Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

[capecodtodd]

Hello All
I am considering getting a VHF handheld radio and like the bread aisle at the super market there sure are alot of options.
I was looking to spend $150-$200 and looking at Standard Horizon, ICOM and Lowrance. In my research I noticed that all 3 are making radios with GPS. There doesn't seem to be too many reviews on these radios yet since they are somewhat new so I turn to you guys for your opinions. I thought Cobra made a decent radio but I was told "not really"
The radios in question are
ICOM M92-01d
Standard Horizon HX851
Lowrance LHR80
The ICOM is the most expensive at $300 but I have heard it is the Cadillac of radios.
The Standard seems to be a runner up to the ICOM but also $100 cheaper.
I haven't heard much about the Lowrance LHR80 except it doesn't have alot of bells and whistles.

My boat is a 20' stingray relegated to a fresh water lake mostly but I do venture into the salt now and again and I tend to stay close to shore. I think any of these radios may be overkill for how I will be using it but it sure is nice to have the capacity to do more just in case. The last thing I want to do is buy a radio and wish I had spent just a bit more for the better one.
I do want a radio that is waterproof and floats and 5-6 watts peak is good. This is my only radio. Also the DSC is a nice feature to have.
What do you guys think? What would you recommend?
Thank you for your input.
CapeCodTodd

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

I just went through this same search myself. I narrowed my choices to 2 of the ones on your list the SH HX851 and the ICOM M92D. I too wavered back and forth as to going with a cheap basic model, but the price difference just wasn't enough to push me away from the top models. I think the ICOM is probably the better built (ICOM radios are built to military specs), so it will most likely withstand more abuse, so you are probably getting what you pay for with it. I've always prefered ICOM handheld radios for amateur radio use. However, after saying all that, I went with the SH HX851. It gets stellar reviews, and it was on sale right here on iBoats for about $70+ less than the ICOM. I don't think you could go wrong with either. I don't know enough about the Lowrance to comment.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

If a handheld is going to be your only radio, one with GPS/DSC is the way to go, IMO. I have the Lowrance. On paper, the three are fairly similar, but I have mine as a backup to my fixed-mount radio.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

I have an Icom. it floats along with my hand-held GPS which has come in handy on my canoe trips :facepalm:

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Boy, this all sounds familiar. I too went through this process and do my boating in similar waters. There rarely are good places to install a dash mount VHF (or any ancillary electronics) on the "stylish" dashboards and helms that are on most bow-riders, deck boats, etc. without it hitting body parts, so handheld became my choice too. I wanted the ?option? of using VHF, so I didn?t want a permanently mounted antenna on my deck boat either. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the three you list. I decided on the SH 851HX as well. I liked the extra watt of power (6 vs. 5, more is better!), the 3 year warranty (I believe iCom and Lowrance is two years) and definitely wanted DCS with the GPS built into the radio instead of relying on the connection to my GPS/chart plotter/sonar (having a back-up GPS doesn?t hurt either!). Listening to the NOAA weather reports/alerts are a big plus too. I also have adapted the radio to attach to a removable mast antenna configuration attached to one of my bimini top vertical supports. I wanted to get as much performance as I could out of the lower power of a handheld. I purchased the optional remote microphone/speaker for convenience. Decide what features are most important to you and get one of these great radios!

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Boy, this all sounds familiar. I too went through this process and do my boating in similar waters. There rarely are good places to install a dash mount VHF (or any ancillary electronics) on the "stylish" dashboards and helms that are on most bow-riders, deck boats, etc. without it hitting body parts, so handheld became my choice too. I wanted the “option” of using VHF, so I didn’t want a permanently mounted antenna on my deck boat either. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the three you list. I decided on the SH 851HX as well. I liked the extra watt of power (6 vs. 5, more is better!), the 3 year warranty (I believe iCom and Lowrance is two years) and definitely wanted DCS with the GPS built into the radio instead of relying on the connection to my GPS/chart plotter/sonar (having a back-up GPS doesn’t hurt either!). Listening to the NOAA weather reports/alerts are a big plus too. I also have adapted the radio to attach to a removable mast antenna configuration attached to one of my bimini top vertical supports. I wanted to get as much performance as I could out of the lower power of a handheld. I purchased the optional remote microphone/speaker for convenience. Decide what features are most important to you and get one of these great radios!

Hi cjjjdeck, I'm interested in your removable bimini antenna and mount. Which antenna and mount did you go with? Don't mean to hijack the thread, hopefully this will be of interest to OP as well.

Thanks!

 

[FourWinnsLC]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

While checking, Double check this but i believe handhelds push 5 watts and a mobile fixed mounts push i think 35 (going from Memory). Thus You will be able to reach farther with the fixed mount Versus the handheld.

 

[royal0014]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Higher wattage is always good. Whether it it will do you any good in a particular situation.........well......

IMHO, when it comes to your personal safety, don't skimp. Get the best you can afford that does the job, regardless of the bells 'n whistles.

<<)))(((>>

 

[capecodtodd]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Thanks so much guys
I went ahead and ordered a ICOM and it should be here Wednesday. Imagine me trying to pinch pennies considering a less expensive though probably just as good radio and then my wife telling me to just get the ICOM and that I would be happier in the long run with it. ... She is soo sweet.
Happy Boating!

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Hi cjjjdeck, I'm interested in your removable bimini antenna and mount. Which antenna and mount did you go with? Don't mean to hijack the thread, hopefully this will be of interest to OP as well.

Thanks!

Hi ErnestT, happy to share, and apologize for a long-winded response!

I couldn?t find anyone that has done this with a handheld in the forums, so I had to research it on my own.

jhebert, a member of this forum, had posted what I thought was a very interesting and informative link regarding VHF antenna performance in the marine environment. It influenced the basis of what I put together for my boat. He also provides good photos of the components he used. Although he installed a dash mount unit, I figured it was a good set-up for handhelds as well.

Here?s the link (I hope he doesn?t mind me posting it again):

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/ref...HFAntenna.html

I also wanted to have the ability to pivot the antenna down for obstruction issues while under way and easily removable and store for when I didn?t needed it. I really like RAM Mount products. One of their mounts was a huge help in locating/mounting my Lowrance HDS-7 on my helm. They make a VHF antenna mount with a nice, unobtrusive bracket to mount the 1 ?? rubber ball base on a ?? to 1? rail, my bimini rails are 7/8? and it fits great. I installed the bracket this weekend and it doesn?t really interfere when I collapse it and zip the boot over the bimini. The friction on the ball seems very strong too. I also had to get an adapter that went from the SMA connection on the HX851 antenna base to a female SO-239 coax connector that hooks up to the male PL-259 coax connector that comes on the end of most VHF antenna wires. You can also get a cable with these two connectors on them as well. GAM has two base adapter options, one that allows the coax wire to travel through the inside of the extension tube and out through the RAM mount (there is a hole in the mount for this). The other has the coax cable exiting through the side of the adapter. I went with this so I could more easily break down the antenna assembly for storage. I?ll just zip-tie the antenna wire to the extension and route it along the bimini rail. The GAM adapters also need you to attach/solder the PL-259 connector, which doesn?t come with the adapter, but is readily available from pretty much any of the sellers of this antenna. Shakespeare makes a solder-less one for the less adventurous. So here?s the list of components:

GAM SS-2 Stainless Steel Antenna
GAM ADAP-I Adapter base with 20'RG-58 side exit
Shakespeare Style 498 4' Antenna Extension
RAM-112-231U rail mount antenna base (note: GPS CITY is the only vendor that sells this as an assembly, other vendors sell the antenna adapter and rail mount bracket separately)
1- SMA TO PL-259 adapter (PL-259 is the male connector from the antenna, SO-239 is the female side on the adapter)
1- PL-259 Coax cable connector

I?m still waiting for the Shakespeare mast extension (my vendor is backordered on it), so I have not fired up this system yet to see how it performs, but I?m pretty confident it will perform pretty well for a handheld set-up, certainly better than just using the handheld alone. Although the picture attached of the RAM mount shows a horizontal rail install, I mounted mine on a vertical rail.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Thanks cjjjdeck. Excellent write up and just what I was looking for. I think the same system will work perfect for my boat.

Thanks again!

 

[cjjjdeck]

Re: Opinions on a handheld VHF radio please.

Thanks cjjjdeck. Excellent write up and just what I was looking for. I think the same system will work perfect for my boat.

Thanks again!

Here's a few pics I got a chance to take yesterday of the RAM mount on my bimini for your review. Negligible interference on collapsed position.