The fixed-mount VHF is not optional
A vessel's primary GMDSS VHF DSC installation is a fixed-mount bridge set, not a handheld, reflecting the reliability, power and permanent antenna connection a vessel's primary distress and safety communication equipment needs. The Icom GM600 and Samyung STR-7000A are both fixed-mount units built for this role, the STR-7000A offering 191 channels with selectable 25 W or 1 W output and Class A DSC to ITU-R M.493-14. Neither a handheld nor a portable unit is a substitute for this fixed installation on a SOLAS-regulated vessel.
Comparing the GM600 and STR-7000A
Both units meet the core requirement, Class A DSC and the output power a fixed installation allows, and the practical choice between them, as with much of the equipment covered elsewhere in this catalogue, comes down to specific feature details, display and interface preference, and existing fleet standardisation, rather than either being categorically superior. Confirm the specific ITU-R M.493 revision each is certified against and the exact current type approval status directly before specifying either for a new fit-out, since certification standards are periodically revised.
Where a handheld genuinely adds value
A handheld VHF, distinct from the fixed bridge installation, serves a genuinely different purpose aboard a vessel already carrying its required fixed-mount GMDSS set: mobility around the vessel during operations where leaving the bridge unattended briefly is impractical, communication during boat operations or crew transfers, and backup capability if the fixed installation is temporarily unavailable. The Samyung STV-160, covering USA, international and Canadian marine channels plus ten weather channels on an 8-hour battery, is representative of this category, useful and genuinely valuable equipment, but supplementary to, not a replacement for, the vessel's required fixed GMDSS set.
Survival craft handhelds are a third, distinct category
It is worth being clear that survival craft radios, covered in the dedicated article elsewhere in this series, are a third category again, purpose-built to IMO MSC.149(77) for use after a vessel has been abandoned, and not interchangeable with either the fixed bridge set or a general-purpose handheld such as the STV-160 for that specific role, despite superficial similarity in form factor.
A practical way to think about the three categories
- Fixed-mount GMDSS VHF, such as the GM600 or STR-7000A: mandatory, the vessel's primary distress and safety communication equipment, chosen for certification, reliability and feature fit rather than optionality.
- General-purpose handheld VHF, such as the STV-160: a genuinely useful operational supplement for mobility and backup, but not a GMDSS carriage requirement in itself and not certified to survival craft standards.
- Survival craft VHF, such as the IC-GM1600 or IC-GM1600E: a separate, mandatory carriage item tied to the vessel's lifesaving appliance complement, purpose-built and certified specifically for post-abandonment use.
ASPL supplies fixed-mount, general-purpose handheld and survival craft VHF equipment across Icom and Samyung, and can help a vessel operator confirm which category of equipment a specific budget or operational need actually falls into before ordering.