What to consider when choosing a VHF marine radio

Look at why you need a VHF marine radio and ask yourself “ what is best for me?”

If you want to move onto venturing further out to sea, a small budget fixed radio providing the extra range may be worth considering. A large yacht sailing further offshore will need greater range so a fixed mount radio will be a better solution. And all boat and yacht should consider AIS function.

If you are sailor or sea kayaker, a handheld VHF marine radio should be considered. The space will be an issue and an intuitive user interface and simplicity of operation can help you. The HD display and decent battery life are also important.

Then you need to ask yourself “What functions do I need?”

First, waterproof.

Don’t get confused with waterproof values. Submersible (IPX7) is much preferable to something that is only splash proof such as radios which are IPX4.

Second, Floating.

One of the biggest developments of recent years has been buoyancy technology within handheld radios. So if by accident you drop the radio over the side, it will come to the surface so you can retrieve it. To aid retrieval, some handheld sets have strobe lighting so that they can be seen in the water.

Third, Dual/Tri watch

The set you are looking at should have dual or tri watch for scanning between channels whilst monitoring channel 16 as well as a customisable scan function so you can monitor all the channels you need to without missing a call.

Finial, Licence.

You require a marine radio short range certificate, all radios require the user and the vessel to hold a relevant licence. Violators will face fines and other troubles.

For information about Retevis marine radios, visit the HOME retevis marine.