I have a ? about vhf radios. I know the fishermen on kerr frequent channel 68. Been looking on Ebay and I see 2 channel, 16 channel, and a 100 channel. My ? is what do I need to buy? Common sence would say something with at least 68 channels, but I dont really know. I know some radios have to have a chip for each channel and you just add the chip for the channels you want. Could some of you guys give any advice. Thanks.
None of those, the types you mentioned are for land use, not marine, and operate on different bands. You need a Marine VHF, which all have the same channels, just different features.
You can buy a cheap but acceptable for lakes handheld new for under $50.00 from Boaters World, Bass Pro Shops, West Marine, or pretty much any boat or fishing supply company. ICOM and Uniden seem to have pretty good products
Assuming you have a decent place to mount an antenna, I would skip the handheld. A fixed mount 12V radio has 5X the transmit power of a handheld.
It will cost more up front (but not much more). When the battery on my handheld died, the replacement battery was more $ than the original radio.
If your antenna space is limited, check out a Digital VB-222 Antenna. Antenna is about $80 and well worth it. 3 feet tall when in use. 3 inches tall when the quick release mast is stowed in the rod box.
If you have room for an 6 or 8' antenna, there are plenty of options. Shakespeare seems to be a favorite.
