Re: [Paddlewise] West Marine radios - consumer/safety warning

On Jun 1, 2005, at 10:55 PM, Greg Welker wrote:

> "'While this radio is designed to meet JS-7 submersibility standards
> (submersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes), normal use  
> can
> render even the best built radios less than lully waterproof.  
> Therefore, we
> include a FREE waterproof bag designed for your radio with your  
> purchase to
> provide additional pro-tection against water damage."
>
>
> Personally, a safety device with a 33% rate of failure is  
> unacceptable to
> me.   I would not recommend purchasing one of the West Marine Brand  
> radios.


The same caveats apply to any electronic device meeting the JS-7  
standard. I have not looked at this particular standard, but these  
tests don't necessarily replicate real world conditions. Carefully  
lowering a radio into a meter of freshwater (it might not specify  
saltwater) in a laboratory is not the same thing as having a device  
out on a hot, sunny and then blasting it with cold salt water.

Their catalog recommends a bag for all hand-held VHF radios. You can  
see this as poor quality control, or as a business being honest about  
what they sell.

I have yet to have any "waterproof" electronic device last more than  
18 months before complete failure due to water infiltration. This  
includes several radios (not West) and 3 GPSs. It does look like  
stricter testing standards are starting to be applied to some of the  
radios out there. I hope my luck improves.
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