Re: hand held vhf radios
There are differences in the frequency spectrum used by Marine VHF radios in different parts of the world. By international agreement the same portion of the band, in the 2-meter range, is allocated to marine use but each country had the option of assigning channels within that range. For the most part, and this is a real generalization, the Japaneese have the fewest channels available, the European versions are, the the best of my knowledge, different from the USA versions by the use of fewer duplex channels, and the Canadian version has more duplex channels and considerably more channels devoted to Government use than the USA versions. So you might want to check first and see which version it is you really want. That said you could buy something like the ICOM M1-A or one of the Standard Horizon models and have done as good as you could. They really are the best on the market, at least within a reasonable price range. On that front, there are intrinsically safe models that will cost you an arm and a leg - but of course that is what they can save you too. Anyway in conventional sized hand helds the Standard Horizon HX350S would be a good choice Both of those have complete Canadian, USA, and International channels but not the Asian set. <br /><br />Any of the larger retailers can take care of you but one of the best I know of is also one of the smallest. A fellow named Clint who runs 3-Rivers Marine Electronics, just outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, had earned an outstanding reputation across the country for both his great prices but more importantly his outstanding service. And this is a guy working with just him and his wife. Anyway if you're interested he's at (412) 384-2388.<br /><br />Thom
