Page 1 of 1

Marine Radios?

Posted: 03 Jun 2018, 19:59
by tropicalfisher
Hi all,

I am going to the States in a few weeks and am looking to pick up a marine radio while I am there, as I am interested in going out for tuna at some point. I have never purchased a safety radio and am not quite sure what to look for. The follow radio looked like a good one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001J ... 0DER&psc=1

Would any of the more experienced offshore fisherman be able to provide any advice? Thanks!

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 03 Jun 2018, 22:25
by shane
The Uniden MHS75 looks OK and should do local (International) channels. It doesn't float so you'll need to keep it tethered to your PFD. Also look into warranty conditions in case you need to send it to the US (but probably worth it for the discount). The US price appears to be pretty good compared to AU. I've got the MHS127, which costs a little more here ($169) and performs well.

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 04 Jun 2018, 21:27
by tropicalfisher
shane wrote:The Uniden MHS75 looks OK and should do local (International) channels. It doesn't float so you'll need to keep it tethered to your PFD. Also look into warranty conditions in case you need to send it to the US (but probably worth it for the discount). The US price appears to be pretty good compared to AU. I've got the MHS127, which costs a little more here ($169) and performs well.
Thanks for the reply Shane. It says it floats, do you say that it doesn't float from personal experience? Thanks.

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 04 Jun 2018, 21:50
by Seasherpa
Hi Michael, as Shane said the MH127 is a good little unit, mine hasn't skipped a beat. I've also had their cheaper MH050 model but one of the guys managed to kill it up at SWR this year in a roll over. (On closer inspection I think the battery removal ribbon was caught in the rear door, preventing a proper seal) Prior to that I had a GME GX800 which fell apart. Kieran had the same one and had to have it replaced under warranty after it packed in after being dropped in a shorey. Many of the guys up north use the Icom M23 and swear by it, I think Cheater has one too.

In terms of basic features to compare models you are looking for 5W and ideally tri-watch allowing you to monitor 16, 72 and a repeater tower at the same time if required. Look for a long standby time, on a unit that floats if possible. A theather point is also handy, but not all models have them its particularly useful as most of the clips on the back of the units detach, mostly when you don't want them to. A nice to have feature if you want to pay more, is DSC which I have on my current Lowrance unit it will transmit your GPS coordinates to any boats in the vicinity with DSC equipped radios, I can even store marks on my Lowrance and navigate to them on the radio if my sounder dies.

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 04 Jun 2018, 23:49
by shane
tropicalfisher wrote:
Thanks for the reply Shane. It says it floats, do you say that it doesn't float from personal experience? Thanks.
Not my experience, I just read a review that said that model didn't float. But just go with whatever the official stats say.

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 05 Jun 2018, 14:01
by peatop
I've been looking at radios and they all seemed to be in the $250 price range same for the PLB. I fount this and figure $166 is a small price to pay for peice of mind. http://www.gadgetcity.com.au/uniden-mhs ... -3337.html

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 06 Jun 2018, 10:03
by tropicalfisher
Hi all, thanks for the replies. I'm finding only the MHS126, which perhaps has superseded the MHS127. Would putting the radio inside a pair of Ziploc bags impede its function in some way? Surely it would at least prevent water from reaching it.

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 06 Jun 2018, 10:28
by shane
tropicalfisher wrote:Hi all, thanks for the replies. I'm finding only the MHS126, which perhaps has superseded the MHS127.
The MHS127 is still pretty common with retailers, not sure why you can't get it in a google search. I can recommend it but it's still a little pricier than the one you were looking at from the States.
https://www.amazon.com.au/UNIDEN-MHS127 ... B077GP9FWY

tropicalfisher wrote:Would putting the radio inside a pair of Ziploc bags impede its function in some way? Surely it would at least prevent water from reaching it.
I use one of these:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Transparent ... 2137202259

It keeps salt water off the radio and doesn't affect its signal in any way. I had previous radios fail due to salt water even though they're rated for it.

Re: Marine Radios?

Posted: 06 Jun 2018, 12:08
by peatop
peatop wrote:I've been looking at radios and they all seemed to be in the $250 price range same for the PLB. I fount this and figure $166 is a small price to pay for peice of mind. http://www.gadgetcity.com.au/uniden-mhs ... -3337.html
This i the link i found for the mhs 127 for $166.
Another $163 https://www.prestigecom.net.au/uniden-m ... 2cQAvD_BwE