Raymarine's Ray101E Handheld VHF radio sounds good and receives clearly. It looks solid and purposeful with big, well-thought out and self-explanatory buttons, easy to negotiate with wet or gloved fingers. The PTT (press to transmit) button is particularly user friendly.
This handheld has all the programmability you could wish for (more than most buyers will use), plus dual and tri watch. It has a big, clear screen, which gives you all the information you need, including battery level.
The radio comes with rechargeable Ni-MH cells, but it can be powered by standard AA alkaline batteries - which could be useful in an emergency. (But then you have to be careful not to forget which batteries are in there before you plug it into the charger!) There's also a 12 volt adapter.
I liked the rotary volume and squelch controls - much more intuitive and responsive than the button-pressing required on some competitors. The mobile-phone style belt clip is more secure than many, too.
This model doesn't have a jack for headphones or an earpiece, as many others do, so can't be made “hands free,” but how many handhelds on yachts are used that way?
With a retail price of £187 this is by no means the cheapest handheld on the market, but it does have a durable, quality feel to it. And it's waterproof to IPX7 (one metre for 30 minutes).
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A good all-rounder from a brand with a fine reputation. You feel it would stand up well to the rough and tumble of life in the cockpit.
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For more information visit www.raymarine.com
