Get accessories thrown in with this popular radio

Get accessories thrown in with this popular radio.

Standard Horizon HX270S VHF Radio

Get VHF Radio accessories thrown in when you buy this popular radio. Standard Horizon combines several nice accessories with this radio.

The accessories supplied with the Standard Horizon HX270S are unmatched; a 1400mAh Nickel Metal Hydride battery that will last over 18 hours (5/5/90 duty cycle) when transmitting at 5W. Also included is a waterproof alkaline battery tray, 12VDC Charger, 110VAC changer and a desk top drop-in cradle to charge the radio on shore or on your boat.

This is a popular radio with features beyond its price tag.
You can use the rating system and the compare by price to check out its price and performance ranking.

Marine Radio Store
Site has a rating system and compare radios

Topic Tags: marine radio, standard horizon, standard horizon hx270s, vhf marine radio, vhf radio

Check Out the Antenna Accessories

Knowing what accessories are available will get you the best results.

Shakespeare has a complete line of antennas and accessories. The secret to getting a great installation of both VHF Marine Radio and Marine Antenna is to know what is available in both VHF Antenna and in VHF Antenna Accessories.
VHF Antennas
Just about any type of antenna you might need are available from Shakespeare including lengths and style to fit the job. Just use the antenna selector guide here to find the right antenna for the job. Connectors are all the same for both the radio and the antenna with few exceptions so all you have to do is find the antenna for the applications.
VHF Antenna Mounting Accessories
Shakespeare offers a variety of mounts and accessories so you can properly install your antennas to maximize convenience and performance with accessories to make the mounting easier and more professional.
The types of mounts are numerous and the mounting accessories are helpful. Here are some examples taken from the Marine Radio Store.
Shakespeare's Style 4191 Stand-off Extension is used to clear overhanging structures or other obstacles when mounting the upper support bracket for an antenna.
Shakespeare's Style 4705 makes an antenna mounting mast out of any 1" OD pipe. Just slip the adapter onto the pipe and attach it easily with (included) setscrews.
Shakespeare's Style 4712 Antenna Lay-down Hook is a heavy-duty "J" shaped hook to support antennas when in their lay-down position.
When you're mounting an antenna using a ratchet mount, you frequently need an extra five degrees of tilt one way or another - front to back, or side-to-side - to get the antenna to sit vertical. This kit of four rubber shims gives you that extra capability.

Marine Radio Store
Review Shakespear line of antennas and mounting systems

Anntenna Selection Guide
Use this guide to selet an antenna that will work for you

Topic Tags: antenna mounts, shakespeare antenna, vhf antenna, vhf marine radio antenna

Find the Right VHF Radio

There is now a rating meter you can compare with.

There is now a comparison system on the Internet you can use to quickly evaluate the specifications of one VHF radio over another.
The Marine-Radio-Store.com has evaluated each of the major radios on the market and rated them according to manufacturer specifications.
The radios are ranked by price so you can just go to the category representing your price range and check out the ratings of the radios in each category.
Of course you will have to check all the specifications, the rating meter only rates five common specifications including power drain, screen size and type, output power and receiving sensitivity.

VHF Marine Radio Comare and Rate
Overview of how the rating system works

Price Compare
Price compare by range and capabilities

Topic Tags: compare marine radios, marine radio, vhf handheld, vhf marine radio, vhf portable, vhf radio

Use Waterproof Marine Speakers

Use of waterproof speakers will save you money in long run.

Marine Stereo Speakers are different than home audio speakers. Speakers you might buy for your home or car often have paper cones that dissolve in weather, they have copper wiring that rusts and metal frames that are not treated for water.
All these factors add up to bad news if what you really need are marine stereo speakers.
Marine Stereo Speakers come in many flavors and sizes. Here are some of the basics.
Make sure to get a marine sub-woofer with your system. Without it you will not have the low frequency response you need in a marine stereo installation. Low frequencies are created by bass drums, bass guitars and other bass instruments and are the foundation of most music composition. Without good low frequency responses your sound system will sound poor.
The other speakers should be both mid-range and tweeters. The mid range picks up things like drums, horns, and most of the vocals and guitar.
The tweeter picks up the cymbals and high notes on the guitar. These are very important, most speakers handle mid range fine but tweeters can make the difference in a good marine stereo system and a poor one.
Check back next time for tips on installation.

Installation Instructions
Polyplanar installation considerations page

Marine Stereo Configurations
Sample installation configurations

Topic Tags: Infinity Marine Stereo, jbl marine, jenson marine, marine speakers, marine stereo, polyplanar, Prospec Marine Speakers, waterproof speakers, waterproof stereo

Get Satellite Radio and forget commercials

Marine Satellite Receivers are now available.

When satellite TV first came out I thought I had died and gone to heaven, no more commercials, or so I thought. Now many of the stations on "cable" carry commercials. You can still get uninterrupted movies on many of the stations, but you have to pay for them.

For now, you can pay a low monthly fee, usually twelve dollars a month, and get commercial free (over half of the stations are commercial free) satellite radio feeds right on your boat from either XM Satellite radio or Sirius Satellite radio receivers.

Satellite radio works much like satellite TV. The signal is sent to the satellite and the satellite sends it back down to subscribers. Some cities have ground repeaters if there are obstructions but for the most part it is direct to the receiver.
The best news is you do not have to replace your radio, you just tune your radio to a pre-selected FM station and away you go. Many models include wireless remotes also.
What the two leaders say about themselves.
SIRIUS is a service offering over 120 channels of satellite radio featuring digital-quality music, sports, news and entertainment programming when and where you want it.
XM is America's #1 Satellite Radio provider. America's most popular satellite radio service gives you the power to choose what you want to hear - wherever and whenever you want it.

How satellite radio works
Nice article at how stuff works on satellite radio

XM Satellite Forum
Try this forum to learn more about satellite radio

Sirius Satellite readio
Sirius FAQ page with lots of information

Topic Tags: marine radio, marine satellite radio, marine stereo, satellite radio, sirius radio, xm radio

Get the right length VHF Antenna

Figure out how long your antenna should be on your VHF Radio.

It is quite simple to figure out what your antenna length should be. Of course there are other factors that enter into the decision but it is really quite simple to figure your required antenna length.

First figure out how far you have to go to the radio you are going to communicate with. If it is a fixed base radio at your cabin you can get better coverage because you can mount the antenna on the cabin roof.
Basically, for 1.4 miles you need one foot of antenna. If you have two radios, both with 3 foot antennas you divide the number of miles you need to cover by 1.4 and round up to the nearest whole number. Divide it in two if you know both radio positions.
If you do not know the receiving antenna length just use an average of 3 feet (three feet times 1.4 is 4.2 miles) and you know how far away you will reach the other radio.
Because you both can reach out 1.4 miles for each foot of antenna, you can double the mileage that you can effectively reach.
If that confuses you just follow the links below to get a more detailed overview of how it all works.

Here is a formula for calculating the range of an antenna:

Calculation for Range of an Antenna:

Square Root of Height (in feet) above water x 1.42 = Range in miles

Remember to perform the calculation for BOTH vessels, and then add the results to get the range between two vessels.

Choosing an antenna
This is a great write up from the Shakespeare website on how to select and mount a VHF antenna.

Antenna Mounts
Great site for reviewing the different antenna mounting solutions available

Topic Tags: fixed mount vhf radio, marine antenna, marine radio, marine vhf antenna, shakespeare antenna,

Buy the right antenna for the job.

A little understanding of what is available can save hassles time and money.

VHF Marine Radio Antennas come in many sizes and mounting systems. I have listed a few things you might want to keep in mind when buying an antenna and mount for your radio.

The boat size and type make a difference.

For maximum range the antenna should be as long as possible and mounted as high as possible.

A sail boat mast provides a great mounting point because it elevates the antenna to the highest possible point allowing the best possible range. Mast mounts are simple band clamps.

If you are mounting an antenna on a small bass boat you can use a special antenna mounting system that will allow you to lower the antenna easily for fishing.

Shakespeare has this to say about mounting antennas:

"Consider the available space for mounting an antenna (and a radio), and how the antenna will have to be mounted.

• Rail mounting. Antennas attach easily to a variety of sizes of rails with handy rail mounts. The ratchets on them make lowering the antenna quite easy - for fishing or trailering, whatever. The rails can be horizontal or vertical, slanted or not. The simplest rail mount is Shakespeare's Style 4720 Economy Rail Mount. It's a simple clamp and a simple 1"-14-thread bracket that holds the antenna to the clamp.



• Surface (deck or bulkhead) mounting, flat or vertical. Mounting an an antenna to a flat surface requires either a flange mount, or a ratchet mount. Larger antennas have their own special needs - discussed shortly. On most boats, it's a safe bet that most of the available flat surfaces aren't exactly vertical or horizontal. They slope. The easiest way is with a ratchet mount that handily adjusts for the sloping surface and still permits quickly raising or lowering the antenna in the direction you want.



• Mounting Kits. Even if your boat is large enough so you don't have to take down your antennas to fish, many longer antennas probably have to be lowered to clear bridges, boat houses or other overhead obstructions. The two-part antenna mounting kit provides that option. The upper bracket snaps open, so you can lay down the antenna when you need to, and raise it again quickly when clear of the obstacle.



• Mast mounting (for sailboats, or attached to some mast-like structure on your boat). Antennas can be strapped to a mast quite easily. Some antennas are intended for this mounting method, having an elongated sleeve at the bottom for the purpose."

As you can see the mounting systems are very versitle.

Shakespeare on Choosing the right antenna
Great overview on how to select the right antenna for the job.

VHF Radio Antennas by Chuck Husick
Nice overview of VHF Radio Antennas

Topic Tags: icom vhf, Marine Radio, shakespeare antenna, shakespeare mounts, standard horizon vhf, uniden vhf, VHF Marine Radio