Looking for recommendations on a LOUD handheld Marine VHF radio, please.

Posted by lowflash@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 10 comments

As the topic says, we are looking for recommendations on a LOUD (as in the internal speaker) handheld Marine VHF radio, please.

It's time to replace our radios for race committee use. We have a kit of Standard Horizon HX-210s and their speakers just don't have the umph when conditions are noisy re: motors running, sails flogging, raining, etc. Standard Horizon, Icom, and other quality brands are what I'm looking for - no Cobras, Unidens, etc. please. Waterproof and floating are required features.

Annoyingly, many makers don't publish the speaker output power in their specs for all their radios. So, I'm asking for folks with practical experience. I'll assume that if it isn't published it's low output power.

WX reception is a nice feature of course. I'd like to hear about any other features folks have found helpful or necessary for safety.

We are on an inland waterway but have commercial traffic, so we do talk to tow boat captains too.

Thanks!

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SVAuspicious@reddit

u/lowflash,

I have been a radio guy for over fifty years, longer than I've been sailing - only forty five years. *grin* Duration is of course o guarantee of expertise.

Assumptions: race committee is on club members boat and the committee moves around from one race to the next. The club buys the radios.

For club radios you want all the handhelds to be the same for charging and warranty and service.

Your options are loud radios (hard to find that are really loud), speaker mics (closer to one's ear), or Bluetooth headsets. There is another option I'll get to in a minute.

For handhelds I'd go the speaker mic route. Bluetooth will be better but there are hygiene issues that are difficult to manage.

I have a predisposition toward Icom radios with no real basis. Standard Horizon makes good stuff and in a lot of areas they are ahead of the competition.

Here is what I would do. I'd put a fixed marine VHF radio that supports wireless remote handsets in a Pelican case with a small battery, battery charger, and a plug for 12VDC from your host boat. Get a powered Motorola commercial speaker and wire that in (most marine VHF radios have a jack so this is easy). Everyone within three boat lengths will be able to hear. If it works on a FedEx truck in a hail storm it will work for you. The remote handsets avoid any feedback issues and keep people from falling over each other to reach the fixed mic. You'll still want a few handhelds for mark boats.

Putting this all together is pretty straightforward. If it seems intimidating reach out to a local ham radio kit and tell them you want help with a go-kit. They'll probably get all excited and do it for you. Take them for a boat ride. You may learn something.

Holler if you want more detail. I'm happy to help.

seamus_mc@reddit

I have a bone conducting Bluetooth headset for communicating on deck. I believe standard horizon has Bluetooth compatible VHFs. The ones i use are just FRS not VHF but the concept should work the same.

NumerousTooth3921@reddit

What brand is your headset?

Shokz

Foolserrand376@reddit

I have the horizon hx210 and and an icom m72 Both are suitably loud. The 210 floats. I don’t think the m72 floats.

Has some good specs on radios. http://www.wiscointl.com/index.htm

Both of the above speakers I think are .6watts

Candygramformrmongo@reddit

I have the HX 890. Floats, GPS, MMSI and DSC calling, nice big dsiplay. "700mW Loud Audio and Noise Canceling Function for both TX/RX audio" per the website.

I have the HX210 also, never had an issue with volume and like the more compact size, but wanted the additional features.

2airishuman@reddit

Standard Horizon HX380 is louder than your average bear. I have 4 of them. Great radios. Tough. Waterproof but doesn't float. I had some other radio that was similar to the HX210 and the HX380 is much louder than that one was.

I would suggest you rethink your requirement for the radio to float. How often do you lose them overboard and recover them? Floating in my book just means they go to New Orleans instead of to the bottom. On the other hand if you really want them to float you can clip a big cork or something to them. Would you rather have loud than floaty?

I added an external speaker in the cockpit to my (permanently installaed) VHF and it has made for a huge improvement in clarity of communications in the conditions you describe. Not sure what things are like where you are but until recently I was spending a lot of time on the Mississippi near St. Paul and it's important to talk to the bridges, the locks, the commercial traffic, and just other boats. I put a permanently mounted radio in my 26' sailboat for that. Have moved my boating to Lake Superior where the radio actually matters less for the most part... Anyway I realize that the committee boats are probably volunteers who may not see the vhf as a high priority, but good permanently mounted vhfs are not expensive these days