Icom will be launching a new compact waterproof VHF/DSC radio, said to be ideal for small boats or where space is at a premium, at the Collins Stewart London Boat Show at Excel (January 11-10)
Despite its small size, says the company, IC-M411 has a large speaker grille, which gives excellent audio quality. The buttons and display have been designed to be easy to see in poor lighting conditions.
The radio and microphone are waterproof to IPX7 (can withstand submersion in up to 1m depth of water for 30 minutes) and the set features Icom's Aquaquake draining function. If water gets into the speaker grille and muffles the sound, Aquaquake emits a buzzing sound which sheds water from the speaker system, assuring sharp, clear communications even in the worst conditions, says the company.
The IC-M411 is designed to be easy to use and easy to see. The large LCD shows its full sized channel number and 10 character scrolling channel comment clearly and four levels of back lighting on the LCD makes the screen easy to see in all conditions. Nine clearly labelled buttons, which are backlit, are well spaced for user friendly operation.
The distress button is covered with a spring-loaded plastic cover to prevent accidental distress call activation. The supplied remote function microphone allows the user to select channels and change output power.
The IC-M411 has all the features that you would expect including dual watch and tri-watch functions, 70 programmable channels with UK marina channels included. A Favourite channel function allows for quick channel selection so that you can “tag” the channels used most often. When pushing the up/down buttons on the hand microphone, only the tagged channels are selected, while untagged channels are skipped.
Ian Lockyer, marketing manager of Icom UK said: “The IC-M411 DSC/VHF is a competitively priced transceiver that is compact in size, easy to use and has excellent receiver sensitivity and speaker audio. Its affordability makes it an ideal purchase for a small boat owner or those who want an uncomplicated set.”
