Hand held VHF

[Mike B]

I'm looking for a budget Handheld VHF to use as a back up and also to carry when sea kayaking.

I'm attracted to the XM2000 does anyone have any experince of it or any other suggestions.

Cheers

Mike

[Garygee]

Hi Mike

I dont think the XM2000 is waterproof.

I would go with the ICOM M1 or new M21 as they are waterprrof as they stand.

I dont think the new M21 is that much more cost either

If cost is a issue look at the new Standard HX260E. This claims to be waterproof but I have no idea how well it peforms or stands up in use.


Regards Gary

[zod550]

i have the icom m1 and it is great. the nice thing about it is the lithum ion battery. you dont have to discharge it completely like the other rechageables. the battery also seems to last forever.

[Viking]

i am with these guys I have an XM2000 and I don't like it's performance. I bought on the basis that it might be needed to save my life one day and I don't have any confidence in it's ability to do that.

I am going to buy an ICom next week .

The XM2000 aren't waterproof either. I have found the ICOM X1 for around 140 exc VAT anybody know where to get them cheaper?

[sea rabbit]

I bought the Icom M21 and it's fine, but it depends on what range you need - you will be very close to the water in a kayak. I was advised to fit an additional antenna (5/8ths wavelength?), which is a bit impractical with a handheld, but I am looking into it. The unit cost me about £190

[Tiger]

A number of friends and clubs I know have Standards, very easy to use and programable yourself if you need that fuction. £140 at Kelvin hughs at the time.

Our's are not waterproof and live in aquabags.
Aquabags are a pain and can of course leak if misused, but we use ours for safetyboats and they are not a hugh problem and can take serious weather.

Standards are the toughest radios we have met, abused by students and still give fantastic battery life. Good speaker, good mic, so so light. They are also very resistant to the damp, so to say rain proof a least.

If standard made a waterproof radio to the same standard I would bite their hand off!!!

Icom M15 (solid, but obsolit) and M1 well regarded by users on safety boats.

Dont buy swiftec or the waterproof Navicos, rubbish!
Think I saw a race officer using an XM and not working well, but have to say that may have been user error!

[Jelly]

Aquapacs
I can aggree with Tiger ( cant get use to calling you that! )
That the Standards are tought (you can also program them yourself - did I say that ). Mine lasted 3 years constant use till the fourth drowning when umpteenth the aquapac failed ( only one week old ) Was never the same again
If any one is selling second hand an IC -m15e there'rrr Great to quote that other 'Tiger - Frosties Tony '
The field crews at work have dificulty breaking them.
The IC-M1v I think is good, but even better with a head set attached.
Okay I'm a bit biasd ( & can't spell ) but the field crews have broken all the cheap handhelds and the Icom and Motorola's keep on trucking. You can buy really good waterproof encloures for radios from Davis Comms, DS Developments etc.
But if its for Kayaking it needs to be really watertight and if you are working in the Sea wash it out with flesh water as the salt crystals can build up and do lots of damage.
Have a look at the M1v if you are on a budget and try not to go rolling with it, then leave it in the bottom of the boat till next time, jump up and down on it, as one outdoor Ed centre does often saying waterproof = bomb proof then wonders why it doesn't work anymore
Thats definatly enough from me

[Mike B]

All,

Many thanks for your input it has been a great help.

To keep it short:

I'm not going to bother with the XM2000

Cost is an issue and as it has had some praise I'm going to try out The standard HX260E - Probably from MES 149.99 inc VAT and if necessary using their 10 day try before you buy to go for the icom M21 if I'm not happy with the Sandard.

Cheers again

Mike

[John Kennett]

Originally posted by Tiger
Dont buy swiftec or the waterproof Navicos, rubbish!

I'd have to disagree strongly about the Navico. I have had an Axis 200 for several years and it performs superbly -- often better than fixed sets in RIBs!

They are genuinely waterproof and very tough and I doubt that any hand held would give better results. They are expensive though . . .

Since Navico was bought up by Simrad I think that the Axis range has been discontinued and replaced with the Simrad HT50. I haven't used one of these, but they appear to be very well made and a fair bit smaller than the Axis.

If I was looking for a new handheld this is what I'd go for. The HT50 is available from £225, or the DSC version HT52 is about £300.

John

[batfalcon]

Originally posted by sea rabbit
... I was advised to fit an additional antenna (5/8ths wavelength?),...

Antenna manufactures have found what was obvious for the hams (Hamateurs). We are using this type of antennas for the past 25 - 30 years. At the begining there were only the 1/2 L (half wave length). This means that the lenght of the antenna was 1/2 of the wave length. Later the hams discovered that it's easy enough and more efficient to tune an antenna with lenght 5/8 of the wave length. Nowadays most of the antennas in use are of that type. As far as the connection between the coaxial connector of the antenna with the hand held it's an easy task if the rubber antenna can be removed from the unit. Of course you must be carefull how to maneuver the unit with the connectors attached.

[Richard B]

Earlier this year I couldn't decide between the Icom M21 and the Garmin 725. So I downloaded the manuals for both from the web. The Icom manual warned that the user should be careful with the waterproof battery seal, whereas the Garmin manual emphasised the toughness of the unit. So I bought the Garmin, and a waterproof bag which has a nice strong lanyard. Add a cork to reduce the stress on the clamp/seal and maintain the air volume in the bag and it floats too...

Don't just take my word for it, look at this:

[Keith Hart]

And I thought MY SIB was small!!

Keith (Opps, I suppose that is the kitchen [galley] in your RIB) Hart

[batfalcon]

I see you started using the 2003 model

[Flanker]

Pepper

I have the Garmin 725, it is a great radio and submersable to 1mtr, we got it at the Chandlers in Brighton Marina, Russell Simpson marine or something I think, it came with 2 batteries a free Nicad battery and an extended life Li ion battery, what is good though it comes with an insert that takes normal AA batteries and can be used if you can't recharge the other two batteries, it is the same size as the battery and when inserted you would not know the difference. The cost was £220.

The icom was too small and fiddly, this is a neat size with good screen, if you are in the water you can operate it with one hand using the buttons, no knobs to turn. The other good thing is that the recharging lead / cigarette lighter cord is the same as our other Garmin stuff.

Pete

[Scubakid]

I have just bought a Icom M15e does anyone have any views on this VHF

John

[Brian]

John
Is this the same as mine?
Mine says IC-M1EURO V on the front.
If so, mine was bought on the recommendation of Hugo and after a good writeup in RI mag.
I have always been very happy with it.
It works fine-
Have had it for 18 months and although it is only a backup and I don't transmit on it very much, I have only (last week) had to put it's second battery charge in. Pretty impressive huh?
It's been through the wars, nearly always kept in my drysuit top pocket and never failed in any shape or form.
Waterproof, has dual and tri-watch and is easy to use. What else can I say?

[Jelly]

Hi John
IC-M15e are great though tie a lanyard on it mine slipped off my belt whilst tying up in the marina
Luckally found a friendly bubbley who recovered it for me 3m for 30minutes and still works 6 years later.
IC-M1v also good, icom do a protective case like a mobile phone pouch, coastguard have them, if you want pt.no. email me.
Hint for both wash the salt off them - in the manual
Also put a dob of silcome grease under the knobs on the M15 and between the spindals on the M1v stops the salt build up sticking the two together.
On those two if you want to hook up to an external antenna its an SMA connector.
Rgds
James

[Scubakid]

Thanks gents

Brian

No I have the IC M-15e which I think is different

James

What do you think of the manual it says you can program channels in but I cannot see how and the "calling" channel comes up as 37A but this does not seem to be listed in the manual or on the normal channel selector

Thanks for any info

John

[Jelly]

Hi John
Calling channel is set to 37a (M1) as the normal default, after pressing memo p4 is M2
Extra private frequencies that are in the marine band can be added through the frount pannel using a combination of buttons pressed ( Don't try to discover the combination as the first combination people normally find is the total reset )
Other freqs in the marine range can be added using a programmer (which is great fun -NOT)
Legal speaking in UK any non public freqs you need a licence (from RA) for and you often need to produce this licence when you take the unit to a dealer for them to program.
Drop me an private email if you want to discuss this further.
Rgds
Jelly

[Tiger]

If you are buying a standard, make sure it is fully programable to any channel you want. My one has two row of buttons on the front, the single roe of buttons version is not programmable in the same way im told.

My points about the Navico is that the axis I used are large, questionable battery over time, speak and mic were poor compared to Icom or standard.

I found hard to use at night as many small buttons on the front at odd angles and no light.

What i cannot argue with is that they are very tough and waterproof.

Depending on how you intend to use it, consider a float!