VHF for kayaking

Bags
If you use a bag, take the radio out when you’re done for the day. If any water gets into a closed bag it’ll make a 100% humidity environment, which can be harder on the radio than an occasional dunking.

Radio don’t float?
Don’t worry. Just tether your vhf radio to your pfd - My extrasport pfd designed by Nigel Foster has a nice vhf radio pocket.



Rinse off ICOM IC-M72 when you’re done.



100% humidity environment inside a waterproof bag is not a good thing for electronic devices.

so far
I haven’t noticed any moisture at all in my wp bags.



get real wet in the surf too and the bags are bone dry and protect the devices inside… but will keep an eye out for moisture inside…



I tether my vhf to my pfd when necessary, just don’t like all that stuff on me when i’m not using it. also if i get stranded out floating in ocean for more than 30 minutes i want my vhf in a bag…



ymmv


That is why you take it out when done

thanks
that’s what I do… so far it’s bone dry… but maybe it will start to condensate? Anyway, I like to keep mine in a wp bag, in my deck bag that is kept behind my seat… i access it before the trip and when i take a break… if i see a storm or expected rough conditions i tether my vhf to my pfd and put the m34 in a pfd pocket also…



my gps i also keep in a dry bag on the deck and it gets rolled and soaking wet…



i also read that after several years even the M72 starts to leak…



chances are that the only time I’ll need it is if I get hit by a really strong storm that is moving 50 mph with winds up to 80 knots. then i might be in the drink and want the vhf to have that extra layer of protection… i’ll bet it could go for weeks in a dry bag…

also
having the vhf in a chest pocket might also wind up crushing it when doing a reentry back into the kayak



otherwise if you plan to keep it on you at all times the m72 is smaller… although I’m not comfortable with any electronics on a kayak unless it’s bagged…

crush potential

– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 8:00 PM EST –

In 1966 my then girlfriend gave me a Silva Ranger Compass. That compass has survived: many technical rock, snow and ice climbs; all the UASF survival schools (including Sea Survival School); two tours of duty flying combat missions in Laos and Viet-Nam; a stint as a technical mountain rescue team leader; and remains to this day tethered to my PFD 42 years later - not crushed yet.

My M-72 VHF radio is rated to hang upside down underwater for 30 minutes, longer than I care to hang upside down underwater. I practice wet exits and re-entry in conditions regularly; after three years, the radio is still working fine, tethered to my PFD and has not been crushed yet.

Ditto my basic Garmin E-trex GPS - no signs of crush injury after having been tethered to my PFD for over fiver years.

Your experiences may vary.

My thought is that if I need to dial up the US or Canadian Coast Guard, it's not likely that I'm going to be complaining about the view from my campsite. Therefore I intend to have said radio readily at hand.

How often do you
use your’s in salt water?



If I want to keep mine tethered to my PDF I have that option as well. But I’m not convinced that exposing it to salt water 3 times a week on a kayak would last as long. Also I want more than 30 minutes in the ocean.

point taken

– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 9:19 PM EST –

Note: "Your experiences may vary."

I do not paddle in the ocean, rather I paddle, among other places, on the St. Lawrence River and on Lake Ontario.

Page ii. of IC-M72 instruction manual: "Clean the transceiver thoroughly with fresh water after exposure to salt water, and dry it before operation."

"Also I want more than 30 minutes in the ocean"

Note: The M72 is rated to perform after being submerged COMPLETELY in water for 30 minutes (i.e. salt water or fresh water).

If you are able to function after being completely submerged in the ocean after more than 30 minutes, aren't we talking here about a Kevin Costener (?sp?) "Waterworld" type of body (i.e.with gills)?

However, hope I've helped allay your fears of electronic device (and compass) crush injury.

water world

– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 10:37 PM EST –

yes, i also own the same VHF.. and wash it off if exposed to salt water and all the other common sense suggestions such as not keeping it in a wet bag etc..

as I said, I don't want to always have the vhs on me but if i did then the m72 would be a better option.. for me it would be uncomfortable if it is getting pressed into my chest

keeping it in a bag has advantages and keeping it out in the open also has advantages depending on how much you use it..

when i bag mine it's lower humidity inside then outside.. we have 90% humidity outside all the time

like i said, i like to keep mine bagged whenever possible.. and i'll be careful about the water vapor in the bag..

for me the m34 was a great deal for $129..

the m72 is an excellent vhf.. i'm glad it's working so well for you for so many years..


Edit: wanted to add that the vhf would be under water for more than 30 minutes if you are floating with your pfd and you would want to let the vhf float up to the top, not keep it submerged in a pocket..

i called tech support, they recommended the floating m34 for kayaking, but said to be careful putting it in a bag, although the bag would protect it from salt water

exposing it to salt water 3 times a week for most of the year would affect the longevity

also, I still think putting too much pressure on it could damage the seal



Standard HX850 is interesting…
Standard HX850 looks like an interesting radio. My local coast guard told us that they want us to have within hands reach, “a strobe that flashes in SOS” if we plan to be out on the lake after dark. This in itself seems to be tough to find. This radio appears to offer the strobe along with the “floating” feature. Granted it isn’t cheap at $250…but for a radio that floats and has an SOS strobe on it, I wonder what else one would need. Interesting…