# Huge price drop on Standard Horizon HX851



## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

The well-regarded SH HX851 VHF/DSC/GPS handheld just had a huge price drop on Amazon. It's probably because it is being replaced by the newer HX870. But the HX851 is still a great radio, now costing about $65 less than it was yesterday:










Amazon.com : Standard Horizon HX851 6W Floating Handheld VHF Radio with Glow in the Dark : Frs Gmrs Two Way Radios : [email protected]@[email protected]@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/[email protected]@[email protected]@31Cj3-xLdiL

I have no personal interest in this - just letting you know.

And, FWIW, I do not have an HX851. I got a killer deal on a Uniden MHS135 last year, so that's what I'm sticking with. I suggest you consult the online reviews for comments on both.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Hmmmmmmm.

Just when I need a Manhattan address for shipping.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

If this is anything like the Uniden MHS135, I was completely disappointed by that radio. It is the worst VHF I've ever used, needing to use push buttons for volume and squelch rather than knobs, as well as the on and off. For a radio to give to guests when they go puttering around in the dink or ashore, it requires a full briefing and cheat sheet.
Garbage, just plain way over complicated garbage.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

capta said:


> If this is anything like the Uniden MHS135, I was completely disappointed by that radio. It is the worst VHF I've ever used, needing to use push buttons for volume and squelch rather than knobs, as well as the on and off. For a radio to give to guests when they go puttering around in the dink or ashore, it requires a full briefing and cheat sheet.
> Garbage, just plain way over complicated garbage.


Thanks for your opinion. My SH fixed mount VHF has knobs, but the exterior RAM mic that attaches to it has buttons, just like most handhelds. I believe that the reason is the need for waterproofing and immersion rating. It's very difficult to make a knob or mechanical switch that is completely sealed against water intrusion.

FWIW, I've never found my handheld to be particularly difficult to use. The menu structure seems to be very sensible.


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## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

I bought one last year and am pretty happy with it. Yeah, the button controls are not quite as easy to operate as rotating knobs. But, not overly complicated. I like having a handheld VHF radio that floats, has GPS built in, is waterproof and also has a strobe light built in. Makes it something to grab should one have to leave the boat in a hurry.


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## SVAuspicious (Oct 31, 2006)

capta said:


> If this is anything like the Uniden MHS135, I was completely disappointed by that radio. It is the worst VHF I've ever used, needing to use push buttons for volume and squelch rather than knobs, as well as the on and off. For a radio to give to guests when they go puttering around in the dink or ashore, it requires a full briefing and cheat sheet.
> Garbage, just plain way over complicated garbage.


As TakeFive points out, making a radio fully waterproof with knobs is a real engineering problem.

If a guest can't understand the pushbutton volume and squelch (not exactly rocket science) I don't believe I would turn them loose in my dinghy. I might be nervous about letting them cross a street unattended. *grin*


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## BoxedUp (Nov 22, 2006)

mbianka said:


> I bought one last year and am pretty happy with it. Yeah, the button controls are not quite as easy to operate as rotating knobs. But, not overly complicated. I like having a handheld VHF radio that floats, has GPS built in, is waterproof and also has a strobe light built in. Makes it something to grab should one have to leave the boat in a hurry.


I also have a SH handheld with similar control functions. It's primarily used as a backup radio so the cumbersome operation to access all it's features really doesn't come into play. No problem accessing channel 16!


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Rick,
I just checked The GPS Store and they're $25 less than Amazon ! (www.thegpsstore.com).

They'll be at the AC Boat show next week, might be nice to have a waterproof VHF for the dinghy.

FWIW, I've bought a full NMEA 2000 setup and masthead TV antenna from these guys and have been very happy. Good prices and great customer service.

Jim


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## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

> The well-regarded SH HX851 VHF/DSC/GPS handheld just had a huge price drop on Amazon.


You beat me to it on putting the word out. We went to the Seattle boat show last weekend where the Standard Horizon representative told us the price was dropping to clear inventory and make room for the new model. $149 was the recommended retail price. New models are suppose to have two separate receivers (16/70) instead of scanning 70 like the current model. We bought our HX851yesterday for $145.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

erps said:


> You beat me to it on putting the word out. We went to the Seattle boat show last weekend where the Standard Horizon representative told us the price was dropping to clear inventory and make room for the new model. $149 was the recommended retail price. New models are suppose to have two separate receivers (16/70) instead of scanning 70 like the current model. We bought our HX851yesterday for $145.


Interesting. I had thought that the HX851 had two receivers. If it shares one receiver, are there audio dropouts every couple seconds? As a test, tune your HX851 to weather channel and see if there are any dropouts. They'll be very noticeable. This issue resulted in some complaints for the Uniden MSC135 radio on the Amazon website, since it also has only one radio receiver.

The dropout issue is eliminated if you turn off the DSC scanning feature. This will prevent the radio from getting incoming DSC calls, but will not prevent you from placing routine DSC or distress DSC calls. In my case, I was willing to turn off the scanning because my fixed radio scans for them instead.


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## TakeFive (Oct 22, 2009)

JimMcGee said:


> Rick,
> I just checked The GPS Store and they're $25 less than Amazon ! (www.thegpsstore.com).


Wow, that's a great price!

I got the Uniden model a year ago for about that price (then I bought a second one with my son to use on raceboats in Seattle). I have no regrets, because the Uniden came bundled with external mic and AA battery tray, which are $48 extra for the HX851.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I have the HX851 in my ditchbag. I think it's the perfect coastal cruising emergency radio. It should have range to hail a passing vessel and you're able to give them your exact coordinates. 

I did buy the AA battery tray and keep a good supply of fresh AAs in there too. Rechargeables are tough to keep fully charged and one may need to go through a few sets of AAs, with no way to recharge from the raft.


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## miatapaul (Dec 15, 2006)

JimMcGee said:


> Rick,
> I just checked The GPS Store and they're $25 less than Amazon ! (www.thegpsstore.com).
> 
> They'll be at the AC Boat show next week, might be nice to have a waterproof VHF for the dinghy.
> ...


And they include the alkaline battery tray. A nice feature to have some backup batteries loaded in. Amazon mention's it as an add on feature. It may come with it, as they do not always have all details in the descriptions.

GPS store has some really good prices on everything. I think I got a GPS puck a couple of years ago from them. Also looks like they have a small store front business, nice to be able to give some business to the small guys, and they normally stand up behind there stuff.


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

*Standard Horizon HX851 quick review*

Hey,

I bought the SH radio last year. It works as advertised.

Things I like:
GPS - I use it to display the speed so I don't go too fast in my dink on my way to my boat. The speed limit in the harbor is 5 kts and there are many law enforcement boats around
DSC - I set up the SH and the radio on my boat with different MMSI numbers. I can request and send position information as well as make and receive DSC calls. This way if my kids or I take the dink or kayak away from the big boat, we can easily keep in touch. I can also see on my plotter where the radio it.
Audio - the audio quality is very good. Voices are clear and not muffled and the radio gets plenty loud.

Things I don't like:
Size - it's pretty big for a hand held. Then again, I suppose it would be difficult to fit all the features in a smaller package
Belt Clip - The belt clip does not work well. It is too easy for the radio to come off. Be sure to add a wrist strap or something else or you will lose this radio. I always 'luggage tag' it to my belt and frequently find the radio hanging by the strap.
Strobe - there is a feature that will activate the strobe if the radio gets wet. Good in theory but there is no way to deactivate this feature. It gets annoying when you are sitting in the rain with the radio flashing away.

I recommend this radi, especially for the price.

Barry


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

miatapaul said:


> And they include the alkaline battery tray.
> 
> GPS store has some really good prices on everything. I think I got a GPS puck a couple of years ago from them. Also looks like they have a small store front business, nice to be able to give some business to the small guys, and they normally stand up behind there stuff.


I've bought quite a bit from The GPS Store over the years at the Annapolis and AC Boat shows. Their sales guys are really knowledgeable about what works with what, and more importantly they'll tell you what they don't know and go find an answer.

I have no connection to these guys. But great customer service is so rare today it's nice to spread the word when you find it.


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## MastUndSchotbruch (Nov 26, 2010)

JimMcGee said:


> Rick,
> I just checked The GPS Store and they're $25 less than Amazon ! (www.thegpsstore.com).
> 
> They'll be at the AC Boat show next week, might be nice to have a waterproof VHF for the dinghy.
> ...


Thanks for pointing this out. I just placed an order for this. I don't actually need another handheld, I have a perfectly fine older SH, of course without DSC, GPS etc.. But it is over 10 years old and at some time, the battery will need to be replaced. And the price of a new battery is not far from this whole package!


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## JimMcGee (Jun 23, 2005)

Well I ended up not buying the radio, but bought a new chartplotter instead.

The GPS Store is running a deal at the AC Boat show with the Garmin 741xs chart plotter for $899 ! 

Normal price is $1,100 give or take a couple of dollars. This plotter's been selling around $1,500; Garmin is bringing out a new plotter the 7607 with basically the same features but a "cell phone like" user interface for $1,500. Both will be in the Garmin lineup for a while.

Since it was on my short list for upgrades I "gave in" when the wife suggested I go for it :laugher


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

IIRC the SH is the only one of the "uber-radios" that has a separate dedicated DSC receiver in it, giving it performance advantages.

But WTF?! A price drop like that makes you wonder, is something radically new coming out next month? Or did Oprah buy the company and decide and give away door prizes again?


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

FWIW I grabbed one at that price. It was considerably less than I could buy it for from my master wholesaler. This is because they made a deal with SH for a huge lot of them for close out and my wholesaler did not.. So far it seems decent but has rather unimpressive in menu and ease of use is marginal.. Still always good to have a spare of a spare......


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## BarryL (Aug 21, 2003)

*Hx870*

Hey,

The new radio has been released. It's the HX 870. Same basic radio, different screen.

Welcome to StandardHorizon.com

Not enough difference to make me run out and buy one.

Barry


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## Missingyou (Aug 16, 2013)

Thanks TakeFive for the link. In fact Hodges is selling it for even a few bucks less at $116.68, although not including the battery tray. You'll need to add it to the cart to see the lower price. I just snagged one from the GPS Store, because I want the tray. Awesome deal. I have an ICom M24 that I paid more for and lacks GPS/DSC.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

JimMcGee said:


> The GPS Store is running a deal at the AC Boat show with the Garmin 741xs chart plotter for $899 !


I've been looking at this chartplotter since I sold my old one so I can upgrade but not far along enough on my refit to get one just yet.

Last Friday, I had a West Marine email for one of their "today only Friday sales" that had that unit for the same price. I've heard some good things about it so far.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

hellosailor said:


> But WTF?! A price drop like that makes you wonder, is something radically new coming out next month? Or did Oprah buy the company and decide and give away door prizes again?


AIS seems like the next logical thing to add. I'd love to see some AIS functionality, especially an AIS alert/distress/MOB type function. Though the DSC does cover that already to a large extent.

MedSailor


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Thought I would post a recollection of my HX851. I needed to replace the rechargeable battery pack after the first year. As I mentioned above, I keep it in the ditchbag and, therefore, probably not fully charged all the time. I don't think rechargeable things like that much. When I let it fully drain over the winter, it wouldn't take a charge. With the new one I bought, I fully charge at the beginning of the winter and once in the middle. No trouble. This experience, is what lead me to buy the AAA battery pack as well for the ditchbag.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

Actually, it looks like the next model is already here. After a cursory look I'd say there's no real extra functionality (as far as I'm concerned) but it has a bigger screen and a more "smartphone like" interface.

Hmmm... maybe I should pick up one of the older ones. I, for one, just wish they'd get rid of this floating trend. I would like to see a SMALL VHF that I can always have in my PFD pocket. These bricks are huge!

Also, for those that used the AA tray. USE LITHIUM AA batteries. They are not prone to leaking during storage and have a shelf life of 5-10 years (longer in cold environments).

MedSailor

Edit: I just saw that the AA battery tray is now included, and shipping is free at the GPS store. OK twist my arm....


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

I would never buy a Standard Horizon product again. My handheld, after only a couple of years, still in very good , unabused condition, stopped functioning without warning on a trip. I bought a cheap Westmarine h/h at the closest store. It has worked perfectly for a number of years now. Not sure spending a lot on these things makes much difference.


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## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Standard Horizon has some of the best customer support in the industry. In fact it is pretty much all I install these days. Anything electronic can fail, especially in the marine environment, but SH products have been darn good and the company stands behind the product. 

Last summer I had a customer muck up his GPS antenna wire. I called on his behalf to see if they even offered it anymore and lo and behold they had one and they shipped it to me at no charge. This for a product that was nearly 9 years old and waaaaaaay out of warranty. Customer was pretty darn happy.....

Pretty much the only reason I grabbed this radio at this price was because it is a SH product....


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Seems like the new model DOES have a few small differences. 

Better waterproofing, to more depth, which should mean "better" on the surface as well, in the long term.

Better GPS, seeing all 66 channels (US & others) instead of just the US satellites. Better GPS, using WAAS augmentation, which mainly means "no, I'm on this side of the dock" as opposed to "Hey, I'm out here". Nice, but not a huge difference to most.

On batteries: No, do NOT use lithium batteries in the tray! Oddly enough this radio apparently does something odd with sensing battery state and it will presume a lithium battery is a dead battery, according to other posted comments. SH want you to use alkaline cells in there, and the new "long shelf life" ones from the big names should work fine for this. Don't ask me--ask SH directly what kind of oddball stuff goes on with this.

Still, at $120 it was cheaper than a new battery pack for my ancient SH, my arm also got twisted.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

smurphny said:


> ....My handheld, after only a couple of years, still in very good , unabused condition, stopped functioning without warning on a trip......


Bad rechargeable battery maybe? As I said above, mine crapped out too, but I'm sure it was from improper charging. If so, easy fix.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

When my antique SH needed a battery ASAP before a three day race, I called SH to ask about one. When I finished choking over the price (for the original obsolete 600mA NiCads at that) the rep agreed with me, it was ridiculous but that's what they had. Eventually I said I'd get mine rebuilt (2000mA NiMh) and he sent me the 12v ciggy socket power adapter, FREE, by way of apologizing for not having a reasonable replacement option.(No alkaline trays made for this model, etc.)

Dunno, I call that damn fine performance from customer service. And the radio? I still use it as a roofing and framing hammer, can't find fault with it. Knock wood. Time to rebuild the pack again--and that's still going to cost more than the new 851. Go figure.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

Minnewaska said:


> Bad rechargeable battery maybe? As I said above, mine crapped out too, but I'm sure it was from improper charging. If so, easy fix.


No, it charged up ok but just stopped transmitting or receiving. Some electronic component quit. Luckily, there was a WM within walking distance in Cape May. I have an ICOM main VHF but it's too far away from the helm to be easy to use. If the remote handsets weren't so expensive, that would be the best way to go but that little WM unit I got for $65 works fine for bridges and such. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has a pretty short battery charge life.


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## schessor (Mar 19, 2012)

*Re: Standard Horizon HX851 quick review*



BarryL said:


> Hey,
> Strobe - there is a feature that will activate the strobe if the radio gets wet. Good in theory but there is no way to deactivate this feature. It gets annoying when you are sitting in the rain with the radio flashing away.
> Barry


The manual (page 71) says you can turn off the Water Hazard LED


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