vhf radio

[Mford]

I'm in the market for vhf radio. I would like to hear what people are using or suggest.

Want to spend 500.00 or less. If possible gps. Looking at icom M93D. How do people maintain battery over 1 week excursion.

Sorry if this seems simple. Carrying radio is all new to me.

 

Mark

 

[mhabich]

I have the predecessor model, Icom M92D.  The new one is a bit slimmer, though heavier.  The bigger screen on the new one would be welcome.

DSC radios tend to be larger than those without, but the ability to send a distress call with location by digital transmission by pressing one button is well worth it.  Haven't used it, don't plan to, but...

These radios don't have a knob that turns, so they avoid a common leakage path/failure point.

Most of the time during a trip you'll likely have the radio off, so battery life should be OK.

I'd go for it.

[rfolster]

Mark, I don't really have much to say about one brand or model vs another, but I can give you some tips to think about:

The newer radios that employ push-button technology for all functions (instead of a rotary on-off-volume knob) typically have a key-lock function to prevent the radio volume, channel, or other functions from being altered while jostling around in your PFD or what have you.  This can make changing channels or volume cumbersome, especially if under stress.

As Mike said, you will typically keep the radio off during a longer journey, turning it on mostly for checking weather, or calling out a sécurité.  However, you may find yourself three days deep into a fog-bound dead-reckoning journey with your VHF radio dying while you listen for any ferries that might treat you like the proverbial bug-on-a-windshield, there are options such as purchasing additional batteries or dedicated emergency power chargers.