my first impressions of the radio are as follows I have used
the Icom euro v as a comparison radio the euro v has served me well
.
The m71 has a much better ergonomic shape than the euro-v which
makes the m71 a nicer fit in the hand which in turn makes it a lot
harder to drop while using or adjusting it while out in the kayak
.the physical size of the m71 is smaller than the euro-v so its
easier to fit it in to a pocket the Ariel on the m71 is a lot
smaller than we have become used to so if fitting this new radio to
your pfd the Ariel wont poke your eyes out every time you look
around
The m71 shown on the left (photo above) is 6watts which
makes this the most powerful handheld radio available which make
quite a difference when using it the coastguard will hear you from
a approximately 1 mile further away than any of the 5 watt radios
we have all become used to from my house with the m71 I can hear
very clearly Liverpool coastguard which is about 25miles away from
me although he can not hear me which is expected on a handheld
.
I had both radios on but could not hear the coastguard on my euro-v
so the extra watt showed its worth .
The display is very easy to read and shows clear Settings with a
much nicer amber backlight than the euro-v’s green one.
the buttons on the unit are larger which is a real plus if you are
wearing paddle gloves the m71 has many features inc very easy to
set squelch which was a bit fiddly on the euro-v and a great
feature for vibrating any water ingress in the speaker grill and a
great volume test button for when the squelch is set. i found the
very easy to navigate around .
The belt clip is also a much improved feature with a much longer
tong and a very positive spring grip which would make attaching the
m71 to anything much safer less chance of it falling
off.
m71 shown on the left (photo
above)
the design of the battery locking mechanism is vastly superior to
the euro-v and all the other handhelds I have seen and I have seen
many .the battery connection to the radio is now housed at the top
side of the unit the battery fits in to a grove and locks very
positively then there is a small additional locking arm which makes
the whole thing very secure and makes the seal around the
connection pins
watertight.
So my first impressions on the m71 are it’s a very stylish easy to use powerful radio it’s a sure winner and so far it gets a big thumbs-up on my first impresions .
To operate a vhf marine radio legally you require a certificate of competence usually this is a 1 day course and an OFCOM portable ship licence