HookedOnFishingBoats.com

If there was an American Advertising Hall of Fame, “Can you hear me now” would be in it, along with such classics as “Where’s the beef?” and “Just do it”. But on the water, “Can you hear me now?” can be a question of life and death. And if it’s your fate that hangs in the balance, you need the answer to be “yes.” That’s why every boat needs a VHF, and the vast majority of us have one at the helm. But, what happens if your radio goes on the fritz when you need it most? You’ll reach for your back-up unit, a handheld VHF, of course. You don’t have one of these stowed in your emergency bag? Then get one, immediately. These things are so inexpensive that there’s no excuse for not having a handheld aboard in this day and age. And we’re here to help you sort through the options, and figure out which one’s best for you.

Cobra gets the communications ball rolling with an inexpensive new handheld, the MR HH125, which MSRP’s at $80 but can be found for $60 or less. This radio is a particularly noteworthy to small boat owners because it’s palm-sized and easy to stow, even in your jacket pocket. It can push three watts and has a hazard alert, and meets JIS 4 (splashproof) standards. Cobra also introduced the JIS 7 MR HH425 ($185) and the MR HH325 VP ($130, see the 10/8/2009 Rudow’s Fishboat Blog post to read a full-blown review); these radios share the same functions but the 425 adds Cobra’s “Rewind-Say-Again” feature, which uses a digital voice recorder to play back up to the last 20 seconds of audio, so you don’t have to ask for repeat transmissions when other noises distract you. These units also have features like 1900 mAH Li Ion batteries, weather alert functions, and a fast-working 3-4 hour charger. Are they tough? While testing the MR HH325VP I decided to drop it into my saltwater fishtank and let it swim among the fishes for a while, just to be sure those JIS 7 ratings were for real, and it held up fine. www.cobraelectronics.com.

Another new option for boaters who don’t want to spend big bucks is the new Eagle EHR-10. Sure, we usually think of Eagle when we consider fishfinders, not radios. But this new hand-held VHF lists under $100 and can be found in the real world for a mere $80. Like most similar radios this one puts out five watts of power. The EHR-10 is built to JIS 7 standards (which means it can be submerged to three feet for up to 30 minutes without damage,) has a NOAA weather alert function that provides warning of impending storms, and it comes with a 1300 mAH NiMH battery pack, an AC/DC wall charger with LED, a wrist strap, and belt clip. Does it meet my personal parameters for toughness? To find out, I kicked it off the gunwale at the boat ramp and let it swim while loading and pulling the boat. After fishing it out ten minutes later, it was none the worse for wear. www.eaglenav.com

Another handheld unit that’s new to the market is Lowrance’s LHR-20, which puts out five watts of juice, has a 1,600 mAH Li-Ion battery (plus charger,) and is JIS 7 submersible. This unit goes for about $100, and hunters will appreciate the Real Tree camo version. Can it take a licking and keep on ticking? To find out, I slathered it with peanut butter, then gave it to my Chesapeake Bay retriever, Coco. She can drool with the best of 'em, but when the peanut butter was completely gone, despite being a bit on the slippery side the unit still worked just fine. www.lowrance.com

Despite all these cool new units on the market, the hottest handheld to hit may be Standard Horizon’s new HX850S. This is a GPS-enabled, DSC (digital select calling,) floating VHF. List cost is notably higher than the other new handhelds, but at $250, it’s still cheap talk. The HX850S is the first six-watt handheld unit in existence to have a built-in GPS plus DSC. That means it has widely expanded applications; not only is it good as a back-up to your fixed-mount VHF, and not only is it a good choice for nearby communication, this radio is also ideal for ditch bags prepared by long-distance cruisers and fishers. Consider this: if you end up in the drink and send out a call for help with the HX850S, your exact latitude and longitude will pop up on the screen of the DSC VHF that hears you. The Coast Guard can locate you instantly, and responding vessels won’t have to search—they’ll just arrive.

Standard Horizon has two other new handhelds, including the $150 HX750S, a floating unit that puts out six watts and has a 1,150 mAH Li-Ion battery that can keep you talking for up to nine hours. Added bonus: the HX750S has a built-in strobe light, so you can be seen as well as heard. And the HX760S ($350), another six-watter which floats, comes with a BH-2 Bluetooth headset and CD-40 charger. You can use it with push-to-talk or voice-activated transmission, for hands-free operation. Standard-Horizon's torment took place in the toilet. It was given several swirlies before I (eeech!) reached in and retrieved it, to discover that its waterproof rating is for real. www.standardhorizon.com

Sure, you’re going to carry your cell phone or Blackberry, and use it whenever it’s convenient. But cell communications can be sketchy, and signal losses or dropped calls always seem to happen at the worst possible time. So remember that when the chips are down—down the fish tank, down the boat ramp, down the gullet or even down the toilet—no on-the-water communications device can match a modern VHF radio for making sure that you can, in fact, hear me now.