View Single Post
Old 02-21-2019, 05:36 PM   #8
twistedtree
Guru
 
twistedtree's Avatar
 
City: Vermont
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 10,093
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevemitchell View Post
I have a lot of opinions of VHF radios! I have owned far too many of them in the last 5 years, and tested/used even more. So far I have yet to find one that doesn't have some big issue that prevents it from being usable 100% of the time. Sure, there are good radios from all sorts of folks, but not having NMEA 2000 in this day and age is stupid. Not having a good GPS in them is a crime. Having wireless remotes that barely work also seems like something we could/should have overcome by now....



I'm hoping the FM-4800 will be different, and so far it looks pretty good. It does not have a wireless remote, which I am OK with as I have yet to see anyone deliver this reliably. Based on Ben's review of the new Raymarine black box, and others experience with the SH GX6000, it sounds like we might be getting close with the wireless remotes.



For me, a VHF radio should be rock solid, have its own GPS source, have a clear to hear speaker, transmit very well, and scan and allow you to hear easily. I want it to be as standalone as possible, while still contributing AIS targets to my NMEA 2000 network. It is a critical device that should not be flaky or freak out - I rely on it.



My comment on the screen on the FM-4800 was comparing it to some of the ginormous products from other vendors, and the sheer amount of info you can put on it. However, I can't think of when I rely on that myself, it just seems to be something other people desire. Seeing a list of AIS targets on a VHF screen, or like SH's circle showing a range of icons on a tiny VHF screen does not really appeal to me as a useful feature.


I feel the same way about all my nav equipment. Each piece of equipment should do its job with minimal dependence on anything else, and be replaceable with minimal impact on anything else. This runs contrary to the strategy of most electronics vendors, but I think best serves the mariner who’s life is at stake.

Too many vendors treat this stuff like an iPhone app or other inconsequential toy, but that’s not the case for any serious boater. Our lives depend on it, and I insist that it work all the time, every time, without exception. Others need not apply.
__________________
MVTanglewood.com
twistedtree is offline   Reply With Quote