HX870E

A Review

Well I bought it online, Sept 2016 it cost £183.96 from Marine Super Store.

Firstly, Marine Super Store, not the first time I have shopped here and it gets full marks from me - not just on price but for delivery - Fed-Ex the next morning! Ordering to actual delivery was less than 20 hrs.

The radio replaced my ICOM IC-M35. Considering the little use I made of this radio it gave up on me when the terminals inside the actual radio corroded. Previously, I replaced, (at great expense), a battery because one of the terminals not just corroded but totally disappeared all together. Reading the sailing blogs it would appear this is not uncommon issue.

So before I go any further you are required to have a Short Range Certificate to use this radio. Course and certification are administered by the RYA. It is a two-day course with an exam.

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(This paragraph is from the RNLI website)

‘A DSC radio can send a distress message at the touch of a button. It simply broadcasts a programmed distress text message on Channel 70 to everyone in range. This text message contains your MMSI number but can also include your position if you link your DSC radio to your GPS. The text message will set off alarms on all nearby commercial ships at the Coastguard and on any other vessel that has a DSC radio. Sets receiving the call (and the transmitting set) re-tune to Channel 16 immediately. On most DSC radios the button that sends the distress message is large and red – normally have to lift a cover and then press and hold it for a few seconds.’

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As you can see this potentially could be a life saver on a small dinghy cruiser, in that you have only one button to press if you are in a bit of bother.

Now, we need to divert just a little bit - as you can see from the above quote (3rd line) …’This text message contains your MMSI number’. Good luck in obtaining one - understanding the Ofcom website can be a bit of a nightmare. It was more by luck than judgement that I found the correct section. When I did, the process is entirely online and you obtain not just a MMSI number but a call-sign as well, mine is T150133 (just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it!)

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What is a MMSI number?

A Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI) number is only issued to vessels fitted with Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and/or (Satellite) Ship Earth Station (SES) equipment.

Entering the MMSI number into the radio.

Dire warnings in the instruction book DON’T GET IT WRONG….. The radio does not have a keypad so you use the ‘soft keys’ to move up and down to enter the numbers. In fact, you have plenty of opportunity to correct your entries and you enter it twice (for comparison to what you first entered) even then there is a final check before you press ‘finish’.

For small boat cruising the radio MMSI is with you, NOT your boat, larger fixed radios require TWO licences (Boat/ Operator)

ISSUES WITH DSC?

Remember It is no longer mandatory for rescue services to maintain ‘listening watch’ on VHF Channel 16.
If you are in trouble, DSC allows you to call every other radio in range, simultaneously.

Firstly, the distress message menu on a DSC type radio will allow you to send various types of 'header' or title to your distress message including FIRE, SINKING, COLLISION, MAN OVERBOARD and several others. This way the Coastguard will be able to understand the nature of the distress even before they have been able to start talking to you

I am sorry, but I cannot think of a scenario where a distress call is made from a small dinghy in trouble and you will have the time to go into the menu section scroll through and choose the nature of your ‘life threatening’ distress.

Procedure

If you in fact, you do have time to complete a MAYDAY call and monitor replies, I can only quote what a retired Coast Guard of 20yrs experience said to me, ‘Don’t get tied up in procedure, if you require immediate assistance just say so. DON'T PANIC, State the nature of your emergency, where you are and give the information in any order’.

On a bigger boats there is usually a label next to the radio with pre-printed MAYDAY procedure - you will not have this a dinghy!
Anyway, this is about small boat cruising, so I think you can discount ‘FIRE’ and in my 14 foot boat -COLLISION and SINKING are the same thing. CAPSIZE and MOB are similarly the same. Potentially this leaving your preset down to just two options - SINKING or MOB!

DSC is a means also of communicating with other craft without calling CG on ‘16’ and requesting a speak-through channel’. It would appear this causes a lot of ‘false’ distress calls as users of DSC don’t fully understand what they are doing.

You can contact vessels via their MMSI number - choose the channel you wish to use, then ask your radio to call them by choosing their name from a menu or input their MMSI number. If they are in range, their DSC radio will sound an alarm tone (like a telephone) and once they acknowledge your call, both radios will automatically switch to your chosen channel.

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THE USERS MANUAL

The manual is 130 pages and extremely annoyingly is printed for the USA market. Go online to seek a UK manual and you will be sorely disappointed. In order to set it for the UK there is a separate printed sheet in the box with instructions of how to do this. As with most manuals these days, you can divide it into three sections:

1. The usual warnings about batteries and putting it together.
2. Stuff you only need to read once in order to set it up and
3. How to use it in day-to-day use.

I managed to unlock the PDF manual and got rid of the excess information,it is now down to 6 pages! If I was using the radio on a weekly basis I would not need any manual or even my own ‘dummies guide’ like this. There is little logic to using the menu on a HX87E. I am not going to be a regular user and the next time I pick it up is likely to be the start of the summers sailing season.

GPS and WAYPOINTS

Whilst I will use this - it will be more for the longer journeys. The GPS co-ordinates will I sure, be useful. The waypoint system does need a separate online chart system or accompanying paper charts.

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VHF channel numbers to contact UK Coastguard changed on 6 September 2017

Primary Intership Working Channels: 06, 08, 09, 10, 13, 15, 17, 67, 69, 72, 73, 77 - these are worth knowing so that if another vessel calls you, you can swiftly nominate a working channel from within this group.

In practice you should only use channels NOT shared with port operations. These are 06, 08, 72 and 77.

UK Coastguard use channels 10, 23, 67, 73, 84, 86
UK Marinas use channel 80 or M1 (37)
UK Yacht Clubs use M1 (37) & M2

Channel 13 is designated for intership safety of navigation (sometimes known as "bridge to bridge") and may be a possible channel for calling a merchant ship if no contact on channel 16.

Are you close enough to use "low-power" (1 watt)? - Doing so saves your battery and also reduces the range your signal achieves - this prevents the channel being cluttered and helps other people access it. Channel 70 is exclusively for DSC calling for safety and emergency and must not be used for other purposes.

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Working a radio

Some key points:

1. Listen for a reasonable period before transmitting, to check that the channel is in fact clear. Don't just barge in willy-nilly!
2. Always call with the recipient's callsign first, Call another boat by callsign (e.g. name of boat,) ("Jolly Roger, Jolly Roger, Jolly Roger this is Sea Breeze, Sea Breeze, Sea Breeze OVER")
3. If no answer, wait a decent interval before trying again.
4. If you receive a call, acknowledge, sing your callsign. "Sea Breeze", (and if you wish "Go ahead", or "Pass your message"). OVER
5. When you have finished the conversation, sign off with "Out", never with "Over and out". "Over" means "I am releasing my transmit switch and inviting you to reply", whereas "Out" effectively means "I am switching off".
6. The proword "Repeat" is used to give emphasis; not to request repetition. "I do not, repeat not, require assistance." If you want something repeated because you did not hear it clearly, the request is "Say again"; e.g. "Station calling Sea Breeze, say again your callsign."

From the manual

8.2 Squelch

1. Press the SQL key, then press the CH▼ key until noise is heard from the speaker. This state is known as “squelch off”.
2. Press the VOL−/VOL+ key until noise or audio from the speaker is at a comfortable level.
3. Press the SQL key, then press the CH▲ key until the random noise disappears.

7.3.1 Transmit Power

The TX output power of the HX870 is set to high level (6W) in factory default, and the “[HI]” indicator is displayed on the top part of the screen. To switch the TX output power:
1. Press ◄/► key repeatedly until the [HI], [MD], or [LOW] soft key is displayed at the bottom of the screen.
2. Press the [HI], [MD], or [LOW] soft key to switch between HI (6W), MD (2W), or LO (1W) output power.

7.9 PRESET CHANNELS: INSTANT ACCESS

10 preset channels can be programmed for instant access. Press the ◄/► key repeatedly, then press the [PRESET] soft key. Pressing the [PRESET] key activates the user assigned channel bank. If the [PRESET] soft key is pressed and no channels have been assigned, an alert beep will be emitted from the speaker. Before beginning the Instant Access operation, assign the “PRESET” command into one of the programmable keys, refer to section “12.7 SOFT KEYS”.

7.9.1 Programming

1. Press the CH▼/CH▲ key to select the channel to be programmed.
2. Press the ◄/► key repeatedly to indicate the function on the display, then press and hold the [PRESET] soft key until the “P-SET” icon and channel number are blinking.
3. Press the [ADD] soft key to program the channel into the preset channel memory. “[P-SET]” icon will appear
4. Repeat steps 1 through 4 to program the desired channels into the preset channels. Up to 10 channels can be registered. If you attempt to register the 11th channel, error beep will sound.

7.9.2 Operation

1. Press the ◄/► key repeatedly, then press the [PRESET] soft key to recall the preset channel. The “[P-SET]” icon will appear on the display.
2. Press the CH▼/CH▲ key to select the desired preset channel.
3. Press one of soft keys, then press the [PRESET] soft key to return to the last selected channel. The “[P-SET]” icon will disappear from the display.

7.10 MOB OPERATION

The HX870 provides a feature to memorize the position information instantly in case of MOB (Man Over-Board).

1. Press the ◄/► key repeatedly, then press MOB soft key.
2. Press the [TO WPT] soft key to start the navigation to the displayed position.
3. To transmit a DSC distress message, lift the red spring loaded DISTRESS cover on the right side of the transceiver, then press and hold the DISTRESS key. The nature of the distress call is automatically set to “MOB”.

9.3 DSC DISTRESS CALL

The HX870 is capable of transmitting and receiving DSC distress messages to all DSC radios. Distress calls from the HX870 include the latitude and longitude of the vessel when the internal GPS unit is activated.

NOTE To be able to transmit a DSC distress call an MMSI number must be programmed.

9.3.1 Transmitting a DSC Distress Call

Basic Operation

1. Lift the red spring loaded DISTRESS cover on the right side of the transceiver, and press then press and hold the DISTRESS key for 3 seconds. The radio display will count down (3-2-1) and then transmit the distress call. The backlight of the display and keypad flashes while the radios display is counting down.

2. When the distress signal is sent, the transceiver watches for a transmission on CH70 until an acknowledgment signal is received.
3. If no acknowledgment is received, the distress call is repeated in 4 minute intervals until a DSC acknowledgment is received.
4. When a DSC distress acknowledgment is received, a distress alarm sounds and Channel 16 is automatically selected. The display shows the MMSI of the ship responding to your distress.
5. Press the PTT button and state your name, vessel name, number of persons on board and the distress situation, then say “over” and wait for a reply from the acknowledging ship.
6. To turn off the distress alarm before the radio retransmits the distress call, press the 16/S key or the [QUIT] soft key.

9.3.2 Receiving a DSC Distress Call

1. When an all DSC call is received, an emergency alarm will sound.
2. Press any key to stop the alarm.
3. Press the CH▼ key several times to show information on the vessel in distress

12.5 BATTERY SAVER

This function allows you to change the battery save mode setting.
1. Press the MENU key to display “MENU”.
2. Select “SETUP” with the CH▼/CH▲/◄/► key, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
3. Select “CONFIGURATION” with the CH▼/ CH▲ key, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
4. Select “BATTERY SAVE” with the CH▼/CH▲ key, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
5. Press the CH▼/CH▲ key to select the desired setting. You can select one from “OFF”, “50%”, “70%”, “80%”, or “90%”.
6. Press the [ENTER] soft key to store the selected setting.
7. Press the CLR key to return to radio operation.

12.6.1 Emergency LED

1. Press the MENU key to display “MENU”.
2. Select “SETUP” with the CH▼/CH▲/◄/► key, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
3. Select “CONFIGURATION” with the CH▼/ CH▲ key, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
4. Select “STROBE LED” with the CH▼/CH▲ key, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
5. Press the CH▼/CH▲ key to select “EMERGENCY LED”, then press the [SELECT] soft key.
6. Press the CH▼/CH▲ key to select the desired setting. You can select one from “CONTINIOUS”, “SOS”, “BLINK 1”, “BLINK 2”, or “BLINK 3”.

7. Press the [ENTER] soft key to store the selected setting. 8. Press the CLR key to return to radio operation.

Simplex means transmitting and receiving on the same frequency. Only one party at a time can talk, unlike a telephone. Be sure to say “over” and release your microphone push-to-talk switch at the end of each transmission.

Duplex operation involves the use of one frequency for transmitting and a separate frequency for receiving. On channels specified as duplex on the charts, correct mode of operation is established automatically by your radio when you select a channel; you cannot change the mode. And you still must release the push-to-talk switch after each transmission in order to listen to the radio.