Cobra VHF - good or bad (I have already mixed feelings about theirs handheld)

slawosz

slawosz

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Hi,
looking to buy marine VHF, for now I only have Cobra handheld - which btw disappointed me by showing full battery, but when I tried to make a call, turned out battery was drained.
But normal radio will be connected to power so should not have this issue. Cobra F57 is pretty cheap, but I am concern if its reliable - I would need to use radio on emergency, so I wonder if it would be better to get ICOM or Standard Horizon for bit more money. What would you do?
 
SH for me nowadays, get a lot for your money, last i looked Cobra were around £70-80, SH around £100-140. worth spending the extra for reliabilty
 
Nobody really went wrong by choosing Standard Horizon! Cobra's reputation for reliability isn't great.

The Standard Horizon GX1400GPS is good value at £150. Or the GX1800GPS at £200 offers the additional possibility of connecting a remote mic in the cockpit.
 
GX1400GPS looks like a good choice.
Does it comes with an external antenna, I could not find out from the description?
 
slawosz said:
GX1400GPS looks like a good choice.
Does it comes with an external antenna, I could not find out from the description?
Click to expand...

It has an internal GPS antenna, which should work satisfactorily in most boats. If GPS reception is poor, you can add an optional external antenna, Standard Horizon offer a couple.
 
Cobra are the Amstrad of radio

Cheap, ok when they work, often don't

As others have said, the price uplift to be a quality set from Icom or Standard Horizon is hardly significant

Saving a few quid, or even a few tens of quids, on a critical piece of safety equipment isn't imo a cunning plan!

(Personally i favour SH simply because i like the user interface better. Icom is an equally good choice. Try both, buy the one you like)
 
Have both SH and Icom, prefer the menus of the Icom as I also have 4 of their HAM radios as well, but the SH has the AIS display on the RAM mike which I like. Both are quality with UK technical proper workshops that actually fix stuff. SH is actually Yaesu
 
I hope Cobra are better than suggested above...I have a new Cobra still in the box (because my Icom is non ce marked.. maybe I'll keep the icom close by in case the Cobra gives up) but I recall in the past Cobra was a respected name and my handheld is about 10 years old and it still works fine... although I have not transmitted with it in the last 6 years (I used to call the ferry with it)... it lasts fine on standby and hears forecasts and other shipping at reasonable distances... my icom was never ever used to transmit...but it is great for scanning channels for weather updates etc..
 
pandos said:
I hope Cobra are better than suggested above...I have a new Cobra still in the box (because my Icom is non ce marked.. maybe I'll keep the icom close by in case the Cobra gives up) but I recall in the past Cobra was a respected name and my handheld is about 10 years old and it still works fine... although I have not transmitted with it in the last 6 years (I used to call the ferry with it)... it lasts fine on standby and hears forecasts and other shipping at reasonable distances... my icom was never ever used to transmit...but it is great for scanning channels for weather updates etc..
Click to expand...

My handheld is 'fine'. Although after 12 hours of standby (and a short talk with the marina) it refused to transmit, even though the battery indicator was full. Was quite stressful, as I had to call marina lock and go through a busy port and it was during my first trip. Luckily, I had a charger and 12 V cable with me.
 
I have never used Cobra, I have used Icom and SH but I prefer Icom as I like the interface.

As to your HH problem you did not say how old your HH is as the problem sounds like a duff battery. All batteries have a finite lifespan and 5 years is a good benchmark if it can be replaced.
 
slawosz said:
GX1400GPS looks like a good choice.
Does it comes with an external antenna, I could not find out from the description?
Click to expand...
I have a fixed standard horizon GX1400 GPS and an Icom hand held both very good reliable radios. I had the same problem with my cobra, battery showing fully charged when in fact discharged.
 
pandos said:
but I recall in the past Cobra was a respected name
Click to expand...
It certainly was and manufactured one of the most famous and desirable cb radios - back in the 80,s when it used quality Japanese radios.
Now it's gear is made in south East Asia.
Icom and standard horizon are both Japanese.
I would not buy cobra
 
I recently bought a fixed Cobra VHF for £99 from Cactus. I am fitting it in a rib so it could have a tough time. One thing I like is that it is supplied with a flush mounting kit. Whereas most sell that separately
 
ctva said:
I have never used Cobra, I have used Icom and SH but I prefer Icom as I like the interface.

As to your HH problem you did not say how old your HH is as the problem sounds like a duff battery. All batteries have a finite lifespan and 5 years is a good benchmark if it can be replaced.
Click to expand...
I bought it in July 2019, so rather new. Also, once I had issues with communicating with the race officer - another boat had to relay. I think I will buy SH then.
 
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