Protecting Your VHF Radio

Why Spend Big Bucks on Waterproof Handhelds?

I was looking at current prices for handheld VHF radios. Wow, was I surprised to see the price difference when "waterproof" was added to the description! I saw some models at "MSRP" of nearly $700 with cheaper ones available at about $200. There were a couple I ran into as cheap as $100 - $150 before shipping. Those models were a bit overpriced on the one hand and the cheaper ones were a little underpowered.

You can purchase some nice handheld VHF radios for $59 - $99 dollars and find a waterproof solution that's a little more reasonable. A good waterproof VHF radio case can be had for as little as $27. This offers the sportsman a solid PVC pouch for their radios (waterproof or not) with a tested hearing loss of less than 5% while talking and listening through the case. I have read remarks that one should always have one on board their boat. This makes a lot of sense due to the unpredictable nature of weather conditions on various bodies of water. They need them to get quick weather forecasts or to talk to their pals and find out where the fish are hitting hard. After an 8 yr. stint as a charter boat captain on the Great Lakes, this writer can definitely state that we put a lot more fish in the cooler and in much less time when talking to our fellow "skippers" who were really on top of large schools of fish.

Even if you were to sink you could use these radios to call help and save your life! The reason I prefer a waterproof cover on my handheld is simple - they float if dropped in the water. Try that with your new $400 VHF radio - go ahead and drop it overboard and watch it sink to the bottom faster than the Titanic. Bye bye radio and bye bye warranty too.

If you've ever spent a lot of time in the woods on a hunt (where legal) they are a handy way to keep abreast of not only the weather channel but to stay in touch with hunting companions working the same general area that you're hunting. It would be a little dangerous to be caught downwind of a high power hunting round or shotgun slug. It's good to know where people are at in the woods, besides being a lifeline if you become lost. Pick up a waterproof VHF radio case if you don't have one already - and be sure your radio will be at hand and working when you need it most!