Back to the main site

vhf radio.....best choice for 5800 acre lake

I

Indian_Lake_Bum

Well-Known Member
Messages
456
Reaction score
324
Location
Orchard Island on Indian Lake, OH
They are starting a USFBA (boaters association) on our lake this year and we need to get a decent vhf radio.  The only requirements are a safe boaters course (online or power squadron) a boat safety inspection (display current inspection sticker) and a vhf radio for communications between members and people calling for help.

I'm looking at the smaller hand held units that have the rubber duckie antenna on them verses the full on radio that requires an external antenna be mounted someplace on your boat (means more holes and more clutter on the helm).  Best bang for the buck is what I'm looking for as we don't need a radio that will reach out for hundreds of miles as our lake is only 5800 acres but I do want something that works well.

 Uniden - Cobra - Standard Horizon are all brands that show up in a quick amazon search.....all seem to be in the 75-150 dollar range.   Which brand/model do you have and what seems to work best?

http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-HH350W-Floating-Handheld-Weather/dp/B00LHZQKD8/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&qid=1428119889&sr=8-45&keywords=vhf+marine+radio

http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-MRHH500FLTBT-Bluetooth-Technology-Rewind-Say-Again/dp/B00AJVMW8S/ref=sr_1_38?ie=UTF8&qid=1428119389&sr=8-38&keywords=vhf+marine+radio

http://www.amazon.com/Uniden-Atlantis-250BK-Waterproof-Handheld/dp/B000167NZI/ref=sr_1_36?ie=UTF8&qid=1428119389&sr=8-36&keywords=vhf+marine+radio

http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Horizon-HX300-Handheld-Marine/dp/B00AJVXA5W/ref=sr_1_55?ie=UTF8&qid=1428120318&sr=8-55&keywords=vhf+marine+radio
 
I have a fixed mount Standard Horizon GX1700 with an 8' antenna and I recently bought a handheld so I could take it hiking and communicate with the boat for pickup or emergency. I tried two out and settled on a Uniden Atlantis 270. The other one was also a Uniden but it didn't feel as solid and only came with a 12v charger. The 270 has been great so far. I've used it to do radio checks with the National Park Service and to communicate with the boat a couple of times. The 6W boost feature stood out when I bought it. 
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have a uniden MHS 126. When I purchased it, I had done my research and this model met my needs.

Cheers, Steve
 
Sounds like a good bunch to join up with. As for radios, look up Vertex Standard, great radios and a whole bunch cheaper than Motorola. It's all we use on my Fire Dept.
 
We ended up getting the uniden atlantis 270. We really haven't used it yet as I am waiting to complete the safe boaters course before we actually get to use it for the usfba......the main reason for purchase other than safety.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top