Wot VHF

wooslehunter

wooslehunter

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Hi All,

I've finally decided to upgrade my old VHF to DSC. I've already searched for threads but would appreciate any other comments.
The radio is mounted inside so I don't really need waterproof but it would help.

I'm considering:

Navman 7100/7200 - are the differences worth the cash?
Nasa SX35 - looks OK but only splash proof
Silva S10 - looks OK but no knobs for vol/squelch/channel.
XM - cheap. Any downsides thouugh.

Anyone have any comments on the radios above & the best deals at the moment.

Anyone have any better ideas (apart from go to the pub instead)?

Anyone have any problems interfacing the GPS or any other annoying problemslike alarms going off all the time. Only happy when a GPS signal is present etc etc.

Yes I know about Icom & would gladly install an M601 if someone would give me one but I'm not in the market to spend 450 quid plus.

Ta,

Dave

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If you fancy the functions & the quality of the Icom you could look at the Standard VM3500E. It does everything that the Icom can do with volume that woill have blood running from your ears & good clarity of Tranmission/Reception.

I've just bought one & am very pleased. Still £300 though.

Martin

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Navman is good value if you can get it discounted. Nice looking set, clear display with reasonably sized lettering (I can read essential info on mine without my glasses), and nicely styled set. Setup menus seem to be reasonably clear once you have read the book. I paid just under £180 for mine.

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If you really must change - (you will soon regret doing so), make sure that you keep the old set so you can re-fit it when you have become totally fed up with the constant dsc alarms. The other alternative is to switch your nice new set off!

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I went for the XM as it seemed to do everything I wanted it to do at a budget price. I've had no problems at all. Connected it to the GPS ok (with help, thanks again Steve) and haven't had an alarm since. Listened to Holyhead Coastguard whilst in Cardigan so no problems with the receive range.

<hr width=100% size=1>Of all the things I've lost - I miss my mind the most!
 
Icom have just released the M421 at about £240. Good quality but more than the other sets you mention .....

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what constant alarms, if its connected to a GPS - no alarms in any event you can disable them, then whats the point of upgrading if not connected to GPS

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Its hard to see why you would regret fitting DSC. Its a bit like having a Liferaft , at least as far as the Emengency transmissions go, you buy it, you fit it & you hope you never need it.

I have sailed for many days in the English Channel over the past few years & only once or twice have I heard the Alarms. Thankfully then it was not for someone needing assistance.

DSC may not be perfect but it does get a little monotonous when all people do is look for excuses to knock the new technology.

I suppose there's comfort in what you know!

Martin

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ALL DSC sets are made such that you can neither turn off nor adjust the volume of the DSC alert alarms for Maydays, All ships alerts etc. This has nothing to do with the set being connected to a GPS or not, it is intended to draw your attention to the message being transmitted, at the same time (like it or not, it is not in your control) it will helpfully switch your set to the channel it wants you to listen to. The noise, at least on a sailboat is unbelievably loud, especially if as is usual the set is mounted below at the nav table near where offwatch crew might be asleep. The alarm can only be silenced by manually pressing a key on the set, so each and every time this means a trip below, irritating in the extreme when some alerts are repeated every 20 minutes. If you have a waterproof set outside easily reached by on watch crew it might be OK, though the noise is such that you might jump overboard..... All that was needed was a user settable volume control, but we are apparrently not trusted to have that.

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>
 
Martin

On the return from the Forum Cherbourg cruise the alarms were every 20 minutes, from Joburg Traffic Control, same message repeated ad nauseam. There was another from Solent CG initiated by Jimi's report to them of a container seen drifting, but they didn't repeat it continuously. After the 4th trip below in just over an hour to silence the Joburg Traffic alert, our set was switched off for a couple of hours - is this what they want? The other problem is that the alert goes out on CH70 where there is no other traffic, understandably therefore it has extreme range capabilities, far beyond the range of the channel IT switches your set to - only to find sometimes a deafening silence. At the same time IT has chosen to switch your channel immediately, so if you were listening for example to a weather forecast tough luck you have just missed it, all very well for a Mayday but not IMHO for a warning to keep clear of a deep draft ship in a TSS 80 miles away!

Is this really progress?

Robin

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>
 
Just bought a NAVMAN 7200. Very happy so far, easy to use, good volume and a swanky function to remove distant transmissions, don't know if this includes DSC alerts too.

Had one DCS alert for a gale warning from the coastguard in around 3 weekends of listening, so it must be an English Channel thing.

Is it worth the extra dosh over the 7100.

I would say yes reasons I waited for the 7200

Bigger screen.
Full numeric keypad (well worth it) you can key in channels in 1 or 2 key strokes
Proper channel selector as well as volume and squelch (essential IMO)
I really like the 24 hr trend barometer, works even when radio turned off.
full radio function from the mike, so I can stay by the helm. see numeric key pad
looks neat and tidy
dual watch, 4 channel watch, full scan with dual watch.
Track your buddy - you can find the posn. of a friends boat who has a similar set, handy for cruising in company.

Could live without

happy fisher (waste of time for me)


Would like
a switch on the external speaker (I will fit one, but would have been nice to be included)
Some sets with loud hailers also have fog horn facility, would really like this.

Would definitely recommend the 7200 alongside it's competition, it is a budget price with all the features.

hope this helps


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk>Woof</A>
 
Perhaps the answer to your criticism is that its not the radio system thats at fault but the Bloody Frogs for their ludicrous tranmissions. I must confess that the only time the alarm went off this year was when the French sent out a signal as you describe. We were bashing across Lyme Bay at the time. Not too relevant to Cherbourg there.

I have bought a set with a remote Mike, Really useful in a 26 footer, but at least 'll be able to turn it off quick.

Martin


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<that its not the radio system thats at fault but the Bloody Frogs for their ludicrous tranmissions>

I too have experienced the regular French bad weather DSC warnings,which do get a bit boring. However, how many French boats get into trouble in heavy weather in their coastal waters compared with say the Solent? How many French boats are heard calling for weather forecasts from the CG in their coastal waters compared with the UK South Coast? Perhaps their overkill works!

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Ah well, I cant quote you any figures for French Casualties. My only experience is that the only Boat I have ever rescued from a Mayday(Red Flare) was French.

Martin

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Jobourg Traffic Control are the main offender, we didn't hear anything from Ushant traffic whilst in S Brittany but we WERE picking up Jobourg Alerts (but not the message itself on CH80 which our set was switched to by the DSC alert. However the Royal Navy have been known to do the over and over repeats ref firing exercises.

As you say if your set has a remote mike that will at least give you some control and you an stop the alert quickly.

The problem with Jobourg's multiple transmissions is that you assume EVERY alert is from them and you just hit 'end' and go back to 16 or the channel you were on, we nearly missed the Solent warning re Jimi's container because it was assumed to be Jobourg again, but noticed that the selected channel was 67 not 80. This is what 'crying wolf' does.

Robin

<hr width=100% size=1><font size=1>Sermons from my pulpit are with tongue firmly in cheek and come with no warranty!</font size=1>
 
I thought he meant the "you are not receiving a GPS signal" alarm. I have mine in Spain and never heard another alarm or alert

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I never cease to be amazed on these fora, at the amount of Venom that results from posts on two subjects. DSC Radio is one the other is the, dare I say it, the Macgreggor 26(have I spelt that right).

The thing that is most noticable is that those who criticise, very often, have no direct experience of either.

Martin

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