Portable VHF
 

I'm thinking of cheaping out on a portable VHF radio. This one (Click) looks nice.

I need something that can be compact enough to fit comfortably on a life jacket, waterproof, and have a large battery life (I talk a LOT). And of course it must be reliable. Reliable. Reliable.

The farthest away I communicate is usually a base station 3 miles away, line of sight, 3dB antenna, 25 watts, 20 feet off the ground. But I also want to use it for sailing on Winni and be able to reach someone in case of an emergency.

The max power that the above radio puts out is 3 watts. "Normal" handhelds put out five watts. Will this reduce the effective range of the radio? If so, how much? Does anyone have any other suggestions for a radio?


Thanks!

edit: I just realized there's another thread on this subject. Sorry!!

Not Bad!
 

For use around the lake it's generally more than sufficient. You won't reach from one end of the lake to the other, but you'll have a few miles range. That's usually enough to reach someone on the lake...unless it's 2AM on a Sunday night!

Cobra has a decent reputation, so you can't go wrong.

The only thing the specs do not mention is the ability to connect an external antenna to the radio, usually achieved by disconnecting the rubber duck antenna supplied with the radio. A full sized antenna can gain you considerable range over that of the shorty antenna on the radio.

You really should not talk a lot on a VHF.

See: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/20.htm

I only talk a lot on a small lake I teach on in Mass. There's maybe 4 other boats on the lake with VHF, and we're the only ones who use it anyway. When on a more populated lake such as Winni I take that into account before using the air.

Where would one get a better external antenna? Anything I should look for?


Thanks

You can find them at West Marine or Overton's. Generally anything by Shakespeare is pretty good, whether it's a full up fiberglass whip or a base loaded stainless steel whip mounted on a railing.

A general rule of thumb when it comes to antennas: bigger is usually better. (This isn't always true, but for the purpose of this discussion - VHF marine - it is true.) Since we're dealing with the lake rather than the seacoast, a smaller whip antenna will do just fine. An 8-foot whip would probably be overkill. A 3 or 4-foot whip should be sufficient.

Regardless of which antenna you decide upon, you'll notice a difference compared to using the handheld's rubber duck antenna.

That's what you mean by external antenna? Isn't there anything that is larger or better quality that screws into where the stock antenna is located?


Thanks

Keep in mind that your radio signal travels. It is not unusual for us on Winnipesaukee to hear Coast Guard Station Group Portland (Maine) and them to hear us.
You can get a fixed mounted antenna for your boat and screw the coax into your handheld giving you a much much better signal (transmit and receive) than the little rubber antenna.

There are after-market antennas available, though I don't know if there are many cut for the VHF marine band. Generally they are just bigger versions of the rubber duck antenna that give you a better signal than the antenna supplied with the radio. If you'd like I'll check around to see what I can find.