# marine radio



## bluegilla killa (Feb 17, 2012)

Im building a erie boat and wants input on marine radios. pros and cons of fixed and handhelds. thanks guys


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## Hetfieldinn (May 17, 2004)

There's been plenty of threads on the subject. The consesus is that they are worthless on Erie. I can confirm this from personal experience.


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## Nauti cat (Nov 30, 2009)

unless you are close to someone a hand held is good for about a mile. I would go with fixed & 8' antena


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

just to put it in simple terms, a good hand held on a good day on 5 watts you might get out 2 or 3 miles. a cheap mounted radio with a good antenna on 25 watts and your going to talk 10 to 15 miles. this is just my opinion from many years on lake erie and lake michigan and talking alot with the tech,s. the antenna is a big factor in how far you are going to be able to talk and how good your reception is. sure you can get by with one of those 39.99 antenna,s but you can sure tell the difference if your willing to spend 120.00 for a good antenna. you can pick up a good digital antenna for alittle over 100.00, or you can get something like the 5226 xt for around 135.00 with free shipping on ebay. 
sherman


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## bluegilla killa (Feb 17, 2012)

thanks, going with fixed for sure. any suggestions on makes or features that are a must?


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