Marine Radios

  • Coffee
    Burnsville, MN
    Posts: 165
    May 24, 2004 at 4:10 pm #1232747

    Need some help with Marine radios.
    Just returned from a week of fishing LBDN and put my handheld Hummingbird radio to the test. Frankly I’m a bit disappointed, in the range of reception. 1-2 miles was no problem. Over 2 miles was a problem. I thought these radios were supposed to be good up to 5 miles or more. Batteries are new.

    1. Is there a better handheld out there that will range 5 miles or more?
    2. Should I consider a permanent mount with attenna?
    thanks,
    Coffee

    derek_johnston
    On the water- Minnesota
    Posts: 5022
    May 24, 2004 at 5:06 pm #305854

    You can get out more than 15 miles with a dash mount radio and 8 foot antenna.

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    May 24, 2004 at 5:15 pm #305895

    I’ve got a Humminbird VH-5 Hand held also. The HH to another HH will get 3 miles no problem. The HH to a dash mount with 8 foot antenna hits 6 miles on a good day.

    I personally would not venture out on the main lake (Michigan) without a base mount and 8 foot antenna.

    Check out Jollyannsales.com for top of the line units like ICOM and Standard Horizon.

    I have the Standard shown here and would highly recommend the unit. Completely waterproof, not just water resistent!

    Standard Horizon

    I get 20 + miles no problem with this radio and a 8 foot antenna.

    Coffee
    Burnsville, MN
    Posts: 165
    May 24, 2004 at 5:59 pm #305904

    Thanks Jon and Derek.
    I’ve been thinking of adding a dash mount unit anyways.
    This last week with the hand held unit made up my mind.
    Know anything about the Raymarine units? They seem to be priced pretty decent, but as in everything you get what you pay for. I’d like to stay around $200 with antenna.
    thanks

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    May 24, 2004 at 6:14 pm #305908

    Raymarine (Like the Ray 45) sell a lot of units. Most people seem to like them.

    I had a Ray45 that would only transmit out to about 10 miles. Had a tech friend look at it and hooked it up to a meter that measured output. The unit rated as putting out 25 watts only put out 18. (Note, most all units are rated at 25 watts)

    I don’t know if I had a bad unit or one that was going south. It went with the boat when I sold it.

    Again, one of the most important factors for me is a unit that is totally waterproof, not just water resistent. I personally will only own an ICOM or Standard from here on out. Do a little research on these 2 radio lines. Simply can’t be beat in my opinion.

    jon_jordan
    St. Paul, Mn
    Posts: 10908
    May 24, 2004 at 6:23 pm #305909

    I just looked out on Jollyanns site and saw that the Standards are cheaper than the Ray 45’s. Not a hard decision in my mind!

    Good Luck.

    wade_kuehl
    Northwest Iowa
    Posts: 6167
    May 24, 2004 at 8:47 pm #305936

    Thank you Jon! I will add that the Standard Horizon & ICOM VHF are top of the line. I don’t think I’ve ever had a complaint about either brand. To get better range you really need a fixed mount unit and a lengthy antenna (8 feet). That little Humminbird does a fair job for short range but HH models can not get great distance due to a short antenna and less power. The antenna length is key.

    Bill Marty
    Bloomington,MN
    Posts: 108
    May 24, 2004 at 11:01 pm #305957

    How far will a fixed radio transmit with one of those shorter wire attennas. It’s about 2 feet long. I just had mine out and it picked up signal from around 2-3miles but only transmitted 1 mile.

    wade_kuehl
    Northwest Iowa
    Posts: 6167
    May 25, 2004 at 2:11 am #305996

    It depends on a few things, one being what’s on the receiving end (hopefully a long antenna), and what obstructions are in the way. VHF radios can be testy at times. Shorter antenna will provide less distance. How far is hard to say…

    dm5000
    Des Moines, IA
    Posts: 199
    May 25, 2004 at 4:04 pm #306079

    I love my ICOM M-402 VHF. It’s easy to use and easy to read (large channel # display). It has DSC if you dont want to share your fishing reports with everyone. It also has a very nice feature I hope I dont ever have to use. You can hook your GPS up to it and if you need to send an SOS, you hit one button and it continually transmits a digital distress signal with your GPS location.

    Dave

    Jack Naylor
    Apple Valley, MN
    Posts: 5668
    May 29, 2004 at 3:39 am #306622

    hi Dave,
    with any radio you decide on, the antenna is what determines range. VHF is line of site, trans and rec. an 8ft ant will get you you best service and longest range. Jack..

    fireline
    Rochester
    Posts: 813
    May 30, 2004 at 2:35 pm #306727

    Dave , Whats a unit like that cost if I may ask ? Thanks

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