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Buying handheld VHF from the states, any problems?

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SMU's Crew

SMU's Crew 4

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don't know of any channel issues but you have to remember that if you buy from overseas you will have difficulty if you need any further service e.g warranty issues. Every now and then I think that I can save money, and then I remember that I get no advice, no service, and my local economy and also nz's economy is hugely affected by lots of people making decisions such as these and sending their hard won cash to other countries. The chain of effect is huge - the salesman, the store they work in, the supplier that supplies them and so on. All for the sake of a few dollars all of those people may lose their income and jobs.

 

For the sake of a few dollars I'd rather keep the bloke with the knowledge in my local marine store as he gives great service and advice about all sorts of things. They need our support!

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Clipper

Clipper 346

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i bought a handheld VHF from marine deals. It got some spray on it while in the cockpit and stopped working. As it was 'waterproof' I sent it back, and less than 24 hours after sending it away, a new one was on my desk at work.

I was very happy.

Will you be bale to do that?

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khayyam

khayyam 77

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it's always a risk/reward balance with these things -- how much do you save, versus how much is local service (and/or loyalty) worth to you? personally, for an 80% markup, I'd go amazon.

 

i can't say for sure that there aren't any technical vhf issues, I'm sure someone will eventually chime in to answer your actual question rather than rehashing the same old lines.

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TimW

TimW 1

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Gidday, I have been looking at buying a handheld VHF recently, a Uniden MHS125 to be exact,

 

http://www.marine-deals.co.nz/handheld- ... -vhf-radio

 

I then found I can pick one up from Amazon USA for $160 including postage. Is there any issue with doing this regarding frequency/channel issues or am I good to go?

 

Cheers for the help

 

try Craig MacMillan at advanced Trident Ltd. They are the major sponsors of the Simrad series.

they sell the handheld Cobra brand which the Coastguard tested as having the best reception 7 miles from Cape Brett.

I'm very happy with mine and Craig is great to deal with.

I also had a battery issue and they were quick and happy to get me a new battery.

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Kiteroa

Kiteroa 8

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I've ordered a Nexus 1500 handheld from Gappy at Kiwi Yachting. Best to keep it local on electrical stuff. Cause if anything on a yacht is going to need after sales support, it's going to be electrical gear..... Gappy will look after you.

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Grinna

Grinna 2

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I'm happy to support local businesses where possible and I'll pay a bit extra to do so (up to a point), but there's an assumption that buying locally is the best when it comes to service or issues later on. What happens if you're no longer local when something does go wrong?

 

By that I mean, suppose I buy a handheld VHF locally and then go offshore somewhere and it develops a problem. The whole "local boys will see you right" argument is a bit irrelevant in that situation isn't it?

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wheels

wheels 543

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The mains charger, if it is a simple transformer one, will be the wrong voltage.

Make sure the unit has International Frequencies as the US ones are not the same as ours. I assume you have ensured that this unit is a Marine VHF.

I have found in some cases, that prices are cheaper on some items for a reason. They may not sell some part that another more expensive unit may come with. They seem to be able to sell some things that may for instance, not come with a rechargable battery pack.

I once got a Makita Drill because my new one had broken the gearbox. I could buy the Drill body with no battery or anything else quite cheap. But they were not available as just a body here in NZ. So you can have some benifits. I also bought some Uniden handheld UHF radios once. They looked good in the picture, had even had a double desktop charger with them. when they arrived, they were nowhere near as good as the picture looked. They were very much more like a toy. I can't complain though as I got them for US$ 50cents.

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The big T

The big T 41

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Might have changed but in line with Wheels comments, there is a difference in some frequencies between US and International (which NZ has adopted)

 

NZ sourced/sold VHFs default to International frequencies when turned on, US ones need to be manually switched to International every time the set is turned on here.

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Kiteroa

Kiteroa 8

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I went for the Nexus 1500 cause it's 1-5w. All the cheapies are 1-2w or 1-3.5w. 5w is nice to have if you're marginal on range.

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Guest

Guest

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I went for the Nexus 1500 cause it's 1-5w. All the cheapies are 1-2w or 1-3.5w. 5w is nice to have if you're marginal on range.

This unit is 5 W... and $199 new...

 

3 year warranty too.

 

http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/D903 ... rine-radio

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DrWatson

DrWatson 381

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This unit is 5 W... and $199 new...

 

3 year warranty too.

 

http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/D903 ... rine-radio

 

This is what I have. It's not water proof though, But it seems to work OK. A 25 watt Built in one is what you want when the chips a down though...

 

That one on TM that Tim just posted - will be interesting to see what it goes for.

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Guest

Guest

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This unit is 5 W... and $199 new...

 

3 year warranty too.

 

http://www.dicksmith.co.nz/product/D903 ... rine-radio

 

This is what I have. It's not water proof though, But it seems to work OK. A 25 watt Built in one is what you want when the chips a down though...

 

That one on TM that Tim just posted - will be interesting to see what it goes for.

 

True! But also important is to have a external aerial connection and a long aerial, up high, to plug into.

 

I had this set up on my last yacht and the range was great. Then if you need to jump ship you just unplugged and took the VHF with you.

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Guest

Guest

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I bought a Standard Horizon handheld VHF from the US, the only piece of electronics I have so far imported. Obviously, if it develops a fault I'm up the creek, therefore I had to buy a reliable brand and waterproof model and hope for the best.

 

I set the default setting to International frequencies and so far so good. I imagine US boaters would want to be able to operate their Vhf's in non-US waters without too much inconvenience. I made up a short UHF-female to SMA adapter (RG58 co-ax) link so I am able to attach an external antenna.

 

To add to Justin's "jump ship with Vhf" comment, some Vhf's (list under USD250) have built-in GPS and DSC, which could hold some attraction to anyone who wants his handheld radio to serve as a multi-purpose emergency or backup item.

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