[KL7AA] Maritime VHF Handhelds

[Brandon Clark]

It's a little off-tooic, but I was wondering if anyone on the list has
experience with maritime VHF band handhelds?

I'm in the very early planning stages of a hunting trip for next year, and
the location would be one of the islands in Prince William Sound. I was
thinking that a maritime VHF handheld might be useful for contacting
passing ships while on shore.

1. Is using the maritime VHF band while on shore an appropriate use?
2. Does anyone have direct experience using that band with lower-powered
handhelds?
3. Would it be useful in that case (on an island near the shore)?

My primary communications while on shore will be via amateur HF, and
especially the Alaska emergency channel. But a backup for local comms would
be nice, especially if I could reach nearby shipping in a pinch. Any
thoughts?

Brandon Clark, KL7BSC