VHF Radio - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

EDC · 06-19-2014, 06:14 PM

I'm just going to put in my 2 cents, and start off by saying that I don't have experience with either model mentioned so far. The first thing I would like to mention is that when I got serious about getting a VHF, I looked at a lot of reviews. The West Marine reviews I saw AT THE TIME were not so good. Mainly the range was pretty short. One guy said he could literally see the coast guard, but couldn't get ahold of them with the West Marine. Had to resort to using his cell phone and didn't get contact with anyone on his radio even line of sight until about one mile away (set on 5 watts). Like I said, I don't have personal experience with the unit, but that didn't settle well with me.

Secondly, when I was at the Fred Hall show, I came across Jim Sammons. I just moved back to California and was waiting for my kayak to get here. I told him I couldn't wait to get out in the SoCal waters but I need to A. get my kayak shipped, and B. get a good VHF radio before going more than a couple miles out. On his show he has always promoted the HX851 by Standard Horizon, so I thought he would try to sell me on that. Nope, he said, "well do you have a cell phone and a GPS? You don't really need a VHF in these waters unless you are going really far out." That blew my mind. Not even one bit of sales pitch. But, as it stands, I felt much better about going anywhere within 3 or 4 miles offshore without a radio. I take my phone (waterproofed and fully charged), an extra paddle and will always watch the weather, and one day when I have a couple hundred to spend on whatever, I might get the HX851, but as of now, I'm not worried. Those words might come and bite me in the butt one day, but I also believe that if it's your time to go...well, you know the rest.

I will end with saying that you should not skimp on your personal safety. A cheap radio is not something I would want to have my life depending on. I am an active Marine and I can attest to how important a good working radio can be. If you are serious about getting a VHF radio, I would not look for what the best priced radio is, I would find the absolute best radio on the market, and do what had to be done to get that one. Just don't go to the local loan sharks. They are worse than the whites and makos.

06-19-2014, 06:14 PM	#9
EDC Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Oceanside Posts: 44	I'm just going to put in my 2 cents, and start off by saying that I don't have experience with either model mentioned so far. The first thing I would like to mention is that when I got serious about getting a VHF, I looked at a lot of reviews. The West Marine reviews I saw AT THE TIME were not so good. Mainly the range was pretty short. One guy said he could literally see the coast guard, but couldn't get ahold of them with the West Marine. Had to resort to using his cell phone and didn't get contact with anyone on his radio even line of sight until about one mile away (set on 5 watts). Like I said, I don't have personal experience with the unit, but that didn't settle well with me. Secondly, when I was at the Fred Hall show, I came across Jim Sammons. I just moved back to California and was waiting for my kayak to get here. I told him I couldn't wait to get out in the SoCal waters but I need to A. get my kayak shipped, and B. get a good VHF radio before going more than a couple miles out. On his show he has always promoted the HX851 by Standard Horizon, so I thought he would try to sell me on that. Nope, he said, "well do you have a cell phone and a GPS? You don't really need a VHF in these waters unless you are going really far out." That blew my mind. Not even one bit of sales pitch. But, as it stands, I felt much better about going anywhere within 3 or 4 miles offshore without a radio. I take my phone (waterproofed and fully charged), an extra paddle and will always watch the weather, and one day when I have a couple hundred to spend on whatever, I might get the HX851, but as of now, I'm not worried. Those words might come and bite me in the butt one day, but I also believe that if it's your time to go...well, you know the rest. I will end with saying that you should not skimp on your personal safety. A cheap radio is not something I would want to have my life depending on. I am an active Marine and I can attest to how important a good working radio can be. If you are serious about getting a VHF radio, I would not look for what the best priced radio is, I would find the absolute best radio on the market, and do what had to be done to get that one. Just don't go to the local loan sharks. They are worse than the whites and makos.