Vhf radios

[Tyee123]

Would a hand held vhf radio be an effective alternative to a mounted system out on the lake. My boats not that big and I'd rather not mount an antenna. 

[Flygaff]

The handhelds do not put out the same power that the larger units do. You may only get a couple of miles on them.I have two mounted VHF units on my boat and when I  run offshore a sat phone is a must

[Todd in NY]

I have a Cobra handheld that I use as a backup radio in my Crestliner Sabre. It's also used as my only radio on my small 16ft boat.

 

As mentioned above, I think the mounted radios put out roughly 5 times the power of a handheld.

Edited July 18, 2021 by Todd in NY

[Flygaff]

Yea, most handhelds transmit at 1 watt. Fixed units are 5 watt

[sherman brown]

10 hours ago, Flygaff said:

Yea, most handhelds transmit at 1 watt. Fixed units are 5 watt

most if not all fixed units have low and high with high being 25 watts.

 

[ifishy]

To the original question a handheld is better than nothing and in a small boat if you stay close to port you can still reach the coast guard which is what is really important

Sent from my XT1080 using Lake Ontario United mobile app

[sherman brown]

the way it was explained to me was a hand held unit is great around the dock or when a group of boats are traveling together. a hand held basically have 2 to 6 watt and i believe a fixed unit has 5 on low and 25 on high, i always just leave mine on high. if you plan on going out on the big water you need a fixed mount unless you are staying very close to the docks.

[Shakemsam]

A quality antenna is just as important or more so than the radio itself. 

[Tyee123]

I appreciate all the feedback.  Got a cobra with gps and a 8" Shakespeare galaxy on the way. 

[sherman brown]

those will serve you well on the big water. but what length antenna did you get?

[Tyee123]

8 footer.  

[Tyee123]

17 lakers today. Scratched my itch. Onto the kings.

[sherman brown]

2 hours ago, Tyee123 said:

17 lakers today. Scratched my itch. Onto the kings.

laker's are ok but kings rule when it comes to a good fight. like what i can see of your boat.

[Tyee123]

Thanks 20 foot lund tyee. Bought it this spring. She does well but I still gotta pick my days you know 

[sherman brown]

On 7/24/2021 at 10:54 AM, Tyee123 said:

Thanks 20 foot lund tyee. Bought it this spring. She does well but I still gotta pick my days you know 

 

yeah and i bet you pick a lot of them. LOL.