VHF Radio

[Fishography]

Can anyone give me information on Handheld VHF marine radios?

Are they any good out on the big lake?

For a short time I am downsizing boats, selling the Islander and fishing with my Lund and thought a handheld might work better, space and antena wise.

But if they are useless out on the lake, will either get new stationary one or pull my Raymarine off the Islander.

Any info would be great!

Fishography

Matt

[Satisfaxion_Gauranteed]

My little brother bought one for when we take both of our boats up to do some inland lake walleye and pike fishing. From a reception standpoint, as long as the batteries are good, it worked well. From a transmitting standpoint, the antenna dictates your range and clarity more than any other component. If we were on opposite ends of a 2000 or 3000 acre lake, I wasn't able to get his messages.

It's pretty difficult for fixed radios to end up in the big drink, too.

[HitMan]

Handheld VHF radios all depend on the cost. You get what you pay for in a handheld VHF radio. The more expensive the radio is, the greater the range is most likely. We have a $400 Raymarine that works great. The range picks up boats from Whitehall to Holland, while in Grand Haven. It is clear and has good battery life. The best idea is to shop around for handheld VHF radios and see what features you can get or are interested in for the price.

Meanwhile, you can also get a great mounted VHF radio with brand new up-to-date features for less than half the cost of a similar handheld radio. It all depends on what you want to do with it and how much you want to spend.

[Priority1]

Hand held VHF radios are mostly limited by the antenna length and lack of power. VHF radio reception is basically a line of sight thing. If you must, I would select a good ICOM hand held. For safety sake, I would go with a Fixed ICOM VHF and a quality 8 foot antenna.

[Take Six...]

Assuming the radio is emitting the wattage they advertise, the range limited by the ability of two antenna's to "see" each other. If the tip of your hand held is four feet above water and another guy has a hand held thats four feet above water the curvature of the earth will block their view after about four or five miles. If your usingt your hand held and are trying to reach a guy who has a fly bridge with an eight foot antenna you might get ten miles of range. (The previous information is entirely an estimate and carries no warranties, rebates or a high level of accuracy) I'm in a 18 footer and I went with the 36" SS whip with a full wattage water proof radio.