handheld vhf radio

I'm wondering how far off shore I can go in my boat and still be able to talk to someone on land using a 5 watt handheld vhf radio. All the ones I'm looking to buy have no indication of this. Thanks for any input....

We have a vintage Sitex HH-300 handheld aboard our vessel at all times, as well as our base-mounted Uniden. The Sitex does extremely well using the "rubber-ducky" antenna to a distance of about 5 to 7 miles over open water talking to other sailboats and marinas.

If you're communicating handheld-to-handheld, about three miles is the the range you can expect.

I echo the opinions above, I wouldn't depend on a handheld as our sole means of radio communication.

Hope this helps!

2008-05-13 07:19:04 by aqualoaf

Use your VHF on your boat or on land with VHF and FRS capability! Packed with all the features of the VHF150, the VHF250 takes you to the next ...

hi everyone, id like to ask several questions on how am i going to set-up a portable vhf radio system. Im really

not that into amateur radio.

1. im planning to buy a 2.5w Kenwood TK-1118 portable VHF radio
- what is the coverage of this radio if id like to communicate with another portable radio of the same unit?
- is there a way for me to extend the coverage by changing the antenna or something?
2. How do repeaters work?
- ive read somewhere on the net that if you are on an area that has a repeater on it, the transmit/receive coverage of your handheld will be wider. in that case, should i also be on the same frequency as the repeater for this to work?
3. Communicating with the a base unit
- I have a base unit at home, 80w VHF. I seldom use this but it has a really long antenna. let say if im 20km away

from that station, will I be able to contact that if im using the kenwood 2.5w portable VHF radio?

I will appreciate all of your answers. Ill be glad to talk to someone over the yahoo messenger to make each detail clear. here's my id. rnld(underscore)1 .. again, Thank you very much!
addtnl question:
how far can i communicate with a 75w VHF mobile base (installed on a car) if im using a 2.5w portable handheld? (note: point to point connection, no repeaters or something, straight handheld to mobile base with 5 feet antenna)

That radio needs a license of some sort. I cannot find real data on it to know what license you need.

That is a UHF radio, and you may get maybe 3-5 miles under ideal conditions. You might be able to get better hand held antenna.

Repeaters work by receiving on one frequency and transmitting on another. Some require a CTCSS tone to "open". Practically, a repeater doesn't extend the range of the hand held, you would instead be communicating in the range of the repeater, as long as you are in its range.

If you have an 80W transmitter of some sort, you must have a license for it, and it needs to be the same sort of license for the Transceiver you get. You probably don't need 80W to communicate 20KM away, under 5 will do, especially to a repeater.

And BTW, an Amateur radio license is for the person, not the station. Your spouse/children/family cannot operate your hand held or base set unless they have an Amateur Radio license.
Other licenses may vary.

2009-07-17 05:18:21 by ainie

Price: $99.99

Supports all NOAA weather channels; emergency/weather alert function alerts you of any emergencies
Waterproof handheld marine VHF radio is factory programmed with all U.S., Canadian, and international channels
Simultaneously monitor up to two Coast Guard Distress/Hailing, one weather, and one regular marine channel
Brilliant backlit LCD display and backlit keypad make radio easy to use, day or night
Rapid clip-on DC charger works in any standard 12 volt DC "cigarette lighter" style outlet; 3-year warranty

What other suggestion do you have for a radio. I am new at this.
cheaper ones... about 60 more less

Best thing for you to do is go to a ham fest and you can check with ARRL to find one close to you. The HAM's there will help you. You can also listen to the radio and they have swap shops on some of them. Get on the radio and ask if someone "out there" knows of one and what the frequency is.

2008-02-21 16:40:14 by Dan

Price: $129.99

Supports all NOAA weather channels; emergency/weather alert function alerts you of any emergencies
Floating handheld marine VHF radio is factory programmed with all U.S., Canadian, and international channels
Brilliant backlit LCD display and backlit keypad make radio easy to use, day or night
Simultaneously monitor up to two Coast Guard Distress/Hailing, one weather, and one regular marine channel
Includes Li-Ion battery and drop-in charger, can also be powered with alkaline AA batteries; 3-year warranty

My rowing team is looking to purchase marine radios for our coaches. Our coaches drive alongside our rowing shells in small rowboats with motors, and want handheld VHF marine radios so that they can communicate with each other and other boats during our practices.

Can you tell me anything about the reliability of the different marine radio brands? I'm currently looking at ICom, Standard Horizon, Cobra, and Uniden. Our price range is $200 or less per radio. Are any of these brands particularly known for quality/durability?

I don't know much about marine radios, so any information you can give me would be great!

We carry a Uniden on our boat that's waterproof and floats and we love it! For the use you're talking about you don't need anything that has any kind of range with the signal since most communications will be of a close nature.

All 3 you mention are good radios and will suffice for what you're seeking.

Great thing for the team to get for them too!

2009-03-03 20:21:52 by Blondie

Im looking at 3 radios.
-Jingtong JT-208 VHF
-FD-150A VHF
-and the Quansheng TG-K2AT/TG-K4AT

Has anyone used these radios before? ANY info would be great.

All I know about the Quansheng is that it doesn't have a squelch and you have to scroll through all 99 channels to program one.

All 3 radios are VHF 134Mhz-174Mhz.

The JT-208 only has 30 channels but has a squelch. One problem with the JT is that the transmission audio is slightly muffled. This can be fixed if you drill a hole in the case over the mic or get an external mic/speaker. It also makes a strange noise when you turn it own and cannot be silenced.

The FD-150A has 99 channels with squelch.

All 3 radios look pretty good and have an LED back light.
If I had to suggest on, it would be the FD-150A.

2008-02-01 17:30:08 by Hoss