Replacement Hand Held VHF Radio

[Pgutierrez]

Starting to shop for hand held radio. What did u buy & why? On my priority list:
Squelch control, good volume, Float, blue tooth. Lots in $75-$200 price range. Used for boating on upper Mississippi River. Would you buy what you bought again? What was your purchasing criteria?
Thanks.

[hellosailor]

Apparently a couple of the Icoms can use AA cells in emergency battery trays. I'd stick to those, because there's no other really useful emergency battery ability on anything else.
Power, DSC, GPS, functions and features will be similar on almost all the new radios.

[Captain Randy]

I just bought the Standard Horizon 870 (I think it was) for $199. Has GPS DSC etc plus a battery tray for AAA in the event the lithium runs down. I wasn't impressed with the ICOM or the reviews especially for $100 more. I am very happy so far with the SH.

[hellosailor]

I had bought the SH, being an old SH fan. And after i got it I realized that AAA cells can put out full power (5W transmit will require ~10W input) for about two minutes before they go dead.

That's some emergency battery placebo, huh?

Icom's are pricey, but they make commercial-grade products, just like SH did. And the AA cells are literally 4x more powerful.

[Paul Kelly]

I had to replace my old handheld VHF recently in the UK and I bought a Cobra HH350. I like the ergonomics. And the price was sub $100.

[Capt. Ray]

I buy these in 10-packs for my ship, so cheap about $27 each if they get lost etc. They are programmable to marine VHF frequencies.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-Baofeng...e/291671640647

These are revered by HAM radio enthusiasts and they know the best kit. Not marinized but at this price pretty much disposable. Fantastic battery pack, accessories available.

Originally Posted by Pgutierrez

Starting to shop for hand held radio. What did u buy & why? On my priority list:
Squelch control, good volume, Float, blue tooth. Lots in $75-$200 price range. Used for boating on upper Mississippi River. Would you buy what you bought again? What was your purchasing criteria?
Thanks.

[sailormed]

Originally Posted by Captain Randy

I just bought the Standard Horizon 870 (I think it was) for $199. Has GPS DSC etc plus a battery tray for AAA in the event the lithium runs down. I wasn't impressed with the ICOM or the reviews especially for $100 more. I am very happy so far with the SH.

Same HH for me, i'm a satisfied user.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Captain Randy

I just bought the Standard Horizon 870 (I think it was) for $199. Has GPS DSC etc plus a battery tray for AAA in the event the lithium runs down. I wasn't impressed with the ICOM or the reviews especially for $100 more. I am very happy so far with the SH.

Same here, and it's got the AA battery option plus a six-watt TX. Sounds like a small point, but I've gotten six miles' range from a Zodiac to my sailboat with it, and with a DSC MAYDAY I would expect more still if the SAR antenna had the height.

[Sailmonkey]

Possibly a dumb question.....what role does Bluetooth play in a handheld radio?

[Chuck Hawley]

I'd recommend either the Standard Horizon HX 870 or the Icom M-93d. I would absolutely go with a model that has a built-in GPS and DSC capability, unless my primary concern was size.

Chuck Hawley

[jewt]

Sailmonkey asked my question for me. What does Bluetooth have to do with VHF?

jewt
S/V Bifrost (Now a '89 Morgan 44 CC)

[ArmyDaveNY]

There are many good handheld radios out there. They have a variety of features that you may find useful, but also many features that are often not used. Icom make an excellent radio, but there are other good manufacturers also.



West Marine sell a very compact model called the VHF 85, made by Uniden. It has the benefit of both the squelch and volume knobs on the top of the radio for quick and easy adjusting. Most handheld radios have the unfortunate requirement to first find the volume or squelch button then pressing up or down arrows. By that time, the message is usually over.


Another feature to consider are a removable antenna. This makes storage easier and also allows for a relatively inexpensive replacement of the antenna should it go bad. Size is also a factor. Will this be just for you or are others using it? If you are married or have a girlfriend, they may prefer a smaller radio. The ICOM M73 is also fairly compact, as is the Standard Horizon HX 300.


There are a few handheld radios now that use mini USB ports for charging. This provides the benefit of being able to use different chargers even if you forgot yours.


While some handhelds provide GPS coordinates, if you are on a river, you may not need this. This will allow you to save some money, although they have come way down in price these past few years.


Floating handhelds in theory are nice, but if you are moving even five or six knots, it is not easy to circle around and find it, especially in limited visibility. Icom does make a hand held that floats and flashes, which helps quite a bit at night. Rather than worry about floating VHFs, I just use a dummy cord so that it won't go in in the first place. A floating VHF is most useful if one is on a kayak or dinghy since it is much more practical to retrieve it.


Above all, I would go to a local marine chandlery and see if you can look at several in person. See if it is comfortable, if you like the sound, if you like the feel of it, etc.

[Bawlmer]

Originally Posted by sailormed

Same HH for me, i'm a satisfied user.

I have had one for over a year. I like it and recommend it. I have it clipped and tied to my PFD.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Capt. Ray

I buy these in 10-packs for my ship, so cheap about $27 each if they get lost etc. They are programmable to marine VHF frequencies.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-x-Baofeng...e/291671640647

These are revered by HAM radio enthusiasts and they know the best kit. Not marinized but at this price pretty much disposable. Fantastic battery pack, accessories available.

Don't buy these for marine VHF use. They are not reliable and they would need to be programmed for the marine VHF bands. Furthermore they are not legal for use on the marine VHF bands.


I am a ham and these are NOT revered by ham radio enthusiasts. They are entry level radios commonly used by new hams before they upgrade to better radios.

[vonchris7]

Originally Posted by Captain Randy

I just bought the Standard Horizon 870 (I think it was) for $199. Has GPS DSC etc plus a battery tray for AAA in the event the lithium runs down. I wasn't impressed with the ICOM or the reviews especially for $100 more. I am very happy so far with the SH.

Ditto... love my SH 870!