Vhf advice.

[potentillaCO32]

Looking for a dsc vhf to install in my contessa. I have a seperate AIS transceiver, and a chartplotter so don't need any features other than a radio.

The price difference seems huge, from 170 up to 800 ish. I know the top end have ais displays that i don't need but the price variance does seem large.

Has anyone bought a standard horizon gx1400 (170 ish quid) and regretted it? I have their handheld and it is fine.

 

[Pinnacle]

If you buy a Standard Horizon or an Icom you won’t go far wrong.

 

[Dellquay13]

I am happy with my gx1500, it’s the previous DSc model without built in gps, but if money wasn’t an issue I’d be happy upgrading to the 1400 gps version, (so I wouldn’t have to have the plotter on to make the DSc work.)

 

[Refueler]

I have a Cobra DSC on one boat and a Standard Horizon on another ... which do I prefer ? both do the job and reason for different brands on the boats ... I would have bought another Cobra - but the SH was on special offer and beat it on price.

 

[Plum]

Looking for a dsc vhf to install in my contessa. I have a seperate AIS transceiver, and a chartplotter so don't need any features other than a radio.

The price difference seems huge, from 170 up to 800 ish. I know the top end have ais displays that i don't need but the price variance does seem large.

Has anyone bought a standard horizon gx1400 (170 ish quid) and regretted it? I have their handheld and it is fine.

Having an inbuilt GPS receiver, as already said, is good so the vhf dsc is self contained. If you are likely to sail to the Netherlands then ensure whatever you buy allows you to switch ATIS on and off without having to take it to an agent to reconfigure each time.

My SH GX1700e came with a seperate slip of paper with instruction that were not in the main manual document

 

[Kwik Decision]

If you buy a Standard Horizon or an Icom you won’t go far wrong.

Agreed. If it were me I'd buy the cheapest SH or Icom unit which did everything I needed it to.

Also worth considering a command mike in the cockpit, if the main VHF is down stairs. Our SH command mike allows the volume to be different to the main set, so turned up for those on watch in the cockpit, and turned down in the cabin, when people are sleeping. This is good until there's a DSC securitee (sp?) alarm which wakes everyone...

 

[snowbird30ds]

I had a navman on my old boat and it was utter crap and killed my confidence in vhf, since changing to a SH gx1500 I've been far more trusting of it, SH or Icom every time for me now.

 

[wonkywinch]

Standard Horizon is the marine product range of Yaesu who have a very long and reputable name in the amateur radio business.

 

[potentillaCO32]

Gone for the standard horizon 1400 gps.

 

[DanTribe]

Looking for a dsc vhf to install in my contessa. I have a seperate AIS transceiver, and a chartplotter so don't need any features other than a radio.

The price difference seems huge, from 170 up to 800 ish. I know the top end have ais displays that i don't need but the price variance does seem large.

Has anyone bought a standard horizon gx1400 (170 ish quid) and regretted it? I have their handheld and it is fine.

I have a Standard Horizon GX1600E and it has been fine. I do find changing settings rather fiddly and always have to get the instructions out first. Just returned from Holland and not yet managed to turn off ATIS.
If there is a way to disable the DSC alarm it would be a bonus. Last weekend it was going off every few minutes. I've recently bought a handheld for cockpit use and seldom bother with the fixed radio.