm not fully in agreement with what you are saying.Originally Posted by ThePinkPanther
Granted some handheld/portable radios are rubbish but this normally comes down to buying cheap in the first place. And the exact same can be said about mobiles(You get what you pay for).
Also granted a handheld/portable radio will never compete with a mobile unit but this has nothing at all to do with quality.
A mobile radio has 5/25watts output with a large mobile antenna whereas a handheld/portable radio has 1/5watts output with a small antenna so obviously the range is not going to be as great as the mobile.
If a handheld/portable radio is what suits your needs go ahead and get one, but make sure you spend some good money on a quality radio.
Shane
I might aswell say that a mobile radio is going to be 0% useful when your boat fails to start because your battery is dead!
At least a handheld/portable radio will continue on its own battery pack when your boat battery isn't playing the game
Shane
hav a look at the range of Cobra hand helds at bias boating, good water proof unit at good price.
Good comment Finga but I did eight years in Volunteer Marine Rescue and can assure you that whilst handhelds work "most of the time" they remain an unsatisfactory substitute for the real thing.
Our Unit had hand held 27 MHz and VHF (ICOM) and on many occasions they failed due out of range, insufficient antenna height (with your hand waving about in the air) and if you are going to go for what you quite correctly say is a top brand (not GME, Uniden etc.) such as ICOM, the cost will far exceed a good quality stock and trade marine radio and antenna.
The handhelds are murder on batteries (yeh, I know you can charge 'em or carry spares) especially on the high draw transmissions. But when yer on fire or sinking, it gets a bit fiddly changing batteries and finding the little buttons, squelch. channel selector buttons etc.!
If anybody carries ONLY a mobile phone with no back up marine radios, please sell the boat as you are a danger to everybody.
The above comments don't come just from moi but a collection of over 53 marine rescue units right across Queensland. This issue has been raised at local and state wide Council meetings many times and all the guys who do the rescues at the coal face are in total agreement.
If in any doubt, give ANY of the local rescue groups or Water Police a buzz on the weekend and ask their Skippers or Senior Officers to give you their views on handhelds and mobiles.
Sure, they work most of the time and are a great backup to the installed unit and antenna but by themselves are not recommended.
What has to be taken into account is the overall picture and not just the fact that some Boaties have found them quite successful. This does NOT justify recommending them as a replacement for the installed types.
If I had a hundred bucks for every boat asking for assistance via a mobile phone calls who we subsequently "lost" or could not locate, I would be pretty rich!
The other drawback is that in spite of manufacturers claims, none of the brutes are waterproof and have to be exposed to the elements or tied in some sort of plastic bag. Makes urgent access just that more difficult!
Not to belabour the point, but if I had to make a MAYDAY call, I would be wanting the top and most reliable equipment available.
Can I ask how you power your mobile radio when your boat is on fire, your main battery has exploded and your sinking?
Shane
i believe that sort of situation would warrant the activation of an EPIRB
cheers
jason
... i only work to support my fishing addiction.....
Right on Jason, once you start going down the road of "what if", the whole concept of the topic is lost.
"What if you get hit by lightning and it blows out all your marine radios" etc. etc.
I just think it is wise to go with the overwhelming majority of Boaties who aren't in favour of mobiles and handhelds as the SOLE means of communications and listening to the people who are out there on the water dealing with thousands of calls!
Handhelds CAN play a great backup role but not to substitute the marine radios.
Now I am starting to repeat myself ................
i rarely go offshore , i do the majority of my boating the bay and rivers. but i often have my kids onboard and that is reason enough for me to carry 27meg , vhf , mobile phone and EPIRB.
my thinking is this , if one of those doesn't work surely one of the others will . i would just go down the list until i got to the EPIRB.
cheers
jason
... i only work to support my fishing addiction.....
I'm not trying to argue, but a handheld is still a marine radio!
Some people do not and probably cannot install a mobile radio in their boat and have a large mobile antenna fitted. I believe this is the reason that people are talking about handheld radios.
You are making people believe that handheld radios are rubbish and are not to be used. So in turn these people that wanted to have a marine radio accessible in their boats are not going to bother any more.
Also you are saying that handhelds "fail" and I am disagreeing with this. They in fact are not failing like you say at all.
As I pointed out above mobile radios simply out perform handheld radios because of the way they are setup. No other reason.
You need to carefully read and try and interpret what people are trying to say without jumping to conclusions.
I will also point out that the company I work for supplies millions of dollars worth of radio equipment to the Australian military. A large percentage of this equipment is portable radios used for "Safety". And they rely heavily on this equipment so I would say if its good enough for them, its good enough to be used as a safety device in a boat.
Shane
Shanej, take it easy eh? Nobody is doubting your skills in the communication area. I envy people who know what makes these things tick!
But first of all, NO, I didn't say they "failed".
If you read the post correctly you will see I said they "failed due out of range, insufficient antenna height" - nowhere was it said they failed due quality of manufacture or reliability!! OK?
Where do you get the idea from that I said they were "rubbish and not to be used"? What I said was:
"Handhelds CAN play a great backup role but not to substitute the marine radios. "
When you say that marine radios "out perform handhelds", ummmmmmmm, like isn't that good and what I have been saying?"
Re the military equipment, as I used to sell ROCKY laptops to the Army and Navy some years back, we both know that the specifications for military communication stuff is so far removed in terms of standards that it is simply not possible to make a comparison between what they use and we as Boaties use. Like try selling them a marine radio from GME, Uniden, Searanger etc. and see what happens!
We had two ICOM M32 (advertised as military standards) handhelds and I think the asking price with GST was around the $420 mark? Great little radios but the same ones that quite often lacked the range. And our guys kept snapping the antennas off - not good!
Re the radio not being able to be fitted to "many" vessels, probably a good point but I have yet to see a boat of any size, even an open tinny that can't bolt a 4" x 2" x 6" VHF/27 MHz radio in somewhere!!
Lots of guys on AUSFISH have shown how to make them fit and also be weatherproof and easily accessable in the process.
At days's end, this weekend Shane, as I suggested ring the guys who have hands on practical experience with all radio types, communications, rescues i.e. Water Police, Coast Guard, VMR and ask for their advice - not mine!
This is the one piece of equipment that, like John West said, "only the best will do".
Anything - irrespective of cost - is simply not good enough!
Said enough on this topic and certainly not intending to belittle your posts or inputs.
Hopefully, some readers will see both sides of the topic and that can only be good eh!
Cheers
TPP
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