My go to VHF

It's bad when you VHF does not work as expected. It happens a lot of all of us.
This is one of my top pick for durability and get the job done VHF
It's a commercial model. It lasts longer than most I have used. Voice is clear.

https://www.thegpsstore.com/Standard-Horizon-HX400-5-Watt-Handheld-VHF-with-Land-Mobile-Channels-P2625.aspx

How many seasons so far?  I lose mine too often lol

3 seasons of heavy use so far. It can take a beating of constant splashing.

I got a HX300 before this, it could hardly hear anyone. The dang thing won't last a full day of fishing.

Looks nice, I lost my Icom M35 radio at The War at the Wall and just now order this one to replace it.
https://www.thegpsstore.com/Icom-M36-Floating-Marine-VHF-Handheld-P1997.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQjw9JzoBRDjARIsAGcdIDVW1Z6pJ-9oopM4r9y1avHjzEU-Axcqfi0T-heBXtFbah7Hv7uCedQaAgSmEALw_wcB

Last one lasted almost 10 years of moderate use and charge was good for at least four or five full days of fishing.

Man, this talk of longevity makes me want to ditch the HX851 pair I've been using.

Mine won't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes now (the batteries are shot after 3 years or so; I've got replacements on order), but even when they were new, they were only good for a day or two tops, and I'd have to keep spare AAA alkaline clips on hand.

Maybe I'll see how they behave with the GPS turned off for times I'm not using it (which is nearly always).

Man, this talk of longevity makes me want to ditch the HX851 pair I've been using.

Mine won't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes now (the batteries are shot after 3 years or so; I've got replacements on order), but even when they were new, they were only good for a day or two tops, and I'd have to keep spare AAA alkaline clips on hand.

Maybe I'll see how they behave with the GPS turned off for times I'm not using it (which is nearly always).

I use a uniden ms126.  It's been really good.  Nocked it off my vest and into the water 4 times last weekend at TC.  Never missed a beat.  I haven't charged it since I got it (4 trips).  All day use.  Highly recommend this unit.

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I purchased a Uniden MHS75, used it one time at ARW 2019 halibut tourney and accidently knocked it into the water and waited for it to float, but it never did. Contacted Uniden and they said they could not replace the unit and offered $10.00 for my next purchase. No thanks. Luckily for Amazon, they offered to refund me for the radio.

Man, this talk of longevity makes me want to ditch the HX851 pair I've been using.

Mine won't hold a charge for more than 5 minutes now (the batteries are shot after 3 years or so; I've got replacements on order), but even when they were new, they were only good for a day or two tops, and I'd have to keep spare AAA alkaline clips on hand.

Maybe I'll see how they behave with the GPS turned off for times I'm not using it (which is nearly always).

I use a uniden ms126.  It's been really good.  Nocked it off my vest and into the water 4 times last weekend at TC.  Never missed a beat.  I haven't charged it since I got it (4 trips).  All day use.  Highly recommend this unit.

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Good to know. I've been otherwise very happy with the 851; when new, they were good for about a day and a half, if memory serves. I've always had the GPS on on the radios, in spite of not needing it in places like Del Valle and Lake Chabot. Will try with it off and see how the new batteries fare.

I purchased a Uniden MHS75, used it one time at ARW 2019 halibut tourney and accidently knocked it into the water and waited for it to float, but it never did. Contacted Uniden and they said they could not replace the unit and offered $10.00 for my next purchase. No thanks. Luckily for Amazon, they offered to refund me for the radio.

Wow that sucks.  I tether mine to my vest now.  I did throw it into pool to make sure mine floated.

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Yeah, i would agree that tethering to the vest is a must. I lost a nice radio because I forgot to tether it to my vest too.
Unfortunately, anything not leashed will find it self gone. It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "When". If it's expensive better make sure it's glued to your kayak or your hand. LOL.

Appreciate the recommendation! Just ordered on with the link provided.

Many people try to buy the Cobra VHF radios and many times, not always, it's because of the low price. The Cobra brand is commonly sold at Academy. That is how I find that many find out about these radios. There are other cheap brands out there, not just Cobra. The problem is that you get what you pay for many times with these brands. Because of the lower price, you sacrifice something for the cheaper brands out there. I have explained in the past the five things to look for in a quality VHF radio but I have now found a sixth thing I have added to my list. Here are the six things you should look for in purchasing a quality VHF radio:

1) floats
2) water proof
3) it should have NOAA weather radio
4) at least a 5-mile radius
5) good battery life (if you are going to be on the water all day, make sure your battery will last)
6) Make sure your radio has a channel 16 emergency button so that you can reach coast guard immediately

The sixth item is the newest I have added to the list. The reason for this is that a common station that many are allowed to be on are the upper channels. Us kayakers choose channel 69 many times. Even though we use the radio for fishing talk, it's important to remember that this radio's primary purpose is for emergencies. What happens if you are on channel 69 and there is an emergency. On a cheaper radio, you will have to push through all the stations to get from channel 69 to channel 16 (channel 16 is the coast guard station). That is a lot of channels to thumb through. My radio has a button that has "9/16" on it (this is a common feature on some radios). Once I hit this button, it immediately takes me where I need to be without going through other less important channels.

Another thing that is not necessarily needed but is a nice feature, is a channel lock feature. I'm almost definite this lock feature I am about to talk about will be the seventh thing on the list before long. On my radio, there is a button that has a key pic on the top of the button. Once I hold this down for a few seconds, it locks all of my keys. To reverse the process, repeat the same thing and it will disengage this feature. If the feature is active, a small pic of a key will present itself on the electronic screen. Once disabled, the key pic goes away. This feature is useful because as kayakers, we are limited in space. Constantly you will find that your radio buttons will get pressed somehow during the day taking you off of the channel you are trying to be on. If you are fishing with friends and you don't hear them the entire time, you will think their radio is off or has gone down in battery juice. In reality, your radio channel is on the wrong station. Also, when you are talking to the coast guard, you will want to make sure you stay on the designated channel and not accidentally get switched.

Some of the brands that many use on the water that are considered reliable are (in no particular order):

1) Standard Horizon
2) ICOM
3) Uniden

I personally roll with the Standard Horizon HX300. For the value of this radio, it's hard to beat the quality and price. All of these radio brands are good that I just listed. If you search on the internet, sometimes you will find that there are mail-in rebates. My radio had at one time a $20.00 mail-in rebate. The average going price on the Standard Horizon HX300 is $110.00. That is a great price for a quality VHF radio. I have heard people talk about the HX290. It has everything the HX300 has except one thing. The HX300 has a longer battery life. For a few bucks more, I am more than happy to buy the HX300 to have a longer battery life. If you find that you are the kind of person that is only going to be on the water for about half a day, then I could see buying the HX290.  Chet, I have had the problem of not being able to hear on my radio but that is only because I just got through the surf and water is blocking the way.  I just blow into it for a sec and that seems to fix the problem.  As far as battery is concerned, I just got done fishing all day (12.5 hrs offshore in the kayak) and my battery was with plenty of juice at the end of the day.  However, the HX400 is not a bad choice either.  You really can't go wrong with either.  I had thought about buying an extra radio for when I take friends out.  If I do, I may try the HX400.

One last thing I would like to mention. Sometimes I like to use TV's in relation to VHF radios. I consider buying a Cobra in relation to a RCA. Buying one of the better brands is like buying a Toshiba. By buying a RCA, is that what your life is worth? We take a VHF radio for granted because we hit the water never suspecting anything will ever happen to us. If that time ever comes when you need a radio and you bought a RCA, I can only pray that it works for you. I know my Cadillac will as it has on a few occasions that I have needed it.

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to post on here, PM me, or even give me a call. I'm always happy to chat with people on kayaking. 832-588-7091

Tight lines!

 
    Sadly my last fishing trip my Standard Horizon took a fall and happened to land squarely on its power/squelch dial disabling the squelch (Broke it) so now radio has no squelch.  it still transmits and receives fine, just noisy all time it's on

    Sadly my last fishing trip my Standard Horizon took a fall and happened to land squarely on its power/squelch dial disabling the squelch (Broke it) so now radio has no squelch.  it still transmits and receives fine, just noisy all time it's on

Hopefully it's under warranty.  Call them and see if they can do anything for you if it's not.  They may take your old one off of your hands and send you a new one at a nominal price.  Their contact number is 714-827-7600 or 800-767-2450.

Standard Horizon HX300 is a good unit without comparison. The selling point of the HX300 is the usb charging ability.
I have had it for 1 year, it was not good in splashing environment like what we do in kayak fishing.
The sealing membrane on the microphone/speaker will distort greatly when wet, and good luck calling or hearing anyone afterward. The battery life is decent, it won't last a whole day with occasional commendation.

HX400 I recommended is built for commercial, and my thought is Standard Horizon will build something that will withstand these guys, they are hard on gears. I think Sta.Hor does.
The battery life is great. It will last the whole day.
Microphone/speaker will distort too when it gets really wet, but not as bad as HX300.
It does not float, but anything on kayak should be tethered or you won't find it again.