Anyone use handheld VHF radios? I am trying to decide whether or not to purchase a handheld. I don't really want to mount a big antenna to my boat, but I boat at Table Rock Lake in Missouri where the "Ozark Mountains" are. Just curious about the range of handhelds. I talked to a guy at Bass Pro and he said 1-7 visible miles. Any suggestions?

I live about 25 to 30 miles (as a crow flies) from the Coast Guard station in Burlington, Vermont and with my Uniden Voyager handheld VHF I've contacted them from my kitchen for a radio check. They always respond very loud and very clear.

I would highly recomend. Most places sell for $200.00. Mine was purchased on ebay for $150.00 and two of my buddies bought them also from ebay same price.

Good luck,

Neil

We sometimes carry handhelds on GLSCS rescue teams. Often times have had problems contacting other units on the same race course (less than 4 miles total distance), even with good handheld units like ICOM. The higher the antennae, the further you can transmit/recieve, but I would suggest using one as a back-up only!

I use an el cheapo Humminbird VHF5, ($80), and I'm tickled with it. I never leave the dock without it. I've transmitted 10 miles across water with no problem at all.

you get what you pay for! Get an Icom....

I used to have one for use at LOTO. But there, not even the water patrol monitors them. Very few boaters used them and only a few marinas would monitor them. Not much use there. I use a cell phone instead. On the Missippi river they were great for contacting locks.

I just purchased the Icom M1V after some in depth analysis. I used to use the Hummingbird "Cheepo" but it wasn't reliable from a charging standpoint.

This one has:

Waterproof
HD Housing
Nicad Battery (Last longer with no charging memory)
Easy to use Squelch "SP?" knob. (button actuated sqch is a pain...)
Lots of other stuff that I won't use....


Just my .02 cents....

Good Luck

NTP

All vhf radios work on line of site, that is why you see tall antenas on cruisers and some offshores. Handhelds work great on short distances and when switched to the 5w setting can get further as long as there is a clear line between you and the intended target. It is always a good idea to have one when boating, it offers another way to communicate with the rest of the area.

Thanks for the comments. I basically just need one to talk with friends to find out which cove their in and to find out what side I need to tie-up on. I like using my cell phone, its free on the weekends, but a lot of my friends have big cruisers with VHF's that they like to use. Thanks again and have fun this weekend!