B Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Which VHF radios have NSPN members had success with and why?B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 My suggestion would be the Icom M88 or M1V, depending on your size and shape preference. I have both and they've never let me down. I carry the M88 all the time now. There is currently a $50 rebate on the M88. If you shop the web, you may be able to get one for ~$200 after rebate. Here's one link I found: http://shop.store.yahoo.com/nauticaltreasures/marradhan.html Many members own the Standard Horizon HX460S, but the durability of these radios is suspect. Some people have had no problems, but I'm on my 5th one and IIRC, Lisa is on her 9th! Several others are on their 2nd or 3rd radios. They're prone to leakage at the charging and Aux. Antenna/Mic ports. To their credit, they honor their warranty without question, but the service is painfully slow (typically 6+ week turnaround). Although I haven't used one myself, I've heard very good things about the durability of the S.H. HX350S from people who own them. However, it doesn't have the battery life of the newer models with lithium ion batteries and it's considerably larger. If price is important, the Uniden Voyageur is a nice radio for the money. I haven't had the chance to test one on the water yet (but will be soon, hopefully), but it's nicely made and full-featured. The only concern I have is that the small, closely spaced buttons will be difficult to operate with gloves on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 A nice very simple feature of the M88 I noticed the other night at Adam's VHF course practice was that the antenna is on the right side of the unit, so if you're right-handed and wearing it on your left shoulder it doesn't lodge itself in your ear if you bend your head left.--b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Fuller Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 I have a liking for the 350 as well. One of the things I especially like is the ability to have a battery pack of AA's as well as the charged battery. Unlike many, I don't carry it on my PFD because it goes in a dry bag, eventhough its "waterproof." When you drop it, you won't see 200 plus buks headed for the bottom. Bitter experience with other radios ( guiding, so many miles) says that non of these are suited to prolonged immersion. Dry bags are advisable. Be careful to get one long enough for the antenna, and you may find yourself replacing antennas from time to time. Make sure you can run the thing with mittens or gloves on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopherG Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Ben, with all due respect, to prevent the thing falling to the bottom of the ocean -- isn't that what the carrying strap is for? To be tied to the PFD... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Fuller Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Yeah, but when you are in the heat of a rescue or group management bit, and you have to pass the radio, problems can develop. Or if you are the one incapacitated. And on that score I have attached to the radio a card with radio procedure on it. Local channels etc. as a reminder to myself who does not use the radio often enough or so that someone who has had no experience can use it. Card can go inside dry bag, or if laminated attached to the outside. You get about two guide seasons out of a laminated one.The trade off is of course that the radio is clipped to the deck lines (not bungy) rather than to your pfd, where I would not have enough room for it, with the full kit I carry in the pockets. The only clips I have found consistently satisfactoy are stainless; the small Wichards are my favorite. The radio does not go into the day hatch in anything but the most benign conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Posted February 27, 2004 Author Share Posted February 27, 2004 Thanks allLooks like I'll be looking at the ICOM line and then sending my HX350 to the factory for work. The AA battery compartment seals gave way in the Cal surf and I've been running on the NiCad pak since. I've always liked the option of AAs for longer trips. I'm not one to keep a radio in a bag, especially when it's SUPPOSED to be submersible. Better protected and working than dead I guess. At least I'll have a spare.I like the way Brian has set up the shoulder system for radios. I used to duct tape radios to a set of ammo belt suspenders when I was in the military.Many thanks,B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Leonard Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 >Thanks all >>Looks like I'll be looking at the ICOM line and then sending >my HX350 to the factory for work. The AA battery compartment >seals gave way in the Cal surf and I've been running on the >NiCad pak since. I've always liked the option of AAs for >longer trips. I'm not one to keep a radio in a bag, >especially when it's SUPPOSED to be submersible. Better >protected and working than dead I guess. At least I'll have >a spare. >>I like the way Brian has set up the shoulder system for >radios. I used to duct tape radios to a set of ammo belt >suspenders when I was in the military. >>Many thanks, >>B I just bought an IC-M2A, the cheaper Icom model. I haven't had a chance to beat on it yet, but it looks like it is built allot better than the Standards I have had. It's supposed to be submersable with the alkaline pack on it too. I hope this one lasts better than the two standards, three Garmins,.... Oh I lost track....John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 None of the marine VHF manufacturers rate the AA packs for any of their radios as submersible, though this is not always emphasized in their literature. If you don't keep it in a bag when using AAs, it WILL fail eventually. Fortunately, it's typically just the batter pack that gets damaged and the radio works fine on it's rechargeable battery, as you indicated yours does.The Lithium ion batteries in the newer models have much longer life than the old NiCd and NiMH batteries, which pretty much eliminates the need for AA backups. The Icom M88 displays the battery voltage on startup, which makes it really easy to tell when it's time to recharge it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Leonard Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 Brian, They are on the M2A. Check out the instruction manual http://www.icomamerica.com/support/manuals/ic-m2a.pdf On page 4(of the PDF document) it states that the radio meets JIS-7 with either the BP-223(alkaline tray) or the BP-224(Ni-Cd pack). Both packs appear to have the same seal on them. It's a pretty cool radio and the price was right on it. I like it and it seems very well built. No arguments on the Li-ion batteries being better, but if you feel the need a backup battery, AA is the cheaper, easier way to go (though you wont have 5watts of power). John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Fuller Posted February 28, 2004 Share Posted February 28, 2004 On long trips it is really nice to have the ability to use double AAs. If you plan your marine electronics well you can set things up so that your head lamp, your flashlight, laser light, digital camera, compass use the same batteries. You can build a solar charger for rechargable double AAs. Your VHF battery pack and the battery bank for your compass provide "spare" batteries for stuff that is used more like your head lamp and GPS. I especially like using rechargables in the GPS which can get use a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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