Standard Horizon HX890 vs Icom IC-M37

Buy the Standard Horizon HX890, model language STH-HX890NB on retailer tables that travel with ASIN B07K6T9F43, when you want the floating handheld VHF whose card prints selectable 6/2/1 watt transmit power, 700 mW loud audio with noise-canceling language for transmit and receive, IPX8 submersible construction that floats, ITU-R M.493 Class-H DSC, a built-in 66-channel WAAS GPS receiver, about 11 hours of operating time with an 1800 mAh Li-ion pack, a water-activated white emergency strobe, MOB features, a built-in FM broadcast band receiver, and a kit that lists the rechargeable battery, alkaline tray, chargers, cradle, 12-volt charger, PC cable, and belt clip with lanyard. Buy the Icom IC-M37, ASIN B0B8TLFL7M, when you want the buoyant handheld VHF whose card prints 6-watt RF output, 700 mW audio, IP57 dust and waterproof protection, Float'n Flash LED language, AquaQuake draining for a water-logged speaker, more than 12 hours with the BP-296 Li-ion pack, dual-watch and tri-watch scanning, instant access to channel 16, large easy-to-grip keys, and a low-battery alert. Match the ASIN before you match an HX210 or an IC-M25 photograph from the older handheld fight.

Short version. A Standard Horizon HX210 and an Icom IC-M25 are the other handheld VHF conversation on this desk. A Uniden UM385BK and a Standard Horizon GX1400 are fixed-mount radios, not these handhelds. An ACR 2830 and an Ocean Signal 702S-01540 are distress beacons, not channel 16. A Mustang MD2030-191 and an Onyx 132000 are life jackets. A Shakespeare 5225-XT and a Perko 1212DP2CHR are antennas and mounts. This page is B07K6T9F43 and B0B8TLFL7M.

Who should buy the HX890, and who should buy the IC-M37?

Buy B07K6T9F43 if you want the Standard Horizon HX890 whose card prints selectable 6/2/1 watt transmit, 700 mW audio with noise-cancel language, IPX8 floating construction, Class-H DSC, a built-in 66-channel WAAS GPS receiver, about 11 hours on an 1800 mAh Li-ion pack, a water-activated white strobe, MOB features, FM broadcast reception, and the full accessory kit listed on the card. Buy B0B8TLFL7M if you want the Icom IC-M37 whose card prints 6-watt output, 700 mW audio, IP57 protection, Float'n Flash, AquaQuake, more than 12 hours with BP-296, dual-watch and tri-watch scanning, channel 16 access, large keys, and a low-battery alert, and if you will accept that this IC-M37 card does not print a built-in GPS receiver the way the HX890 card does.

Buy neither if you wanted a fixed-mount VHF. The Uniden UM385BK and Standard Horizon GX1400 page is already written for the helm. Buy neither if you wanted the older HX210 and IC-M25 fight. That is a different pair of ASINs. Buy neither if you needed a PLB or an EPIRB. The ACR and Ocean Signal page is the distress-beacon conversation.

What is B07K6T9F43 actually for?

This card is a Standard Horizon HX890 handheld VHF, ASIN B07K6T9F43. The feature language that belongs here prints selectable 6/2/1 watt transmit power, 700 mW loud audio with noise-canceling function language for both transmit and receive, IPX8 submersible construction that floats, Class-H DSC operation, a built-in 66-channel WAAS GPS receiver, about 11 hours of operating time with an 1800 mAh high-capacity Li-ion battery, a water-activated emergency white strobe, MOB features, a built-in FM broadcast band receiver, two scrambler-system mentions on some kit cards, and a packaged kit that includes the rechargeable battery, alkaline tray, wall chargers, charging cradle, 12-volt charger, PC programming cable, and belt clip with lanyard. Case dimensions near 2.60 by 5.43 by 1.50 inches travel with the round-case ergonomics sentence.

Class-H DSC and a built-in GPS are the HX890 split against the IC-M37 card used here. Eleven hours is the HX890 operating-time sentence. It is not the IC-M37's more-than-12-hours BP-296 sentence. IPX8 is not IP57. Do not average them. An FM broadcast receiver is entertainment and weather listening language on some boats. It is not a substitute for a float plan.

Do not order an HX210 because Standard Horizon matched and the HX890 cell was not checked. The HX210 and IC-M25 page is the older handheld fight. Do not order a GX1400 because the tab said VHF and the fixed-mount ASIN was easier to click. That radio stays on the helm page.

What is B0B8TLFL7M actually for?

This card is an Icom IC-M37 USA VHF marine transceiver, ASIN B0B8TLFL7M. The feature language that belongs here prints 6-watt RF output, 700 mW audio for loud reception, IP57 dust and waterproof protection, Float'n Flash LED language when the radio is in the water, AquaQuake technology to clear a water-logged speaker, more than 12 hours of operation with the BP-296 Li-ion battery pack, a low-battery alert, dual-watch and tri-watch scanning, instant access to channel 16 and the call channel, large easy-to-grip keys, a voice loud/mute function, and a bright display sentence on the shopping card.

Float'n Flash is the Icom float-and-light cell. It is not the HX890's water-activated white strobe sentence, even when both radios float. AquaQuake is a speaker-drain feature. It is not IPX8. More than 12 hours with BP-296 is the battery sentence used here. A built-in GPS receiver is not printed on the IC-M37 card language this comparison treats as belonging to B0B8TLFL7M. Leave that cell missing instead of inventing a WAAS receiver because the HX890 has one.

Do not order an IC-M25 because Icom matched and the M37 ASIN was not checked. The HX210 and IC-M25 page already covers that older pair. Do not treat a retailer "number of channels" cell that looks wrong as a rewrite of marine VHF channel memory. Match the model stamp on the radio you open.

Keep the accessory kit honest. The HX890 card lists a rechargeable Li-ion pack, an alkaline tray, wall chargers, a cradle, a 12-volt charger, a PC cable, and a belt clip with lanyard. That kit sentence is part of B07K6T9F43. The IC-M37 shopping card centers the BP-296 pack, Float'n Flash, and AquaQuake. Do not assume every charger in the HX890 box ships in the M37 carton because both radios are handheld VHFs. Open the include list on the ASIN you are buying.

Noise-cancel language on the HX890 is an audio-processing sentence for transmit and receive. It is not a claim the radio replaces a headset on a windy center console. Seven hundred milliwatts of audio on both cards is loudness language. It is not a hearing-protection rating. Dual-watch and tri-watch on the IC-M37 are scan modes. They are not DSC distress acknowledgments. Class-H DSC on the HX890 is the distress and calling feature set named on that card. Keep those cells in their own columns when you shop.

How do you read these two handheld cards without mixing the fixed-mount pages?

Both technique cells are handheld marine VHFs with 6-watt class transmit language and float stories. A fixed-mount radio will not replace the radio in your pocket when you leave the helm, and a handheld will not replace a properly installed fixed-mount antenna system for the boat's primary watch. The UM385BK and GX1400 page is the fixed-mount conversation. Put B07K6T9F43 or B0B8TLFL7M on a lanyard and a float plan.

The HX890 card gives you selectable 6/2/1 watts, IPX8, Class-H DSC, built-in WAAS GPS, about 11 hours, a water-activated strobe, and FM broadcast reception. The IC-M37 card gives you 6 watts, IP57, Float'n Flash, AquaQuake, more than 12 hours with BP-296, dual-watch and tri-watch, and channel 16 access. Those are the sentences this comparison will treat as belonging to these parts. A missing GPS cell on the M37 stays missing.

Life jackets live on the Mustang and Onyx page. Antennas live on the Shakespeare and Perko page. Distress beacons live on the ACR and Ocean Signal page. None of those pages rewrite a handheld's DSC or float sentence. Tell somebody on shore what time you will be back, because a radio only helps if someone is listening.

What actually fails on these two cards?

The HX890 card fails when IPX8 is rewritten as IP57. It fails when Class-H DSC is sold without the GPS sentence the card already printed together. It fails when 11 hours is replaced by the M37's more-than-12-hours cell. It fails when an HX210 is ordered because Standard Horizon matched. It fails when a GX1400 fixed-mount is opened because the tab said VHF. It fails when FM broadcast reception is treated as a substitute for monitoring channel 16.

The IC-M37 card fails when a built-in GPS is invented because the HX890 has one. It fails when IP57 is sold as IPX8. It fails when Float'n Flash is deleted and the HX890 strobe sentence is pasted in. It fails when an IC-M25 is ordered on B0B8TLFL7M. It fails when AquaQuake is read as a claim the radio is a dive computer. It fails when a fixed-mount Uniden is opened because Icom matched a marine tab and the handheld cell was not checked.

What is this comparison not?

This is not a fixed-mount VHF comparison. Both cards are handhelds. This is not every Standard Horizon and every Icom handheld. B07K6T9F43 and B0B8TLFL7M are the cards. An HX210 or an IC-M25 with a different ASIN is a different part. This is not a life-jacket review and it is not an EPIRB review. Those pages are linked above. This is not a price quote. The price moves. Use the buttons if you want the live listing.

This is also not a claim that one radio reaches farther. Talking-range marketing cells move with antenna, height, and weather. Leave the mile claim on the water and keep the float plan on shore.

So which handheld VHF should you buy?

Buy the Standard Horizon if you want ASIN B07K6T9F43, the HX890 with selectable 6/2/1 watts, IPX8 float construction, Class-H DSC, built-in WAAS GPS, about 11 hours, a water-activated strobe, and the accessory kit on the card. Buy the Icom if you want ASIN B0B8TLFL7M, the IC-M37 with 6 watts, IP57, Float'n Flash, AquaQuake, more than 12 hours with BP-296, dual-watch and tri-watch, and channel 16 access, and if you will keep the missing GPS cell missing instead of inventing one. Buy neither if you wanted a fixed-mount helm radio or the older HX210 and IC-M25 pair.

The clip under this section is a public look at a Standard Horizon HX890. It is not an IC-M37 review. The title and the footage are HX890 territory. Watch it for the HX890 shape and the float-and-DSC language you can see discussed on camera. Do not watch it as a verdict on ASIN B0B8TLFL7M.