Standard Horizon handhelds, another look

I’ve started monitoring New York Harbor VHF traffic on the Standard Horizon HX850S, first tested last September, and its effective tag and scan functions are helping to sleuth out who works which channels. They’re obviously well established as many callers identify neither themselves nor the intended recipient. Using the handheld reminded me of my HX group portrait above, and bigger here. Among other things, it illustrates some features of the 470 Series (which I’ve happily used for years) that I miss in the 760 and 850: like its compactness, its more secure cradle w/ in-front status LEDs, and its squelch/volume knob instead of the two-step VOL or SQL button then up-down key routine. You can also see the fairly significant difference between the dot matrix screens on the 471 and 850 versus the segmented one on the 760. The photo may emphasize it a bit more than real life, but the segmented technology is higher contrast. On the other hand, the screen designers are really limited by those segments, especially when they try to create less visited screens like setup menus, as seen way below, and bigger here…

In late September I also got “Sparky” to test the two new Standard Horizon handhelds. He’s a bright young man who assists the local harbor master and is quite knowledgeable about VHF radios. Here are some excerpts from his report:

The radios’ RX range was quite impressive. During one of my shifts I heard a call go out to the coast guard. I was sitting (with handheld at my side), and our 25w base did not even pick this signal up. Next was The TX range and for a handheld it was also pretty impressive. I had a yacht call me from around Rockport harbor on a handheld and they could hear me very well. 
   The radio with the Bluetooth headset is a cool idea, though it’s bulky and does not stay on too well. I tried docking with the headset in and it was actually a big help. Though I have docked boats thousands of times, the headset made it seem easy, but because I am used to a wired mic that’s what I trust to use over and over again. I did not try the VOX setting where you can have it sound activated because I did not want to transmit when talking to crew. {The VOX function does work, but, as Sparky notes, does not know if you are trying to transmit, or cursing yourself, or whatever—B.E.}  

I should also note that voyaging Panbot Russ tested his 850S in the sink and it leaked, and another user sent me photos of one whose case back had started chipping off at the gasket. I hope these are anomalies, and can further report that both the test 850 and 760 went overnight in my sink without damage.