Need a new vhf, any opinions

I like the Digital brand of antenna. Has one for 12 years and replaced last year. Never an issue, very nice gold connector scheme at radio and antenna. Only changed it because when it was lowered it banged the hardtop under the shrink-wrap a few years and started to crack the outside. I now use a pool noodle with a hole thru it and sleeve it over the antenna prior to wrapping.

For a radio, there are many good models. Icom 506, Standard Horizon make some good ones.

I have a couple of Shakespear 5225s. They work fine for my mostly near-shore boating. The longer the better, 8 feet being a good compromise.
The radio choice is a bit more complicated depending on your particular boating parameters, where you boat and how the radio will be used.
Without doubt, you should get a radio with DSC capability and program it. Some folks want AIS to help identify other vessels. There are a few levels of AIS so do your homework if you think AIS is desired. Some radios have internal GPS capability. That means that you don't have to wire or network it to your plotter to get your current location. When wired or equipped, the DSC signal for help will automatically include your coordinates. I strongly suggest you get the internal GPS feature. The DSC will work without location data but the Coasr Guard won't know where you are from the DSC distress call.
If you mount your radio in a less than real easy to get to location (like tucked away in the overhead electronics box) depending on how easy or hard that is to use, you may want to select a radio with a multi function microphone that at a minimum allows the channel to be changed from the mike. Overhead or tucked away radios may also be hard to hear so a remote speaker may be needed. I think just about every radio these days have a jack for a speaker.
Depending on the size/length of your boat, you may want a hailer option that allows the radio to act as a paging system using a speaker horn that you would usually mount up front or on the top.
If you have a speaker -hailer opt, you may want the horn feature that can be set to sound the appropriate fog signals.
The ICOM 330 is a decent basic radio, but it needs to be wired to your plotter for location data. That radio is about $150. The ICOM330G has the same features but includes builtin GPS. That runs about $200. Add basic AIS and hailer, you will be in the $300 range. It may be that all you need is a decent basic model with DSC.
If possible play with some different makes at the marine store to see how intuitive it is to make the changes or select the options that you need most often. No mater how many seasons I have a radio, there are some things I just have trouble remembering how to do. That is especially true on my handheld.
For example, I use dual scan almost all the time but there are areasthat I boat where tri-scan is helpful. On some of may radios (maybe all!) I often have a hard time figuring out how to add/delete the channels.
Personally for me, the more function buttons, the better as opposed to having to navigate down multi-level function trees.

I see you are in Mass. I assume you will be offshore for cod and tuna?
I suggest a VHF with GPS, DSC, AIS receiver(with NMEA connection to your Multifunction display), and a hailer/foghorn.
I have a Standard Horizon GX2200 that does those things. Its about $300. It doesn't have a NMEA2k connection but does use NMEA0183 to send AIS data to my Garmin MFD.
There may be a new version with NMEA2k. That would make hookup easier. Other makers out there have similar models.
The menus on these things are crazy but with a little time you whittle it down to the essentials

The AIS contacts displaying on the Garmin is very useful. The AIS display on the radio itself is not so much...
I added a Hailer speaker and the auto-fog horn is a big plus. And I can yell at my brother when anchoring...

For antenna- A good old school Shakespeare Mariner 8300 is plenty. You will have a short wire run so there is not an essential need for RG8 cable (an 8500 has that) over RG58.

I also have an old vhf as a backup with a Shakespeare 4400 stainless whip antenna....unbreakable.... I used it on my old boat for years as the main antenna and gets very good results for a 3 db antenna.
If I only had one antenna onboard, it would be that one.

digital antenna I'm using the simrad* RS35 and a lowrance link 8. nmea 2000 and it all is linked in easily with my electronics. I got a good deal on them so i jumped on it, however if I had a little more in the budget at the time Id put an ICOM 506 in there and the navico as my backup.

All VHF radios sold since 1999 are required to have DSC capabilities, but they are basically useless unless you make the effort to obtain a MMSI number, and program it into your radio.
Prices today make it a no brainer to get one with built in GPS, so that you don't have to connect it to your plotter to send your location in a distress.
Without internal GPS, the minimum 1 way connection sends your location to the VHF, a 2 way connection lets you see location, range, and bearing to anyone in your reception area who is sending a distress signal. I believe that a built in GPS will also give you that info digitally on its small screen, but it is so much easier to see on the plotter. It also lets you see where your buddies are, if you are sharing this feature with each other.
Easiest way to do all this is to buy a VHF with internal GPS, and a NEMA2000 port to connect to your chart plotter via network.
$209 $179 after $30 rebate through June 30.

glacierbaze said:

All VHF radios sold since 1999 are required to have DSC capabilities, but they are basically useless unless you make the effort to obtain a MMSI number, and program it into your radio.

Click to expand...

1999? I should have know that. My bad!

Time flies, doesn't it?
I was surprised how affordable that radio is that I linked above, plus it has a $30 rebate through June 30.

I installed a Garmin VHF shortly after purchasing my boat. It initially had a ICOM on it when I bought it. The Icom is a good VHF, however it did not have AIS which the Garmin does and I wanted a second VHF. Install was easy as it networks with NMEA 2000. I also installed a digital antenna with it. The digital antenna has a very small connector which makes running the wire easier. That being said, in my case all I needed was a hole from the hardtop to the electronics box, so it was an easy install.

I'd say there really isn't a bad radio out there these days. The guys that were not good at it, just get it manufactured by one that is to fill out their line.
I agree on the 8' antenna being sufficient. I do like the Digital over the Shakespeare though, but it is a personal preference.