Marine radios

Can anyone make a recommendation on radios that will give us 4-8 mile range, if that is possible? Gander and Cabelas have a number of models and brands in the $100-225 range.

thanks

I have a Raymarine 45. I can pick up the barges up on pool 2 occasionally. I have also talked to a buddy on his when he was by Zumbrota. He was up on a very high hill and my antenna is on a 15 foot pole on top of my house. As long as there is a straight line b/w you and another antenna, you will have no problem.

Hugh,

I hear a lot of good feedback on ICOM and Standard. Here are some old posts.

VHF topics in depth angling 1

VHF topics 2

The key is as stated! Unobstructed line of sight. Two 5 watt hand held units can probably make that distance unobstructed!

Hey Hugh, I got a Shakespeare from Bass Pro. It came with a free 8 ft. antenna. The whole thing was $149.95 and I have been very happy with it. Like the other guys said, an unobstructed line of sight is best. On Mille Lacs I can get 8 to 10 miles with mine. On the river in some places it has been less than 2 miles.

Good Luck!

Hugh, I bought a handheld and one for the boat last year. As stated above the marine band is line of site only. The bigger and higher the antenna the further you will be able to talk.

I bought a Garmin handheld last year. If you’re going to get one, make sure it has the weather alert feature..In my mind it’s a must have.

I was dissapointed with the range, but many users of this board warned me about this.

By the time I had an extra set of rechargable batteries, the charging stand (110v) and the 12v charger for the boat (another must have unless you own stock in Everready) I spent enough to by a permenent mount radio and antenna…

I live about 10 blks straight west of the St Croix.

I keep the handheld in the house, it’s always on for the weather alert which my wife likes and monitor ch 16 and 69. (aweful quiet this time of year)

From handheld (in the house) to my boat at Windmill Marina (1 mi). She can hear me, but she comes in very staticy. When I fish the “humps” (very close to 1 mi) we both can hear each other well.

For the boat, I bought the Uniden..forget which model. I have no complaints about it or it’s range. I can talk with my group of fishing partners from Hudson to the Afton area and from the Kinni to the Afton area and that’s about it. This is roughly 3 miles. From boat to base, I’ve talked with the casino, by redwing from Prescott.

If you’re looking for something with more range (on a river) you would be better off with cell phones.

Remember, you should have much better reception on a lake…like Mil Lacs or Winni than you will the river because of the trees ect.

Lastly, check out Wade at Jolly Ann Marine…not just because he’s a sponser and a nice guy…but because with his free shipping and at times “other discounts” he may be able to save you a buck or two.

Good Luck in your purchase!

BB

Thanks for the info gentleman, we are hoping to find something more than the mile range that Talk-a-bouts, Cobras, etc give us in Canada. We are sometimes quite a distance apart.

I purchased a Uniden Oceanus last year with an 8′ antenna. No complaints with the unit as of yet.

hi Hugh,
The biggest thing for range like Steve said is antenna height. all transmissions are line of sight, so longer the better. Marine band is in the VHF bands, and trans/rec are line of sight. more radios are set so when you turn them on, they come up on chan 16 which is your emergency chan. the longer your antenna the further you can trans/rec. most radios also have preset NOAA weather service channels that have continuous broadcasts of conditions and forecasts. most radios have 10 preset channels, and they are all different frequencies, so just about anywhere you are at least one of the WX channels will be able to be received, keep changing chans til you have one with the best reception. the WX chans are real helpful to monitor thunderstorms and update for severe weather watches. An FCC radio operators permit am sure is not required for use. the fishing info and sharing with friends on the water is fun, but safety is the biggest for me. enjoy your radio. Jack.