Reprinted From July 2006 - Standard Horizon
Reprinted fromVOLUME 19 NUMBER 7July 2006 www.powerboat-reports.comJULY 20063 Regal 2400This fun-to-drive bow rider has ampleseating and storage, but wider swimladders and additional handrails wouldmake it more family friendly.7 Handheld VHF RadiosA solid performer with multi-band receptionand DSC emergency calling, the StandardHorizon HX600S takes top honors.Family Focus: Page 313 PFDs for KidsMustang, Stearns, and Sospenders havetop-quality vests for youths that providebuoyancy well beyond regulation.17 Suzuki DF300Suzuki introduces the biggest four-stroke yetwith a 300-hp V6 that weighs less and burnsless fuel than the 275 Mercury Verado.Can You Hear Me Now?: Page 719 Anti-Fouling Paints forOutdrives and OutboardsAll three products failed to stop barnaclegrowth. Pettit’s Alumacoat SR allowed theleast amount of slime and hard growth.20 Mooring Chain TestAfter six months, the standard AccoGrade-30 proof coil looks good. Forget theCampbell and Chinese proof coils.PFD Plunge: Page 13Also in This Issue2 Editorial Better mileage and fewermaintenance woes with more horsepower,and tips on getting kids into PFDs.22 Letters/Advisor Stepping up, bottom paintthrough Jamestown Distributors, VHF output,windlass installation, and digital charts.24 Product Monitor Tideminders mooring/docking system and a propane canister locker.First 300-hp Outboard: Page 17
Expensive Handheld VHF Radios:Standard Horizon Edges IcomWith its solid performance, multi-band reception, and DSC emergencycalling capability, the Standard Horizon HX600S takes top honors.The radios from Icom had the longest battery life.Handheld VHF radios come inhandy for a variety of tasksaboard any boat. On small skiffs,they serve well as the main methodof communicating—and you don’thave to worry about the mounting,antenna, and wiring issues associated with a fixed-mount radio. Onlarger vessels with a fixed-mountVHF already installed, handheldscan serve as a viable backup radio oras a means of two-way communication if the dinghy is launched. Whenused as a backup, your handheld caneven connect to the boat’s main antenna via an adapter and significantlyincrease your transceiver range.What We TestedTo keep our reports reasonable in bothscope and size, as well as to make faircomparisons, we’ve divided coverageof handheld VHF radios into twogroups. In this review we’ll report onupper-echelon units that sell for morethan 175. Next time, we’ll cover lessexpensive radios. Our lineup includestwo units from perennial VHF leaderIcom (models IC-M72 and IC-M88),four from Standard Horizon (models HX370S, HX500S, HX600S, andHX471S), the Ray101 from Raymarine, and the West Marine VHF 250.How We TestedThe first order of business was tocharge the batteries, which we did using the associated AC chargers. Next,we ran each radio through a seriesof bench tests, including transmitterpower output, frequency accuracyand stability, and receiver sensitivity.We used a sophisticated piece of radiotest gear, a Ramsey COM3010 com-munications service monitor.Maximum power output on aportable handheld marine radio islimited to 5 or 6 watts. A low-powersetting, 1 watt, for harbor use, isalso available. In addition to thehigh- and low-power settings, mostof the radios we tested had a midpower setting. We tested only atthe max power and 1 watt. We tooktransmitter power measurementsdirectly off the radio antenna portlocated on the top of each radio.Frequency accuracy is defined asBelow, from left to right: StandardHorizon HX471S, Icom IC-M88,Icom IC-M72, West Marine VHF 250,Standard Horizon HX500S, Standard Horizon HX600S,Standard Horizon HX370S,Raymarine Ray101.
value guide: Handheld VHFs over 175MakerRaymarineStandard HorizonModelRay101Price 179.99Price SourceAA or AAA Battery PackBattery Warranty Period (Months)Battery TypeIcomStandard HorizonHX370SIC-M72HX500S 179.99 199.99 .comIncludedIncludedN/AOptional018Nickel Metal Hydride Nickel Metal HydrideBattery Capacity (mAH)1218Lithium IonNickel Metal Hydride1300140020001400 22.50 65 129.99 65Maximum Charge Time24101410Claimed Time of Operation (single charge) (hrs)N/A1815 to 1614915 15 13Head SetN/AOptionalOptionalOptionalExternal blerN/AOptionalYesOptionalMM, LMMBattery Replacement CostTested Time of Operation (single charge) (hrs)*Frequency BandsDSC CapabilitiesUnit Size (Inches W x H x D)Weight (Ounces)Tx Settings (Watts)NoNoNoNo2.6 x 6.3 x 2.02.5 x 5.4 x 1.82.2 x 5.4 x 1.42.5 x 4.8 x r Power Output and StabilityGoodGoodExcellentExcellentTransmitter Frequency StabilityGoodExcellentFairGoodReceive SensitivityGoodGoodExcellentExcellentSelectivity (dB)70707065Display oodGoodExcellentAudio Output (dBA at 1 foot)Audio Quality*Aircraft (A), AM Broadcast (AM), Family (F), FM Broadcast (FM), Land Mobile (L), Marine (M), Multi-Use Radio Service (R).the ability of the transmitter to sendsignals out on the selected frequency.Frequency stability measures thetransmitter’s ability to maintainfrequency accuracy over its entiretemperature operating range. Regulations mandate an accuracy of 10 partsper million, while industry groupstypically call for half that error. Thisequates to being about 1550 hertz (Hz)off frequency in the marine frequencyband.Each transmitter test was done onchannel 16 at room temperature (75F), as well as temperature extremesnear the maximum ranges of eachradio.To reach the cold extreme, eachradio was put in a bait freezer at 15F for four hours prior to testing. Weused a fish smoker as an environmental chamber to get the radios tohigh-temperature extremes. Eachwas left to cook for two hours at 122F and then immediately run throughanother transmitter-power and frequency test.We also checked each unit’s lowpower setting, measuring both poweroutput and frequency accuracy. Frequency stability was rated over theentire range of transmitter testing; thecloser a unit held to the appropriatefrequency, the higher it was rated.Receiver sensitivity is the abilityof the radio’s receiver section to heara weak signal. Typical marine VHFreceiver sensitivity ratings run from.22 to .35 microvolts, with industrygroups recommending a minimum.50 microvolts. Each radio receiverwas tested for the minimum signalit could receive at a specific industrystandard setting between backgroundnoise and generated signal (12 dBSINAD). All the radios rated Good orbetter, meaning they are more thansensitive enough to pick up very weakincoming signals.Another receiver standard is selectivity, the ability of the receiver toreproduce only the signals you wantto hear, and not others, even thoughthey may be strong and nearby. Ourtest equipment did not allow us totest each radio for this characteristic.Each manufacturer provided information, which is listed in the chartunder selectivity; a higher numberis better.Display ratings were based on thesize of the channel number display,the amount of other informationshown, the value of the channel comments, the size of the screen, and thequality of the backlighting.One important part of the marineradio often overlooked is the audioamplifier and speaker. Boats can be
West MarineStandard HorizonStandard HorizonIcomVHF 250HX471SHX600SIC-M88 219.99 299.99 249.99 m IonLithium IonNickel Metal HydrideLithium Ion1400140014001700 69.99 83 65 12212310101010 to 121415141315 15 onalNoOptionalOptionalNoA, AM, F, FM, MA, AM, F, FM, M, RA, AM, FM, ML, MN/AMMSI/LLMMSI/LLN/A2.7 x 5.1 x 1.72.6 x 5.5 x 1.62.5 x 4.8 x 1.92.4 x 4.4 x 3879293GoodGoodExcellentGoodnoisy places, and if you can’t hear theoutput, it doesn’t really matter howwell the transmitter or receiver works.To rate the audio system of each radio,we measured the sound pressure atmaximum volume while generatinga 1 KHz tone with the COM3010 andinputting the tone into the radio. Measurements were taken at a distanceof 1 foot using a Radio Shack decibelmeter. Our tester also rated each audiosystem with a voice input by monitoring a weather channel and rating thequality of sound reproduction.A submersion test was conductedon each radio to confirm it as waterproof. The tester turned on the radiosand submerged them in a bucket offresh water for 30 minutes. AfterRight: We used a Ramsey COM3010communications service monitor to record and rate transceiver specifications.removal, we checked the radio forproper operation immediately andthen again the next day. All of theradios passed this test.Since a user typically carries ahandheld radio either in hand or ona belt clip, we elected to perform adrop test to confirm the radios survivability. Each radio was turned onthen dropped from a height of 4 feetonto concrete. Again, all of the radiospassed this test.The clock started ticking for thebattery-life test immediately following charging. We allotted the firsthour of use to run our bench tests.Radios were off during their timein our environmental chambers andthen turned back on the followingday and allowed to run continuouslyfor the next 14 hours. We transmittedat full power for about three minutesevery hour and received voice signalsfor about five minutes every houruntil the battery died or the unit began to malfunction. Total battery testtime was 15 hours. Radios still fullyfunctional at that time were rated at15 hours of battery life.In the final analysis, we consideredperformance, cost (initial and batteryreplacement), warranty (both unitand battery), battery life, includedequipment, recharge time, display,and audio output.Icom IC-M72Ergonomically, the IC-M72 tops thefield. It’s lightweight, fits into onehand well, and is comfortable to holdand use. The most powerful battery inthe field provides the muscle for a sixwatt transmitter, the highest outputpower rating of any handheld VHFwe’ve tested. Tested battery life wasexcellent with the transmitter still
pumping out plenty of power evenafter 15 hours of use. One downside:Replacing the battery will cost younearly as much as the radio itself: 130.Overall performance ratings onthe IC-M72 were Good to Excellent,though it fell a bit short in two areas.It scored only a Fair for transmitterfrequency stability because the transmitter went off frequency by a smallamount after emerging from the heatchamber. It was still within designspecifications and completely usable,however.Following submersion, we noticedthe battery compartment had someminor water intrusion. According toIcom advertising manager, Dave Kruzic, water in the battery area is not aproblem for Icom radios. “There is nohuge gasket between battery and radioto prevent water intrusion. Where itis important to protect against waterintrusion is where the battery contactpoints meet the radio mainframe. Ifyou look at both the M72 and M88,the gasket is small and only coversthis critical area. If you submerge theradios with the battery properly fitted in place, remove from water andshake the radio off, you should heara small suction ‘snap’ when removingthe battery and the contact point sealis disrupted. It should be dry in thatsmall area. The rest is unimportant.”This radio is operated with a rotaryon/off/volume control located on top,a push-to-talk and a squelch buttonon the side, and six pushbuttons onthe front panel. Controls on the frontselect transmitter power, channelchanging, weather, quick 16 or 9, andscanning. An optional microphoneor speaker connects through a portin the top.Bottom Line: A well-built radiowith highly rated ergonomics, goodperformance, and excellent batterylife. Battery replacement cost is high.Icom IC-M88This expensive sub-compact packsa load of features into a lightweightpackage about the size of a bar of soap.The M88 operates by using the rotaryon/off/volume control located on top,a push-to-talk and a squelch button onthe side. Six front-panel pushbuttonscontrol transmitter power, channelchanging, weather, quick 16 or 9, andscanning. An optional external speaker/microphone plugs in on the side.The M88 earned Good or Excellentratings across the board. During thebattery-life test it was one of only fourradios still functioning after 15 hoursand it was going strong even then,pumping out plenty of transmitterpower during our final check.This radio shares two less-than-desirable traits with its sibling, the M72:It has a very expensive battery ( 122)and it had some water in the batteryarea following our dunk test. See theIcom IC-72 text for Icom’s explanationas to why water in the battery area isnot a big deal.Bottom Line: A great performer,but it’s expensive and so is batteryreplacement.Raymarine Ray101At about twice the size of the diminutive Icom M88, the Ray101 is the heftiest handheld in this test. It uses sixAA-size nickel metal hydride batteries contained in a sealed battery packthat fits securely to the back of theunit. This setup gives the Ray101 thelowest battery replacement cost in thegroup, as well as the opportunity toquickly install standard AA batteriesshould the need arise. Unfortunatelythis setup also yielded the worst performance in our battery life test byonly lasting nine hours. Raymarinecommunications manager NancyBaumgartner commented on theRay101 batteries. “Since the batteryis a consumable item, it is not coveredunder the 3-year radio warranty. Oneof the major advantages of the Ray101is that it does not use a proprietarybattery pack; instead the consumercan go to any retail store in the US andbuy regular AA rechargeable NiMHbatteries for a fraction of the price ofthe proprietary custom batteries usedby other radio manufacturers.Ray101 also allows flexibility forthe users to upgrade their batteries tothe bigger capacity battery. Upgradingto the bigger capacity battery wouldinstantly increase the battery life andmake the radio up to date to the latestbattery technology.”Two rotary knobs are mounted onthe top of the unit: an off/on/volumecontrol and a squelch control. Theside-mounted, push-to-talk switchis too hard to press, in our opinion.Seven front panel pushbuttons selecttransmitter power, scanning options,channel change, weather, panel backlighting, and quick 16.Left: A few drops of water got inside ofthe Icom IC-M88’s battery compartmentafter our dunk test, but a gasket protects the battery-to-radio connection.
Overall performance of the Ray101was Good. We found water in the battery area after the dunk test. It did notpenetrate the battery compartment orthe area where the battery-to-radioconnections are located as they areprotected with a small gasket.Bottom Line: Too big and heavy forour liking, plus it has a rather shortbattery life.Standard Horizon HX600SThe HX600S is the product lineleader for Vertex Standard. It featuresmulti-band and digital-selective-calling capabilities—one of only tworadios with the latter feature. If it issitting in its charger and the chargeris wired to a GPS unit, the HX600Swill transmit vessel position dataalong with the MMSI number whenmaking an emergency Digital Selective Call (DSC).The HX600S has a top-mountedvolume control and side-mountedpushbuttons for on-off, squelch, andpush-to-talk. Eight front-mountedpushbuttons control transmitterpower selection, channel changing,weather, scanning, and band choice.It can receive signals on the Marine,Aircraft, AM, and FM bands. It transmits on Marine only. An optionalheadset, microphone, or speaker plugsinto a jack on the top of the unit.The HX600S was the only radio toachieve Excellent ratings across theboard and pass the drop and submersion tests with no glitches or caveats.Battery life was also Excellent andrated at 15 hours. Battery replacement cost, at 65, is the lowest ofany unit that requires a specializedbattery.Bottom Line: Excellent performancecoupled with features like multi-bandtechnology and DSC capability makethe HX600S our top pick.Standard Horizon HX500SIdentical in looks to the HX600S,the less expensive HX500S operatesonly on the Marine band and doesnot have DSC capabilities. It has atop-mounted volume control andAbove: Standard Horizon packs a smorgasbord of features into itsHX471S. Here, the radio is set on the Aircraft Band, which would allow aboater in trouble to monitor aircraft search-and-rescue communications.side-mounted pushbuttons for onoff, squelch, and push-to-talk. Sevenfront-mounted pushbuttons controltransmitter power selection, channelchanging, weather, and scanning.An optional headset, microphone, orspeaker plugs into a jack on the topof the unit.The HX500S performed very wellin our testing, earning mostly Excellent ratings. It passed the drop andsubmersion tests. Though it uses thesame battery as the HX600S, it didnot perform quite as well, lasting 13hours. When we ended its battery-lifetest, the HX500S was not dead—itsimply stopped transmitting justseconds before it would have been setaside for another hour. The HX500Shas a cutout circuit that will lock outthe transmitter when the battery voltage drops below a certain point. It stillhad life and could transmit, just notfor the sustained 3 minutes we usedduring our testing. Battery replacement cost on the HX500S is 65.Bottom Line: Rugged construction,very good overall performance, and areasonably priced replacement batterymake the HX500S a good choice.Standard Horizon HX370SThough the HX370S shares the samecontrol layout as the more expensiveHX500S and HX600S, it is bigger andheavier. It also has a larger displayscreen. The HX370S has a top-mounted on/off/volume control and sidemounted pushbuttons for push-totalk and squelch. Seven pushbuttonson its face control transmitter powerselection, channel changing, weather,and scanning. An optional headset,microphone, or speaker plugs into ajack on the top.The HX370S performed well in ourtesting, earning all Good and Excellent ratings. It did, however, trail mostin the group in audio output. Submersion testing went well. The batteryseparated from the radio during thedrop test, however. After we picked itup and reinstalled it, everything wasoperating normally. Battery life on theHX370 was rated at 15 , though uponreaching hour 15 it was fairly weak.We don’t think this radio had muchleft at that point. Battery replacementis 65.Bottom Line: A decent overall performer; it’s just a little big and heavyfor us.Standard Horizon HX471SEven though the HX471S is the smallest and lightest radio in our test, it’salso packed with features like multiband and DSC capabilities. This radio
receives voice traffic on the Marine,Aircraft, Family, AM, FM, MURS,and Aircraft bands. It can transmit onMarine and Family radio channels.During a DSC emergency call, it willtransmit the vessel’s MMSI numberand—if configured properly—willrelay position data in lat/long.HX471S has top-mounted volumeand squelch knobs and a side-mounted pushbutton for push-to-talk andbacklighting. Front-panel pushbuttons control transmitter power outputselection, channel changing, weather,scanning, band choice, and a quick16. An optional headset, microphone,or speaker plugs into a jack on the topof the unit.The HX471S performed well in ourtests, earning mostly Good ratings.We noted no problems during thedrop or submersion tests. Battery lifeon this radio was rated for 13 hours,well beyond the manufacturer’s 10to 12-hour claim. One thing to keepin mind: When this radio dies froma low battery, it is completely deadand will require a charge before itwill come back to life. Recharge timeon the HX471S is the fastest in thegroup—three hours. Battery replacement is 83.Bottom Line: This radio has a tonof features packed into a small package. Performance was middle of thepack.West Marine VHF 250In addition to full marine-band capabilities, the multi-talented VHF 250can receive signals from the Familyradio, AM, FM, and Aircraft bands.It can transmit on Family radio channels too. Other features include a diecast metal case and a top-mountedadapter ready to accept an optionalhead set, speaker, or microphone. Ascrambler is optional.The VHF 250 is controlled with apair of top-mounted knobs for on/off/volume and squelch, as well as sevenfront-panel pushbuttons for selectingthe operating band, channels, weather, scanning, or quick 16 or 9. On theside is an easy-to-operate, push-to-talkswitch and a backlit on-off switch.Overall performance of the VHF250 was Good, but the audio systemwas weak compared to the competition. Testing took its toll on this radio.The internal connection between theunit and the antenna failed and theantenna mount was noticeably loose.In our battery-life test, the VHF 250lasted 14 hours, well beyond its 10hour claim.Bottom Line: Lots of features in areasonably priced package. A weakantenna mount holds this one back.ConclusionsIn this price range, you have plentyof options when choosing a handheldVHF. No unit stands out as a clear winAbove: The Standard HorizonHX600S fared well in every aspectof our evaluation.Above: The push-to-talk button on theside of the Ray101 was harder to pressthan any other test radio’s button.ner in every category. Certain radiosexcel in particular areas, while othersprovide all-around good service.We rated the Standard HorizonHX600S our top pick because it performed well—with no hiccups—andhad a bevy of added features, including the ability to listen on severalvoice bands and transmit a DSC callin an emergency. It is certainly notthe smallest, lightest, or least expensive handheld out there, but whenviewed as an overall package wethink it’s the best.If you’re looking for a radio with thelongest battery life, we’d opt for an Icomradio, either the IC-M72 or the IC-M88.Both had plenty of juice left at the endof our grueling battery life test. Technology enthusiasts trying to stay on theedge should look at the Standard Horizon HX471S. It packs all the featuresone could want into the smallest andlightest package we’ve tested. nStandard Horizon, 714/827-7600,standardhorizon.comIcom, 425/454-7619,icomamerica.comWest Marine, 800/BOATING,westmarine.comRaymarine, 800/539-5539,raymarine.comReprinted from Powerboat Reports 2006 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. Powerboat Reports is published monthly (12 issues)by Belvoir Media Group, LLC, 800 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06854. Subscriptions are 29 annually. 800-829-9081.www.powerboat-reports.com
Horizon HX471S, Icom IC-M88, Icom IC-M72, West Marine VHF 250, Standard Horizon HX500S, Stan-dard Horizon HX600S, Standard Horizon HX370S, Raymarine Ray101. H andheld VHF radios come in handy for a variety of tasks aboard any boat. On small skiffs, they serve well as the main method of communicating—and you don’t
ii TABLE OF CONTENTS October 27, 2006 Volume 30, Issue 43 PROPOSED RULES BOARD OF HIGHER EDUCATION A Master Plan for Postsecondary Education in Illinois . 28 July 3, 2006 July 14, 2006 29 July 10, 2006 July 21, 2006 30 July 17, 2006 July 28, 2006 31 July 24, 2006 August 4, 2006 .
department of Consumer Affairs, 1998 Reprinted, 2000 updated and reprinted, 2001 Reprinted, 2002 updated and reprinted, 2003 updated, 2004 updated and reprinted, 2006
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January 13, 2006 St. John’s February 10, 2006 St. John’s March 10, 2006 St. Teresa April 14, 2006 (Note 3rd Friday) St. Michael’s May 12, 2006 Holy Comforter June 9, 2006 Advent July 14, 2006 TBD August 11, 2006 St. John’s September 8, 2006 St. James/St. Matthews October 13, 2006 Holy Spirit
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Fourth edition 1987 Reprinted 1989, 1991 Italian edition 1991 Fifth edition 1992 Reprinted 1993, 1994, 1995 Sixth edition 1998 Reprinted 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 Seventh edition 2004 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hugo and Russell’s pharmaceutical microbiology / edited by Stephen Denyer, Norman A. Hodges, Sean P. Gorman .
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