Caribou Jed said: << Does anyone have personal (or anecdotal) experience with the Standard HX350S VHF radio? Does it last? Is it honestly submersible, even away from marketing wonderland? Thanks for your opinions, even if they aren't politically correct or even worse . . . disagree with mine.>> I bought mine sometime after the Storm Island rescue, after the need for one struck me in a personal way. I bought it based on recommendations from Ralph and Jack, and it has proved to be a superior product, easy to use, excellent reception and usability with cold fingers. It has taken a beating, and keeps on ticking. I don't know about big surf...yet. I keep it in a bag someone from the list recommended; a bag from West Marine. It is an open bag with a Velcro seal that is not waterproof at all, but keeps heavy waves from forcing pressurized water (nature's faucet) into the device. It is made from cordura, and the radio can be withdrawn in seconds. I tether it when needed, in the hopes of becoming strangulated one day to prove tether naysayers correct :-) In big seas, I store it in my custom fore deck hatch. "Bout the only weird thing with the radio is the vibration that the speaker produces that can be felt from the transmit button when your finger is on it. It holds a charge very well indeed. As far as politically correct, I think both Republicans and Democrats will find the product suitable for the marine kayaking environment. As far as people using the product incorrectly, they can always read the directions :-) BC'in Ya Doug Lloyd (who is now saving up for an ELT for wilderness travel, and hoping vertical communication phones will come down in price) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Jed, Jeb, Lube, Bube, Speed Lump, or whatever your name is, I can't help you with that particular VHS, but here's a site that should help with the etiquette question... http://www.nyss.com/radio.html Melissa *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Here is a site with communication protocol information : http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/marcomms/boater.htm Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Doug Lloyd wrote: > > > HX350S VHF radio? > I bought mine sometime after the Storm Island rescue, after the need > for one struck me in a personal way. I bought it based on > recommendations from Ralph and Jack, and it has proved to be a superior > product, easy to use, excellent reception and usability with cold > fingers. It has taken a beating, and keeps on ticking. I don't know > about big surf...yet. I keep it in a bag someone from the list > recommended; a bag from West Marine. It is an open bag with a Velcro > seal that is not waterproof at all, but keeps heavy waves from forcing > pressurized water (nature's faucet) into the device. It is made from > cordura, and the radio can be withdrawn in seconds. I have several PFDs that I use having one for moving around with one of my foldables and leaving another stored with a foldable I leave assembled (no need to lug much gear on the subway). The one with the assembled boat has two pockets but too small for the radio. So I have done something similar to Doug (maybe it was I that mentioned the bag he is using). My bag differs from Doug's a bit in that it is made of neoprene (with a rubberized material on both the back and front and it zippers instead of closing with velcro). I have placed it on the shoulder strap upper part of the PFD using one of those tab devices called I think the Action Jackson from Nahathala Outdoor Center's catalog which I bought ages ago for just such a use one day. It allows you to put a knife tab (usable for lights and other devices) on the shoulder strap of any PFD without needing to sew on a tab. It attaches with super amounts of velcro. To the Action Jackson, I attached my VHF neoprene holder. I also put a small D-ring on the tab and to that D-ring I have tethered the HX350 radio using its own provided lanyard. This way I can take the radio out and use it and if I need to get my hands free, I just drop the radio and it swings on its lanyard (or I can tuck it into my PFD next to my body if I don't want to fuss getting it back into its holster). I think that the neoprene bag has an extra advantage. If somehow the Action Jackson's serious velcro strap were to come undone and the whole package (Action Jackson, the neoprene bag and my radio) were to fall off my PFD, the neoprene bag would float the radio (it is sold for that purpose). One of these days I may get around to taping on some bright tape to see it better since the neoprene is black. The neoprene also provides a bit of protective cushioning. I also have another slightly larger sized neoprene bag that I use for transporting the radio to and from home. I got two bags because I wasn't sure what size I needed. Then I realized that having the extra made it perfect for transporting the radio in my daypack or mesh boating bag. The neoprene bags in the two sizes costs under $15 each, great insurance all around. > > I tether it when needed, in the hopes of becoming strangulated one day > to prove tether naysayers correct :-) In big seas, I store it in my > custom fore deck hatch. The tether provided by using just the radio's lanyard is not long enough to even strangule a chicken let alone a bull-necked person such as Doug (notice, my BC friend, I said bull-necked not bull-headed :-)). The worse could happen is I might have the radio bang me in the nose if I were being tossed around. BTW, when I use the radio in the PFD that has a large enough pocket (an older style Lotus Design Strait Jacket), I don't need to do all this. But I do tether it to the pocket's D-ring. The lanyard has enough length to get the radio up to my ear and mouth. If I let go of the tethered radio lands and rests on my sprayskirt. I highly recommend tethering your radio...at a replacement cost of some $280 or so, it is worthwhile doing so. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
-----Original Message----- From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net]On Behalf Of Doug Lloyd > As far as people using the product incorrectly, they can always read the > directions :-) > BC'in Ya > Doug Lloyd Doug, WHAT directions? The owner's manual is one of the most unhelpful I have ever come across. Abbysinia! :-) (I think I spelled that right. It's a country in Africa.) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:15 PDT