Uniden Mystic Integrated VHF / GPS Mapping Marine Radio

I bought this a year ago for $295 and at that price, have to say it was one of the best value for money purchases on the market.

The radio is functional and delivers precisely as you would expect - though it would be nice if the volume would go just a little higher, and the 5W transmit did not take quite so much juice out of the battery!

The GPS is excellent, as are the maps that come with it: mostly intuitive to use, with a decent PC software package. I was so impressed, we used it as the primary GPS for the 330 mile Chicago-Mackinac race last year. I have used it when visibility is under 50 feet, to great effect, and it is as accurate as any other GPS I have used, once it has been running for a while.

Battery life is good - about 10 hours max continuous use off a single charge, though 7 is more realistic if you transmit even once at 5W - and the DC connector allows it to recharge whilst running.

Negatives
- I am waiting for a replacement antenna because the last one snapped off. Apparently, whilst flexible along its length, the base itself wasn't up to the wear and tear: I anticipate this weakness manifesting annually.
- some of the menuing is weaker than the rest: track management is awkward, as they cannot be named, for example
- deleting a track whilst active *disables tracking* until the unit is power cycled!
- discovered the 2000 node track limitation the hard way...
- base required for recharging the unit - should be able to plug the DC cable straight in, rather than carry the base!

Positives
- convenient GPS/Radio package
- mostly intuitive GPS usage
- perfectly decent software on the PC side

And most important of all: it is now a vital piece of my portable personal safety at sea kit, alongside the EPIRB.