Best VHF Marine Radio
A marine VHF radio is the best communication device to have on a boat. It is an important safety tool for mariners who set out on offshore or inland waters. The law requires boats that are over 62 feet to carry a VHF radio, but it is advisable to carry one regardless of the size of your boat. You’ll use it all the time to make contact with harbors or marinas, call rescue services if something goes wrong, and communicate with other boats or ships.
Many people think that carrying a cell phone on their boat eliminates the need a VHF radio. We cannot emphasize enough that a cell phone is not an appropriate alternative for VHF radio! This is because cell phones are limited in range and power and are not suitable for use in a safety situation. This is where the best VHF marine radios come in.
We’ll start with a look at the best marine VHF radio, the Retevis Marine RA27.
Our Top Pick: Retevis Marine RA27 GPS VHF Marine Radio
Key Points at a Glance
10 channels with scan feature
Weather channel
Noise-canceling microphone
3” LCD display
Scanning functions; Dual Watch, Priority Scan
Connects to a second station
The Details
Our top pick for the best VHF marine radio is the RA27 VHF Marine Radio. You can permanently mount it in your boat and use it easily whenever you want. It is designed in a way that it optimizes the console space of your boat. This VHF radio is thin and you can literally install it anywhere in your boat without needing a special spot for it.
Apart from the design, RA27 has also equipped it with some interesting features. It has Class D DSC (Digital Selective Calling), and it can help you track the positions of around 4 surrounding ships on its screen. This makes you aware of the presence of other ships in close proximity to your boat without the need to use radar.
It will also let you know about your exact position in the open sea, let you make distress calls, and allow you to communicate with other boats. It has an internal 12 channel GPS which you can locate easily in the front panel so the user does not have to worry to connect the radio with a GPS for DSC.
It also has a noise-canceling microphone, NOAA weather channel selection with an alert, programmable soft keys, programmable Scan-Priority Scan-Dual Watch, mounting bracket and a power cord.
You can easily customize the names of the channels as well.
The downside of using this VHF radio is that it only has a dual watch, and it is a high-end option as compared to other VHF radios in the market. However, it is the best VHF marine communication device available
