Marine Radio Recommendation - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

FISHIONADO · 06-06-2007, 12:27 PM

I've used these radios, all from West Marine:

Cobra 2-pack - $80 - No features to speak of, low power transmit, not waterproof but comes with two dry bags.

West Marine VHF250 - $160 - 5W, includes AM/FM and worked great for 6 months, the loudspeaker finally failed from repeated wetness. West Marine swapped it for a new one and I didn't even have the receipt with me. They were out of stock on the VHF250 so I upgraded to the Standard Horizon HX600S.

Standard Horizon HX600S - ~$200 - 5W, includes AM/FM and works decent. The AM/FM isn't as good as the VHF250, I can usually only listen to FM 105.3 and 94.1 and AM 760 without static.

If I needed to buy one today I would go with the West Marine brand with extended warranty and just plan on swapping it within a year. The saltwater kayak environment is so abusive (maybe it's just me), you can't really expect a long life for anything out there except the operator, we hope.

06-06-2007, 12:27 PM	#10
FISHIONADO Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 698	I've used these radios, all from West Marine: Cobra 2-pack - $80 - No features to speak of, low power transmit, not waterproof but comes with two dry bags. West Marine VHF250 - $160 - 5W, includes AM/FM and worked great for 6 months, the loudspeaker finally failed from repeated wetness. West Marine swapped it for a new one and I didn't even have the receipt with me. They were out of stock on the VHF250 so I upgraded to the Standard Horizon HX600S. Standard Horizon HX600S - ~$200 - 5W, includes AM/FM and works decent. The AM/FM isn't as good as the VHF250, I can usually only listen to FM 105.3 and 94.1 and AM 760 without static. If I needed to buy one today I would go with the West Marine brand with extended warranty and just plan on swapping it within a year. The saltwater kayak environment is so abusive (maybe it's just me), you can't really expect a long life for anything out there except the operator, we hope.