Mailport: October 2012

Remote Mic Feedback

I used to have a Uniden UM525 VHF radio with two wireless WHAMx4 mics aboard: one at the helm (with separate charging station inside for security) and one in the main berth. This was excellent as it enabled the on-watch crew to call up off-watch crew in an emergency (using the intercom feature)—or more often, the off-watch crew could ask “what was that noise?” without having to get out of bed.

As a husband-and-wife sailing team, we found this feature fantastic on long passages. We now have a new boat that came with a Standard Horizon GX2100 VHF radio installed. We did not find a wireless remote mic available for it in our search (too bad your September 2012 review of remote mics didn’t arrive a couple of months earlier!), and we purchased the recommended wired mic. However, we were really unhappy to find we could only have one remote mic for the radio.

Maryanne & Kyle Webb

Begonia, Fountaine Pajot Athena 38

Portland, Ore.

The only wireless remote mic in the September test was the PS Recommended Garmin GHS-20, which allows connecting up to three mics, and it has the intercom function. If you’re up for wiring multiple mics, several makers offer products that will allow mic-to-mic communication. Standard Horizon’s GX5500S (PS Best Choice, October 2009) supports multiple wired remote mics and has the mic-to-mic and mic-to-base intercom function.

Another option for wireless berth-to-cockpit communication is the Family Radio Service (FRS), or what’s more widely referred to as two-way walkie-talkies. You can find a decent, waterproof set for $50-$75 online.

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