Hand Held VHF - Standard Horizon HX300E or what?

JBJag27 said:
Surely any handheld sold today is rainproof? Most can be submerged.
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Correct, but there is (or was) a bargain-basement Cobra model which is not waterproof. It comes with a really cheesy transparent PVC cover/bag, that makes it at least splashproof (but I wouldn't trust it against submersion). I think it was originally a PMR446 walkie-talkie which has had the insides modified very slightly; the buttons don't really make sense for VHF and it's a bit confusing to use. Not recommended unless you have some special need for basic VHF functionality at the absolute lowest possible price.

It's a pity really as the higher-spec Cobra models are perfectly reasonable radios (albeit perhaps not quite SH / Icom standard). The cheap model really devalues their brand.

Pete
 
I wanted to replace a defunct handheld a few weeks ago. After lots of research I decided on the HX300E, only to find that no supplier had one in stock, or could expect delivery for several weeks. Maybe that's changed now. I got an Entel HT20 quickly for £110 from Marinestore - waterproof, seems to have enough channels, charges from 240V or 12V, and good reviews "outstanding audio volume and clarity ... loud and strong ... 18 hours' talk time ... 2000 mAh lithium-ion battery".
 
pvb said:
All versions of the HX300 can do that, but only the UK-specific version has M1 & M2.
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To be completely accurate, the HX300E is the Euro version which helpfully has channel sets user-selectable for UK, Netherlands and Belgium.
HX300S is US version to be avoided.

The Cobra HH125 whilst a bit limited does have M and M2. Splashproof is the description.
 
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Check out the cobra hh500. Some piece of kit. Bluetooth for the phone, water proof, floats and repeats/records last transmission in case you missed it. Battery last ages between charges, charged from mains and or 12v. Can also take AA in emergency.
 
QBhoy said:
Check out the cobra hh500. Some piece of kit. Bluetooth for the phone, water proof, floats and repeats/records last transmission in case you missed it. Battery last ages between charges, charged from mains and or 12v. Can also take AA in emergency.
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The price is creeping up! If you were tempted to pay £159 for a Cobra, you might as well spend fifty quid more and get an all-singing, all-dancing Standard Horizon HX870E with integral GPS and DSC capability.
 
pvb said:
The price is creeping up! If you were tempted to pay £159 for a Cobra, you might as well spend fifty quid more and get an all-singing, all-dancing Standard Horizon HX870E with integral GPS and DSC capability.
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Oops. Edited my post. It was the HX870 that I bought.
 
I got mine for £129, I'm sure. Search around. It has a high power setting greater or equal to the best of them. Think it 6 watts.
 
PaulRainbow said:
Although i have the Standard Horizon HX870, DSC and can run from std batteries.
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Reduced transmission power though?

No Regrets said:
After previous Icom issues, I bought a tiny cheap Cobra hand held for £55. Its rechargeable (AAA, so replacements cheap as chips) and lasts forever. Works just fine, but not floaty. Absolutely delighted! (Icom replacement battery or charger cost more than value of my old VHF....so baled out as it wasn't exceptional in any way)
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Your NiMH AAA batteries need babied comared to LiIon, so doesn't meet the OP's spec. Is that £55 Cobra max 3W? Depends on the use case if that matters...

PaulRainbow said:
I see no difference in quality or support between Icom and SH, both are excellent. But, in this instance, the SH is a fair bit cheaper.
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The user interfaces are different. It depends how much you will do anything other than change from 16 to M1 and back... Some users will prefer one over the other. (Things like tagging channels for scanning, setting dual / tri watch, changing to working channels, setting squelch etc)

prv said:
Correct, but there is (or was) a bargain-basement Cobra model ... Not recommended unless you have some special need for basic VHF functionality at the absolute lowest possible price.
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At which point I'd stray to a Beuofung... Half the price and configurable to exactly what you want with some patience.

QBhoy said:
I got mine for £129, I'm sure. Search around. It has a high power setting greater or equal to the best of them. Think it 6 watts.
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Does 5W or 6W really make any practical difference. I'd love to see a real world test showing better range.

gandy said:
My prejudice is towards Icom, but as far as I can determine their entry level set M25 can only use it's internal lithium battery, and the next model M35 seems to only have mains charging (from consulting the PDF manual).
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There are two charging cradles - BC173 is 12V input so will run from a 12V supply (12hr charge). The other needs 16V (2hr charge). That said... I'd take USB charging especially if it doesn't need a cradle... so the SH is winning for me!

Someone said the HX300 battery is bigger - would need to check but is the Icom not 7.2V and the SH 3.7V so you need to half the mAh to compare?
 
MikeCC said:
Yes, the HX300E IS the UK version, just that you can also select NL and BE extra channels as well. What the online manual doesn't include is the paper slip telling you how to do it.
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I think I tried that from a previous thread and it didn't work on mine.
 
Thanks everyone. Supplier (Cactus Navigation) says it will be the UK specific version, currently out of stock but I'm OK to wait a couple of weeks so have put my order in anyway.

ShinyShoe said:
Your NiMH AAA batteries need babied comared to LiIon, so doesn't meet the OP's spec.
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Yes and no on that aspect. A radio using standard AA or AAA batteries can at least have them removed and/or replaced without needing special parts from the manufacturer.
 
"Basic" and "Best" aren't necessarily exclusive. However in spite of my original prejudice, I can't see in what way I'd benefit by paying around twice as much to get the professional grade Icom, given that nobody seems to be saying that the HX300E is low quality.
 
gandy said:
"Basic" and "Best" aren't necessarily exclusive. However in spite of my original prejudice, I can't see in what way I'd benefit by paying around twice as much to get the professional grade Icom, given that nobody seems to be saying that the HX300E is low quality.
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Indeed, you can buy the best basic set :)

As i said before, i don't think there is anything to choose between SH and Icom in terms of quality and after sales service, both are excellent. It's simply a case of which particular model suits your needs and of course price.

IMO
 
Finally got my HX300E when they came back in stock. I think it will suit my use OK. You can pre-program a few frequently used channels for quick access. It arrived part charged (which is how Lithium batteries are supposed to be stored), charged up pretty quickly but I didn't time that. Over the weekend I had it switched on for most of the day on Sat, and half of Sunday, after which the battery was showing low but not empty. I think it will need charging more frequently than the old M3A, but we have USB charging available onboard.
 
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