Do a double
I mostly have two of all the safety gear, anchors, PFD's and VHF, charts, etc. so I have a mounted VHF and a handheld. Boat/US says your most important safety gear is a PFD, and #2 is a VHF. Position reporting can be general, as in "North of Mark Island, close to Bear". When you get somebody in the area, they'll see you waving the orange flag or the ensign upside down.
For cheap, I put a handheld inside two Kuzzies (foam drink holders) in a waterproof bag, so I could carry it on the jetski. Never needed it, but nice feeling, in case.
These things are cheap, so buy a station monitor for the dock/camp so you can call home if you want without alerting the MP and the rest of the world. Just no chatter on ch. 16 please.
If you're on a small craft, wind surf, paddle board, canoe, a handheld is great. You'll only be out for a short time, so battery life is no big deal, and there's no wetness problem. Dunk you cell phone and see what it does.
BTW, this is a serious piece of safety equipment, not for young kids to play with.
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