HX300 Handheld VHF Marine Radio

Ok. At first my original review was one I did just so I could flip past Amazon's robot's request and get on with my life. But recently I have found reason to go out of my way to share my very positive experience with this product Several weeks ago my wife and I went fishing, kayak fishing in the ocean, to be precise. After a full day out in the water, we returned to our SUV. I had a lot of gear in my hands and needed to put it somewhere while I opened the back and stowed it. So my rods, and RADIO where placed on the cargo rack, on my SUV's roof. Eventually everything got loaded inside (almost everything) , kayaks up on the roof, and off we went on the 80 mile trip back to our home (In Costa Rica) The next day, I came to realize that MY radio was missing. Over the course of the next few days I literaly turned the place upside down, frisked every corner, nook and crany inside my car, and nothing. It was gone. Bummed me out something fierce because I really liked it . TWO WEEKS go by. On one evening a few days ago, I pull into my regular gas station, I'm sitting in my car waiting for the attendant to come and collect from me, and here he comes, with my radio, in his hand! "Sir, is this yours? " Wow.! Yes! indeed, where was it? Well it was barely hanging form the back of the cargo rack on top of my car. This radio had spent two full weeks tumbling around that basket, getting rained on, hit by our fierce tropical sun, covered in dust and road grime, etc... and when my wife pressed to turn it on....it worked! It even had a full charge. I cleaned it with a damp cloth, and no one could ever tell by looking at it , of the ordeal it had just come through. Amazing. It is definitely worth the money. I see my fishing buddies sporting more sophisticated, expensive vhf radios, but I'll put mine up against theirs any time. Very user friendly. I also use them on my sports fishing boat, as a contingency to my boat's installed radio, and I've been impressed with it's performance when I've used it to call the marina from more than 20 miles away. I can endorse this product anytime.

I have had this radio for several months. Actually, it is my second of these radios, but more on that later. My previous radio was also "waterproof" but did not float. This was always a concern when using it in rough conditions as I had no safe way to connect it to myself while using it. However, the reason I replaced it was it didn't float. It was that the on/off switch and squelch adjustment were nested on top of each other next to the antenna. As the radio aged and salt water did its thing, these adjustments became very difficult to make, especially with my man sized fingers. The Standard Horizon is all digital with with power and squelch adjustments operated through push buttons. This works for me. I am still learning to use the unit as it has many features. Now, as I said, this is the second of these radios I have owned. Do you remember that the radio floats? This can be a blessing and a problem. I left the first radio sitting loosely on gear dumped in my cockpit while I explored a small island. The huge wake of a large powerboat picked my boat up, turned it over and sucked it off the beach. If my radio had sunk, I might still have it. But it floated away and I never found it. It was my fault, not the radios, but it is still a cautionary lesson.

Being kind of a newbie in marine communications I was a bit confused as to which model to purchase. After seeing a promotional discount offer in a local brick and mortar marine store, I ventured online to read some reviews and do some comparison shopping. I found a great deal on Amazon and picked up this unit. The radio uses a USB charger, which is great, unfortunately, it is not a micro-USB so your cellphone connector won't be compatible. At least you can just carry the cable if the radio needs charging. The unit, per the manufacturer, not my own tests (yet), say it floats, and when the radio is submerged in water, a flashing beacon illuminates. From my own tests and use, the reception is great. Both weather and emergency bands. The radio will stay charged for an entire day on the water and still have power left for another half day. Provided you have it turned on, while out on the water. Charging is quick. I have seen it charge completely in less than 2 hours from one bar left of battery. When it is done charging, whether turned on or off, it displays "FL" (meaning FULL). I needed a handheld radio, thought the floating feature with the blinking light, while in water was handy. Since this radio does everything I needed, and was reasonably priced in the very low hundred dollar range, I found it a good fit. Hopefully this review has helped you. Good luck. :-)

I get maybe an hour of battery use. No matter what batteries I use.

I have only limited use. I did test with another HT - this one transmitted 3 miles over land. I was able to get 1 mile line of site with veg in path at 1 watt. 5 watts was solid. I am sure over water you could get 5 miles at water level - like in a kayak. I only tested the MOB flash by shorting the back pin/sensors. It works. Water seal looks like it should work fine. I scuba, so I put a light coat of silicone grease (NOT sealant) on seal at battey. No need to remove battery as charger port is easy to use. Ego: fits my small hand fine. Can hold while cold and wet. Can see in sun. Can see even better at night. rubbery keys back-light. PTT does not get hit on accidentally. Seems to have 12+hrs stand by. even with several transmits.

Pro offshore sailor here. I'll say my first Standard radio didn't work right and customer service would not fix. This radio is perfect for an inexpensive radio. More makers need to be doing USB charging. Having a compact radio that you have to carry around a big charger for is ridiculous, not an issue here. I get soaked on deck and sometimes the flashing light comes on, which is funny and not a problem. Buttons operate easy (my new Icom buttons don't respond they way you expect). All functions worked. Not sure why it doesn't use the standard "a" numerology for stations like 22a.