Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This rapid charger now costs about as much as the radio !!
Standard Radio Co. discontinued this model in July 2009, but internet retailers have hundreds of them according to stock inventory, and the price, as of late August, is now somewhere under $70 -- an incredible value.
The successor, the HX280S, appears to be distinguished only by a higher capacity battery.
The factory battery for the HX270S now costs nearly as much as the radio, but the factory operator's manual says you can expect about 300 recharging cycles out of the pack. That's a lot of use.
Moreover, addressing my concerns about finding a battery years after the radio has gone out of production, Standard Radio includes an alkaline battery pack that takes six conventional "AA" cells. You will find these anywhere.
Single-use AA batteries, including the newest "lithium" type cells, provide the best way to configure an emergency radio for the jump bag on your boat. You simply put a fresh set in there at the start of the season, and you KNOW they're fresh up and ready to go.
(Rechargeables of all types lose their charge sitting in the bag, even when the radio is turned off.)
Performance reviews are everywhere. Add me to the list of those who find the receive audio clear, nice and LOUD if you need it, and with a good midrange for voice clarity.
Transmit audio is also good, but take care to speak closely to the small pinhole to the right of the LED. They've set the mic gain for close-talking to cut background noise. So if you're more than an inch from the speaker grill/mic hole, the volume of your transmitted audio is very low.
Receive sensitivity is excellent, and the ability of the receiver to reject a transmitted signal from a nearby radio on a (different channel) is very good. This is crucial in crowded harbor areas and along city waterfront where there are many signals from multiple sources NOT on the channel you're using.
The catch that holds the battery packs is a little questionable. The tab, on a hinge, has only a small plastic ridge that sits in a groove when you snap it over the back of the battery housing. I will watch out that this does not wear out, causing that catch to fly open. The company says the fit is watertight, and guarantees it against moisture damage.
The radio is water resistant; consider it safe against splashes as well as if you're in the water with it radioing for help. (Don't go diving with it.) If you want it to float, get one of those waterproof radio bags for $15 and use the elastic straps on the bag to keep it handy. There's a clip for the back of the radio that you do NOT have to install if you plan on using a waterproof bag (that makes the radio slimmer).
Programming the radio is unremarkable. Eight positions can be filled with a combination of weather channels and marine VHF channels, and the radio can detect the severe weather signaling tone from the National Weather Service. This allows you to put the radio on scan and hang it from your bimini top or wherever, and if a storm kicks up you get an alert tone.
The scan rate is very rapid within the VHF marine channels. If you include any weather channels, the scan circuit hangs on those channels looking for the presence of this severe weather tone. Not big issue.
The function "BEEP" is a constant irritant on digital cameras, radios, GPS and all manner of consumer electronics. The HX270S allows you to DEFEAT the BEEP with a setting labeled STFU. I don't know what this means. Probably Japanese for "mute."
Good radio. Go get one before they sell out.
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STANDARD DESKTOP RAPID CHARGER 110VAC
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