Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A small, tough radio that is VERY nice to use!!!, August 20, 2009
I was looking for a portable VHF marine radio to use on kayaking trips in and around the San Francisco Bay. After researching everything available, I chose the Uniden MHS550 -- and am glad I did. Here's why:
1. SIZE: this unit is quite small and compact; it easily fits into the pocket of my PFD.
2. TOUGHNESS: The radio is waterproof to the JIS8 standard. This means it can be submerged to a depth of 5 feet for 30 minutes, without any water intrusion. It looks to be all cast-aluminum and rubber, and should take quite a hit without damage. It is nicely designed and very well-built.
3. FRS COMPATIBLE: I bought my wife and daughter Midland waterproof FRS radios because they're tough AND cheap. Since the Uniden has FRS channels, this allows me to easily keep in touch with them -- without the expense of buying 3 VHF radios.
4. MULTI-BAND: in addition to VHF and FRS, this unit has AM, FM, AIR, and NOAA bands. This is a feature I like a lot, as we can listen to our local AM news station if we need to keep tabs on traffic as we're headed back to our put-in.
5. LAYOUT: the radio has the on/off, volume, and squelch dial all on top of the radio. This makes it very easy to adjust without removing it from my pocket. The display is clear and bright, even in sunlight.
6. IDIOT-PROOF: I am not familiar with the VHF spectrum, but I do realize the channels are allocated for specific uses. The Uniden makes playing by the rules quite simple, as each channel appears on the display along with a description.
7. BATTERY LIFE: the radio uses lithium-ion batteries that are supposed to last 14 hours. This would clearly depend on how much transmitting you did, but I'm getting at least 20 hours of usage between charges. I use the radio for roughly two hours at a stretch, and hardly transmit at all. In addition, the radio comes with a "backup" battery pack that holds 4 AAA batteries. This is a very nice touch as it's nice to have a backup available just in case.
8. EASE OF USE: The features on the radio are very easy and intuitive to use. I've only had to consult the manual to clarify a couple of details, like how to mount the charger (which can be screwed to a counter-top or wall-mounted).
9. SOUND QUALITY: the MHS550 has a good speaker that is well amplified; it is loud yet clear, without any noticeable distortion.
The only "CONS" I've found so far:
1. The radio lacks buoyancy, so if it fell into the water it would sink. I plan to install a wrist strap with floatation, just in case.
2. I would like to have a neoprene case to store the radio in, but Uniden does not yet offer this as an accessory.
In short, this is a great little VHF that I highly recommend. It's so much better to be safe out on the water, and I know this radio is going to be there when I need it! If the MHS550 is too expensive for your needs, Uniden also offers two more affordable models -- the Uniden MHS450 and Uniden MHS350 -- that seem to share the same superb build quality.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing radio, built like a tank, simple to use., September 26, 2009
I read several very positive reviews about the Uniden MHS-350 (which is an older and larger model) from people who use them in very tough conditions. This is the reason why I included the Uniden brand in my search scope.
I was searching for a marine radio with a UHF land band and with Air band receive. This radio has it all, plus AM, FM and weather bands.
First off, this radio seems to be designed and built by professionals. I am an electronic engineer with a background in radio equipment design and manufacturing and I have experience with such equipment.
The body is all-metal (both the front and the back), with rubber wrap. Amazingly, the battery compartment is also rubber wrapped. It feels absolutely secure in hands. The controls have rubber coating as well.
The radio comes with a belt clip, AC power supply/charger, with a Li-Ion battery pack, an additional AA alkaline batteries case, and a wall/desk drop-in cradle. This is a VERY complete package!
What is also nice, the AC power supply is dual 110/230 VAC, it uses the switching technology and it is very light.
The MHS550 meets the tougher JIS8 specifications (not the JIS7, as wrongly stated in Amazon description). No other radio in this price range matches this spec.
The radio is simple in operation and has all what you would expect from a device which may save your (or somebody's) life. And it is biuilt like a tank! Sound quality is very good, and the audio output power is more than enough for virtually any situation.
The sensitivity in the VHF band, as well as in both the Weather & Air bands is very good. I compared this radio with Yaesu VX-7R (which is a great radio with a sensitive receiver), and Uniden wins in all these bands.
Putting channels in memory is easy and logical. Memory scanning is very fast.
Some points which I would like to be different:
- There is no S-meter in this radio. I do not believe it would be difficult to implement, but it is not there :(.
- Moving from channel to channel is by pressing "Up" and "Down" keys. It is OK in most cases (since you will hardly often change frequencies in Marine band in real life), but is a bit annoying if scrolling thru frequencies. A rotary dial would be nice. Well, I am spoiled by good things.
- The antenna is not removable. Not to say that it is a big issue, but if the antenna is damaged, you may have a problem replacing it. I believe, it is done to support the requirements for the FRS operation. This issue did not come as a complete surprise, since the user's manual says that this radio has a fixed antenna (the manual is available for download from the Uniden web site). However, the specifications provided on the same web site say that the antenna is SMA (a screw-in type). Confused 8(. The truth is probably in between: it is an SMA antenna, but the connector is modified so that the antenna is not easily removable (there are two tiny screws under the rubber ring removable attachment).
- The radio does not have a power-saving circuit.
- Reception in the AM band is poor (in case you need it). I guess that there is no dedicated built-in ferrite antenna for this band, and efficency of the supplied flexible antenna is poor at such frequencies (it is just too short to be efficient).
Overall, this is a 5-star product, with only minor snags. Really great!
P.S. Price paid: $130
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by John Dowd
by John Lull
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