Built tough to withstand the punishing marine environment, the Icom IC-M422 fixed-mount VHF radio is a must for safety-minded boaters. The radio is outfitted with a host of valuable features, including a large backlit LCD display with a four-step contrast, an intuitive, easy-to-use keypad, and a rugged waterproof housing that's submersible in 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. More significantly, the radio works with all 57 U.S., 61 Canadian, and 57 international channels, along with 10 weather channels from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). The VHF channels offer an ideal way to communicate with other boaters--whether exchanging information on a hot fishing spot or sending out a distress signal--while the NOAA channels notify you when inclement weather is approaching. The radio--which mounts conveniently on your boat's dash using the included bracket kit--employs Icom's Force5Audio technology to boost the sound pressure levels and produce crisp, loud reception. The integrated microphone, meanwhile, is finely tuned to pick up voices while minimizing ambient background noise, such as a boat engine, wind, or seagulls. As a result, both casual conversations and urgent distress calls come through loud and clear.
The IC-M422 offers several scanning modes, including an auto scan function that starts scanning whenever no signal is detected, a traditional scan mode that searches through all the tag channels in sequence, a priority scan mode that does the same but also monitors the distress channel (number 16), and a weather alert option that immediately switches the radio to the appropriate weather channel when a storm warning comes through. Users will also dig the Dual Watch and Tri-Watch functions. The former lets you communicate on a channel of your choice while also keeping an eye on emergency channel 16, while the latter monitors two channels--channel 16 and another channel--while receiving a third channel. The pair of "watch" modes guarantee that you won't miss an important emergency call from a distressed boater while your attention is otherwise engaged.
And as with the best fixed-mount VHF radios, the IC-M422 comes with built-in Digital Selective Calling (DSC), which lets you send a formatted distress message in an emergency. DSC activates an instantaneous, continuous "mayday" signal that identifies your vessel, reports your position, and time stamps the message. But that's not all, as boaters can also use DSC to make contact with a specific boater of group of boaters in your area. DSC uses a unique ID (MMSI code) that's similar to a telephone number. To stay in contact with specific boaters, simply store each boater's unique address in your radio (the IC-M422 holds up to 100, each with a five-character name).
Another nice detail is the IC-M422's GPS compatibility. When connected to a GPS receiver, the radio can send your GPS position to other boats, or it can poll the GPS location of another vessel and display it on your LCD screen in seconds, provided the navigational device accepts the NMEA data format. The polling function also checks whether a specific ship is in your communication range.
Finally, the IC-M422 can double as a public address (PA) system for onboard announcements or ship-to-shore communication using an external loud speaker or hailer. The RX speaker function even lets you monitor the received audio from the loudspeaker or hailer while you sit on the deck or tower. Additional details include seven-step keypad backlighting, instant access to channels 16 and 9, and a low-voltage indicator for when the battery is running down. Housed in an attractive black case, the radio measures 6.47 by 3.06 by 5.47 inches (W x H x D) and is backed by a three-year warranty.
What's in the Box
IC-M422 radio, hand microphone, bracket mounting kit, power cable, user's manual.
