HX270S VHF Radio

The Standard Horizon HX270S VHF radio seems to be a good radio for the price (128.00 on internet) to me. Can any one comment on this radio in regards to dependablity? Feel free to make any other good, bad, or indifferent comments! Thanks.

Go with Icom
Either the M88 or the M1v. This subject has been cover very well so do a search.—Rich

Agreed
The M1V and M88 are rugged, reliable performers.



I have no experiences with the HX270, but I’ve had five HX460’s fail and know of literally dozens of other failures. While they stand by their warranty and their staff is very helpful, their service is painfully slow (figure on 6+ weeks turnaround). I won’t trust Standard Horizon again until their products prove themselves.

I have one and this will be my 3rd
season with it.

The HX270 is a relatively new model
IIRC, it only came out last year. Do you perhaps have an HX260? They’ve been out for quite a while.

Ray101
Has anyone heard anything about the Raymarine Ray101? From what I understand is that the same level of water proofness as the Icom M88, it has a softer antenna, and takes AA batteries. The Ray101 is not as small as the M88, but the price is almost half. Just curious.

Thanks!

Claims to be fully submersible
It does claim to be fully submersible, does this mean level 8? Any one tried one?


JIS7/IPX7

– Last Updated: Apr-04-05 10:42 AM EST –

The Ray101 seems to have the IPX7 rating (=European name for JIS7) which means:
The unit can withstand accidental immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

I have never seen a VHF radio that is rated better than 7 in a normal store. Are there any out there at reasonable prices?

let check tonight
l

Your rigth it is the 260 sorry

thanks i wondered if that was it

– Last Updated: Apr-05-05 7:22 AM EST –

Thank you, I wondered if the fully submersible was not accurate.

I went to raymarine site you are right ipx 7 only. 8 is submersible.

Also, NiMh batteries NOT lithium ion. This is good and not good.

NiMH
Evan,

Yes, I fully agree. NiMH is good and not good at the same time. The fact that NiMH gives you less hours of operation is the downside. However, with AA size NiMH batteries you can easily bring back-ups on longer trips. Also, many are unaware of the fact that Li-Ion batteries too have a limited lifetime. Some say 2-3 years after the first charge, perhaps it is longer but still. And to buy a new Li Ion battery for a VHF radio is very expensive. And, NiMH AA batteries keep getting better every over the years. Today you can pick up 2300 mAh (=very powerful) AA NiMH at your local pharmacy. Who knows, in a few years you might get 4000 mAh or so in AA size.

Rechargeable battery life…
…is usually measured in charge cycles, not time. I’d be very surprised to see a lithium ion battery fail in three years if it’s not going though many charge cycles. If find that I only need to charge my VHF month or two, so it’s unlikely to get anywhere near it’s charge cycle limit within a decade, let alone within 3 years.

Batteries are confusing…

– Last Updated: Apr-08-05 7:21 PM EST –

I also think that LiIon technology is superior to any other battery technology today. No doubt about it!

However, no battery techonlogy is perfcet as we all know. I had read that a LiIon battery lifespan was in the order of 2-3 years. I do agree that it sounds very short and I can neither confirm nor deny it myself. The difficult thing here I think is that we do not notice the change since it is gradual. With a 20-hour battery we might be happy if we only get 10 hours after a few years. I only think that LiIon batteries are very expensive today. That is why I posted my comment regarding this technology.

The source for my information was the book "Batteries in a Portable World" (http://www.buchmann.ca/Article5-page4.asp). Here is an exerpt from the book:

"A typical life of a Li-ion is 300-500 discharge/charge cycles or two years from time of manufacturing. The loss of battery capacity occurs gradually and often without the knowledge of the user."

Another source put it like this:

"Aging of lithium-ion is an issue that is often ignored. Lithium-based batteries have a lifetime of 2-3 years. The clock starts ticking as soon as the battery comes off the manufacturing line. The capacity loss manifests itself in increased internal resistance caused by oxidation".
(http://www.batteryuniversity.com/parttwo-34.htm)