Standard Horizon HX750S
Floating Handheld VHF Review

The Standard Horizon HX750S is a 6-watt floating marine handheld. To be able to float the radio combines a relatively large case with a total weight of only 10.7 ounces.

The HX750S ships with an automatic AC fast charger that requires eight hours to fully charge the 1150 mAH lithium ion battery pack. This charger shows a red light to indicate charging and green for a fully charged battery. A DC charger cord and belt clip is included too.

Standard Horizon HX750S

All functions of the HX750S are controlled with 11 front-mounted pushbuttons. Volume and squelch are adjusted by pressing their respective pushbuttons and then using the arrow keys to increase or decrease as needed. We’d prefer twist knobs for these two primary functions.

The push-to-talk switch is side-mounted while an optional microphone/speaker jack sits is located on top of the radio. One button control is available for transmitter power selection, channel changing, weather channel selection, quick selection of channel 16 or 9, and some scanning options.

Scan modes include dual watch, triple watch, memory, or priority. Using memory the HX750S can be set to monitor from 2 to all the channels. The HX750S can use all Canadian, International, and US marine VHF channels and NOAA weather channels.

A preset key can be used to store and quickly recall up to eight of your favorite channels.

Water Temperature Sensor

One special feature on the HX750S is the addition of a water temperature sensor on the front panel. To use it, soak the radio in the water to be measured for several minutes, then using several key presses you’ll arrive at a page displaying the water temperature in Centigrade or Fahrenheit. We tried it and it worked as advertised showing the temperature on the top left of the screen.

Performance

Transceiver performance of the HX750S was top notch. It earned good ratings for transmitter power stability and frequency stability with an excellent receiver sensitivity rating. The receiver is rated for 70 dB of channel separation. Audio performance was outstanding. During our output test we measured 99 dBA.

We rated the display screen on the HX750S excellent. It uses large block numbers to annunciate the selected channel. Sliding scales on the left of the screen show volume and squelch levels. A low battery icon appears onscreen when the battery is nearing empty.

Transmitter power output is shown onscreen as with no icon for maximum(6-watts), H(5-watts), M(2.5-watts), or L(1-watt). A transmission is indicated by an onscreen icon and a red light on the case front. When receiving the light displays green and a busy icon appears onscreen.

Battery Life Testing

The HX750S turned in a very good performance in our battery life test by lasting 13 hours. When you consider the battery compromise necessary to make a floating radio, this radio did very well. It passed both the drop and submersion tests too with no glitches.

Final Thoughts

This radio is waterproof and carries an IPX7 rating. This means it can be submerged to a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes without sustaining any damage.

The Standard Horizon HX750S is the least expensive floating handheld marine VHF on the market. It carries a 3-year warranty on the radio with a 12-month warranty on the battery.

Buy this Standard Horizon VHF floating handheld marine radio here.