Review: Standard Horizon HX870 Handheld VHF Radio - UPDATED

Communication at Sea

These days we have choices if we need to call for help:

• A tracker app (like SafeTrx) on your mobile is a great choice. It’s free and all you need is a waterproof pouch for your phone.
• Personal Locator Beacons are popular in some parts of the world – and they work everywhere.
• Flares are a good option too. I summoned help for a fellow paddler using pencil flares in daylight. Worked like a charm.

But all of these things have drawbacks:

• Mobile phones can be tricky to operate through a pouch, and they need a reliable GSM signal, which isn’t always available.
• PLBs have to be operated properly (the unit must be held clear of the water) and the communication is one-way – you can’t tell if someone is coming to get you.
• Pencil flares don’t last long, and smoke flares are bulky and usually you’ll only have one with you.

VHF radios, while also not a silver bullet, have some unique advantages:

• They’re really, really easy to operate – push a button to talk.
• Modern DSC-capable radios incorporate a GPS and automatically broadcast your position to vessels equipped with DSC-receivers (like the NSRI rescue boats).

Repeater Stations

Here in South Africa, the maritime authorities maintain a chain of radio repeaters along the coast, which extends the range of VHF communications.

For example, False Bay, home of the (in)famous Miller’s Run, is surrounded by mountains – and VHF signals from handheld radios are picked up by Cape Town Radio over the entire length of the Miller’s Run.

But even in areas where there isn’t the same infrastructure and the signal is limited to line-of-sight, a radio can be invaluable when talking to a nearby rescue craft. When we did our Search and Rescue exercise some years ago with the NSRI, I was astonished at how limited the field of view was out of the rescue boat.

It’s vital to be able to talk to your rescuers because you’ll most likely see them long before they see you.

Standard Horizon HX870E Marine Handheld VHF Radio

Having used a basic ICOM VHF for many years, I recently switched to the DSC-capable HX870E and have found it to be a reassuringly robust and feature-rich radio.

The HX870E has a big, bright screen that is easy to read in direct sunlight

The major differences between the HX870E and conventional VHF radios like the ICOM M36 are that the HX870E:

• Has a built in GPS receiver.
• Is DSC-capable. This means that it can send a digital message to other DSC-capable receivers, including your GPS coordinates. If you send a distress message, it will automatically activate alarms on all DSC-capable receivers.

User Interface

The big screen is bright and easy to read, while the menus are straight forward and intuitive to use.

The DSC Distress button is located to one side, with a cover to prevent accidental activation. To call for help, you simply lift the flap and press the red button for three seconds. Thereafter the radio will broadcast your status and position until it receives an acknowledgement from another DSC-capable unit.  

Another advantage of DSC is that you can communicate privately over the digital channel with another DSC-capable radio without broadcasting to the world.

Other Features

A number of other features are built into this radio:

• It floats (and, it hardly need be said, it's waterproof with an IPX8 rating - to 1.5m or 4.92ft for 30 minutes)
• It has a high capacity 1,800mAh battery and comes with a rapid charger (3hr to from empty).
• On the front of the radio, there’s a programmable strobe light that switches on a automatically if the radio is submerged.

Using the Radio for Real

A couple of weeks after I published this article, I found myself in a real rescue situation when a buddy broke his paddle during a downwind run in 30-40kt - a very gnarly situation. 

Here's the story:

Lessons from the Edge

Here's what I learnt:

• It's very different testing the radio in calm air on dry land i.e. under ideal conditions.
• On the water, sitting on a surfski in 30-40kt of wind and spray, it's extremely difficult to make yourself heard. 
• If the microphone is covered with water, the result is that the person receiving your call just hears a garbled noise when you speak.  You need to try to get the microphone away from the wind - e.g. tucked into the collar of your PFD - and you need to blow hard on the microphone to clear the water away from it.
• Alternatively, putting the radio in a waterproof bag will keep much of the noise out.  The issue with that though, is that it makes the radio more bulky and at the moment it only just fits into the pocket of my PFD in any case.  Conundrum!
• It's likely to be extremely noisy inside the rescue boat, which makes it all the more difficult for them to hear what you're saying on the radio.  We ended up with the rescue commander onshore taking my directions and relaying them to the boat to guide them to our position.

There’s never a silver bullet

There’s no question – if you go offshore in any kind of vessel, you should have some means of communication.

But whatever you choose, flares, PLB, radio or mobile phone, be aware that none of them is entirely fool-proof, and ideally you should have more than one of them AND you should have a plan B in mind should they not work.

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