Aloha Hobie Islander Friends!
I am writing to see if anyone has any wisdom about VHF and GMRS compatible radio sets… I say this knowing that the two radio bands are no longer sold together in a single unit. What I feel like I need is a single handheld VHF radio for safety, and separately a few GMRS radios me and friends can have to chat on the water. Might there be an affordable set that shares the batteries, charging, other functions?
More thoughts and questions…
I used to sail on Maui with Kayaking Bob - famous or at least once infamous here
He pointed me to the Cobra HH425 models back in the day, which I still own some of. We kept them in additional waterproof bags and it was almost impossible for my wife to deal and see the buttons to switch. I also had a hard time charging the batteries on the dock, the connection was never right. Finally, I don't trust their range any longer. Me and my friends have a hard time hearing each other on GMRS from only half a mile away sometimes in open ocean water.
Futhermore, I do see that the Cobra MR-HH450 DUAL Combination Marine VHF and GMRS Radio is still available for purchase, but for the reasons above and perhaps because it might be harder to find batteries and such moving forward, leaning against this.
I have poked around online, and I don't see anything that's jumping out for me. But I did learn about some new features and have some questions
Are there any models of either above you really trust to be waterproof in salt water I don't need a bag for if I wash well after each use? Has the waterproofing gotten better?
Does anyone have a radio with Bluetooth and cell phone calling and is that worth it?
Perhaps the GPS and or floating feature would be good, but not sure I'm wanting to pay up for the GPS bit to find them. Thoughts?
Thanks for reading and helping. May the four winds blow you safely home!
Geoff
AI x2
TI
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