Which VHF radio do you have and why?

I am hoping to end my salt-free diet at some point in the future and thus I am starting to think about VHF radios. I was wondering
which radio folks owned. I would appreciate advice on brands that you like or brands to avoid.

I am also curious about which features you would consider mandatory in a VHF radio beyond basic
functionality. From Spot's talk a few weeks back he talked about them for a bit. I remember waterproof and floating being a good ideas.
I do not remember wattage (is 5W necessary?). GPS? etc.

Waterproof and Floating is great (requirement for me) , 5w is the average for most handhelds, I think there may be 7w out there but I would not go under 5w.  Most base station models on boats are 25w,  More watts is better than less as it translates to transmit power and is directly related to how far away you can be heard which is the whole reason you carry one.  VHF is line of sight so its great to have but its not a magic bullet, it is entirely possible that with an average handheld you may not have the power you need to reach out and touch the right people. However you may reach a nearby  Powerboat who can relay the mayday etc on their more powerful VHF.  VHF's are very nice for keeping in contact others in your group etc.  and I ALWAYS carry mine but  I put more faith during a serious emergency in my cell phone sealed in its  waterproof phone bag with the numbers of the local coasties/local sheriff preprogramed in. YMMV

Here are a couple of past conversations about VHF radios. 
Search is your friend. 

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,3752.0.html

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,6320.0.html

I've been planning to get a new radio. I found a Uniden Voyager on Amazon for $90. I like it's small size and features. But, it doesn't state if it floats or if it is submersible which will ultimately be a deciding factor for me. The have some Standard Horizons on ebay too HX760S and a HX280S.

Handhelds are limited to 6W maximum transmit power. 

You typically get very little benefit from an increase in transmit power.  For instance the difference between 1W and 3W may only be 10% increase in range.

Sitting in a kayak is the biggest limiting factor.  Square Root of Height Above Water (in feet) times 1.42 equals Range in Miles.  So let's say your antenna is 3 feet above the water.  That effectively limits your range to <2.5 miles, no matter what your transmit power is.

Some day I'll actually write "polepole's guide to VHF radios for kayak fishing".

-Allen

Here are a couple of past conversations about VHF radios. 
Search is your friend. 

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,3752.0.html

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,6320.0.html

Thanks Jeff. Today I searched for VHF and read all the posts but I did not follow through the threads. Those two threads are exactly what I hoped to find!

Pole.. How much of a gain would a guy get if he were to switch out his fiberglass ATV safety flag pole for a, lets say 8ft VHF whip antenna (with flag of course) using a 5w handheld?. Worth the trouble?  I had twin 15 footers mounted on the roof  of my old offshore boat and could pick up the coasties a long way out.

Pole.. How much of a gain would a guy get if he were to switch out his fiberglass ATV safety flag pole for a, lets say 8ft VHF whip antenna (with flag of course) using a 5w handheld?. Worth the trouble?  I had twin 15 footers mounted on the roof  of my old offshore boat and could pick up the coasties a long way out.

Sorry, I'm using the math wrong.  The height needs to take into account the receiving sides height too.  So the example I gave of a 3 foot antenna is incorrect insomuch as it assumes a 0 foot receiving antenna.  If the receiving side is a boat with a 20 foot height then you actually get sqrt(23)*1.42 = ~6.8 miles of distance.  Increasing your height from 3 to 8 only boosts that to ~7.9 miles.  I think thats beyond the effective range of a 5W transmitter anyways (I need to double check that).

-Allen

OK.  So I learned something today.

http://www.lowrance.com/Support/Library/What-is-VHF/

What does power rating signify?
Fixed mount VHF radios transmit at a selected power level of 25W or 1W. Portable VHF radios are 5W and 1W. Lower power is used around the marina.  Signals amplified with 1W, 5W, 7W, and 25W power travel the same distance.  A stronger signal will overcome another radio's weaker signal and "takeover" the channel. However, if the channel is clear, as it is most of the time, the radio transmit power does not determine the range of the radio.

-Allen

Wow, me too, I always thought/heard more watts=more range.. So its all about antenna height?  I'm fine with my handhelds range when its just me but when I have a client that I'm responsible for 3 miles offshore I would like as much range as possible.  Whats the difference in range between a handheld at head height on a yak (approx 3ft off water) vers some form of auxiliary antenna (7-8ft) serving double duty as a safety flag pole? Would it work?

Wow, me too, I always thought/heard more watts=more range.. So its all about antenna height?  I'm fine with my handhelds range when its just me but when I have a client that I'm responsible for 3 miles offshore I would like as much range as possible.  Whats the difference in range between a handheld at head height on a yak (approx 3ft off water) vers some form of auxiliary antenna (7-8ft) serving double duty as a safety flag pole? Would it work?

Thought to ponder....... if the client was no longer in or near the kayak due to getting dumped somehow, where would the VHF be?

Wow, me too, I always thought/heard more watts=more range.. So its all about antenna height?  I'm fine with my handhelds range when its just me but when I have a client that I'm responsible for 3 miles offshore I would like as much range as possible.  Whats the difference in range between a handheld at head height on a yak (approx 3ft off water) vers some form of auxiliary antenna (7-8ft) serving double duty as a safety flag pole? Would it work?

Thought to ponder....... if the client was no longer in or near the kayak due to getting dumped somehow, where would the VHF be?

The VHF with the longer antenna would be on my kayak.  I would have it to contact outside help if needed. Clients are rarely out of earshot from me

Wow, me too, I always thought/heard more watts=more range.. So its all about antenna height?  I'm fine with my handhelds range when its just me but when I have a client that I'm responsible for 3 miles offshore I would like as much range as possible.  Whats the difference in range between a handheld at head height on a yak (approx 3ft off water) vers some form of auxiliary antenna (7-8ft) serving double duty as a safety flag pole? Would it work?

Well, more power does equal more effective range.  Think of it this way ... the farther a signal travels, the more noise it picks up.  A higher powered signal will have a higher SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), meaning it stands out better above the noise.  In an ideal, noise free environment, it would ONLY be about antenna height, but its unrealistic to expect a noise free environment.

Regarding your height boost from 3 to 8 feet, I gave you your answer a few posts ago. Assuming a 20 foot receiver, you go from 6.8 miles to 7.9 miles.  YMMV depending on the noise.

-Allen

I do not remember wattage (is 5W necessary?). GPS? etc.

Mine has a low wattage (1 watt) setting that I assume is for general talk as it substantially reduces battery draw. It also has a five watt setting which I would say is the minimum for emergency use or if you only have one choice on the model you go with. I chose the Standard Horizon HX280 about three months ago. It has the following features (listed below) and If you do a Google search John, there's several links and very high reviews. No GPS on mine and if you let Craig check it out, do it on dry land, maybe while sitting on a nice soft lawn.

The submersible HX280S portable VHF Radio by Standard Horizon has the ''best of the basics''. With a slim form fitting polycarbonate housing, oversized easy to read LCD and backlit keypad, the HX280S VHF radio looks great in the hands of any mariner. Upgraded with an ultra-high capacity lithium ion battery, this HX280S VHF will operate for more than 13 hours on a single charge. Other great features include programmable scan, dual watch, channel 16 priority scan, NOAA weather channels with weather alert, selectable 5 and 1 watt transmit power, 10-channel preset key and a battery life indicator. The HX280S includes a 1650mAhl lithium-ion non memory rechargeable battery, rugged belt clip, AC and DC trickle chargers and a drop-in charging cradle.

Features:
•Slim polycarbonate housing
•Selectable 5 and 1 watt transmit power output
•Submersible to 3 feet for 30 minutes
•Programmable scanning / priority scan and dual watch
•NOAA weather alert
•Low battery indicator
•Preset key used to recall up to 10 favorite channels
•Key lock
•Flexible whip antenna
•Weight: 13.4 oz.
•Battery life: lithium-ion, more than 13 hours
•Display dimensions: 2.3'' W x 4.7'' H x 1.2'' D
•LCD screen size: 1.5'' W x 1'' H
•3-year waterproof warranty 

I am also curious about which features you would consider mandatory in a VHF radio beyond basic
functionality.

  DSC

http://www.vhf-dsc.info/

Not mandatory (yet), but REALLY useful. Not only does it have a button that automatically calls out your position and to say "I've fallen and I can't get up", but you can also call your buddy directly with out calling the rest of the fleet.
 The only drawback is it's a bit spendy (tad <$200) and there are only two handhelds on the market that I know of.

Here's a couple of links to past discussions.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,3809.0.html

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,5292.msg55058.html#msg55058

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,3755.msg37007.html#msg37007