Request VHF marine radio recommendation

[deer30084]

I currently have an old Uniden Atlantis 250 that I use on my Cobia 174 bay boat. 99% of the time I fish the St Marks and Apalachee Bay. The other day I was grounded on an oyster bar. If you heard of that, yep, that was me. I was able to hear the Coast Guard on my radio, but they couldn't hear me. Further, BoatUS couldn't hear my transmission either. So, I am in the market for a radio upgrade. My boat has limited space, so any fixed mount has to be small. Any opinions on here about handheld vs fixed mount VHF radios would be appreciated. Thank you.

[doomtrpr_z71]

I've got a fixed mount mounted to the side of my console since my 2 graph's take up all the room on top of the console, it works much better than the portable cobra on my buddy's boat.

[edif]

the antenna is everything dont scrimp when purchasing one the higher the gain the better it talks and receives ...just sayin

[deer30084]

Thanks I will get a good antenna.

[fishinfool]

Those 5 watt units don't transmit more than about 5 miles with a stubby antenna. A good antenna that is higher (about 6ft.) will get out further, but not much. The 25 watt units with a good and taller antenna will transmit much further.
You might look into an EPIRB or PLB (GPS locator transmitter) in addition to your radio.

[Hit-n-Miss]

I've always use Uniden mounted radios with no problems on the flats. On a flats boat I would recommend a rail mount 3' Shakespeare 5241-R Whip 3dB VHF Marine Antenna with a swivel rail mount. And mount it high on the rail beside windshield(gets you about 8' off floor of boat), can be folded down to cover boat.

[deer30084]

Thanks everyone. I ended up purchasing a Standard Horizon GX1410GPS. I have a good Shakespeare 4' whip antenna from a previous boat that's been laying around in my shed a few years. I bought the GX1410GPS mainly because it is compact and I have limited space on my bayboat. Now I have to figure out where to get power for it. The Garmin GPS is hooked up to the accessory switch. I'm thinking piggyback on that switch. Any input?

[fishinfool]

You might consider wiring it directly to the house battery. Of course you will want a fuse or circuit breaker for circuit protection. The radio's on/off switch should suffice.

[Blue spinner]

I have gone to a icon with a 8ft antenna on a 1720 keywest

[deer30084]

You might consider wiring it directly to the house battery. Of course you will want a fuse or circuit breaker for circuit protection. The radio's on/off switch should suffice.

I connected it to an empty 30 amp fuse on the fuse block and and the other lead to a ground terminal.

[fishinfool]

30 amp might be a little high for that unit. By the time the 30a blows, the overcurrent can do some damage. It probably has a 10A inline fuse. I would lean more towards a 15A for circuit protection. It would be easy to replace the 30 with a 15.

[deer30084]

Thanks. It does have an inline fuse. So is it better to go directly to the battery?