Choosing The Right VHF Radio

I think there may be a pattern developing here... Yes, I'm going to talk about selecting the right VHF from my experience in buying a 'cheaper' one, and almost paying the ultimate price!

I have just recieved the Icom M23 Float and Flash. They retail at around £160 but are available at some places for £120 if you look hard enough. Previous to this I had the Cobra MR HH125. I wish I could say more about this VHF, but it broke on the first trip, which I think, says enough.

That was on a 4 mile paddle, straight out from Lyme Regis. That day the wind went offshore to 15mph and it took over 2 hours to get back. What you've got to think about though, is ''what if'', because if I had flipped then, a mobile would have been of no use (even that broke on this trip)!! So why pay £120+ and not £50 - well, if you value your life more than the extra £70, thats why.

Here is the new radio, I've had a scroll through its features and here is just a few you get, that you don't with the Cobra.

• Mains Charger (hard to believe but the Cobra only had a cigarette lighter style charger)
• Float and Flash (flashes when submerged in water so can use it at night)
• 3 Year Warranty (speaks for itself)
• 5 Watt Signal Strength (for longer distance communication)
• Longer Operating Time
• Fixed Clip (the Cobra fell off when tilted at a certain angle)
• Squelch (filtering out weak and strong signals)

and it goes on...
It really is important when kayaking to not hold back on safety. I will do a full post on other safety stuff in the future, my next post should be about rigging up my new kayak, so watch this blog for more on that!