Hand held VHF

[Duramaximos]

I found a few old threads but they are a couple years old...
I'm curious if modern hand helds have imrpoved in the range department. What kind of range can I expect from a 6 watt Cobra MR HH330 FLT, for example?

After a couple close calls on Kootenay lake last year I'm convinced we need a radio. A pair of hand helds would be ideal if they perform. I don't want to spend money on a junk set with only a few km of range.

Ideally I'd like to be on the opposite side of the lake and stil be able to reach the cabin about 10 km away.

[rugatika]

10km would be pushing it with a hendheld. Even across a lake I'd say you'd be lucky to get that far. A few km is really all you can count on, and even than that can be spotty.

[Wolf Medicine]

Personally I like the Icom units. Can't remember the model number right now but there is A set that you can remove the battery pack and substitute AA's. Range.. Terrain dictates. Over A lake should be no problem doin ten KM's. Am saying this assumeing that you do mean to purchase A VHF radio not A set of those cheap CB band, Cobra or Motorola sixty dollar handhelds that are every where. Those are all junky in comparison to A actual VHF or UHF capable radio.

WM.

[bushnell]

I've got a pair of Humminbird 555's and had no problems with them yet. Can get 10 km out of them,sometimes more, Plan on using them more this fall, usually use them in the summer when the kids go rafting. They take 1 with them and the other stays at the camp.

[KegRiver]

The HH330 is a mid range marine radio for the 156 to 157 Mhz band.
It has switchable power output from 1 3 and 6 watt RMS

As has been said, terrain dictates, but under ideal conditions 10 to 15 miles is probably the max range. Working range is more likely around 5 miles. Or a Little under 10 km.

At one time a licence was required to operate in the marine band. I don't know if that is still the case or not.

[Albertadiver]

what you need is the radio's out of the states. But they're illegal in canada without a license. No idea why.

[bushnell]

The U.S versions put out more watts than the Canadian ones . More watts equall further distance.

[Duramaximos]

I've got a pair of Humminbird 555's and had no problems with them yet. Can get 10 km out of them,sometimes more, Plan on using them more this fall, usually use them in the summer when the kids go rafting. They take 1 with them and the other stays at the camp.

This is exactly what we want to use them for. One on the boat and the other one at the cabin. It's also important that the unit will dial into a weather broadcast so we can stay on top of changing weather conditions while on the lake.

Is 6watts typical for hand helds?
Do these get bigger/heavier as the power increases? It's not a deal breaker if they get big and cumbersome, but I don't want the wife and kids to be put off by the size and weight...they're useless if they're left sitting on the kitchen table.

[bushnell]

They are not that big ,they have a belt clip . Check out humminbirds site, these units will do what you want them to.If you have more questions about these let me know,

[MountainTi]

General rule of thumb is 1 watt=1 mile of range. Of course a mountain in between will shorten that distance considerably.

[KegRiver]

Is 6watts typical for hand helds?
Do these get bigger/heavier as the power increases? It's not a deal breaker if they get big and cumbersome, but I don't want the wife and kids to be put off by the size and weight...they're useless if they're left sitting on the kitchen table.

6 Watts is about max for a hand held, however there are more powerful radios out there. They tend to be too big and awkward for reasonable hand held use.

When I worked forestry we had portables. I wouldn't call them hand held, they were the size of a large briefcase. They were however, 25 watt output.

So generally speaking, Yes, radios, of any frequency do get bigger and heavier as the power output increases.

The HH330 weighs in at 1/2 pound whereas a 2 watt Cobra CXR925 weighs in at 1/8 of a pound.

One other thing to keep in mind, the higher the frequency the more effected by terrain a radio will be, generally speaking and the greater the range under ideal conditions.

Thus the Cobra CXR925 boasts a 35 mile range, where a more realistic range for that radio would probably be in the one to two mile range in bush country and 8 to 10 miles across a lake.

The HH330 should do 6 to 8 in the bush and 15 or maybe even 20 across a lake.
Remember that the HH is a 6 watt radio and the CRX is an estimated 2 watt radio. I had to use comparisons to figure out the CRXs output because there doesn't seem to be a published figure for wattage.