which vhf handheld?

[borat]

Hi im new to your forum, so hello everyone!
could someone advise me please, on which handheld radio to go for please.

i want to spend around the £100 mark.
ive seen two that i like, they are the Silva S12 VHF Radio at £85 which comes complete with battery and charger but only a 4 watt outputt.
The other is a Icom M31 SPORT VHF 5 watt without batteries.

is there a significant difference between 4 and 5 watt radio`s.
i dont intend to be more than a couple of miles from the shore.
many thanks
pete

[roycruse]

Do not buy the IC-M31 see here for the reason why - it starts getting interesting after post 15

Do your self a favour and spend the extra few pounds and get the Icom IC-M1euro V which is a very high quality radio and Icoms customer service is superb.

A bargain on boats and outboards. http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F93344/

Personally I will never buy Silva again - I had one of their fixed sets and its waterproofing was crap - it started going loopy on me when out on a long trip off the north coast of Cornwall once - I had engine trouble and everything that day - and it really made me think - that one time when you really need your radio it must work when you switch it on or you could be in deep do do.

[Andy_Rs600]

Agree with Roy, we had a silva fixed set on our old boat and we went through 3 in gtwo years, they leaked, broke, and cracked. We had Garmin and silva hand helds, all of which got broken eventually. Replaced it all with Icoms (421 fixed a M1V h/h) and its all performed faultlessly. We did break a volume knob, but the radio was repaired and back in my hand in 4 days from Icom.

[Jimbo]

I'm not fond of Silva radios personally - I wouldn't put one anywhere it is likely to get wet. On a boat, for example...

The Silva menus and prices are great, but I have not found their radios to be up to the rough stuff.

I have an Icom M-31, and a Standard Horizon Handheld. Both are tremendous sets, they have put up with a lot of abuse from me! If I was in the market for another H/H VHF at the moment, I think I would buy a Standard, simply because they are cheaper, and I don't believe them to be any worse than the Icoms.

I've never had to use Standards Customer support (only had the radio a couple of months) and on the one occasion I've used Icoms, I've found them very helpful and speedy.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by roycruse

Do not buy the IC-M31 see here for the reason why - it starts getting interesting after post 15

Do your self a favour and spend the extra few pounds and get the Icom IC-M1euro V which is a very high quality radio and Icoms customer service is superb.

A bargain on boats and outboards. http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F93344/

Personally I will never buy Silva again - I had one of their fixed sets and its waterproofing was crap - it started going loopy on me when out on a long trip off the north coast of Cornwall once - I had engine trouble and everything that day - and it really made me think - that one time when you really need your radio it must work when you switch it on or you could be in deep do do.

How much would it have cost ICOM to put a proper switch on the M31??? Can't believe a company as experienced as them could allow something so trivial to tarnish their reputation. I would have sacked the lot of them!!!

[Daniel TD5]

only one icom

buy the best you can afford i had the m1 euro v top bit off kit

dropped under water in the thames and worked after

dan

[Pete7]

My Icom euro V H/H even survived an incounter with a Rogue Wave

[Oogs]

My experience of the S12 is still on-going. I purchased a set from "Seamark Nunn" within 3 weeks the battery would not hold much charge, it was duely replaced by the vendor. My replacement unit is only a back-up for my fixed set & has had approx 100 hours mainly on standby.... again the battery started to pack up untill it would no longer except a charge.
The unit is now at Silva HQ & they took 3 weeks to acknoweledge that they had it. The last email I had stated that "Presumably the battery has reached its end of life & may want replacing".
The replacement batteries are not available yet so they told me.... the bloody radio has been in existance for 4 years!
Shoddy manufacture, unresponsive support, no service or back up.
This is the last Silva product I shall buy!
Hope this helps??

[Nos4r2]

Don't mess around with handheld VHF unless you're desperate. You may only be a couple of miles from shore but you can be 20 miles from the coastguard's radio mast at the same time...

[Biggles]

Originally Posted by Pete7

My Icom euro V H/H even survived an incounter with a Rogue Wave

Downside of Icom Euro is that the extension mic is massive compared to the handset. also it doesn't allow the use of an ear piece and its just not loud enough for a RIB when underway.

[daveh]

I have been really impressed by the Standard Horizon handheld. It is a good spec, waterproof ofcourse and has all the usual accessories as standard. It also comes with a 3 yr manufacturers warrenty covering any water ingress - free replacement/no quibble. I sell these radios now and they have proved to be sucessful, only positive feedback!

I don't like to pick out individual radios and icom have always had a good reputations also, and there are other cheaper radios, or much more expensive but I do recommend the Standard at the moment!

[ian parkes]

Iam still confused , i figure no hand held and decent flares then you can't curse when your radio lets you down .

Confusion same problem with GPS then I see the Rhino by garmin whats that a "gps radio combined " with added safety features , but can I find any info on it
Anyone got one looks good and garmin is great isn't it .

[Jon Brooks]

The Rino is a combined UHF licence free radio and a GPS
It only works on the US Family Radio Service and not approved for use outside the US.
The Family Radio Service works of different frequecies to the EU licence free radio's.

If you want lots of extras for your hand held then look at the new M71.

Nos4 is right about range and makes some very good points.

I would always recomend a fixed unit if you have room.

Whilst flares are good, you don't know if help is coming and the help can't ask you whats wrong until they are along side.

Regards

[ian parkes]

Thanks Jon

I was reading reports of troops using thm In Iraque and how they got an instant position for troop lost in a sandstorm etc . It sounds like a great system and I guess will applied to marine VHF soon .

[Jon Brooks]

You never know Ian

US law on this is so much slacker than here, is very frustrating at times.

I think Uniden in the US have a combined VHF and GPS hand held.
I know Standard have just launched a combined fix VHF with a GPS/Plotter!!!

Regards

[Jeff Pike]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Don't mess around with handheld VHF unless you're desperate. You may only be a couple of miles from shore but you can be 20 miles from the coastguard's radio mast at the same time...

Originally Posted by Jon Brooks

Nos4 is right about range and makes some very good points.

I would always recomend a fixed unit if you have room.

Whilst flares are good, you don't know if help is coming and the help can't ask you whats wrong until they are along side.

Spot on - go fixed. I'm fairly new to this as well. Did a lot of talking to people & ended up with an ICOM M421 fixed set and a Horizon HX270E handheld backup . I look at my handheld as a backup only - due to the short range.

I've backed my radio's up with a flare pack, individual strobes and torches. Don't forget your mobile. Might get a signal. The boat is registered with the Coastguard, the radio is linked to the GPS for the DSC signal and if I put any more kit on I think its going to sink! Welcome to the site.