The 5 Best VHF High band radios (2023 reviews)

The radio is a must have accessory for your daily purpose. Like all VHF radios, it’s range is “line of sight.” The signal will not go thru islands or mountains. It will receive fm broadcast bands between 76 mhz to 108 mhz. It has an integrated fm broadcast receiver. It has to be selected from a menu on the screen and then the level is set by using the up and down arrows. This gives the radio a much smaller case design yet light enough to float face up if dropped in the water. It can be used for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore to another vhf radio. It can be used for ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore to another vHF radio.

Why We Like This:

Works on all frequencies, and the charger is
Good value and works great on the boat
Easy to use, rugged, waterproof, etc
Can listen to commercial fm radio broadcasts and weather

Best With map: Cobra VHF High band Radio

Buy on Amazon

The cobra vhf high band radio is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily purpose. It only works as a vhf and weather radio. It is compact but filled with many useful features. It is designed to bypass the speaker in the radio. It is suitable for sail boats, others for power boats. It allows operation on any of the three different channel maps established for these areas.

It comes with a gps positioning unit, but it does mention gps positioning. This is easy to do and is an excellent safety feature. It is a pretty good vhf considering the low cost. The installation is very easy, it looks great, and is easy to use.

Why We Like This:

Short range but easy install and works great
Good investment for long term

Best For cigar: Uniden VHF High band Radio

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate radio. The uniden vhf high band radio is exactly that - it's a simple radio that hits all the right notes. The equipment is fairly affordable. It is constructed with a tight water seal. The sound quality is nice and loud, and the squelch works well. It is good in the hand, good speaker tone, and easy controls. The keypad is easy to navigate to choose different settings. The emergency/weather alert allows it to function as a severe weather warning radio and will also alert you to any local or national emergencies.

This is for boat usage, so it would come with a DC (cigarette adapter) charger. It comes preprogrammed with noaa weather channels. The Range is adequate if you have clear sight with limited obstacles like islands and trees.

Why We Like This:

Has great range and battery life
Simple and necessary radio for all boats
Works well on large inland water reservoir
Easy to read instructions are included

Best For remote pilot: Yaesu VHF High band Radio

Buy on Amazon

We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate radio. The yaesu vhf high band radio is exactly that - it's a simple radio that hits all the right notes. The FTA 450L's antenna actually works well on RX and TX operations. It is designed to work best when you are in the air and close to the airport. It includes a convenient charging cradle, 12v vehicle accessory charger, emergency backup aa (6) batt tray. It will have you playing the unplug-replug game with the radio from time to time, restarting the software, and sometimes rebooting your whole computer.

It’s fairly light, comes with adapters to rig up headsets, battery life is great with the l-ion (obviously shorter if you talk a lot), and it’s a very nice unit overall. The radio body has a rugged feel to it, and all the gaskets covering the ports are nice and hefty. It comes with the driver to activate the programming usb cable.

Why We Like This:

Very nice and well built radios
Works well and is easy to handle
Reliable and with nice (comm only) features

Best For kayak: Standard Horizon VHF High band Radio

Buy on Amazon

Best part: standard horizon vhf high band radio costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This radio is a must for operating a boat on the intercostal waterways. It features include two scrambler systems built in, both a 4 code cvs2500a and a 32 code fvp. It is easy to operate a menu system with a large (1.7’’ x 1.7’’) full-dot matrix display. It comes with ac and dc charging cables that plug into the charging cradle. It is high quality, very clear and the squelch can be adjusted easily.

The unit has GPS reception on 66 integrated channels. It is so light, one can carry it on a belt with the included belt clip. It provides excellent ergonomics.

Why We Like This: