fishingfun

I'm looking for a back up handheld VHF and did not know what to look for in these units or which ones perform the best. From what I have seen 6 watts is as powerful as they get so that and submersible are two features I want. I have heard that you can also purchase one that Has a distress button which will alert the CG and give your location but I heard you pay a fee for this service. So any help would be nice.

fishin technician

As far as the distress button that would be the DSC function. For the coast guard to know where you are at the radio needs to be hooked up to your GPS so that the DSC funtion will send your coordinates to the Coast Guard. You can register free through Boat US. See the following link for more info... I am no expert on electronics and others can provide you with more detailed info, however it appears that the one that BOE has listed here on their site for $99 is a pretty good deal. I will probably purchase that one as a back up in the next couple of days...

http://www.boatus.com/mmsi/

yachtjim

I would get the Standard Horizon HX850. This unit floats, and has a built in GPS so it has the DSC function built in. DSC is a free service.

http://www.boemarine.com/Products/ST...S/Default.aspx

__________________