STANDARD HX850S VHF HAND HELD DSC WITH GPS

A fabulous accessory for the mariner! I haven’t had the opportunity to use this radio in a real world environment yet, but my initial impression is very positive to say the least. The HX850s appears rugged, well-built, plus it floats! The menus, for the most part, are user friendly, but the DSC setup menus are a bit more complex. The other Amazon reviews have covered the radio itself very well. The one important thing I would add to these reviews is the potential importance of having/using the optional Standard Horizon battery…

This is a truly excellent hand-held DSC marine radio. It really has a lot going for it, although it is not perfect.The outstanding attribute of this radio is that it supports Digital Signal Calling (DSC). This feature provides two major benefits:1) it supports DSC distress calling (“the red button”) which is a valuable safety feature. Essentially, the radio puts out an automatic distress call which includes the GPS coordinates of the radio.2) DSC communications…