VHF Radio Recommendations

[wagostino]

I am going to be putting my first boat in the water this coming weekend. One of the things I know I need is a VHF radio. I have already decided I want a fixed mounted unit but other than that there are so many options and so many price ranges I am dizzy. I will be mostly on large lakes and on the Atlantic coast. I have a GPS/Fishfinder. What do I need> DO I need to purchase an antenna in addition to the radio or will it come with one. When the makers of radios refer to "dot matrix" display what are they talking about and is it good or bad? I am willing to pay for what will keep my familky safe but it is very confusing.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: VHF Radio Recommendations

You will need an antenna, and they, with mounting and wire, can cost as much as the radio.
Figure out who you are going to talk to and how far away they are, and buy accordingly. Is USCG around?
Top quality (such as icom) if you are way off shore all alone, or night boating in winter. Anything will do if you are inshore and around other boats, especially if your cell phone works in your boating area.
Also the size of boat matters. On a 64' yacht you don't take chances. On a 16' bowrider, you're not going to sink and you're not going to be 40 miles out (provided you have that anchor, properly rigged--far more important than a VHF).

 

[collind]

Re: VHF Radio Recommendations

I am going to be putting my first boat in the water this coming weekend. One of the things I know I need is a VHF radio. I have already decided I want a fixed mounted unit but other than that there are so many options and so many price ranges I am dizzy. I will be mostly on large lakes and on the Atlantic coast. I have a GPS/Fishfinder. What do I need> DO I need to purchase an antenna in addition to the radio or will it come with one. When the makers of radios refer to "dot matrix" display what are they talking about and is it good or bad? I am willing to pay for what will keep my familky safe but it is very confusing.

I just installed a "Uniden Oceanus DSC" and I love it. Connects to my GPS for Position Send with distress button for emergencies. Lots of great features.

 

[waynehol]

Re: VHF Radio Recommendations

Think through the mounted vs. hand held. There are advantages to each.
4 years ago I was on a 23' Grady White that capsized 17 miles off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. The events surrounding the incident happened at an alarmingly fast pace and before we knew it,the boat was rolling over. We had time to grab vests, and, my handheld VHF. Had it in a waterproof pouch and was able to contact the Coast Guard. The boat had a mounted VHS but there was no time to use it. Once the boat went over, the batteries shorted and even if we dove under the boat it wouldnt have worked. As it was, I was able to be in constant communication while sitting on the hull of the upturned boat. As far as range goes, like I said, we were 17 miles out and they heard me fine.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Splat]

Re: VHF Radio Recommendations

A good antenna is more important than a top pf the line radio.

You can make a marginal radio sound fantastic with a good antenna, but nolhy make a top of the line radio saound marginal with a crummy antenna.

BIll

 

[jhebert]

Re: VHF Radio Recommendations

The United States Coast Guard has good information about shipboard radios at:

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/boater.htm


The United States Coast Guard recommends that you get a VHF Marine Radio rated as CLASS-D Digital Selective Calling (DSC).

From the FCC website:

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/dsc.htm

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Class D:

Minimum DSC capability for VHF marine radios carried by recreational boaters, commercial fishing vessels, and other non-SOLAS regulated vessels.
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The Standard-Horizon GX1500S radio is a Class-D rated DSC radio. Standard-Horizon radios are very good values, often providing more features and very high quality for an excellent price. I recommend the GX1500S as a best-buy for a VHF Marine Band radio with Class-D DSC features.

A fixed-mount VHF Marine Band radio will not have an integral antenna. You must connect an external antenna. The antenna will play an important role in determining the range of communication for your vessel. The most important consideration in the antenna is its mounting position. The antenna should be mounted as high as possible and as in the clear as possible. My recommendation for a VHF Marine Band radio antenna for a small boat is given in

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VHFAntenna.html


The "sound" of a radio is determined primarily by the microphone, the technique used to speak into the microphone, and the modulation characteristics of the radio. The antenna plays no role in determining the modulation.