I was in West Marine this weekend and they were running a sale on their handhelds. For those interested, the West Marine VHF75 is $89.99 until March 25th. I purchased the VHF160 for $129.99 because it adds a strobe when it hits water and a second battery tray that will take AA batteries. I figure that alone saves me replacing the battery in a few years.

They had comparable Standard Horizons at the same price points if you prefer that brand. That said, the nice older gentleman in West Marine thinks that Icom makes their branded radios.

Dana

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Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18 (Sold! :( )
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Just a note on the AAs:

We used to have a West Marine store in Ventura, CA, and there was a gal there who really knew her stuff. I was looking for a radio that had the AA battery tray for island trips, where I could be out there for 3 or 4 days with no access to power. She pointed out that you do not get the transmit power with AAs that you get with the Li-Ion battery. I never verified this, but it may be in the radio docs somewhere. Since that conversation, I go with the standard battery (minimizing use) and bring the AA tray along as backup.

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Bill Mattson
Prindle 19 "Gelli Bean"
Prindle 19 "Cat's Pajamas"
Nacra 5.2 (Will sail her a bit and let her name herself)
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One more thing on the radios. Years ago here in CA, it was common practice to keep submersible radios in dry bags as they were not really submersible. I took this to the executive management of the company, and found them very responsive. They were giving away dry bags while they had the manufacturers redesign the radios. After that, I never had a water intrusion issue with two Icoms and a Standard Horizon I have purchased since then. I trust the radios today are still up to the advertised standards of IPX7 / IPX8. Check to make sure West Marine still replaces radios that leak. If so, I recommend dunking any newly purchased radio into water for 10 minutes or so, to check for leaks, and return it if it's bad.

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Bill Mattson
Prindle 19 "Gelli Bean"
Prindle 19 "Cat's Pajamas"
Nacra 5.2 (Will sail her a bit and let her name herself)
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mattson

Just a note on the AAs:

We used to have a West Marine store in Ventura, CA, and there was a gal there who really knew her stuff. I was looking for a radio that had the AA battery tray for island trips, where I could be out there for 3 or 4 days with no access to power. She pointed out that you do not get the transmit power with AAs that you get with the Li-Ion battery. I never verified this, but it may be in the radio docs somewhere. Since that conversation, I go with the standard battery (minimizing use) and bring the AA tray along as backup.

I have heard this as well.... the standard alkaline battery will work, but not as long..

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John Schwartz
Ventura, CA
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Good to know. I'll give mine a dunk in water to see what happens. It is rated to IPX8.

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Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18 (Sold! :( )
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One other point, with reference to using the optional AA battery pack.
My iCom floats with the rechargeable Li ion pack, but NOT with the AA pack. The manual even references this.
Keeping the water out depends on a very thin "O" ring. A bit, & I mean a very small bit, of divers grease helps prevent the O ring from being pinched when re-attaching the battery pack.



Edited by Edchris177 on Mar 21, 2018 - 04:52 PM.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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dartsailors

Good to know. I'll give mine a dunk in water to see what happens. It is rated to IPX8.

I had a really interesting experience with the JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) ratings they used to use. The JIS-7 radios being sold were CLEARLY not submersible. I actually tracked down contact information for the JIS standard. I remember not getting any response at all. It's like there was no enforcement of the standard, and no reporting mechanism for misapplication. I don't know if the same issue exists for IPX which I believe is European.

The effort to get the radios fixed took a lot of time and diligence. Years later, I pick up a Garmin handheld GPS unit which is rated IPX7. After a day of sailing with it lashed to the trampoline, there was water in the battery compartment. I managed to get it dried out to save the unit. I go down to West Marine with the unit and talk to a salesman, mentioning that my submersible GPS unit leaks if water gets sprayed on it. He looks at the unit and gets excited. "I have just the thing for you." He goes to a shelf and pulls out a waterproof bag. "See, on the box it has the exact same unit pictured inside the bag."

I let out a sigh and took it. I'm just getting too old and busy to do battle.

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Bill Mattson
Prindle 19 "Gelli Bean"
Prindle 19 "Cat's Pajamas"
Nacra 5.2 (Will sail her a bit and let her name herself)
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