Marine VHF Radios

VHF Radio

Whether you're venturing offshore or sticking to inland waterways, VHF (Very High Frequency) Marine Radios are an important safety tool that is used to communicate with other vessels. VHF Radios can range up to 30 miles, providing the VHF antenna is long enough.

What is the difference between a fixed and handheld VHF radio?

The difference between a fixed and handheld VHF radio is that a handheld VHF is battery powered, so can be taken around the boat or (for example) into a dinghy or life raft, whilst a Fixed VHF Radio is permanently mounted in one place, and requires a power source. Fixed VHF Radios are often used as the primary VHF radio as they offer more power and range, with portable VHF radios used as a backup, or when off the boat.

Another difference is that Fixed VHF Radios are given an MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) number that is assigned to the vessel, where-as the MMSI number for a Handheld VHF Radio is assigned to the radio itself, as handheld VHF's are often carried around from vessel to vessel.

Handheld VHF Radio's typically start from around the £100 mark, with Cobra's HH150 Floating Handheld Radio sitting just under that mark (as of January 2023). Fixed VHF's are more expensive, with Icom's M330GE Fixed DSC GPS Fixed VHF Radio coming in at just under £250 (as of January 2023).

If you need any more information about Handheld VHF Radios, we highly recommend reading our 'What is the best handheld VHF Marine Radio?' blog post, where we compare multiple VHF radios and take a deeper dive into the key features that make a truly great VHF radio.

Why Shop With Pirates Cave Chandlery?

Whether you're looking for an Icom VHF Radio, Cobra VHF Radio or maybe an option from Lowrance - all our VHF radios are hand-chosen by our highly experienced team (or crew as we like to call them). We know from first-hand experience just how important a good VHF radio is, which is why we only sell VHF radios we would use on our own boats. 

If you have any questions, we'd love to help! Call us on 01634 295 233, email customerservices@piratescave.co.uk or visit our Rochester store, one of the largest chandlery stores in the UK! All our orders are shipped out on a fully tracked, next working day service (subject to stock availability) with a one hour timeslot, so there's no long, arduous wait for your order to arrive.