Need a new VHF Radio
 

Looking for a new radio, preferably one that last longer than 6 months (so no Cobras). Anyone recommend a trustworthy one?

Standard Horizon HX210 is going on 3 years for me. Under 100$. Only thing that sucks about it is the charging station. In my experience, all the standard horizon chargers are BS.

+1

Though for the life of me, I still feel like it’s really hard to keep a good line of sight with any handheld out on the water. Half the time I feel like only half of my comms are getting in/going through.

I was thinking about trying to mount a fiberglass VHF antenna in a rod holder for kayak tuna trips.

Thanks I will look into them.

Get a floating VHF radio the has 5 or 6 watts for good range and those usually have high, medium and low power setting for the range you are trying to cover. I have two West Marine VHF 160's and have the three settings and on high, I have no problem communicating with someone asking for Radio Check from San diego Bay or even further out on the way to the Tuna Grounds, while I'm fishing La Jolla. If I only want to talk to buddies out in La Jolla, I can turn the power to low, if I want. The only complaint I have is the LCD screens, after 3 years both have gotten to the point that I think has to due with temperature, they will become dark in about 70% of the screen, Then at times are perfectly legible. That is frustrating. They are better than model I tried before. I think the Kayak environment and the fact that wearing then on the PDF exposes them to direct sunlight for a large amount of time if you fish for 6-12 hours. That model is usually $160 but when on sale they are $110-$120.