I'm going a completely different route here.... I think VHF is useless when compared to the iridium satellite phones on the market for around $ 1000. They have worldwide coverage and you can carry them on your person in a waterproof pouch that is not much bigger than a normal cell phone.

In addition to using it on the water, I also venture far afield in the winter on a snowmobile. Almost always far from cell phone coverage. Having the ability to get a distress call out for me (or someone I come across out there) in below freezing temps makes it crazy, IMO, to not have something like this. The cost per minute is always the drawback but how much is it worth the one time you really need it.

Greg

The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised. - George Will
"It's not that liberals aren't smart, it's just that so much of what they know isn't so" -Ronald Reagan