Re: [Paddlewise] "Waterproof" VHF Radios

The Icom M3A is advertised to be:  "Water-resistant construction:  Built
tough to withstand the punishing marine environment, the IC-M3A meets JIS
water-resistant specification grade 4.

The amount of exposure to saltwater was really minimal.  The battery
compartment has virtually NO waterproofing.  There is no rubber O-ring to
seal off batteries.  There was also moisture on the inside of the glass.
Somehow it had gotten into the radio case itself.  I could not have been
under water more than a couple of minutes in all... and then, the radio was
inside of a plastic bag I bought at WestMarine designed to keep VHF
handheld radios dry.  The weather has been very hot... I can only guess
that the air expanded enough to pop the plastic bag... there was a break in
the seal near the clip about 1/3" long... enough for water to run in.


Your experience with the Apelco is a great endorsement!

Furthermore, Icom does not provide any instructions for getting in touch
with them for Warranty issues... or anything else; just an address for
Japan!  No phone nos., no fax nos.

Thanks for the very helpful info.

Robert

>
>But there are "standards" --- the U.S. Coast Guard has worked with a spec for
>"waterproof-ness", CFR-46, which requires the unit to survive being drenched
>with a fire hose at some "mil spec" waterflow for some period of time.  And
>there's a newer spec --- not sure whose ---, JIS-7, which is for "submersible"
>radios, requiring survival submerged in one meter of water for a half hour.
>
>Anything we take kayaking probably ought to meet at least the CFR-46 and,
>preferably, the JIS-7 specs.  I routinely take my old Apelco 510 (a CFR-46
>compliant unit) on open water, and will brace and roll with it clipped into my
>PFD lash tab (along with a redundant strap with quick releases).



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