> What waterproof VHF radio do you like best .. what is your system Chuck, I've been very happy with my trusty Standard Horizon HX460S, which is now 9 years old and has a lot of miles behind it. It has always gone to sea in an Aquapac. When I bought it, I admired the thinking that surf or rolling might overwhelm the waterproofing seals, especially as they aged. YMMV, but it has kept on working for me. I use the Aquapac lanyard, looped through itself round the PFD shoulder strap. Can't hand the radio off to anyone else (unless rafted alongside) - but I've never really wanted to. I've worn out 3 of the Aquapac cases, but the latest is a much softer vinyl and seems to be holding up very much better. I (personally) deplore the move by most manufacturers to 'floating' VHFs, as I believe it makes the units less useful to kayakers. As a kayaker, I can't conceive of _not_ securely tying the VHF onto me (while on the water ;-), so I reckon that if I'm afloat, the radio will also be. Making any design of VHF 'float' always involves both making it bigger and/or reducing the battery capacity. Simple Avogadro's Rule. Neither of which is desirable in any way for kayak use. I heartily agree with the Lithium battery. I eventually bought a replacement battery (just before a 10-day coastal trip a couple of years back), but my old one still holds a charge and is used as a backup. I get about 15+ hours - enough for a weekend. One thing I like about the SH is the antenna on the left - silly, but my right ear is better and I use the VHF on that side - so the antenna doesn't poke me in the eye ;-) I used to keep the VHF in my PFD's belly pouch, but I finally got smart and shifted it up nearer to the good ear by attaching it to the front of the PFD shoulder strap. Best thing ever. I certainly achieved improved hearing - especially in strong wind and at a lower volume as well (which is less offensive in a group). The big surprise was the improvement in antenna performance at just double the distance above the water (and just peeking over my shoulder). This is tested often, as my partner still has her identical SH in a belly pocket. As we paddle along, I get 25% more traffic... To hold the VHF where I wanted it, I simply sewed up a fabric (cordura) 'holster' with a mesh front and a side flap/cover using Velcro. One-handed, I can rip the flap open, grab the radio, adjust the controls, transmit, stuff it back in the holster and secure the flap. If I drop it, the lanyard saves the day. I'm sure there are alternatives - one of my paddling buddies does something similar without a holster - or needing to move the radio off the strap to transmit - he's better at talking out of the side of his mouth than I am ;-) Best Regards Paul Hayward, New Zealand *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Thu May 20 2010 - 08:20:00 PDT
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