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I'm looking to put a CB Radio in my boat. Any one got any suggestions on brand? I'm putting it in my Chapparal 180 LE. I don't have a clue as to where to mount it in the boat yet. There's not much room on the console. I'd just feel safer if we have one in the boat with us if we ever run into any trouble down there.

Thanks,

I assume you mean a Marine VHF right?

Uniden, Cobra are decent. There are some you can get that you can mount the radio inside the console rather than on it and the microphone will allow you to change channels. Depends on your room.

Some have GPS built in, but that is probably more than you want for flats fishing. I definitely have mine on whenever I am fishing, if only to help nearby boaters in an emergency.

Yeah. A VHF is what I'm talking about. I've looked at Walmart and saw the Cobra and Uniden's. I just wanted one in case either we need a little help or if some one else does. The smaller profile, the better.

You could go w a hand held if you don't have space and don't need long range

What is the relative range on the handhelds? I know they are line of sight (all VHF mostly are), but was curious what the range is on those. Would they be good at Aucilla, Econfina, etc to talk to Coast Guard?

I got a Standard Horizon HX870. It's got everything including the Kitchen Sink. Great Backup Radio for all of my Electronic's plus a lot of safety features.

onefishtwofish wrote:What is the relative range on the handhelds? I know they are line of sight (all VHF mostly are), but was curious what the range is on those. Would they be good at Aucilla, Econfina, etc to talk to Coast Guard?

Ship to ship with a handheld is only a few miles. Ship to coast guard antenna would be farther, but I'm not sure how much farther. I do know with my 8' antenna mounted on my t-top and a 25 watt fixed mount unit I can easily reach 20+ miles to a shore station such as a marina. A handheld is certainly better than no radio at all, and would probably do just fine on the flats. You might have to call "any unit" on channel 16 and request assistance. Then you would get nearby boats, probably Seatow or Towboat, and hopefully USCG, or they could relay for you. When calling, have your L/L ready from the gps so they can come for you. Some new radios have a feature built in with internal gps so your location is instantly available in an emergency so no other electronics are required.

EJ


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EddieJoe wrote:

onefishtwofish wrote:What is the relative range on the handhelds? I know they are line of sight (all VHF mostly are), but was curious what the range is on those. Would they be good at Aucilla, Econfina, etc to talk to Coast Guard?

Ship to ship with a handheld is only a few miles. Ship to coast guard antenna would be farther, but I'm not sure how much farther. I do know with my 8' antenna mounted on my t-top and a 25 watt fixed mount unit I can easily reach 20+ miles to a shore station such as a marina. A handheld is certainly better than no radio at all, and would probably do just fine on the flats. You might have to call "any unit" on channel 16 and request assistance. Then you would get nearby boats, probably Seatow or Towboat, and hopefully USCG, or they could relay for you. When calling, have your L/L ready from the gps so they can come for you. Some new radios have a feature built in with internal gps so your location is instantly available in an emergency so no other electronics are required.

EJ


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Thanks Eddie. That's good info to know.

EddieJoe wrote:

onefishtwofish wrote:What is the relative range on the handhelds? I know they are line of sight (all VHF mostly are), but was curious what the range is on those. Would they be good at Aucilla, Econfina, etc to talk to Coast Guard?

Ship to ship with a handheld is only a few miles. Ship to coast guard antenna would be farther, but I'm not sure how much farther. I do know with my 8' antenna mounted on my t-top and a 25 watt fixed mount unit I can easily reach 20+ miles to a shore station such as a marina. A handheld is certainly better than no radio at all, and would probably do just fine on the flats. You might have to call "any unit" on channel 16 and request assistance. Then you would get nearby boats, probably Seatow or Towboat, and hopefully USCG, or they could relay for you. When calling, have your L/L ready from the gps so they can come for you. Some new radios have a feature built in with internal gps so your location is instantly available in an emergency so no other electronics are required.

EJ


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Thanks. I don't have a handheld, but was just curious what folks get out of them.

onefishtwofish wrote:

EddieJoe wrote:

onefishtwofish wrote:What is the relative range on the handhelds? I know they are line of sight (all VHF mostly are), but was curious what the range is on those. Would they be good at Aucilla, Econfina, etc to talk to Coast Guard?

Ship to ship with a handheld is only a few miles. Ship to coast guard antenna would be farther, but I'm not sure how much farther. I do know with my 8' antenna mounted on my t-top and a 25 watt fixed mount unit I can easily reach 20+ miles to a shore station such as a marina. A handheld is certainly better than no radio at all, and would probably do just fine on the flats. You might have to call "any unit" on channel 16 and request assistance. Then you would get nearby boats, probably Seatow or Towboat, and hopefully USCG, or they could relay for you. When calling, have your L/L ready from the gps so they can come for you. Some new radios have a feature built in with internal gps so your location is instantly available in an emergency so no other electronics are required.

EJ


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Thanks. I don't have a handheld, but was just curious what folks get out of them.

I have tested my handheld offshore and successfully contacted an onshore marina with a tall antenna. That was about 18 miles, but conditions may make that a lot less. In any case, I'm glad I have it as a backup to my fixed mount and a take along on other boats.

EJ



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