BigBird007
Crew Member
What does everyone recommend for a budget friendly VHF radio?
New VHF Radio
- Thread starter BigBird007
- Start date
23Hourston
Well-Known Member
I just got the icom 330g around 250 ish
It feels really cheap and the bracket design really limits the angle. But it is a small unit
It feels really cheap and the bracket design really limits the angle. But it is a small unit
RevyG
Crew Member
I just went through the same thing...after lots of searching I went with Standard Horizon GX1400GPS, good reviews and I liked the built in gps for safety. It is nice and small so it won't take up a lot of space, another thing I like. It's overwhelming trying to figure out which one, so many out there. I couldn't beat Amazon, delivered in a couple days, as much as I like supporting local, with work and the state of things right now it just worked out. Picked up a nice TRAM rail clamp antenna as well, less holes in my boat. About 300$ together.
I went through this a few years back and did a fair bit of research. I came to the conclusion that all the main brand marine radios offer similar basic performance and what is most important is range, speaker volume and clarity. The rest is bells and whistles which you pay more for, which are nice but can be overly complicated, and all newer radios have DSC with the automated emergency call button.
What is most imporatant is the antenna. I came to a conclusion that it is better to have a modest radio and a well positioned high end antenna than it is to have a modest antenna and a high end radio if money is a concern.
At the time I went with the Standard Horizon GX1700 Explorer GPS which replaced an ancient, non DSC, Horizan Titan + (which I assume is an early Standard Horizon predecessor) I assume the old Horizon radio must have been a higher end radio for its day as it is superior to the new unit in one imporatant aspect, which is the power of the amplifyer and quality of the built in speaker. In short the old radio is loud and can be better heard over the noise of the big 225 outboard with its Opti roar at higher rpm etc. I have wondered if it is possible to hook up the output of the GX1700 to a seperate self powered speaker to improve its speaker volume performance in a high ambient noise situation.
I would also like to get a newer modern type Standard Horizon conector plug for the old radio but have not found one so far and don't know if they are propietary. I like the idea of reduncency on the boat and If I could find a modern plug for the old radio (which is not worth selling as it likely worth only about 20 bucks) I would vacuum pack it and leave it on the boat as a full 25 watt emergency back up radio which could be swapped out fast should the new radio ever fail. I have a six watt handheld backup, but they are useless for anything but short range.
PS if you buy a modern used DSC radio which has been registered with the Feds, I think you will need to have it reset and registered to your boat and I have the impression that can be a bit of a PITA. If you ever have to press the emergency button you do not want them searching for the wrong boat and owner.
What is most imporatant is the antenna. I came to a conclusion that it is better to have a modest radio and a well positioned high end antenna than it is to have a modest antenna and a high end radio if money is a concern.
At the time I went with the Standard Horizon GX1700 Explorer GPS which replaced an ancient, non DSC, Horizan Titan + (which I assume is an early Standard Horizon predecessor) I assume the old Horizon radio must have been a higher end radio for its day as it is superior to the new unit in one imporatant aspect, which is the power of the amplifyer and quality of the built in speaker. In short the old radio is loud and can be better heard over the noise of the big 225 outboard with its Opti roar at higher rpm etc. I have wondered if it is possible to hook up the output of the GX1700 to a seperate self powered speaker to improve its speaker volume performance in a high ambient noise situation.
I would also like to get a newer modern type Standard Horizon conector plug for the old radio but have not found one so far and don't know if they are propietary. I like the idea of reduncency on the boat and If I could find a modern plug for the old radio (which is not worth selling as it likely worth only about 20 bucks) I would vacuum pack it and leave it on the boat as a full 25 watt emergency back up radio which could be swapped out fast should the new radio ever fail. I have a six watt handheld backup, but they are useless for anything but short range.
PS if you buy a modern used DSC radio which has been registered with the Feds, I think you will need to have it reset and registered to your boat and I have the impression that can be a bit of a PITA. If you ever have to press the emergency button you do not want them searching for the wrong boat and owner.
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