Good VHF radio in 2024?

[eekboom]

I am looking to buy a VHF radio with DSC, but I am a bit disappointed with the market selection:
There seem to be very few devices all in all and they have not really made much technological progress over the years.
For example, all come with a charging cradle. What good is that if I am on tour? I’d very much prefer a usb c port for charging.
Devices could be smaller and lighter. Loudspeakers louder. Standby-times longer. Displays brighter (and dimmer in the dark). Batteries easier to replace and rechargable outside of the device. Software support better (say easy planning of a tour and transferring waypoints to the radio for navigation).
Not to speak of new features like an integrated AIS SART transceiver.

My guess is that it is due to a combination of a very small market (on larger boats there is a fixed, feature-rich radio and handhelds are just an added bonus) plus a very conservative mindset (understandable because these are safety-critical devices).

Anyhow, see below - did I miss any relevant option?
The two market leader seem to be the ICOM IC-M94 and the Standard Horizon HX890E. Both highly praised and pretty similar feature-wise, except for the AIS receiver on the M94.
I am unsure of the added value of an AIS receiver in a handheld when kayaking. Anybody with practical experience here?

Then there is the Cobra MR-HH600. Some nice features that others do not have: Bluetooth connection to mobile phone for making and receiving phone calls on the radio (when in an area with mobile network reception of course). Battery can be charged directly in the cradle without the radio. „Rewind-say-again“ to listen to the last received 20 seconds. Works with AA batteries in a pinch.
Downside: Seems to completely miss a navigation feature with waypoints. Also, err, let‘s say it has not received the same praise for robustness as the first two.

I also looked at the Orange Marine WPF700: Cheaper, seems to have all basic features. On paper the loud speaker seems a little quiter and the transmission power is a little lower (5W instead of 6W). Any practical experience with this device? Seems to be good value for the money, but just not as common as other models (for a reason?)

Lastly, two devices that seem almost exotic: Navicom RT420 and Onwa KV-38. Same price range as the Standard Horizon HX890E, but less common and without any obvious added features. (Maybe except for charging over USB-C for the RT420, but I am not sure, because the only manual I found is in French ;-) )

You see I have done a bit of market research, but then again have no practical experience with any of these devices and feel there might well be common annoyances or great little features that do not present themselves on paper, but only in real life.

So: I am eager to hear from people who have actually used any of these!

[Max_W]

I’ve replied to your other post regarding DSC radios and protective cases, and have owned 2 x Standard Horizon HX890E radios. They’re good radios, but one was replaced under warranty for water ingress (at 2 yrs 10 months from new!) and I sold the second. I found that the battery didn’t always last a long day, and 2 multi-day expeditions highlighted the shortfall of cradle charging.

I now have an iCom M25 and love it. It is much smaller and the battery lasts longer; I have used it for 3 separate day trips on one charge, something I never achieved with the HX890. Admittedly I have also bought a PLB, and the slightly higher total cost of the two was easily justified by the many advantages offered.

If you’re certain you want a DSC radio, the HX890E is really good and far better value than the iCom equivalent, I just don’t think it’s ideal for sea kayaking. In terms of comparing iCom and Standard Horizon prices and build quality, iCom is a bit more expensive and more robustly made (esp their top end radios), but the failure rate in my club as a result of water ingress is about the same for both.

Edited to add that I haven’t used the other radios you mention, but for a device that has a safety role, I’d stick with a radio from one of the market leaders (iCom and Standard Horizon). They are market leaders for good reason…!

[Sean_soup]

Works with AA batteries in a pinch.

Any time you see this in the spec, it's a good idea to check the small print. Usually when a VHF is running on alkaline AA batteries it's limited to 'low power' transmission. Typically 1W, even if it's nominally a 6W radio.

That might be fine for 'routine' stuff, listening to the weather forecast etc., but potentially useless if you have to make a 'Mayday' call. (Uncomfortably likely with a handheld VHF just barely above the water as it is, even operating at full power.)

[Chris Bolton]

I haven't used a DSC radio but have decided against buying one for sea kayaking and have several reasons for sticking with a basic handheld.

• Battery life. I tend to do multi-day trips, and a 10 hour battery life with mains recharging isn't workable. Turning off the GPS to save battery defeats the point of DSC for emergency, as the set needs to know where it is at short notice. Even if the Icom IC-M94 had USB charging, carrying enough power packs to recharge 2400mAh every other day is a problem.

• Actual response. I discussed DSC SOS with my brother who is a keen yachtsman and a master mariner (ie, fully qualified ship captain) and works as a harbour pilot. He said there are so many false alarms from DSC SOS that the Coastguard will often look for confirmation before initiating a rescue.

• Size of unit. I always want to carry more in my BA pockets than there's space for, so the smaller the VHF the better. I don't need a floating case (which is by definition bigger) or a light that goes on when it gets wet as I have it on a leash.

• Voice vs fingers. I don't want to have to look at a small screen while paddling and choose which button to press. I can unclip my HX-100 and press Transmit without looking at it. Mobile phones are moving towards voice commands. I'm not sure I could press the SOS button on the M94 while wearing gloves, and if I was in the water without immediate prospect of self or other rescue, getting gloves on would be my first priority, above transmitting SOS.

AIS is interesting. It could be useful in areas where there are fast ferries, but you'd have to keep looking at the screen. It might also identify a ship so that you could call them. I've used features like CPA on a yacht but I don't know how useful they would be in a kayak. The most useful thing would be to be able to transmit your own position on AIS so that bigger vessels know you're there (as kayaks are not very visible) - that requires more power than a handheld, but you can now get phone apps that pick up your position from the phone GPS and relay it to the AIS (it might be called Class C AIS, not sure). Clearly you need a mobile signal for that to work, but you could then view your position and surrounding traffic on a site like marinetraffic, on a phone screen which would be easier to read.

Waypoints on a VHF would enable you to use it as a GPS, but I don't want to do that. I want to save the battery on my VHF for when I need it. Most of the time I navigate by sight, I don't use GPS for navigation except in bad visibility or on a crossing.

I hope those thoughts are useful - and I appreciate that others will have different viewpoints.

[robhorton]

I've had a Standard Horizon HX851 for around 10 years. When new it would do 2 days of "average" use comfortably and 3 at a push but it now needs charging every day really. Annoyingly the batteries are no longer available so I'll need to replace it fairly soon. Whatever you get consider getting a spare battery while they are sill available!

I have mixed feelings about DSC, the downsides stated above are all true, and the various menus etc are too much of a faff to use on the water. That said it is another way of getting help and has the advantage of transmitting a position directly to other vessels who may be able to help.

On the battery front, I tend to turn mine off for longer trips when I'm away from traffic and not expecting a forecast etc. Clearly there are downsides to that approach but if 90% of your paddling is 1-2 day trips it might be a reasonable compromise.

I'd get the HX890 if I were in the market for another DSC one though.