? VHF Radios

Hey guys ,
I could use some help on which VHF radio you would reccomend.  I have been looking at West Marine.  It's for my son and myself. I've read good reports on their handling of any warranty issues.  Thanks. In advance

There're many posts on this subject in the past.  Just type "radio" in the search box locates on the upper right corner and you'll find them.

 

  Welcome to the site!  Radios are a constant topic here.  Try the search, you'll get all the information you need to make an informed decision.

   Having said that, most marine hand helds should have a submersible rating to them.  Only a few actually float I belive.  I'm assuming you and your son will be using them on the water?  You'll have to determine if you want floateing or not.  If not, then please choose a leash or add a clip to it's lanyard and clip it to your PFD.
  Please try the search.

Here is some great advice I got (and followed) from an NCKA legend:

M-72's at West Marine. It's a bit more money there but that's where you can get the secondary warranty. Icom covers the radio (for a year I think) and then we purchased the two year extended plan (which makes it 3 years). The extra warranty is around 10% of the cost of the radio but it has more than paid for itself. The only stickler is when you use the extended warranty you have to pay the 10% again on the new radio to cover that. I am not a big fan of the extended warranty but for the kayak I am. Bought the same for my FF/GPS and used that once already as well and actually received an updated unit due to model upgrades. Hope it all works for you. Let me know if you have any questions.

I have a Standard Horizon HX270S. Low cost and bulletproof. I have abused it for years. Never fails. The battery lasts over a week of wet salt without a recharge. Great range OTW. It does not float so, don't drop it. It doesn't fail so it doesn't need extended warranty coverage. Wish all my yak gear was this dependable.

I have a Standard Horizon HX270S. Low cost and bulletproof. I have abused it for years. Never fails. The battery lasts over a week of wet salt without a recharge. Great range OTW. It does not float so, don't drop it. It doesn't fail so it doesn't need extended warranty coverage. Wish all my yak gear was this dependable.

^this
I ended up opting for a non-floating model because I wanted the larger battery. I have also heard that some of the floating models can be more fragile as the case had to be thinned to reduce weight. I clip mine to my PFD, so it is constantly exposed to salt, and I haven't had any probs with it in 4 years of use. I just rinse it, dry it, and then charge it before I go out. Nice rugged little unit.

There was a previous thread warning about leaving electronics in the charger for too long (can't remember if it was a radio though) as the battery can overheat & rupture resulting in fire. I only charge mine while I can keep an eye on it.

I have an older Standard Horizon HX500S that has been bullet proof too.  It doesn't float but it's always attached to my PFD so floating isn't an issue. I have been using it for 3 years and it's looking a little beat up but still works as good as new.  When it comes time to replace it, I'll get another Standard Horizon for sure.

I agree with the quality purchase. WM VHF's are made by Uniden and do not seem respected by the WM salespeople I have dealt with. Floaters only float if using the rechargeable battery pack. If you want to use AA alkaline the radio will sink as per WM!
Icom vs SH is a great debate, either seem a good way to go.
My question is do you NCKA members use lapel mic/speaker?
Thanks

One needs to understand how waterproof is measured to truly understand the "waterproofness" of a given radio.

Most radios are rated to IPX7 or IPX8 standards.  IPX7 means it has been tested at 1m for 30 minutes.  IPX8 means that it has been tested at 2m for 30 minutes. Neither is particularly impressive.  I once talked to the product tester at West Marine.  They actually independently tested the set of VHF's they were carrying at the time and all failed.  I'm not sure of the details of the testing was.

How many of you actually service your radios ... clean the seals and apply o-ring grease as applicable?

-Allen

Polepole brings up a valid point.  After my swim this year I cleaned and out my radio but forgot my hand held old school Rino 120 GPS.  It corroded quickly.  I cleaned it up but it may be a loss.  BTW the SH radio I have still works fine after the dunk.  I was in the water for about 20 minutes waiting on the harbor patrol.  Only draw back was my mic didn't do so well when wet, I could here fine but not talk so well.

In the last 7 years I have owned 2 Unidens and 2 West Marines, all 4 failed within 18 months of heavy saltwater use. I have owned 1 Standard Horizon and 1 Icom and both have never failed but I use a dry bag now. I think the dry bag has 3 advantages, protection from saltwater exposure, better microphone performance when in the water and floatation.

How many of you actually service your radios ... clean the seals and apply o-ring grease as applicable?

-Allen

Still chuckling....I dont. My SHs get submerged often. They do get rinsed from time to time and a little dielectric grease. I'd be hesitant to open them. I didn't realize they were owner serviceable.
I believe SH uses theJIS standard rating. Mine is JIS 7 rated. I dont know how the two rating systems compare.

How many of you actually service your radios ... clean the seals and apply o-ring grease as applicable?

-Allen

Still chuckling....I dont. My SHs get submerged often. They do get rinsed from time to time and a little dielectric grease. I'd be hesitant to open them. I didn't realize they were owner serviceable.
I believe SH uses theJIS standard rating. Mine is JIS 7 rated. I dont know how the two rating systems compare.

JIS7 is equivalent to IPX7.

You are mostly right regarding servicing.  Most likely the only thing you have access to is the battery compartment.

-Allen

SH offering $20.00 rebate on HX280, HX290 radios. I bought the HX280 for $119.99 with mail in rebate takes it to $99.99. Rebate is good until 10/31/12