gonna buy a radio this year and was shopping options. they range from 40 bucks on up. seems like the differences are: waterproof, submerseable, floating in order of expense. all in the 1 watt-5 watt power range. question is what works for you? do i need to spend 150$ on floating or does the 40$ waterproof cobra work fine? thanks in advance!
coastrat
I started with a West Marine Santana; the batteries sucked and replaced it with the model before the Icom M36, whatever it was, kept in the tramp pocket.
I bought a pair of Icom M88 for Round the Island three years ago. They fit in a vest pocket and are waterproof. The radio does no good if you are separated from it. Found a few deals on E-bay and got two $300 radios for the price of one.
P. Mumm uses the Icom M36 and so do several others that sail out of Ocean Springs.
Ron Beliech
Nacra F-18
Brandon, MS
I had a West Marine VHF150 and an Icom M35. The Icom is so much better, I was really happy when the WM died. I traded it for a brand new Icom. West Marine may cost more, but their return policy rocks.
Kenny Gatesman
Chicago sailing at Wilmette
1982 Prindle 18
nacra55 wrote:
P. Mumm uses the Icom M36 and so do several others that sail out of Ocean Springs.
I also have the IC-M32 which is bullet proof, goes everywhere I go, and has saved my ass on more than one occasion.
Philip
shopping i found some ic m32's new for around 145$...is this a good price?...looks like they retail around 205$. sound like submerseable is the buzz word for cat radios...makes sense, being your real emergency is in the drink!
coastrat
IIRC the 32's are discontinued, though there are probably some still in stock. The last time I looked at them they were around the $150 range.
If you bought one, & it crapped out during warranty, they would probably have to replace it with the 36.
The 36 can be had at W Marine for $199, minus a rebate of $30, in effect til Dec 31.
E C Hilliard
Nacra 5.7
Bombardier Invitation
the 36 is looking nice...floating, 10ozs., 6 watts, 3 year warranty, still smallish, 170$(with rebate),...we have a leader...
coastrat
BAM!!!...pulled the trigger on the icom m36 from west...free shiping and a 30$ rebate from manufacturer...now all i need is some warm water...
coastrat
Alright so time has passed, How did the handheld radio do so far?
I'm about to make the decision on one, for close-by offshore ocean sailing. Just for extra safety.
Anyone else have any more suggestions for fairly priced, practical for getting sprayed on a cat?
Thanks
i have had it out twice so far...works fine, it does float! but fortunately haven't needed it yet in a pinch so no reviews on it so far. the controls take a little getting used to, i need to spend some more time with it to set favorite channels and customize but i'm confident that if i were drifting alone in the gulf i could give a good OH S#%T! over the air and feel good about the radio working. being a contractor and craftsman, you never regret buying a quality tool, only crappy ones!
coastrat
Alright! someone nearby me is selling a ICom M34 for $60, or I can get a new one with warranty for $169 from a store. Either way, I agree, and it sounds like a good tool to have in case the moment ever calls for it.
Thanks for the update
If the battery is good, I would jump on it for $60.
Philip
I bought one when west Marine had them on sale last Dec, for $130 after rebate. Have a look at WM discontinued, or sale items. They had a battery pack,(holds 6 AA I think) for $5. I picked one up just to have a way to power up if I forget to charge the regular one.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=52527&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=50157&subdeptNum=50158&classNum=50163
It says it is for the M32, but it fit my M36. I just had to scrape away about 1mm of a little plastic t.it. It did not interfere with the O ring seal. The guy at WM actually let me modify it in the store, & said if it didn't work, I didn't have to pay for it. It may very well fit the M34 too. You can buy a brick (24 pack) of Duracells for $10.
One caveat, when using AA batteries, it WILL NOT FLOAT, they are quite a bit heavier than the Li rechargeable pack.
Edited by Edchris177 on May 08, 2012 - 11:48 AM.
E C Hilliard
Nacra 5.7
Bombardier Invitation
my $0.02
Make sure your radio floats or is tethered to something to make it float..like those key chains...and test it
Make sure that you give it a test by submersing the radio then try to transmit and receive. So if you try to call for help and your speaker diaphragm are full of water and stuck the the grills it wont work. ( don't ask how I know). Some radios have a "tone" that at the push of a button vibrates both the speaker and mic to shake the water off. You could also try blowing it out. just be aware that when they are soaked they mic and speakers are usually impaired.
I got a nice cobra that I'm very happy with once I figured out both of the above.
Two good articles on VHF Radio use...Mayday, Pan and Securite'
http://www.sailonline.com/seamanship/VHF.html
http://www.boatingsafety.com/vhf1.htm
Edited by motivated on May 12, 2012 - 07:19 AM.
Has anybody tried the ICOM M24?
I have this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Uniden-Handheld-Floating-Two-Way-MHS126/dp/B00AU5XROG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1396381423&sr=8-3&keywords=handheld+marine+vhf+radio
$115 floats long life battery 6 watts good range