PaddleWise by thread

From: Darian Dunn <dunnd1_at_yahoo.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 10:04:29 -0800 (PST)
I am look into getting a marine radio.
I want to be able to get the weather, and be able to call for help it
needed.

What do I need to be looking for?
Someone recommended the Waterproof HH980 VHF Radio made by Uniden.  I
probable will only buy one. So, I want one that is reliable and has
all the functions I will ever want.

Thanks

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free _at_yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Bob Denton <BDenton_at_aquagulf.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 14:17:32 -0500
I just returned from a run to West Marine and they have the cheaper of the
Standard waterproof on sale for $159. Sale is good through this weekend.

-----Original Message-----
From:	owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net] On Behalf Of Darian Dunn
Sent:	Thursday, February 18, 1999 1:04 PM
To:	PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subject:	[Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?

I am look into getting a marine radio.
I want to be able to get the weather, and be able to call for help it
needed.

What do I need to be looking for?
Someone recommended the Waterproof HH980 VHF Radio made by Uniden.  I
probable will only buy one. So, I want one that is reliable and has
all the functions I will ever want.

Thanks

_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free _at_yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Clyde Sisler <clyde_sisler_at_email.msn.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 17:10:44 -0500
>I just returned from a run to West Marine and they have the cheaper of the
>Standard waterproof on sale for $159. Sale is good through this weekend.


Just got the 1999 catalog in the mail.  You can request one from their web
site.  www.westmarine.com (I think).



***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Joe Pylka <pylka_at_castle.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 20:46:33 -0500
>>I just returned from a run to West Marine and they have the cheaper of the
>>Standard waterproof on sale for $159. Sale is good through this weekend.


 Just got the new Cabela catalog.  Two pages of VHF radios.  Cheapest was
Uniden HH955 at $129, but is listed at "weather-resistant".   Others in
range of $139 to $199 are listed as waterproof, include weather channels,
etc.
http://www.cabelas.com/

 JP

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: Jack Martin <jcmartin43_at_radix.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 22:16:35 -0500
From:           	"Joe Pylka" <pylka_at_castle.net>
To:             	"Clyde Sisler" <clyde_sisler_at_email.msn.com>,
       	<PaddleWise_at_lists.intelenet.net>
Subject:        	Re: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date sent:      	Thu, 18 Feb 1999 20:46:33 -0500

>  Just got the new Cabela catalog.  Two pages of VHF radios.  Cheapest was
> Uniden HH955 at $129, but is listed at "weather-resistant".   Others in
> range of $139 to $199 are listed as waterproof, include weather channels,
> etc.

Not to raise a lot of old issues, but, if I were buying a VHF radio for 
sea kayaking now, I'd definitely not look at anything less than 
"submersible" --- the JIS standard --- if the delta in price is $0 to 
$60.  And the auto-alert weather feature --- available on the Apelco 
520 which is "submersible" --- for just over $200 makes it a strong 
competitor.  

Jack Martin
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
From: <WildConect_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Who make a good Marine radio?
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1999 10:31:00 EST
As I reported here a couple of weeks ago, I owned (note past tense) an Apelco
520 that I purchased in mid-December.  It was nice--fairly small and light
weight.  Worked well at room temperature, but when I took it outside I
couldn't hear it.  I'm in Milwaukee Wisconsin and paddle year round on Lake
Michigan, so a radio is no good if it doesn't operate in cold temperatures.
After complaining here about it, I emailed the tech folks at Raytheon (maker
of the Apelco radios).  The first response wasn't on point at all--but they
did tell me that the LCD might freeze up and that the 520 was not waterproof
(submersible) when the alkaline battery pack was in use.  So I sent another
email.  To their credit they responded in a timely fashion and apologized for
missing my point.  They informed me that the first production run of a couple
hundred 520 radios were made without the proper venting in the NiCad battery
pack.  They advised me I should take the NiCad battery off the radio and look
to the left of the recycle symbol where there should be a small white dot
which is the vent to equalize the pressure under varying temperature
conditions.  Without this vent the pressure deforms the speaker causing the
malfunction I was experiencing--no volume.

With printed copy of email in hand, I returned the radio to my local Boat
U.S., where I had purchased it and exchanged it for a "better" model from
Horizon--the Standard HX350S.  Though it is more expensive (I paid $279), the
$50 got me a better radio, with 110 volt AC and 12 volt DC chargers, 10 hour
NiCad battery, as well as AA alkaline battery pack.  It meets the JIS7
submersible rating and so far works really well, although our temperatures
have moderated a bit lately.  The folks here at Boat U.S. were not aware of
the Apelco venting problem, but checked their stock and found one other radio
that had been returned (by another sea kayaker) for the same reason.  And,
another sea kayaker here exchanged his yesterday for a properly vented 520.
(We are paddling together tomorrow morning and will test them out, it is
supposed to be in the 15 to 20 F degree range.)

The folks at Boat U.S. talked to the Standard people and were told that the
350S is also not JIS7 submersible when the AA battery pack is being used.  My
inspection of the battery pack though revealed a lot of gaskets and O-rings
being used, unlike the Apelco 520.  My guess is that it has a higher level of
water resistenance, if not waterproofness.  I'll test mine out in fresh water
and report back (I'll make it a short report though).

Hey, thanks for hanging in with this long winded report--but I think anyone
shopping for VHF radios will appreciate this insight.

John Browning
Milwaukee Wisconsin
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:32:56 PDT