Which vhf

beamishken · 01 November 2015, 21:01

Hi all im Looking for a basic dsc vhf for a rib I've had icom on my last few hard boats & always just used a handheld in the 4m rib we have but currently fitting out a 7.4m delta and want to fit a fixed unit
The cheapest icom is £150 but I can get a standard Horizon for £99
I'm sure I've seen discussion on here ( which I can't find) & there seemed to be as many standard fans as icom fans
My thoughts are that the radio on the dash of an open rib will have a limited life & I can replace the standard 3 times for the price of 2 icoms
& the standard comes with a 3 year anti moisture guarantee
What's the general opinion?
Cheers

Poly · 01 November 2015, 21:13

I've used SH since giving up on cobra about ten yrs ago, in both handheld, and more recently fixed form. I'd happily buy another. I don't have anything against icom, bit if the same functionality is 50% more I'd take some convincing! are there subtle differences in spec and could anything on the more expensive model be useful?

ShinyShoe · 01 November 2015, 21:30

I think SH and ICOM debate is that they are as good manufacturers as each other.

Looks like the SH GX1200E and GX1300E are available at the moment for £99. Or the Icom M323 or SH GX1700E for £159. I'd agree the M323 and 1300X seem very similar and while I follow your replace it 1/3rd often logic - if you had £159 burning a hole in your pocket the 1700 has a built in GPS, bigger screen, chunkier radio, supports the RAM mike (not cheap!) so that your radio could be better protected from the elements, IPX8 water proof rather than IPX7 of Icom. (of course that just means they test to a different standard the Icom may pass that standard too but not been tested.)

I think the other think in my mind would be what will you be interfacing too? Plotter? AIS? Would you want a position from the DSC to the plotter - best check thats possible with all the models, would you want to be able to call an AIS target from the plotter screen - again thats only possible on certain models...

beamishken · 01 November 2015, 23:45

Thanks poly & ShinyShoe I'm trying to keep costs down (this is boat no 3 in the fleet)but want something that will work when the shit hits
I'll be taking the position from a furuno gp3500 10" plotter I've bought used & I did wonder if it was worthwhile having a vhf with gps built in as a second reference?
We usually carry a garmin etrex which would at least give a position to relay if the plotter went down at the critical moment.
The problem is its always just a little more money for the next must have feature!
I won't be going AIS as I don't think it's required on the west of scotland nor radar as we have it on the cruiser & rarely use it
I like the icom unit we have but at a 50% saving the SH is looking favourite at the moment
Cheers
Ken

Poly · 02 November 2015, 08:01

Ken will the same people be jumping back and forth between all the boats in the flotilla? There might be a slight advantage to having the same style of user interface on all the boats. Not a problem for selecting channels or red button ops, but anything fancier...

beamishken · 02 November 2015, 12:18

Thanks Poly another good point I hadn't thought of

Cheers

office888 · 02 November 2015, 12:24

I use a Standard Horizon GX1700. I wish I would have waited for the GX2200 which has AIS as well as GPS.

It's a good unit... I had it mounted on the tiller of my prior boat. It consistently saw a lot of water and salt spray with no hiccups.

beamishken · 03 November 2015, 11:25

Looks like the SH has as good a reputation as the Icom & I'm not realy interested in the extras so think I'll just order the basic SH cheers for the advice

jepho · 13 November 2015, 18:29

late to the party Ken but I believe that SH is manufactured by Yaesu. In the world of Ham radio there would seem to be parity between Icom and Yaesu. I would take advantage of cash savings by buying the SH name for marine work. You will nt be buying an inferior product.

beamishken · 14 November 2015, 09:43

Thanks Jepho I've bought the SH as it seemed like the general opinion was there wasn't much difference in quality & I can't see the point in paying a 50%premium for a different name that is going to get left in an open cockpit.
I had a sh cp1000 plotter In a previous boat & it failed well out of warranty so I sent it to yaesu for repair expecting to pay for it & they actually replaced it foc which I thought was good service

jepho · 14 November 2015, 12:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by beamishken

Thanks Jepho I've bought the SH as it seemed like the general opinion was there wasn't much difference in quality & I can't see the point in paying a 50%premium for a different name that is going to get left in an open cockpit.
I had a sh cp1000 plotter In a previous boat & it failed well out of warranty so I sent it to yaesu for repair expecting to pay for it & they actually replaced it foc which I thought was good service

Yes, all my dealings with Yaesu Ken, for Ham radio (back in the day) were good experiences. I see no point in paying for a name unless it means a substantial difference in quality. My wife is from Japan and she tells me that Japanese companies (despite being in competition with each other) have such a large population to cover, that they share parts commonly and work very closely with each other.

I don't know anything about HiFi but I can remember when separate units were all the rage, that each of the manufactures had items which closely resembled those of the competition in specification and appearance. Common tooling is probably one of the reasons that they achieved economies of scale so easily.

boristhebold · 14 November 2015, 14:28

Rule of thumb is fit the best you can afford, it may save your life.

Alternative in my opinion would be fit a half decent one but spend the saving on the aerial and connections, quality aerial 1m+ in height and use decent cable and gold connections done properly.

jepho · 14 November 2015, 15:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by boristhebold

Rule of thumb is fit the best you can afford, it may save your life.

Alternative in my opinion would be fit a half decent one but spend the saving on the aerial and connections, quality aerial 1m+ in height and use decent cable and gold connections done properly.

Agreed... but only up to a point.

"half decent one" is a rather variable and indistinct standard which can mean anything or nothing to everyone else because we all have a different perception of precisely what the term 'half decent' means. Luckily, within the current context, beamishken had asked about the value of SH (Yaesu) compared to Icom.

In the world of Ham radio, you will find proponents of both the Icom and Yaesu brands but they will be clear that either manufacture will make something within their ranges to serve any need. They are both top quality manufacturers and the life saving abilities of either brand of kit are not in doubt.

In the days when I dabbled in Ham radio, either brand would be considered top drawer. e.g. Check out the attached image of the £6k HF base station from Yaesu. Any company producing this type of item will not be found wanting in any department when selling their own goods under another name.

Pikey Dave · 14 November 2015, 15:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by jepho

Agreed... but only up to a point.

"half decent one" is a rather variable and indistinct standard which can mean anything or nothing to everyone else because we all have a different perception of precisely what the term 'half decent' means. Luckily, within the current context, beamishken had asked about the value of SH (Yaesu) compared to Icom.

In the world of Ham radio, you will find proponents of both the Icom and Yaesu brands but they will be clear that either manufacture will make something within their ranges to serve any need. They are both top quality manufacturers and the life saving abilities of either brand of kit are not in doubt.

In the days when I dabbled in Ham radio, either brand would be considered top drawer. e.g. Check out the attached image of the £6k HF base station from Yaesu. Any company producing this type of item will not be found wanting in any department when selling their own goods under another name.

I agree, although I'm an Icom devotee, I've no reason to doubt the quality of SH, I think that this is a clear case of dearer is not necessarily "better". Boris has a valid point re. quality of antenna/cable/connections. You can spend as much as you like on the VHF, but it will only be as good as what it's connected to.

beamishken · 14 November 2015, 16:02

It certainly wasn't about saving money, as has already been said you can't put a price on safety
Had the opinion been that the icom was 20% better then I'd have paid the extra 50% but as the general opinion is there is little difference then the SH won
I have Icom in my current hard boat &the previous one & I'm happy with it. I've had SH gear before & been happy with it but not a radio hence asking advice before buying cheaper
Expensive isn't always most reliable you only need look at the reliability of Italian supercars to realise that

jepho · 14 November 2015, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I agree, although I'm an Icom devotee, I've no reason to doubt the quality of SH, I think that this is a clear case of dearer is not necessarily "better". Boris has a valid point re. quality of antenna/cable/connections. You can spend as much as you like on the VHF, but it will only be as good as what it's connected to.

Indeed! I was just trying to illuminate the notion that 'half decent' was not a particularly useful standard (I was not wishing to criticise Boris personally) and the SH range of VHF TX/RX comes from one of the longest serving and highest quality manufacturers of radio kit.

This is a useful non-technical piece on marine VHF antenna.

BogMonster · 15 November 2015, 09:08

Having been using ham radio (2m VHF) for about thirty years - initially back in the times when it WAS the means of communication here before we had telephones - I can vouch for Yaesu as being as good as anything - apart from terminal physical damage, no Yaesu has ever let me down. And as stated Yaesu makes SH.

I don't think I'd fit anything else, but I'd happily fit either SH or Icom. I just happen to have a marginal preference for Icom, but my handheld is a SH HX270E which has been flawless.

TorontoDiver · 17 November 2015, 15:30

Hi all. Also looking at an SH unit for Christmas present. 200 cdn for the GX1600 model. A couple questions?

Flush mounted in open console should I expect it to die due to water or do these water proof ratings mean they can actually be exposed to rain?
I have a 5.9 meter Highfield. I assume putting antenna onto radar arch would give decent range from the height and safe distance from boat passengers? Not sure what's a useful practical guide to 'safe distance' from antennas.

Cheers,
Neil

jeffstevens763@g · 17 November 2015, 16:06

Radar arch is where we all put them Neil highest place.
I p rating means it is designed to get wet, on the hand held they can stand 30 mins at 1 m submerged that's no to say they don't fail but the opinion from most is SH & icom are the best.

Cheers