vhf RADIO RECOMMENDATIONS

i got an icom m34 for xmas '09 and in november '10 it stopped recieving, it still transmitted, sent it back monday last week and they sent me a brand new one stright out, turns out it had corrision damage inside, the thing is, it never was submerged fully and i sprayed it off after every use in salt water, so i am happy with the warranty replacement but a little concerned that the unit might not be as water tight as it should be, we will see how the new one does with the upcoming year on the water, cameron

just read this article seemed pretty informative:  http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles/Instruction/VHFMarineRadios.html

Thanks for the tips everybody! Going to make a trip to West Marine this weekend to check 'em out in person...

were all on ch 69 when you get out there! cu  OTW

 

 So Jeff what radio did you end up with?

i got an icom m34 for xmas '09 and in november '10 it stopped recieving, it still transmitted, sent it back monday last week and they sent me a brand new one stright out, turns out it had corrision damage inside, the thing is, it never was submerged fully and i sprayed it off after every use in salt water, so i am happy with the warranty replacement but a little concerned that the unit might not be as water tight as it should be, we will see how the new one does with the upcoming year on the water, cameron

I have owned Uniden, West Marine, Standard Horizon and ICOM. I have had all of them fail after a year or 2 of abuse. As Allen mentioned, buying the VHF at West Marine makes replacement easy. As mentioned in the article Mosca posted (http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles/Instruction/VHFMarineRadios.html) most VHF's can't survive sea kayaking for very long. I currently own a Standard  Horizon HX370S and an ICOM IC-M36 and use them in a Aquapac dry bag. The ICOM is easier to use in a dry bag because it turns on with a button instead of a twist switch. The dry bag is kind of a nuisance but you get used to using it. Using a dry bag really increases the lifespan and reliability of your VHF. In addition, if you are in the water, many VHF microphones don't work properly after being submerged. The ICOM has an aquashake function to clear the microphone of water but I have never tested it. The bottom line is that which VHF you buy is not as important as using a dry bag IMO.

Go with Icom or Standard Horizon, maybe a West Marine for the reasons noted. Don't skimp with this piece of equipment.

i got the hx750s... its big, but surprisingly lightweight.