Armychief Opinion - Best Current VHF/GMRS Handheld Radio

[ArmyChief]

As I continue to drain my bank account, preparing for this years Bimini Trip and future outings (Camping, Boating (In US & Bimini). I started to investigate a Handheld VHF to initially be used for the Bimini trip.

Since I always try to "Plan for the worse, and hope for the best"..I did not want a low wattage radio (1 or 3 watt max out). The newer 6 watt radio's are getting a bad rap from some of the people on forums. That it is a marketing hype, not needed..etc..etc. Well, yea..I guess..1 watt ain't much. But, on a clear day, line-of-site transmission might go about an extra 1-2 miles. So, I wasn't REALLY worried about 5 or 6 watts..but it had to be at least 5 watts (adjustable from 1-5)]

It needed to float...for obvious reasons

Now, I'm pretty knowledgeable on RF communications, so I looked and looked. Then, I came across technology like S.A.M.E. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_Area_Message_Encoding

So, now, I wanted a radio that supported - S.A.M.E.

I also thought to myself, why buy a radio that could only LEGALLY be used on the water or other countries?
What about flea markets, local U.S. islands, lakes, camping..etc.

So, what I came up with as the most ROUNDED, Feature packed handheld radio is:

The Cobra MR HH450:

https://www.cobra.com/products/handheld-max-performance/mr-hh450-dual

YouTube unpacking:

Overton's has the best price (after you factor in FREE shipping & the rebate (Overton/Gander Mountain ONLY rebate):

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Cobra-MR-HH450-Dual-Combination-VHF-GMRS-Radio-black&i=768400

Hope this helps others.

 

[waterboy]

I bought a Uniden MHS135DSC off of Amazon 2 years ago. It has the 6 watt output on it, DSC, built in GPS and floats, etc... Found areal good price on it and saw good reviews. All I can say it performed very well in Bimini last year. I was able to reach others with "base" radios in their boat 7 miles away on high power. IMO, not too bad for a handheld. My point is that under ideal conditions, it appears that these higher power radios can push out.

That being said, the new radio with the GMRS built in are pretty cool. I like the one you found there.

 

[ArmyChief]

Thanks, the one noted above has the S.A.M.E feature AND 6 watt output. Antenna is removable. So, you can get an adapter and connect to an external whip antenna

 

[jfkraus]

So, what I came up with as the most ROUNDED, Feature packed handheld radio is: The Cobra MR HH450:

Thanks for the advice! Just bought it on Amazon Prime. We've been looking for a good handheld for awhile now. Nice to have someone with some knowledge and experience make a recommendation.

 

[steined]

As I continue to drain my bank account, preparing for this years Bimini Trip and future outings (Camping, Boating (In US & Bimini). I started to investigate a Handheld VHF to initially be used for the Bimini trip.

Since I always try to "Plan for the worse, and hope for the best"..I did not want a low wattage radio (1 or 3 watt max out). The newer 6 watt radio's are getting a bad rap from some of the people on forums. That it is a marketing hype, not needed..etc..etc. Well, yea..I guess..1 watt ain't much. But, on a clear day, line-of-site transmission might go about an extra 1-2 miles. So, I wasn't REALLY worried about 5 or 6 watts..but it had to be at least 5 watts (adjustable from 1-5)]

It needed to float...for obvious reasons

Now, I'm pretty knowledgeable on RF communications, so I looked and looked. Then, I came across technology like S.A.M.E. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_Area_Message_Encoding

So, now, I wanted a radio that supported - S.A.M.E.

I also thought to myself, why buy a radio that could only LEGALLY be used on the water or other countries?
What about flea markets, local U.S. islands, lakes, camping..etc.

So, what I came up with as the most ROUNDED, Feature packed handheld radio is:

The Cobra MR HH450:

https://www.cobra.com/products/handheld-max-performance/mr-hh450-dual

YouTube unpacking:

Overton's has the best price (after you factor in FREE shipping & the rebate (Overton/Gander Mountain ONLY rebate):

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Cobra-MR-HH450-Dual-Combination-VHF-GMRS-Radio-black&i=768400

Hope this helps others.

I've had 2 of these for several years and love them. Actually the older version - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OYJ62U/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=38301963807&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6580555742819571253&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_9q5lvqmzcs_e

 

[Bruce]

@ArmyChief, does Cobra build good radios? For some reason I thought the brand had a bad reputation?

 

[ArmyChief]

@ArmyChief, does Cobra build good radios? For some reason I thought the brand had a bad reputation?

Cobra has excellent radio's. I had a Cobra CB as a kid. They've been around for years. West Marine uses Uniden BTW.

My favorite would be ICOM, then Standard Horizon, then Cobra. However, ICOM & Standard don't have all the features as the Cobra.

If you like to use your phone on board and are worried about it falling overboard..they even offer a Bluetooth capable handheld!

HH500

 

[ArmyChief]

Thanks for the advice! Just bought it on Amazon Prime. .

You do realize I posted a link to Overton's with free shipping and a rebate that's cheaper than Amazon

 

[kthrash]

I bought a set of these off eBay last year in prep for this outing.. I think I paid like $45 shipped.. (give the land based people in my group communications, think condo to condo)

http://www.amazon.com/Uniden-VHF-Marine-Radio-MHS050-2/dp/B007P10PYS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

I also own one of these (backup to my Lowrance):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E99WOC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And I installed the Lowrance in the boat.. Call me Captain Overkill!