A good handheld VHF?

Karel

Karel

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Anyone able to recommend a good hand-held VHF that (ideally) is waterproof?

I could do a search here, but I'm hoping someone can point me in the direction of a discount.

(I've got the full operator's license BTW)
 
I recently bought for £79.95 a Silva S12 h.h. vhf which is said to be waterproof to 1.0m. for 30 mins. which sounds OK to me. They were criticised on this forum recently on the grounds that the battery isn't easily or cheaply replaceable but Silva say that it should withstand 300 recharges which must be 10 years with my useage so that doesn't worry me. I have no connection with Silva other than as a customer.
 
Hi

Have been using a Entel HT640 for the past season. Top class set great battery life etc. If i had to buy again it would be another Entel.

Regards

Andrew
 
Maybe I should also ask where a good place to buy these might be...

Also what's the situation with regards to letting the battery completely run down? Like it probably would over the winter if I didn't deliberately charge it?
 
Hi

I would buy a set with a Lithium-Ion Battery so you wont have any problems with battery charging. I got mine from seamarknunn.com on offer with a free case and extension mike/speaker.

Andrew
 
Personally I would make sure it had ICOM written on the front.

But, that is personal opinion.

You may want it to follow you into the raft and want to know that it WILL do as promised.



**Usual disclaimers apply**
 
Agree, Icom everytime. My Icom M1 Euro V has had abuse hurled at it for years, continually drenched in seawater, and I've never managed to run the battery down - despite buying a backup battery which turned out to be a waste of money! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
I choose to buy.
I get taken to a page saying that it's been added to my cart. Below that is a window with an error message "The page cannot be displayed ".
I click 'view basket' and get a page saying "Your Yachtbits cart contains the following items:" with the same error message window below.
'secure checkout' yields the same result.
This happens in both IE and Firefox...
 
Don\'t rush into it...

Before you rush into buying an M31, take a moment to review whether it's a good buy. The M31 has a strange electronic on/off switch, which means it continues to use power even when it's switched off! This runs the battery down when you're not using it. Also, compared with other Icom models, it has fairly poor audio qualities. I bought one, didn't like it at all, and sold it on eBay within a few months.

If you're determined to get an M31, do a search for the cheapest price. Yachtbits isn't the cheapest when you add shipping costs. As an alternative, Marine SuperStore has the M31 at £139.95 including shipping, and there may well be even cheaper offers around.

The M1 has been replaced by the new M71, and this would be a much better choice for you. It'll last forever if you look after it. Yachtbits do have a keen price on this - £184 including shipping, but again there may be better offers around.
 
The IC-M31 has a soft on/off which means it always uses power. This may be a problem if your intention is to leave it in the grab bag unused for weeks / months as the battery will eventually drain away.

For everyday use you will not notice this as a problem. I am only going by what has been said on here. If you have a regulated regime of charging this also will stop this being a problem.

I have a pair of pmr's on board (not ICOM) which also have soft on/off. They are still going strong since the last charge in May. I don't know the drain figures of the ICOM but if anything like my PMR's it is possibly not as big a problem as is often made on here.

My ICOM h/h is 20 years old and still going strong. There are still spares available for it. You can't say better than that.
 
I wasn't buying - just checking the delivery price.

The M71 certainly looks better. I was only planning on using this for inland waterways, but spending not too much more seems to push up the usability into offshore use.
 
Damn these faulty websites! I'm looking for a skin fitting and at Marine Superstore I get:

TREM SKIN FITTING 0.75
A compact and efficient pump with a capacity of 30 litres per minute. Features non clog valves and accepts 25mm hose
£1.95

rant.gif
 
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