What is claimed to be the world's smallest and lightest totally waterproof handheld VHF was unveiled at the Southampton Boat Show by Marine Electronic Services Ltd.
The President PM2010 really is palm-sized and it meets the stringent IPX8 waterproofing standards (1.5 metres immersion for 30 minutes) and comes complete with a three-year warranty.
All the normal functions are included: scanning, triple watch, memory channel scan and an instant channel 16 key. It weighs in at just 250 grams, with a height of 95mm, width of 60mm, depth of 20mm. There is a speaker mike option for those who wish to keep the hand-held safely tucked away.
For boat owners venturing overseas, it can be programmed with ATIS data and it ships complete with an AC and 12V DC charger, together with drop-in charger base and lithium ion battery.
Despite its compact size, it still has a powerful 5W (switchable to 1W) power output. The launch price is £130 including VAT.
The only draw back to its small size is that it has a relatively small battery, but the manufacturer claims it works for 11 hours on a single charge.
This might not be enough for serious blue water cruisers, but would be plenty for style-conscious coast hoppers.
For those for whom size is not an issue, Uniden President also offers the new PM1000 handheld VHF, designed with value and economy in mind. It sells for £80 including VAT.
Despite its low price, it has a full 5W power output and comes with a long life rechargeable NiMH battery pack, AA dry cell battery tray (useful when away from a charging source for a while, and a potentially life-saving safety feature in a life raft, for example), a 12v DC charger and 240v AC charger. It also features an accessory socket for an optional lapel speaker mike and is water resistant to IPX4.
All the normal VHF functions are built in, including access to all 55 international channels and the UK's marina channel (M1/37A), scanning, dual watch and a simple up-down channel control with rotary controls for volume and squelch.
The PM1000 is expected to be in demand as a secondary VHF, great for a grab bag or for a tender to boat communications. It is distributed exclusively in the UK and Eire by Marine Electronic Services.
Marine Electronic Services Ltd is planning to run training courses to help its customers get the most out of the ever more sophisticated marine electronics products they are buying.
With many of the leading electronic manufacturers, including Raymarine, Simrad and Furuno all offering multi-function products, interfacing, operation, correct set-up and access to the integrated functions becomes more and more complicated.
Even where manufacturers' handbooks cover individual gadgets' operation in detail, they often do not cover all the extra features that can be obtained by interfacing and inter-connecting various items of equipment.
Marine Electronic Services Ltd aims to address this with a series of one-day courses covering specific items of equipment.
First off is a course endorsed by Raymarine on its multi-function E and C Series which will be held on Thursday November 22nd at Marine Electronic Services Ltd's new Bristol training facility.
The course will cover aspects of the systems including the use of Navionic's Gold and Platinum charts.
For more information visit www.mesltd.co.uk
