TOP 3 Best Handheld Marine Radios In 2024
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Searching for the best handheld marine radios? You’re in the right place!
In this guide, we dive into the top 3 choices, evaluating their build quality, features, and value. Whether you’re a boating enthusiast or a professional, we’ve tailored our picks to help you make the best decision.
Stay tuned as we start with our budget-friendly pick and work our way up to our top choice.
Let’s get started!
Number 3. Uniden Atlantis 155 – Best Budget Handheld Marine Radio
The inexpensive and straightforward Uniden Atlantis 155 is almost a natural choice if you want a budget handheld marine radio. Its price is on the lower side, but it manages to include features going beyond the basics.
It looks fairly decent and has a good feel in the hands with some heft. When it comes to its design the large backlit display is the most prominent feature. It has two backlight options available one with white light that is good for use during the day and an orange backlight is suitable for the night; it makes the screen visible without being overly bright or disturbing.
The display is followed by the control buttons and a speaker. A small hole that functions as a water drainage channel finds its place below the speaker. In the event there is any water inside the speaker unit, users can employ the vibrating tone option, which encourages any water droplets to make their way toward the bottom and flow out through the drainage channel.
This feature is a part of the larger waterproofing setup of the device. It is rated IPX8 waterproof, which means it can survive being submerged in the water up to a depth of 1.5 meters for about 30 minutes.
Waterproofing is good for a marine radio, and on top of that it’s able to float, making it possible and more convenient to retrieve the radio.
It comes with a three-year waterproofing warranty. At this point, it’s worth remembering that waterproofing is rarely a permanent feature. Normal use and wear and tear will eventually weaken seals, which can affect waterproofing.
This includes the flap on the side that covers the headset jack and DC input for charging the battery.
The battery here is a rechargeable 950 milli Ampere Hour Nickel Metal Hydride pack in the format of 4 AAA cells. However, you cannot use separate batteries to operate the device as it only supports the included pack.
The maximum RF output power for transmitting is 3 Watt, with a low power option available at 1W. This also forms the basis of distinction between similar models like the Uniden MHS75, which has RF power output levels at 1, 2.5, and 5 Watt.
Similarly, Uniden Atlantis 275 offers power output at 1, 2.5, and 6 Watt, and includes an emergency strobe light.
Apart from being able to transmit and receive on marine channels, the radio can also receive NOAA weather channels and alerts. It’s a pretty useful feature for those intending to go on water.
Overall, Uniden Atlantis 155 is a good VHF marine radio, especially for the price. It’s useful for those who want a backup radio, or new users who intend to use it sparingly and don’t venture too far from the shore.
Number 2. Icom M94d – Best Premium Handheld Marine Radio
Icom presents the M94D as “a world first.” In a sense, this is true, mainly because this is the first handheld radio that includes Automatic Identification System (AIS). So far, AIS has been the domain of commercial shipping and is generally limited to fixed-mount radios.
It can feel a bit basic and may parse vessel names from their IDs but it’s an excellent technology that makes the waterways safer for everyone, so its inclusion in a handheld for the general consumer is worth some praise. The VHF radio also includes a dedicated distress button at its back, which activates DSC.
All these features put the Icom M94D ahead of its predecessor, the IC M93D. While the latter is an excellent handheld VHF marine radio, the new M94D does it better!
The M94D draws power from a 2400 mAh Li-ion battery for up to 10 hours of use. By comparison, the M93D has a 1570mAh Li-ion battery for up to 9 hours of use. Plus, the new model includes AIS, which is quite a feat.
More features play into making the Icom M94D the best premium handheld marine radio for offshore fishing. Users can place up to 50 waypoints to mark fishing spots. This makes it very easy to return to your favorite spot for fishing. It’s also possible to use these waypoints to send the man overboard distress signal.
Safety appears to be an important consideration for ICOM that’s a welcome focus. The radio has a large easy-to-read screen that shows off information clearly. A backlight lights up the LCD and keypad for easier use. What’s more, users can even adjust the backlight to match their preferences or account for the time of day.
Staying true to its premium feel, the radio brings greater clarity with the inclusion of active noise canceling. It will remove the background noise from any message you send and clear up the audio you receive.
Crystal clear communication makes a world of difference. It feels great to hear messages without straining ears or to speak without worrying that the background noise will drown out your own voice.
Other notable features include the AquaQuake and Float’n Flash. Should the radio fall off into the water, it will float on the surface. Additionally, its screen will flash to create the effect of a strobe light and make the handheld unit easier to locate. The light comes on even if the radio is switched off.
If you press the distress button while the Float’n Flash is active, the radio automatically sends off a MOB signal. Neat!
Also the default transmit power for this marine radio is 1W but if you need more power, it can go up to 6W.
Overall this is the Best Handheld marine Radio For Offshore Fishing we have reviewed
Number 1. Cobra MR HH600 FLT – Our Top Choice
Cobra MR HH600 FLT is our top choice for this category, given its impressive feature set and remarkable performance mated with decent pricing. It feels like Cobra has thought of almost everything while building this radio!
The color options and design help this radio look good. The hourglass shape is a bit unusual, but it adds to the design and helps keep a better grip on the radio, especially with wet or slippery hands. Its casing and body are well-made and it fits nicely into the hands with some heft that gives it a more satisfying feel.
The quality casing contributes to the radio conforming to IPX8 and JIS8 standards. That means it is waterproof and can survive being submerged in water up to a depth of 1.5 meters however it also floats and even has an orange core to be more easily visible.
Its display is a backlit LCD that remains fairly visible in the sun. It also has a good resolution and can show a decent amount of detail, including information like the channel, time, date, GPS coordinates, and a few more.
Yes, the radio has a built-in GPS that shows your exact location and also works with DSC calls. The GPS data is automatically included with all DSC calls. This works well for normal use and emergency situations.
A “Distress” button is located on the side of the radio. Hitting this button will transmit a distress call to the maximum range of the radio, with appended information on the boat’s location, registration number, and name.
Of course, some of this information has to be set up separately.
Since the distress button is just a simple button, anyone with access to the radio can press it, even if they don’t know how to operate the device. It can come in handy in emergencies, though it also means that you should be more careful so that the button isn’t pressed by mistake.
Speaking of emergencies, it can receive all NOAA weather channels and can sound visual and audio alerts. Another great feature here is rewind-say-again, which records the last 20 seconds of incoming transmissions, so you don’t lose important information, even in noisy surroundings.
The transmit power is pretty good, and you can choose between 1, 3, and 6 Watt RF output. The power levels help with range and battery use, though the audio quality is average at best.
Apart from all those features, it also has Bluetooth, which allows it to connect to your smartphone. Once paired, you can use the radio to make phone calls from the smartphone, thus keeping your phone safe from the tougher environment or water risk on the boat.
The feature-rich radio also comes with quite a few accessories. These include a drop-in charger, car charger, and conventional AC charger for the battery. There’s also an included alkaline battery tray for more flexibility of use which is strong enough to keep the radio going for 6-8 hours of normal use.
In a way, this differentiates it from similarly priced competitors like the Standard Horizon HX890BK. It lacks some features like Bluetooth and battery options, but performs better in terms of receiver sensitivity and audio quality.
Overall, Cobra MR HH600 FLT is a good pick for those who want a more serious handheld VHF marine radio and are willing to pay for more advanced features and performance.