What budget VHF please?

[harvey38]

Not sure what your budget is but I have a Standard Horizon 1850GPS/E with the secondary RAM mic.
Brilliant piece of kit, simple to use menu, very clear audio, quality lead and socket for the secondary, full function mic.

 

[Daydream believer]

Not sure what your budget is but I have a Standard Horizon 1850GPS/E with the secondary RAM mic.
Brilliant piece of kit, simple to use menu, very clear audio, quality lead and socket for the secondary, full function mic.

I need a new VHF,to replace my 20 year old Simrad, which is only being outed because the covering on the fist mike lead has expired exposing the wires. At present I have coated them in a rubber compound, but that could go wrong at the "best moment"- as they do.

Anybody else comment on this SH VHF please. I see Paul Rainbow has put a like on it which must be a plus. But I would like to bump it for any other comments .
I cannot understand why others are so much dearer. I do not actually need the AIS function as I have that sync'd to my chart plotter where I can see it. However, ATIS for the Dutch canals would be good. This one will fit the hole in the panel with little alteration which helps. Its white screen suits my eyes better as well. I hate the orange ones. I would also like to have our sailing clubs private channel programmed in if possible for race info. Is that possible?
Likes/dislikes- please

 

[Refueler]

Marine super store used to have a bad reputation- going back many years, so could have been sorted by now.

IT IS LIKELY THAT I AM MISTAKEN ABOUT THE REPUTATION OF MARINE SUPER STORE - see a few posts below.

Given the lack of interest to help in my visit couple weeks back by Marine Super Store people - I shall not be gracing their doorway again unless absolutely necessary. Store was near empty with them hanging around doing nothing but talk.

I was visiting UK and of course doing the rounds with my 'shopping list' ....

 

[PaulRainbow]

I need a new VHF,to replace my 20 year old Simrad, which is only being outed because the covering on the fist mike lead has expired exposing the wires. At present I have coated them in a rubber compound, but that could go wrong at the "best moment"- as they do.

Anybody else comment on this SH VHF please. I see Paul Rainbow has put a like on it which must be a plus. But I would like to bump it for any other comments .
I cannot understand why others are so much dearer. I do not actually need the AIS function as I have that sync'd to my chart plotter where I can see it. However, ATIS for the Dutch canals would be good. This one will fit the hole in the panel with little alteration which helps. Its white screen suits my eyes better as well. I hate the orange ones. I would also like to have our sailing clubs private channel programmed in if possible for race info. Is that possible?
Likes/dislikes- please

Anything Standard Horizon is good, with good support.

The 1850GPS/E, mentioned above, is a good set, has NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 and can have a 2nd handset connected to it (fully functional), so you effectively get a 2nd VHF out in the cockpit.

The 1800GPS/E is basically the same as the 1850GPS/E, but without NMEA 2000, about £30 less money if you don't want N2K.

If you don't need N2K and don't want a 2nd handset, how about the GX1400 GPS/E ? About £160

By the way, neither of these have AIS.

 

[Daydream believer]

Anything Standard Horizon is good, with good support.

The 1850GPS/E, mentioned above, is a good set, has NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 and can have a 2nd handset connected to it (fully functional), so you effectively get a 2nd VHF out in the cockpit.

The 1800GPS/E is basically the same as the 1850GPS/E, but without NMEA 2000, about £30 less money if you don't want N2K.

If you don't need N2K and don't want a 2nd handset, how about the GX1400 GPS/E ? About £160

By the way, neither of these have AIS.

Thanks for comment
I cannot see ATIS listed. Are you aware if it is. Handy for Dutch canals as it complies with Dutch regs.
Having the second mike could be OK, but how do you know what channel you are on (except for 16, which is a button press)? If in contact with CG on routine call & they say change to 67, how do you know you are on 67 without going below to see the screen on the VHF
I would want to inc N2K for poss future connectivity although I am not sure what to as I do prefer keeping stuff separate to avoid entire system collapse.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks for comment
I cannot see ATIS listed. Are you aware if it is. Handy for Dutch canals as it complies with Dutch regs.

Yes, it does ATIS

Having the second mike could be OK, but how do you know what channel you are on (except for 16, which is a button press)? If in contact with CG on routine call & they say change to 67, how do you know you are on 67 without going below to see the screen on the VHF

The handset is fully functional, which means you can see what channel you are on, change channels, adjust volume etc, pretty much everything you can do from the main set.

I would want to inc N2K for poss future connectivity although I am not sure what to as I do prefer keeping stuff separate to avoid entire system collapse.

It's sometimes handy to share data over a network. Network failure should not affect the use of the VHF, it would still work stand alone, as a rule.

VHF - GX1850GPS/E - Standard Horizon

Handset - Standard Horizon RAM4 Wired Remote Microphone - SSM-70H

 

[wonkywinch]

Standard Horizon is the marine division of Yaesu who have an excellent reputation in the amateur radio market.

 

[Daydream believer]

Yes, it does ATIS



The handset is fully functional, which means you can see what channel you are on, change channels, adjust volume etc, pretty much everything you can do from the main set.

It's sometimes handy to share data over a network. Network failure should not affect the use of the VHF, it would still work stand alone, as a rule.

VHF - GX1850GPS/E - Standard Horizon

Handset - Standard Horizon RAM4 Wired Remote Microphone - SSM-70H

Thanks
Much apreciated

 

[PaulRainbow]

Thanks
Much apreciated

Most welcome.

 

[jwfrary]

I can certainly tell you not to buy a Simrad/navico radios.... Fail just outside warrenty!

Replaced for sailor radios, but if I were you then yes standard horizon are cracking sets and icom are probobly on a par these days as well just with a bigger price.

 

[ghostlymoron2]

I had a standard horizon explorer 1700 in my little Leisure 20. Fantastic spec for the money with built in DSC and GPS as well as basic navigation facility. SH are consistently top of the pops when it comes to design, quality and reliability.

 

[[193211]]

I’ve got a SH 1700 Explorer that came with the boat and I recently added the RAM3+ in the cockpit. Tiny boat but I sail one up often. The RAM is a really useful upgrade for not much £. Fully featured and bombproof.

 

[Fairweather Sailor]

Fitted the SH GX 1850GPS/E, with the RAM unit in the cockpit in the spring, super piece of kit, the RAM has an integrated speaker also. Only issue is despite having a Raymarine backbone for NMEA 2000 (with RM plotter & RM AIS), it will not pick up the GPS signal from the chart plotter through the SeaTalk NG backbone cable. However, the VHF has an inbuilt GPS, so picks up the signal easily enough & displays on both the VHF & RAM, very good set.

 

[ithet]

I’ve got a SH 1700 Explorer that came with the boat and I recently added the RAM3+ in the cockpit. Tiny boat but I sail one up often. The RAM is a really useful upgrade for not much £. Fully featured and bombproof.

Yes the SH1700 looked a great bit of kit and the cheapest set you could add a remote mike to. Alas no longer in production it seems.

 

[Northern Star]

I have had a standard horizon for five years but also have a couple of these as spares and general walkie talkies as you can programme them for PBR and PMR plus the marine frequencies too: Baofeng UV-9R Plus IP67 Waterproof UHF/VHF Walkie Talkie Two Way Radio +Earpiece | eBay

 

[st599]

I would want to inc N2K for poss future connectivity although I am not sure what to as I do prefer keeping stuff separate to avoid entire system collapse.

NMEA have deprecated the CANbus NMEA 2000 in favour of the new NMEA OneNet spec.

Will be interesting to see how long it takes to take over, the chipsets have much wider availability, networking is easier and can share network with all your other kit and you can do a lot more with 1 Gbps compared to 2000's 250 kbps.

 

[Alicatt]

Thanks for comment
I cannot see ATIS listed. Are you aware if it is. Handy for Dutch canals as it complies with Dutch regs.
Having the second mike could be OK, but how do you know what channel you are on (except for 16, which is a button press)? If in contact with CG on routine call & they say change to 67, how do you know you are on 67 without going below to see the screen on the VHF
I would want to inc N2K for poss future connectivity although I am not sure what to as I do prefer keeping stuff separate to avoid entire system collapse.

Remember the radio regulations are changing in a few EU countries on 1/1/24, people from my marina have been going to get their radios reprogramed and updated for the compulsory change on 1st Jan.
My boat licence came through yesterday with MMSI and ATIS codes for use on the inland waterways so I'm off looking for a radio too.
But I think I will be ordering from the UK as the prices here are astronomical, the difference in price would cover the costs to drive to the UK and pick one up from a shop there!

Standard Horizon is the marine division of Yaesu who have an excellent reputation in the amateur radio market.

Happy user of Yaesu since 1980, but used others too, I have a FT-480R for 2m and a FT895D for HF to UHF use as an amateur radio operator.

I can certainly tell you not to buy a Simrad/navico radios.... Fail just outside warrenty!

Replaced for sailor radios, but if I were you then yes standard horizon are cracking sets and icom are probobly on a par these days as well just with a bigger price.

For my sins I used to install Sailor MF/HF and Simrad VHF radios for Decca Radar back in the early 1970s, Sailor I liked, but Simrad not so much.

 

[Graham_Wright]

That's what I got. It works and is relatively inexpensive.

No need to spend more unless you need a remote mike.

We have a remote mic with a SH but the voice output from thr mic it is very faint. You need a cockpit speaker as well.

 

[Refueler]

I have had so many VHF's over the years ... Nasa ...Midland ... and a few others of the old 5600 type ... dependable but of course non GPS / DSC ... in fact I still have two on the bench in full working order ....

When I decided to go DSC ... Latvia was limited in brands and basically Cobra was the one most were selling ... price was good as well - without the usual 'Baltic markup' ..... ie - Icom prices were over-inflated from UK's prices so much it was crazy. Not a great fan of Icom anyway ... loved their old HH's though.
Recently having bought another boat - it came with an old non DSC Sailor VHF ... excellent set with a telephone handset !! But non DSC. Back online to check out prices and availability ... Standard Horizon had by now appeared better stocked than before. Price was good as well. In fact just dipped under the Cobra 77 radio that I really like. Credit Card details sent ... radio arrived.

mmmmm nice and compact but I don't like the permanent mic cable ... sorry but having had a couple of radios suffer damage to mics - and been able to unplug - replace ... I think this is a poor point of the SH. Even the Cobra - which I know there are those on this forum who shout down Cobra - has a replaceable mic by unplugging. The connection is waterproof by a sensible fitted sleeve.

I see mention of ATIS .... most DSC radios sold with EU rating have ATIS .... so really that's not a brand item.

 

[PaulRainbow]

I have had so many VHF's over the years ... Nasa ...Midland ... and a few others of the old 5600 type ... dependable but of course non GPS / DSC ... in fact I still have two on the bench in full working order ....

When I decided to go DSC ... Latvia was limited in brands and basically Cobra was the one most were selling ... price was good as well - without the usual 'Baltic markup' ..... ie - Icom prices were over-inflated from UK's prices so much it was crazy. Not a great fan of Icom anyway ... loved their old HH's though.
Recently having bought another boat - it came with an old non DSC Sailor VHF ... excellent set with a telephone handset !! But non DSC. Back online to check out prices and availability ... Standard Horizon had by now appeared better stocked than before. Price was good as well. In fact just dipped under the Cobra 77 radio that I really like. Credit Card details sent ... radio arrived.

mmmmm nice and compact but I don't like the permanent mic cable ... sorry but having had a couple of radios suffer damage to mics - and been able to unplug - replace ... I think this is a poor point of the SH. Even the Cobra - which I know there are those on this forum who shout down Cobra - has a replaceable mic by unplugging. The connection is waterproof by a sensible fitted sleeve.

I see mention of ATIS .... most DSC radios sold with EU rating have ATIS .... so really that's not a brand item.

Very, very few current VHFs have removable handsets, except for most black box ones.