Which VHS handheld radio should I buy ??? - Page 2

Max... · 12 October 2011, 08:02

HX751 is 6w too! Only 1 more watt than others but it's 20% more powerful than 5 watts.

Got mine from CI RIbs - £115 delivered:

http://www.rib.net/forum/f37/trade-m...vhf-42223.html

As I said it's been superb, floats, super rugged, great battery, crystal clear and very loud.

biffer · 12 October 2011, 08:48

Everyone talking about range. You could always connect an external antenna on a handheld if the crap hits the fan

sent from a remote device

SPR · 12 October 2011, 10:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by biffer

Everyone talking about range. You could always connect an external antenna on a handheld if the crap hits the fan

sent from a remote device

i saw an adapter somwehere for this but cant track that down again! any suggestions biff - Icom H/H to adapter?

I have has my Icom Radio for 10 years btw...I bought two batteries at the time...

Scott

biffer · 12 October 2011, 11:03

Looks a bit like a bnc fitting but it ain't. Never looked at the fitting before as I run both fixed and handheld. I'll have a look though and see what bits you need to get to pl259 fitting

sent from a remote device

Poly · 12 October 2011, 11:12

S,

I'm fairly sure mine uses an SMA fitting on the handheld - ie. you need an SMA-PL259 adaptor.

If you don't have an a-frame / very long antanae you won't gain much in height though.
N

SPR · 12 October 2011, 11:20

thanks - i have fixed radio too...but cant plan to much ! My trusty 501 is being ripped out in winter for new DSC version! only servered me since the first RIBex...I flew that up with 3metre areil in checked in luggage!

So i am Icom Man through and through....

S.

9D280 · 12 October 2011, 13:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Errr, that's assuming that you can start the engine with a flat battery...,.....,,

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

That was what i was thinking.

Granted Pikey has a couple of big high tech things that probably won't come out to play without power, but there are a surprising number of engines will run "self contained" and can be pull started with the emergency start cord that is likely hidden under the cowl somewhere.

There was a thread a whie back where someone reckoned they had pull started a 115, but not got time to find it at the mo.

Max... · 12 October 2011, 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by 9D280

There was a thread a whie back where someone reckoned they had pull started a 115, but not got time to find it at the mo.

Blimey, not a Mr M. Pudzianowski was it??

Rogue Wave · 12 October 2011, 18:45

The longer antenna disapfrom the handheld transmitter ates some of te limited power from thehandheld transmitter it's worth a try but no substitute for the power of a fixed unit..

Nasher can pull start his 250 BTW

chewy · 17 October 2011, 21:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

In theory that should be no problem with a handheld. But beware that you wont be 1 mile from wherever the CG mast is.

How do you know that?

Rogue Wave · 17 October 2011, 23:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Wave

The longer antenna disapfrom the handheld transmitter ates some of te limited power from thehandheld transmitter it's worth a try but no substitute for the power of a fixed unit..

Nasher can pull start his 250 BTW

should read The longer antena disapates some of the limited power available from the Handheld transmitter. It's worth a try but no substitute for the power of a Fixed unit

Northern Pike · 18 October 2011, 01:01

Once I got caught in the middle of nowhere on Lake Huron with an engine that wouldn't start. After 3 hours of drifting and trying numerous fixes I finally had to call pan pan on my handheld Apelco VXL 501. Sarnia Coast Guard picked me up about 70 miles away, and relayed messages between me and my rescuers who were about 2 miles away around a point. The six foot seas likely affected my antenna height.

SPR · 18 October 2011, 11:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Northern Pike

Once I got caught in the middle of nowhere on Lake Huron with an engine that wouldn't start. After 3 hours of drifting and trying numerous fixes I finally had to call pan pan on my handheld Apelco VXL 501. Sarnia Coast Guard picked me up about 70 miles away, and relayed messages between me and my rescuers who were about 2 miles away around a point. The six foot seas likely affected my antenna height.

Yea - it can get like that sometimes radio blind spots...

As side note : In UK at least if your engine breaks down don't wait 3 hrs trying to fix. Call the CG explain the situation and they might come to your aid, but at least you have alerted them of potential ...in Firth of Forth you will prob get a lifeboat coming out to help and tow in to safety... a easy rescue now is better rescue in storm or night...

mister p · 18 October 2011, 14:26

OP ShinyShoe, reply by Festinghouse.
In reply to F, a receiver cannot "draw in'' a signal, as you correctly say. (We shall not enter into amplification at this stage. Esp as amplification cannot increase something that isn't apparent. But it can descramble refracted signals.)
However a transmitting HORIZON of 3 miles can be lowered (and this is the horizon being lowered not the range) by:
a. the transmitter elevating their position
b. the receiver elevating their position
Note that "horizon" is not range.
The net result is that "the fence the signals are going over is lowered (relatively) by raising the trans and rec respective points".
Mister P, Over

ShinyShoe · 18 October 2011, 19:42

That was based on supposition at the time I think, because whats the chance on a Uk coastline of actually being within a mile of the CG mast?, but this site confirmed my suspicion:
http://www.ukseakayakguidebook.co.uk...es_and_map.pdf

Northern Pike · 19 October 2011, 00:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPR

In UK at least if your engine breaks down don't wait 3 hrs trying to fix. Call the CG explain the situation and they might come to your aid, but at least you have alerted them of potential

In this case it was the middle of a nice sunny day, except for the rising wind and resulting wave height, and I was drifting toward my destination.
Also, I got the engine to fire a couple of times with emergency rope pulls (electric start 40 HP), which gave me false hope.
Turns out I had 2 faults: a defective kill switch, and a dead (i.e. 1 shorted out cell) battery. Both worked OK when I set out that morning.

xr650 · 19 October 2011, 20:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I have a fixed vhf & an Icom M71 in the grab bag. In the dim & distant past we found ourselves stuck out at sea with flat boat batteries, hence no VHF, never again

. The M71 is a nice bit of kit

Nowt to do with radios,but 15 years ago i got a written warning for conduct at work relating to me stating that "you can't educate lard"(read pork) i thought is was funny at the time & even funnier now.

Pikey Dave · 19 October 2011, 22:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by xr650

Nowt to do with radios,but 15 years ago i got a written warning for conduct at work relating to me stating that "you can't educate lard"(read pork) i thought is was funny at the time & even funnier now.

& still as true as ever, especially now that common sense has been replaced by 'elf n safety