Which DSC VHF radio

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jb185

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Can anyone recommend a good mid-lower priced DSC VHF radio for a small sailing boat that will only be doing coastal/creek sailing. I have read numerous reviews and product specifications and it seems to me that it comes down to the practical level such as is the display clear/bright enough, are voices audible etc? These are things that are hard to check out, (even at boat shows), whereas forum members have lived with their radios and discovered the pros and cons of their particular make/model. Is a second command mike essential or have you found that locating the radio by the companion way good enough? Fibreglass or stainless steel aerial?
Your personal opinions will lead me in the right direction. Any advice on which radio and aerial manufacturer to look at or avoid would be much appreciated.

Cheers
John
 
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I asked someone "in the business" this question about a year ago as one day my present old 1987-vintage VHF radio will no doubt pack up. He said that service backup was an often neglected factor and that Icom had a good service in the UK. I think that I'll go that way when the need arises.
 
Standard Horizon GX1500 is excellent and very good value. Many other threads on here come up with the same conclusion. I find the cockpit microphone RAM-Mic to be extremely useful and wouldn't be without it now

VTronix aerial with Hawk indicator is also good kit.
 
You might consider the Standard Horizon Matrix 2100 AIS if available over there. I paid $326.00 US for mine. It does AIS RX, DSC and most other features as well..
 
Another vote for Standard Horizon GX1500. I find it excellent, easy to use and with the option of adding a cockpit mike it should meet any aspirations that I have to add one at a later date. Pretty cheap too!
 
check the icom 411, doesn't have the second mike option but its a quality set, if you require the second mike option then the icom m505 is the next option, but at a much higher cost. they both have very good build quality..
 
Have a look on Ebay and enter the search for

Uniden Oceanus

there's a company on there that bought some job lot (all black) and I won one as an offer of £69.. he has them currently as a buy it now for £79 which is still a very good deal for the specification.. very happy with the radio especially considering it's the version with AIS & DSC options and illuminated keypad on the mic.
 
I have two one for each boat
On the sailing boat I have Cobra F55 it was £100 when I got it but not now!
http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/309/cobra-mr-f55-dsc-vhf-radio

On the barge I have a Midland Neptune 100 as I need ATIS for mainland canals
http://www.marinescene.co.uk/product/4764/midland-neptune-100-dsc-vhf-radio

The Cobra has M1 and M2 and the Midland doesnt

Both work well, the Midland has a slightly better receiver I can hear London VTS from home 30 miles north of London. The Cobra is 3 years old and hasnt missed a beat.
 
Sometimes the least expensive units have the weakest speaker systems. A knockoff Uniden we had a few years ago was weak in that regard. Standard is much louder for my aging ears. If you have a chance to compare in a chandlery, try some out. If not, learn to read specifications, which are available on vendors websites and sometimes in magazine reviews and catalogs. This has some interesting and helpful suggestions: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...sor/10001/-1/10001/VHF-Fixed-Mount-Radios.htm
 
I have the ICOM 505 with the command mike which is excellent. The 505 might not be the cheapest, but I would definitely go for a set with a command mike whichever you choose. It's one of those bits of kit that you wonder how you ever did without once you have one! I would also check out whether the command mike is fully functional, some do not have all the functions of the main set.
 
The Cobra 55 is a good, cheap unit; I paid about 120 euro for the one on my last boat (2006). A charter skipper installed one as a backup, but found the sound quality much better than with his much more expensive Icom
 
Thank you to all that have replied, it has been most informative and I can now spend my time checking out specific makes/models.

Thanks again
John
 
vyv_cox said:
Standard Horizon GX1500 is excellent and very good value. Many other threads on here come up with the same conclusion. I find the cockpit microphone RAM-Mic to be extremely useful and wouldn't be without it now

VTronix aerial with Hawk indicator is also good kit.
Click to expand...

Aside from the aerial, I have the same set up. For short handed sailing I would not now consider any VHF which did not have the cockpit RAM-Mic, which fully controls the VHF without having to go below. The Standard Horizon VHF is good quality kit at a reasonable price.
 
As the others have said - cheaper units sometimes have inferior (tinny) loudspeakers that are not as 'comfortable' to listen to.

I also have the Standard Horizon GX1500E. The only two problems I saw with it were (1) It was smaller than the previous radio so the hole in the navigation panel was rather too big & (2) the Volume control is black, the dot on it is black and the 'VOL' lettering is black.

Note to oneself - I need to tippex (white paint) over the 'VOL' lettering to make the volume control more readable - unless anyone can suggest anything else to make it more visible.
 
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