Baofeng UV9R

The maiden voyage of my kayak in the San Francisco Bay; the UV9R is on the port side of the deck.

I got the UV9R as a boat radio; it’s programmed with maritime channels in addition to some local repeaters.

It’s pretty weatherproof. On the kayak, I use it with the side cover protecting the APX connector instead of using a hand mic so there’s fewer stuff to get snagged on the deck lines. I have noticed that if I don’t wipe the radio down after each outing, the APX and battery contacts will start to corrode (seawater will get under the cover).

Receive and transmit quality are acceptable. I had no problem being heard, or hearing other people. The ability to monitor on maritime channels (and transmit in case of an emergency) is pretty nice. The only thing I don’t really like is needing to have a cradle to charge it but I imagine a USB charging port would introduce additional surfaces to corrode, so I don’t mind it so much.