nitsuj
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2003
- Messages
- 483
I know the topic has been very well covered. And before you ask, yes I did search, I found tons of valuable info (as always) but not answers to my specific questions. So here we go...
For next season, I want to have a marine radio on board my boat. My uses will be mainly on rivers, talking to other boaters and locks. Maybe some boating on lake Erie, but unless I buy a larger boat, which I won't be for a while, I'll never be far off shore. And by far, I mean, I like to be able to see shore. Within 1/2mile. In other words, it is FAR more likely that I will use the radio for convenience than emergency. And even if it was an emergency, I'll alsways be either close to others or in cell phone range.
Unless someone gives me a real good reason to choose otherwise, I'm thinking a hand held radio will work for me. My specific question has more to do with differences between models of hand helds. Like anything else there is a wide price range. What are you getting for the money? For instance, one site sells a Cobra VHF 2 pack. You get 2 radios, presumably so you can also use them as walkie-talkies for $50. Same site has an Icom hand held for $265 for one. Near as I can tell, the specs are the same except for the Icom is 5w and the Cobras are 2w. Am I paying $210 for an extra 3w? Is 3w worth that kind of cheddar? For $99 I can get another brand that transmits in 5w. So, is wattage the main difference? Should I just buy the cheapest radio that can transmit 5w? Or for my usage can I just get the cheapest radio no matter the wattage?
Don't get me wrong, price isn't the main concern. I'll spend what I have to. But I don't want to pay extra for a name or status. I'm not trying to impress anyone with my marine radio brand. So what's the straight dope?
For next season, I want to have a marine radio on board my boat. My uses will be mainly on rivers, talking to other boaters and locks. Maybe some boating on lake Erie, but unless I buy a larger boat, which I won't be for a while, I'll never be far off shore. And by far, I mean, I like to be able to see shore. Within 1/2mile. In other words, it is FAR more likely that I will use the radio for convenience than emergency. And even if it was an emergency, I'll alsways be either close to others or in cell phone range.
Unless someone gives me a real good reason to choose otherwise, I'm thinking a hand held radio will work for me. My specific question has more to do with differences between models of hand helds. Like anything else there is a wide price range. What are you getting for the money? For instance, one site sells a Cobra VHF 2 pack. You get 2 radios, presumably so you can also use them as walkie-talkies for $50. Same site has an Icom hand held for $265 for one. Near as I can tell, the specs are the same except for the Icom is 5w and the Cobras are 2w. Am I paying $210 for an extra 3w? Is 3w worth that kind of cheddar? For $99 I can get another brand that transmits in 5w. So, is wattage the main difference? Should I just buy the cheapest radio that can transmit 5w? Or for my usage can I just get the cheapest radio no matter the wattage?
Don't get me wrong, price isn't the main concern. I'll spend what I have to. But I don't want to pay extra for a name or status. I'm not trying to impress anyone with my marine radio brand. So what's the straight dope?