Opinions on Cobra-HH350 HH VHF

[WindermereColvic]

Evening all,

I'm looking a cheep handheld, but need it to be waterproof enough to survive a few capsizes, which seems to rule out some of the really cheep ones.
So, dose anyone have any opinions or experience on these?

Thanks,

Matt

 

[PetiteFleur]

If that is the cheapy at about £50 then I have one which I bought last year. Seems ok but only used on a couple of occasions. It has rechargeable AAA batteries which did not seem to last at all so bought some much larger ah ones. There is a battery 'gauge' which did not seem accurate, after using briefly it showed almost empty! (on the original batteries) It also takes several hours to charge from a 12v socket.
On reflection I should have paid more to get a better vhf. Also it is only 3w max whereas most are 5w.

 

[pvb]

I'm not a great fan of Cobra radios. For the same £100 budget, you could get a Standard Horizon HX300E, a good radio from a respected maker, which has a 50% bigger capacity Li-Ion battery, also floats, etc.

 

[alexmmacd]

My experience has been that the rechargeable pack does not recharge after a relatively short life. My use is very rare but I want to keep the handset for emergency use in a fully charged state. I understand this type of battery may require discharge and recharge in a frequent basis.
A replacement battery shows the same problem.

I'd welcome advice about any remedy.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I'm not a great fan of Cobra radios. For the same £100 budget, you could get a Standard Horizon HX300E, a good radio from a respected maker, which has a 50% bigger capacity Li-Ion battery, also floats, etc.

Also not a Cobra fan, anything Standard Horizon or Icom is a much better choice.

 

[jwilson]

Evening all,

I'm looking a cheep handheld, but need it to be waterproof enough to survive a few capsizes, which seems to rule out some of the really cheep ones.
So, dose anyone have any opinions or experience on these?

Thanks,

Matt

I have one, works well as a call the marina radio in the cockpit of a yacht but if you really expect to submerge it ocassionally I'd buy a SH most of which seem to have a 3 year waterproof warranty.

 

[Bru]

I've got a cheap Cobra which lives in my tool bag. It's OK for calling water taxis and checking if a customer's VHF is transmitting and receiving but for serious use it on the water it's frankly rubbish

Spend slightly more and get a Standard Horizon (or Icom but I personally prefer the SH kit)

 

[Caer Urfa]

Evening all,

I'm looking a cheep handheld, but need it to be waterproof enough to survive a few capsizes, which seems to rule out some of the really cheep ones.
So, dose anyone have any opinions or experience on these?

Thanks,

Matt

Hi
I am a big fan of Standard Horizon equipment and have their Matrix AIS dsc radio and SH 300i plotter which performs very well, however for the past five years I have also a Cobra HH330 hand held VHF radio (also waterproof) as a back up which to be fare has been dropped a few times, soaked a few times but has performed well and still does.

Mike

 

[Topcat47]

They aren't the most powerful units, I have had trouble with mine calling SCG from within the Solent. No battery problems, though. I won't buy another, but as long as it functions, I probably won't replace it either.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

Bought two of them last year for sailing school use, i.e. communication between boats in sight of each other. We just wanted something cheap and cheerful, although waterproof to supplement our existing Icoms and SH350s, because use by instructors on small keelboats can damage them pretty quickly, both from the rough and tumble involved, and the mistreatment they might get from people who haven't read the instructions and who haven't shelled out their own money on them. They are light in weight, easy and intuitive to use, and have the kind of range and auditory clarity we require of them.
To date, one is working perfectly, using about 75% of battery capacity while on standby and being used occasionally during an eight-hour day. The other one, sadly, will now not receive, nor respond to any button-presses, although it switches on, and the battery lasts a bit longer than the other one, (sealed units, not individual AAA-cells as mentioned by PetiteFleur in post#2). I can see damage to the buttons on the front, so probably water ingress. Pity its just out of warranty!