handheld marine radio questions

[mikef]

I fish on Erie about 5 to 10 times a year, mainly for bass and perch. I'd be using it for monitoring weather and in case of an emergency. Could anyone tell me their effective range? Any prefered brand?

thanks mike

[cisco]

Under good conditions, I can get about 4 miles with my Shakspeare. However, I have a radio mounted in my boat and even with the short steel whip antenna I can get 6 miles (would be a good deal more with a 7' glass antenna). I receive messages from much farther distances, but that's no help if you need to reach someone.

[Dbl]

I have a Hummingbird VHF 99 and consistantly get about 4-5 miles. Good radio for around $99, battery charge will last a good 12 hours.

[Sparky]

I will concur with cisco about range with a handheld. I have a Horizon HX350F and love it. But, I do not use it for my main VHF. I have a President LTD 950 with a Shakespeare 5225 8' fiberglass antenna. I also carry another VHF fixed 25 watt radio for backup. It is my original unit that worked well but, didn't have programmable scanning. I have met people and read about them who were in situations that went wrong and weren't able to communicate. I enjoy the Great Lakes but, have never lost my respect what what can happen out there. The same can be said for large inland lakes with isolated areas. I haven't tried rigging my handheld to the 8' whip antenna but, have heard that it can be done. Programmable scanning is a must have feature for me. If you fish different areas the channels noramally used will change. I just set my radio scanning for the area that I'm in. Alos, if one channel has someone asleep on the mike you can blaock that channel out of the scanning. I read reviews and talked with people for 2 years before purchasing my 350 and have been happy with the choice. Your requirements may be different. Also consider picking up a higher power fixed mount VHF. Even with a 4' whip it outperforms a handheld on range. If safety is a concern look at adding one in the near future. Even a basic unit without programmable scanning can mean the diffrerence in an emergency.

Sparky

[Boatnut]

I would not recomend a handheld (most have max. output of 5 watts) unless for backup or talking to the dockmaster. You can buy a fixed mount, 25 watt for LESS then most handhelds. Combine that with an 8' fiberglass whip and you'll have plenty of range.
You can hook your handheld up to an 8' whip with an adapter. This might be a compromise. If buying a handheld, get one thats waterproof. Also buy a 12v, cigarette lighter adapter or a ton of batteries.
my 2 cents.
Mike(boatnut)

[cisco]

Sparky makes an important point -- on the Great Lakes, a good radio is a SAFETY item. I consider a radio to be more important than any of my other electronics on the inland seas. On my home lake I can drift to shore in a reasonably short period of time. On any of the Great Lakes reaching someone who can assist in an emergency is critical.

Please don't be casual and carefree about the Great Lakes. They demand respect.

[Sparky]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-18-01 AT 05:06PM (CST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-18-01 AT 05:04*PM (CST)

The Horizon 350 that I bought was just for that purpose. I have the rechargeable battery pack that lasts for multiple trips. I also have a tray that accpets AA batteries if the pack runs out of juice. If you are using it for regular transmissions the adapter would be necessary. Transmitting uses a lot of battery power. My handheld is mainly used for lietening. It is a toy that increases my enjoyment of the boating/fishing experience. If I get into a situation that it becomes my source of primary communication at least it's available. It also means I am in BIG trouble, with the multiple electrical and radio backups on my boat. Safety went over well with management but, it is at least 90% toy and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat!

Sparky ;-)