$50 · Vhf

A top-mounted adapter ready to accept an optional speaker or microphone is on top too.   Eight front panel pushbuttons control the remaining functions. On the side is an easy to operate push-to-talk switch, and a backlight on-off switch. Performance Overall this West Marine handheld had middle of the road performance. Though it did have a highly rated display and passed the drop and submersion tests easily. The transmitter tended to drift off frequency slightly at temperature extremes, not enough to adversely effect performance, but enough to lower its rating to fair for transmitter power and frequency stability. We also found the audio system to be weaker than most other handhelds, it only managed to eke out 82 dBA. Battery Life In the battery-life test, this radio lasted 13 hours, just beyond its 12-hour claim. Final Thoughts A good looking compact radio with decent performance.