What's the best handheld radio these days?

that kind of gear isnt a toy and it's pathetic if they can't be more reliable than that by now, maybe they are

doesn't seem like things have got there yet

If i come across any kind of a situation again the first thing on my mind will be getting help, shouldnt have to guess if the the radio will work

Nothing has fundamentally changed in the industrial design of VHF's in decades (I'd guess).  There are a few more bells and whistles, but in terms of durability and waterproofness, again, I'd guess they are the same as they ever were.

Many VHF's will have an IPX7 rating.  Think about that for a sec, that's only immersion for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter.  That isn't very waterproof, is it?

Years ago, I chatted up a guy at a West Marine.  He was in charge of testing handheld VHF units for all of WM.  His advice was to get the extended warranty and bag it.  Go figure, I never do either.  He claimed that every unit they tested failed their "lifetime" tests.  He didn't share with me the details of what "lifetime" were, but this fact alone should be worrisome.

ICOM72 user here, same unit for 4-5 years now and no problems.

-Allen

That would have been one of two guys; Chuck or Phil.  When I worked at West Marine (corp. office), I would go see what they were torture testing at the time.  Got to know both Chuck and Phil very well.  Oh the stories of the torture testing that could be told.  I can say this, they push the equipment (generally) harder than most users ever could during their testing process.

IPX7 ... I'd hate to be submerged at 1M for 30minutes unless I could breath thru my ass.

IPX7 ... I'd hate to be submerged at 1M for 30minutes unless I could breath thru my ass.

It's not a singular event I'd be worry about.  It's a degradation in performance over time.  It doesn't take much degradation in the seal before a splash of water enters the VHF and kills it.  And in fact, that's probably what happens.  Why else would there a lot of failures in VHF radios?

-Allen

IPX7 ... I'd hate to be submerged at 1M for 30minutes unless I could breath thru my ass.

It's not a singular event I'd be worry about.  It's a degradation in performance over time.  It doesn't take much degradation in the seal before a splash of water enters the VHF and kills it.  And in fact, that's probably what happens.  Why else would there a lot of failures in VHF radios?

-Allen

Generally speaking, I'd say you are correct.  I would take an educated guess that age, breakdown from sun/water/etc. degrades a gasket & let's one lonely drop in and then it's all downhill from there. 

I carry the West Marine VHF460, I was told it's manufactured by Uniden.  I can attest from experience it will raise the Coast Guard across many miles even when it's been floating in the water with you for an hour.

Funny thing about marine electronics, in 10 years of kayak fishing I have owned:
1. Five VHF's: Uniden, West Marine, Cobra, Standard Horizon, Icom
2. Three GPS: Two Garmin 60 CSX, Garmin 78
3. Three Fishfinders: Eagle 250, Eagle 350, Humminbird 383C

After 10 years here is what is still working:
1. One Standard Horizon and One Icom VHF
2. One Garmin 60 CSX and One Garmin 78
3. All 3 fish finders

The funny thing is that the cheapest fishfinders I own have outlasted all my other electronic devices. In fact, I wish they would die so I could justify a more high tech unit.

I have two Garmin GPSs, neither of them work

The uniden handheld still makes static but couldn't raise help on ch 16, possible it was location related though the only other time I fired it up all I could pick up was an a.m. TV talkshow

Hope the radio I just bought works in the event I need it

Probably have better luck w flares

  Hey Blue--Your radio will be fine. Mine broke down because it's old. I got my moneys worth, just time to get a new one for me. I just miss my girlfriend that used to give me the NOAA weather report every morning.
  When are you salmon fishing in Mairin again?

I have two Garmin GPSs, neither of them work

The uniden handheld still makes static but couldn't raise help on ch 16, possible it was location related though the only other time I fired it up all I could pick up was an a.m. TV talkshow

Hope the radio I just bought works in the event I need it

Probably have better luck w flares

Best thing to do is a courtesy 'radio check' as you leave the harbor in the morning.  That usualy eases my fears over "is anyone listening & does my radio work".

Not mentioned is that today's VHF radios have a lot more features and sell for less than past generations. My Standard VHF still works though the last replacement battery for it cost nearly $100. My latest purchase was the Icom M92D which has the most battery capacity of the ones on my short list that have weather bands, GPS, digital compass, and DSC. I have paid more for a GPS alone than I paid for the Icom VHF radio at $238 with its integrated GPS/DSC.

Unlike my old Standard Horizon radio, the Icom VHF radio floats, will light up in water so it can be found in the dark, and a single button activates the DSC that is registered with the feds so the Coast Guard knows who sent the signal and their exact location. Two boaters with these new generation VHF radios can use one to be directed in the fog or dark or through heavy swells to the location or their buddy on the water.

There is an old saying in the electronics industry that most devices fail in the first 24 hours or in the last 24 hours. If the device survives the burn-in period it will last until something fails, and with marine electronics it is likely a seal that will fail and when it fails it takes only a drop of salt water and less than a second to fry the powered circuits. A reason I went with the Icom is that its speaker has the best waterproofing and is going to function the best after a dunking as when after one has been flipped by a wave or hit by a power boater or some other event.

The other radios I considered were the Uniden MHS235 and the Standard Horizon HX851. Uniden has the smallest battery and shortest life per charge. Standard Horizon HX851 owners often complained about the waterproof seals not working well and of dead radios as a result. For use on a kayak the HX851 does not make the cut in my opinion.

DSC is important if you want to call for rescue and want to be sure you can be found. BoatUS did an article this year covering the importance of providing your location properly to the Coast Guard.

Difference between the following can be from 1/2 mile to more than 15 miles:

33 degrees 34 minutes 35 seconds  N  118 degrees 21 minutes 54 seconds W
33 degrees 34.35 minutes N  118 degrees 21.54 minutes W
33.3435 degrees N 118.2154 degrees W

With DSC you do not need to know the difference, only push the button on the radio.

I'm sure the GPS/DSC is good to have, most situations where I thought a radio might come in handy happened in known locations so would only need to get somebody on the radio

That was the case w the guy whose yak sank also

Fog is a different story but if you know where you are and get compass bearings before fog rolls between you and land you can do okay, just have to have a sense of time and what it takes to get from point a to point b

my big wakeup was how hard it was dealing w somebody in the water, and if things went south we wouldve been screwed

Being employed in ER and ICUs I do CPR, it would be impossible to do it effectively in the water

The situation turned out okay but I will be toting a live radio from here on out

Alshobie is donating a VHF to PIF. If you can make it you'll have a chance

It is not wise to rely on compass bearings with fog if you plan on finding a harbor entrance or specific spot to come back into the beach through the surf where a difference of 150 feet can greatly increase the risk involved.

I have a couple of levels of offshore sailing certification and a log of the boat deliveries I have done entailing thousands of sea miles and chartered boats by the day and by the week but when I went to rent a sailboat in Santa Cruz they gave me a written test that included questions about anchoring. I think that the reason is that in dense fog is may be smarter to drop anchor and wait it out than to try to find the harbor entrance precisely. More than a few sailors have missed the harbor entrances in Honolulu, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, and San Diego to name a few I know of, where the crew was relying on dead reckoning.

I have GPS with the fish finder and GPS/DSC with the Icom VHF radio so I am covered. This does not seem an area where one should pinch pennies. The "best" VHF floating DSC equipped VHF radios for Standard Horizon, Uniden, and Icom sell for $250 or less.

Before I even venture out on my kayak or PB, I always do a radio check on land before I take off. When I use my PB, the handheld radio is a must on top of my fixed radio. Just my two cents.

I'm reading down the thread ,for a stab at another unrelated reply on my part,but saw this and wanted to ad...battery being short life or unable to take charging and re-charging is what I bump into on my non yak work radios and my lower end yak radios...before a water problem even..old stock/shelf life/shitty quality--- internal battery design..imho is a factor , for early issues, otw trying to hear folks in the group nearby even,or  transmit on these little radios too.....sub par battery cuts out when the button is pushed..

IPX7 ... I'd hate to be submerged at 1M for 30minutes unless I could breath thru my ass.

It's not a singular event I'd be worry about.  It's a degradation in performance over time.  It doesn't take much degradation in the seal before a splash of water enters the VHF and kills it.  And in fact, that's probably what happens.  Why else would there a lot of failures in VHF radios?

-Allen