After looking at lots of info I have tentatively decided to order a Standard Horizon HX270S VHF. Slightly lower price than the ICOMS and it comes with an alkaline battery tray that is listed as being submersible are the 2 deciding factors in my choice. Anyone have any experience good or bad with the HX270S or HX370S especially in relation to the waterproof rating when using the alkaline battery tray. HX270S is a NiMH battery. My understanding is that the major disadvantage of the Ni-MH vs the Li in the IComs is shelf-life of the charge. Should I expect this to be a significant difference on a 1-2 week trip. Thanks for any information you can give me. Mark J. Arnold *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Mark Arnold wrote: > After looking at lots of info I have tentatively decided to order a > Standard Horizon HX270S VHF. Slightly lower price than the ICOMS and > it comes with an alkaline battery tray that is listed as being > submersible are the 2 deciding factors in my choice. Anyone have any > experience good or bad with the HX270S or HX370S especially in relation > to the waterproof rating when using the alkaline battery tray. HX270S > is a NiMH battery. My understanding is that the major disadvantage of > the Ni-MH vs the Li in the IComs is shelf-life of the charge. Should I > expect this to be a significant difference on a 1-2 week trip. Mark, I'm kinda getting apples and oranges off the above. I gather you are concerned about loss of battery charge in the Standard (NI-MH) vs the ICOM (Li-ion). I suspect you might better be concerned with how you use the radio on an extended trip. Been there, done that. And, if you leave the radio tuned to 16 while paddling, to serve as a safety net for others, none of these options will hack it for two weeks. That mandates either an alkaline tray or at least one backup battery ... a big expense. That makes the ICOM a noncandidate. Too bad, because ICOM's rock, for sensitivity and performance, in my experience (on my 4th one, over 15 years). You also might look very closely at how ICOM protects the radio from moisture, vs. how Standard does. On my M-88, there are NO "rubber gasketed" ports; It is sealed down tight, tight, tight. To add in a microphone or an ear bud, you have to unscrew a seriously gasketed plate. Look closely at how Standard does this before you buy. OTOH, if you only use the radio for emergencies or the odd communication with another paddler to establish a direction of campsite choice, and for a once-daily weather update, the Li-ion battery is good for two weeks, in my experience (been there, done that). This is my second M-88 (dropped the first one in the drink). I really like the radio. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I have had great reliability from my older Standard Horizon VHF with Lithion battery. I have accidently left it on for a week and it still received traffic on the next paddle. One thing to be aware of is that the screws will slowly corrode in a marine environment. I would squish a little silicon over the screw heads to stop this. Keep in mind this isnt a knock at the radio but rather part of my 12 step program to cure me of being a gear butcher. Jim et al *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Mark Arnold wrote: > it comes with an alkaline battery tray that is listed as being submersible Ditto Doug's comment on what your usage plans are. If you will use it continuously, no single battery will suffice and you'll eat a lot of alkalines. IIRC, the alkalines don't provide full power (or maybe that was one specific model - the little one: 370?). I consider the VHF to be a backup device, so I don't leave it on all the time. I only use it a couple of times a day for weather and keep the battery up for emergencies. Under those conditions, the latest ICOM Li-Ion equipped radios are much better than any NiMH radio. They have a substantial amount of power and don't lose power over time. Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In my experience, Standard radios are pretty splash-proof, but they won't stand up to frequent rolling without being bagged. Bob V *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Anyone have any experience good or bad with the HX270S or HX370S especially in relation to the waterproof rating when using the alkaline battery tray. One datapoint, Mark. I've had a Standard HX350S for about seven years or so, and have had generally good luck with it. Water will intrude, however, if there is any compromise to the ring seal at the battery joint. My remedy is to carry a roll of good quality electrical tape to run around the outside of the case at the joint, about a half inch up from the bottom of my 350S. Also good to run a bit of tape over the locking mechanism on the bottom of the battery section. If memory serves -- which it often doesn't -- the tape around the battery joint also covers the recharging points, keeping them less apt to corrode. That said, my rechargeable battery died a few years ago; having the option to run alkalines as a backup is a huge advantage that the 350 series gave. (There was no difference in the water resistance between the battery types.) Good luck with the decision. (Personal note: this is my first interaction with PaddleWise in about four years. Good to see the quality of comments and thoughts are still there!) "Joq" Martin *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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