# Handheld VHF marine radio



## MangoX (Feb 18, 2006)

hey guys...question for you more experienced yakkers that venture out to sea..

I know you should never go out alone...but have seen some out at sea by themselves..
conditions being right, vhf radio packed...would you go out alone ??

I love estuary and bay fishing for bream and flatties, but am itching for a kingie (even a rat king)...

I'm looking at this radio which has had good reviews...
http://kayakfishingstuff.com/Merchant2/ ... y_Code=gps

what do you think ?

cheers

Steve


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Steve

My only experience is with 5Watt VHF, and we found Uniden to be lacking in performance compared to some other brands, but don't know if that carries into handhelds.

The Uniden blokes had to resort to repeater channels more frequently


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## sbd (Aug 18, 2006)

Steve, 
I'm afraid I don't qualify as one of those more experienced yakkers, but I do know that you don't have to go out to sea to find a kingie, particularly as the water warms up. Check your pms (lush location deleted in the interests of national security). A lot safer than going out to sea alone...


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## Salty Dog (Sep 18, 2005)

G'day Steve, I'm not so experienced either but I do like the idea of being able to go out to sea alone, (when I'm a bit more experienced), especially because I work shift work & my son will be at school next year, so weekdays will be an option.

I've been trying to keep an eye out for a reasonabely priced waterproof VHF radio but haven't really seen anything yet.

Good thread though. If anyone knows anything much about the different models, I'm sure it would be a great help to a number of people.


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## quietman (Aug 30, 2006)

I had that radio as my first Yak hand-held.

It was/is a worthless piece of junk.

Notice the "jis4" or "level one" waterproof rating.

That supposedly means it can be splashed with water (not submerged)
and will not be adversly affected.

I kept mine in a plastic bag or on a deck mount where it did get dripped on and handled with wet hands. Ruined it in short order.

POSSIBLY if you bought a $50 dry-bag with antenna pouch etc. so you could use it inside the bag and never get it wet it would serve.

Range and speaker audio clarity sucked anyway as well, however.

You may want to investigate JIS-7 or higher only radios instead, rated to be submerged to 1 meter for 30 minutes without damage, and then try very hard NOT to submerge it.

A very popular US model which I have experience with is the STANDARD HORIZON brand Submersible HX471S
See it at:

http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS. ... Archived=0

It is now a somewhat older model, but can be bought on-line for as little as $210, WITH a 12 hour lithium battery standard and a recharger included!

I have two, and use them on land as well, since they also are am/fm radio capable AND work with the common "walkie-talkie" FRS/GMRS radios AND receive weather band AND aircraft band as well.

My $.02 8)


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

Hi Steve - how far out are you considering on paddling? I venture out by myself the majority of times - 4-5kms offshore - and have no worries still getting mobile phone reception. I have a nokia that is splash proof and keep it in a dry bag...maybe thats a cheaper option for you?


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

scotty beefs said:


> Hi Steve - how far out are you considering on paddling? I venture out by myself the majority of times - 4-5kms offshore - and have no worries still getting mobile phone reception. I have a nokia that is splash proof and keep it in a dry bag...maybe thats a cheaper option for you?


Travis
You are quite right re the phone, however the strength for the serious offshore angler is that with any marine radio, an RDF bearing can be taken of your locaton by rescue organizations in the worst case scenario, and that is not possible with a phone.
The couple of times I went offshore through the GC Seaway I also used my mobile and logged in with the ASR group and stayed within view of their tower.


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## beefs (Jan 30, 2006)

Didn't know that Richo - definitely an advantage. Another advantage would be that if you end up in the water with your waterproof radio it will last longer than a phone.

Personally I carry my phone and a small EPIRB.


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## DGax65 (Jun 7, 2006)

I would look at both Standard Horizon (Yaesu) and ICOM. Both make high quality, fully submersible VHF radios. I have two Standard Horizon radios and have gone into the drink with both. Apart from a little corrosion on the speaker screen of the one that I've been using for almost 5 years, they are in great shape. As a precaution, I coated some of the exposed metal parts with Starbright (liquid electrical tape), rinse with fresh water after each use and spray all exposed metal with corrosion inhibitor. I may be over-cautious, but I carry two VHF radios and a cell phone. The cell phone is nice to have for making direct calls, but coverage is spotty. VHF marine band radios have a number of advantages over cell phones; the power output is higher than that of cell phones (5W-6W as opposed to <500mW), you can talk directly to other VHF radios without the need to be within range of a tower and VHF Ch.16 is the standard for international hailing. Coast Guard/Life Saving Services, ships and most boats will be monitoring CH 16. Coast Guard and navy vessels/stations have the ability to DF VHF signals. VHF handhelds are relatively cheap and can be a lifesaver. If you plan to go offshore, you might also consider a personal EPIRB.
http://www.icom.net.au/2000_web/index2.html
http://www.standardhorizon.com/inde...ProdID=yTVO7adizes=&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0
http://www.acrelectronics.com/aquafix/


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Russ (Feb 24, 2006)

Howdy Steve

I agree with sbd mate, ya dont have to go offshore for Kings. Botany Bay around Mol point and the airport runways is a good option as with the wedding cakes in the harbour or Neilsen Park and North or South head. More importantly I think is your choice of attack. Live Squid and Yakkas presentation, and water temps. There are plenty of opportunities around the corner mate, as soon as the water temp hits 20 degrees it'll be on for young and old. Will be going for a King bash in November in the Harbour. I plan to launch at Clifton Gardens at 5.00am will post when it gets a little closer and will PM you just in case ya miss it. Around about the 16th 17th of November. A week day to give us a bit of a go out there away from the mad weekend stink boat brigade.

PS... I have a hand held VHF marine radio and you are welcome to borrow it anytime you go out mate, as with anyone who may feel a little safer with a radio just PM me and we can meet and it's yours for the day no worries at all.

 fishing Russ


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

Steve, on Sunday I ventured out to some islands a few kms offshore hoping to find Yellowtail Kings, Samsonfish or Bonito & it got me thinking about the wisdom of being out there alone with no radio (even forgot to take my phone). It was particularly on my mind when, just after the wind had picked up, the only two boats in the area started heading back towards land & shelter :shock: .

That's when I was questioning the wisdom of being out there alone, with no radio and without having told anyone when & where I was going :roll: . I had quite a while to mull it over as I paddled for over 2kms into the wind & chop to get back to a sheltered shore. And while I was doing that, the local Sea Rescue boat went charging across(about 1km away) in front of me on it's way well offshore, on a training or rescue trip of some sort.

I too must start researching what waterproof handheld VHF radios are available & how much I might need to spend. I should also get some wetsuit gear, possibly some flares, etc. I always wear a PFD and tether myself to the kayak (with 5 metres of cord).

Even in choppy rough conditions I've never felt concerned about not being able to stay on my Swing and it would be an extremely unusual occurrence for me to be out & not be able to go with the wind to a shoreline of some sort. What concerned me on this recent trip was that if the wind really picked up & I had to shelter behind one of the islands I'd like to be able to use a radio (or phone) to possibly get a lift back if I felt I was too stuffed to make it back alone.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

occy said:


> Guys,
> 
> I have absolutely no experience with VHF but have been looking around myself a bit lately, since I saw a second hand one (Oregon Scientific) the other day at a Cash Converters. It felt a really solid well made unit and was on display for what I thought was a good price of $150. It was in pristine condition, except for the damaged box and looked like it had never been used.


Paul

If ever you see something like that again try channel 67 and give Radio Sydney [or the local main station] a call an tell them you are testing a new unit and they will come back and tell you if the signal is OK from your location.

67 is the working channel and will not offend anyone by using, with my old boat a radio check was done before casting off everytime we went out

For me with kayaks and with another mate, a pair of UHF radios is the way to go with about 4kms line of sight range, the rescue mobs all monitor UHF also, and can pick up the transmissions of the smaller handhelds OK..brand new 2 UHF will not cost more than $150 the pair


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## MangoX (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks guys..

I have a pair of these









which are fun to muck around with...camping, hiking, etc..

Looking around....
I found this site
http://www.ybw.com/ybw/vhf/
very helpfull for a newbie like me.. :?

I like the price of this one
US$ 100  








or maybe this one 
for US $129 :shock: 









or maybe splash out
with this :shock: :shock: 
US$259









Anyway...
will let u guys what I end up getting

cheers

Steve


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## Guest (Sep 13, 2006)

Hi I had the same dilemna with safety offshore and wondered what to buy well after a lot of searching I found the best price was on ebay for radio's brand new with warranty from Aussie suppliers. But then I thought what would say "help I'm drifting out to sea with no paddle" and they would say where are you I'd look around for a street sign and realise I was in trouble so I canned the radio and purchased a high quality epirb (406) instead. Hope this confuses you more.


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## GB1 (Sep 5, 2006)

sorry guys.... but could some one please explain to me what an epirb is, :roll: i know only of two way walkie talkies and hand held vhf's. most guys over here use the icom range as its proven some good results with an out put of 5.5 or 6 amp, (something like that) still to learn about all these things

Thanks for your help

GB1


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## GB1 (Sep 5, 2006)

Thanks Redphoenix

I now know what that is and have done a bit of work looking for one and it so happens that they are available over here starting at a price of around Ã‚Â£350.00. :shock: Not cheap compared to you guys, but thanks much the same

Cheers
GB1


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Great thread everyone.
I'm looking at getting a VHF or EPIRB before the upcoming pelagic season.

Just to add some more meat to this discussion, I recommend an electric trolling motor for anyone venturing out further than 2k's offshore.

Sometimes conditions out there can catch you by surprise.
An electric motor makes trolling out wide easy, it also helps you get back in when you really need to.

Just make sure you keep enough battery to get back safely.


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## polylureosis (Jul 24, 2006)

I have a compact personal epirb. But if you are considering purchasing one you should be aware of the following............

If you own a distress beacon - which may also be called an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) - or are planning to purchase one, you should know that from 2009 only one type will be detected by the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system. That is the digital 406 MHz distress beacon.

Digital 406 MHz distress beacons are more accurate, are detected more quickly and identify their owner. The sooner you make the switch to 406, the sooner you'll be safer.

Analogue 121.5 MHz distress beacons will no longer be detected from February 2009
Digital 406 MHz distress beacons are detected faster and more accurately than analogue 121.5 MHz beacons
Digital 406 MHz distress beacons are smarter and safer

Still I think they are worth it for peace of mind (for self and loved ones) if nothing else for the next 2 years 4 months


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

occy said:


> Anyone know of a good book or article on use of VHF radios. I suppose I could Google it but I'm a bit lazy today and thought someone out there who knew about them could help me cut to the chase.


Check PMs


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## MangoX (Feb 18, 2006)

Occy...

you were right....in Queensland at least... 

have a look here

http://members.optusnet.com.au/aus-kaya ... s/vhf.html

cheers

Steve


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