VHF handheld radios

Can someone give me some feedback on VHF handheld radios.
I'm looking for a economic handheld.

Thanks

I'm in the same boat, I know were you can buy a brand new silva s12 handheld for £85, fullywaterproof

Where can I buy a Silva S12 for £85 ?

Place called Pumpkin marine in hayling island, im going to get one, with the postage added on it may be the same for what you can get it for i dont know -

Can I recommend this radio: Swiftech M298

look at this price: £59.95 and it is a rebadged Silva iirc(!)

http://www.redcar-fish.co.uk/productinfo-nocats.asp?id=48

(ps hope this doesn't break any rules?)

I have owned one for five years now and it is perfect. Good transmission and reception and very rugged. Spare batteries and chargers (including in-car) are available at a reasonable price :thumbs:

As a budget buy I'd rate it at 100%


ps: it isn't waterproof but a waterproof cost me £7 at a chandlery....

Do you have they phone number ?

Thanks

Try e-bays Uniden Atlantis 250, about £60 - woz ere in less than a week from the states, not erd mush traffic on it but! :eh:

I have been driving a dive rib and an FRC in the north sea for the last couple of months we use Standard Horizons and I am really impressed with them. they get a bit of a hiding and you they don mind the odd splash

I shall probably buy some myself when my present portable fails

I have had a standard portable vhf now for a few years attached to my lifejacket - it's bounced, and taken lots of water to it without problem. It charges from the cigar lighter in the van most of the time so it's always ready. I have a feeling it's also intrinsicly safe (however you spell that).

Also can recommend the little Icoms - we use them at work and they are very good units indeed.

You'll get what you pay for with the quality of these units.

-Alex

Best thing about Standard if you live in the South is that their service depot is in Winchester and they returned my handheld after I had broken it in less thand 36 hours !

Standard Horizon 270 is what I use. Made by Yaesu. Waterproof and very compact but the clip is easy to lose. I know this because I've lost it so I cannot be accused of giving an opinion about something I know bugger all about.

Another advantage is that you don't get the sales manager boring you to death with how wonderful they are ;)

DM

Dave,

How much is that radio ?

regards Nick R.

How much is that radio ?

I paid just over a hundred quid from Nautequipe in Hartlebury, Worcs, but I think that was heavily discounted because I'm tall dark and handsome.

DM

I've had two of these and both have broken; first one stopped working after it started smoking and blew up. On the second one the speaker no longer works so I have to use an ear-piece if I want to use it. I suppose I should have used a waterproof case (although I never got it wet) - the second one didn't even see the sea before it went wrong!

Can I recommend this radio: Swiftech M298

look at this price: £59.95 and it is a rebadged Silva iirc(!)

http://www.redcar-fish.co.uk/productinfo-nocats.asp?id=48

(ps hope this doesn't break any rules?)

I have owned one for five years now and it is perfect. Good transmission and reception and very rugged. Spare batteries and chargers (including in-car) are available at a reasonable price :thumbs:

As a budget buy I'd rate it at 100%


ps: it isn't waterproof but a waterproof cost me £7 at a chandlery....

You can get it from Nautequipe for £137.46 including postage

I paid just over a hundred quid from Nautequipe in Hartlebury, Worcs, but I think that was heavily discounted because I'm tall dark and handsome.

DM

your certainly dark!

Why use a portable? I've got a Cobra marine waterproof fixed DSC radio on my sr4 with a metz manta-6 stainless whip and I'm picking up Brixham coastguard and Cherbourg radio from Poole. Excellent setup, and it all came to around £175 including P&P-all from ebay. I just unplug it all when the boat's in storage. Advantage being, I can't lose it...

As an amusing aside to this thread, the blurb on the back of the Silva S12 reads: "Not to be used in distress or emergency"

I sh1t you not!

That is just as bad as the chart plotters saying "not to be used for navigation"!!!

http://www.jgtech.co.uk/shop3.htm have several handheld VHF radios for under £100

I have bought vhf and chartplotter from them before.

towsure have this silva s12 cheapest i have seen i carry one always been reliable

http://www.towsure.com/default.asp?t=401&p=0&d=55

Silva S12 Hand Held VHF Marine Radio
4 watt output, includes 650m/Ah Nimh battery, 240V AC charger, 12V operation cord and wrist strap.

£79.95

towsure have this silva s12 cheapest i have seen i carry one always been reliable

http://www.towsure.com/default.asp?t=401&p=0&d=55

Silva S12 Hand Held VHF Marine Radio
4 watt output, includes 650m/Ah Nimh battery, 240V AC charger, 12V operation cord and wrist strap.

£79.95


there was a guy selling those at the boat jumble ,yesterday. He couldn't get near towsure's price!

Just beware their fixed sets have a terrible reputation!

www.jgtech.co.uk (http://www.jgtech.co.uk) price is £89 but this includes free next day delivery - which will cost you £15 with towsure - that makes jg tech cheaper by £5 unless you dont mind waiting 3 weeks for it, in which case its still only £5 cheaper at towsure...

£79.95??? That's about 30 squids cheaper than I paid. Good deal. Silva S12's OK, might be a bit light on battery life but it's lasted 2 good seasons so far. By the way, check on the back of the unit. It says (and I quote)

"Not to be used for safety or distress purposes"


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

£79.95??? That's about 30 squids cheaper than I paid. Good deal. Silva S12's OK, might be a bit light on battery life but it's lasted 2 good seasons so far. By the way, check on the back of the unit. It says (and I quote)

"Not to be used for safety or distress purposes"


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


For some reason both my Icom Hand helds state that. Maybe its on all Hand held Radio.

Guess it's a liability issue, like if you actually used it for that purpose and something went wrong...Does it say that on rear of the fixed sets???

crazy times we live in... ))) ))) )))

Guess it's a liability issue, like if you actually used it for that purpose and something went wrong...Does it say that on rear of the fixed sets???

crazy times we live in... ))) ))) )))


Not on my fixed set.

It didnt say that on my S10 either

Maybe it's because a fixed set (and aerial) usually has a much greater range and offers the ability to transmit with 25 watts. Most (or all?) handhelds offer 1 or 5 watts only IIRC. Your 'Mayday' message is much more likely to be received if you use a fixed set, I'd have thought, especially if you are off shore some distance.

Just bought one of these (http://www.entel.co.uk/products/leisure_marine/ht640/index.htm) , looks good and submersible to boot!

Just received my S12 from Towsure.
It cost me £79.95 plus £4.95 for posting.
It took five working days to be delivered.