I installed a new VHF this spring, well new to me anyway. I picked up a nice used Uniden UM625 on Craig's list reasonably priced. For years we have used Uniden Atlantis handheld VHFs on the J-22 and they have held up well with the exception of the one that is on the bottom of the lake. We have tested the submersible rating many times and have never had a problem. We keep one on the J, one on the Pearson and one in my car so I can check weather on the way to the boat.
Having had such great luck with Uniden I opted to stay with them. The 625 seems to be designed to be bulkhead mounted and is very shallow front to rear. This allowed me to flush mount it in my nav station/electrical panel area. I also liked the 2DIN arrangement (double height), and the color LCD display.
The unit came with a WHAM which is a slave handheld. This is handy as you can carry it about the boat like a handheld yet it uses the main unit to transmit and receive giving you the range of a masthead antenna and 25 watts of power. The WHAM is also charged when in its cradle via induction so there are no cords. The WHAM also acts like an intercom to the base which is also handy especially when under power when those below can't hear you and you can't hear them. It has a 1/2 mile range and is submersible so if you took a long walk off of the stern you could radio back for help, something I haven't tried as of yet. I find it handy when I am aboard just reading and listening to the VHF in the background. When an interesting Coast Guard call comes on I can follow the conversation through the channels without getting out of my bunk.
The radio has DSC which is Digital Selective Calling allowing the unit to provide your unique MIS number during an emergency along with your GPS location. You can also call select MIS users (your friends) without calling the world. I apparently missed all of the DSC stuff when it came out, but now that I have it it is great. The 625 also displays the time of day and automatically switches to night lighting display as it gets dark out automatically.
If you are looking for a new radio, keep these features in mind.
Good Sailing...
Dale
My boat actually came with a fairly new RayMarine RAY54 which didn't get stolen when the marina cut the locks. Like the uniden it has DSC and MMSI. DSC is a nice life saving feature if you ever need it but unfortunately may now be your only saving grace in an emergency. With the implementation of DSC, monitoring of distress channels by human beings is on the decline. DSC works automatically by tuning to channel 72 and digitally relays your distress info which include the type of emergency and your GPS coordinates. Other passing commercial ships are required to have equipment to automatically relay this data in a full mesh network. Hopefully it eventually gets picked up by a coast guard distress server and an alarm goes out. Up till then no people are involved.
So for DSC to do any good you need to wire up a separate GPS receiver to the NMEA input of the radio. The fact that the equipment manufactures can't include a GPS receiver internally is astounding to me. I can buy a GPS OEM module for a few bucks that's smaller than a postage stamp these days. I mean we have them in our phones (E911). They have become completely ubiquitous. Fortunately I have a Garmin GPS as part of my auto pilot.
Incidentally once you hook up the NMEA format input your radio it will replace your Knot meter and compass while underway. And its totally accurate unless you re in the doldrums.
I like the Uniden feature that mimics a fog horn through the haler. Pete W
Pete,
I also love the repeater feature of the NEMA hookup. It is way cheaper than another universal instrument display and also gives you the correct time. If only I could get mine to give me wind speed at the nav station I would be all set.
Dale