Product Description The Uniden MHS235 handheld Marine radio meets the tough JIS8 submersible specification, and is packed with handy features like an emergency strobe light, all marine channels, built-in GPS with class D features, emergency STROBE light, AUTO plot to DSC distress call, glow in the dark PWR/PTT keys/seal, and WX/ Emergency Alert with S.A.M.E (Specific Area Message Encoding). Uniden has also designed the MHS235 to float so that a radio overboard is not a radio lost. The MHS235 also includes a free speakermic. From the Manufacturer Add favorite locations to find that perfect fishing spot again. GPS compass keeps you headed in the right direction. Uniden MHS235 Marine Radio This "State of the Art" Marine radio was built to save lives. With built in GPS, it knows your location, and with a push of the "Disaster Key", the DCS Digital Selective Calling system initiates a mayday, transmitting your location so you can be rescued. This model will also be listening for distress calls, and using the best technology available, CLASS D, it has a built in receiver dedicated to listening to the emergency channels, so there are no missed calls and no interruption of your communications while the radio searches the emergency channels. A design that fits into your hand, the large display offers you a choice of two backlit colors, orange or green. If you drop it in the water, it floats to the surface, and the glow in the dark seals and power key allows you to find it easily. No more difficult menu settings just to change between 3 levels of power, 1, 2.5 or 6 watts. Just set it one time at 1 or 2.5 watts to maximize the battery life, and when you need the maximum transmit allowed, a full 6 watts, just use the POWER BOOST key, and you have instant full power. The bright strobe can easily be turned on, flashing SOS, getting the attention of others when you are in need of help. The design is not only attractive, but achieves the highest level of water tightness, JIX8/IPX8 standard, allowing for complete submersion of 5 feet for over 30 minutes. It also comes complete with an AC adapter, DC charger, charging cradle, 11 hour rechargeable battery, an accessory battery tray, and a heavy duty swivel belt clip. For your convenience and extra value, there is a two way speaker mic included in the package, a $50 retail value. Stay Alert to Conditions Near You For Safety The Uniden MHS235 marine radio features a NOAA weather alert with Specific Area Message Encoder (S.A.M.E.) technology. This means you stay alert to conditions in your area, and on top of what's headed your way. GPS Locates You Instantly Allowing Ease of Visiting a Favorite Spot Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology means you can find your favorite fishing or diving spot again and again. But it also means that rescuers will know precisely where to find you if you're in distress, made even easier with the emergency Digital Selective Calling (DSC) system. One press of a button initiates mayday so rescuers instantly know your location. Boosting your Transmission Power Increases Your Signal Boosting your transmission signal makes your voice heard even further, and the radio's variable transmission power allows you to run at a one watt peak performance with the option of going up to 2.5 watts or 6 watts just when you need it the most. Rechargeable High Capacity Battery Lasts for Hours The Uniden MHS235 marine radio features a high capacity lithium ion battery that provides 11 hours of talk time. Rapidly charge via AC/DC, or utilize a battery from the nearby accessory tray so you always have the power you need. Emergency Strobe Helps Keeps You Safe This top-of-the-line marine radio features an emergency strobe light so it is highly visible under all conditions. With the highest submersible rating in the industry, your radio can withstand submersion up to five feet. And even in the dark, you'll be able to find your radio with its glow-in-the-dark seal and keys. Compact, Sleek Design Offers Convenience The Uniden MHS235 marine radio offers a slim design that fits in your pocket or palm, with a comfortable grip that won't slip. The brilliant LCD screen is easy to read day or night. Key Features Hear automatic NOAA weather alerts S.A.M.E. technology alerts you to local conditions Built-in GPS so you and rescuers know where you are Initiate mayday with the push of a button Power boost your transmission Emergency strobe light makes it highly visible What's in the Box AC charge cord, DC charge cord, charging cradle, 1160mAh lithium ion battery pack, accessory battery tray, speaker microphone, swivel belt clip, antenna, lanyard, radio.
W**E
Mixed feelings....
While it is a bit more complex to use than the venerable iCom IC-M36 that it replaces; it also has more features for about $10.00 more. Took a bit of use to get used to, but ok now. While those features are nice to have, the central reason I purchased this radio was the DSC distress calling feature which pretty much eliminates the "search" from "search and rescue." Once the radio, boat and user are registered (BoatUS is a handy way to go), pressing the red emergency button activates a digital signal to the Coasties providing boat's lat, long and description. It is reputed to work up to about 20 miles off shore. The digital signal has other user benefits as well. Postscript: After reading the negative reviews, had I been aware of the reliability and support issues, I probably would not have purchased this unit. Radio failure is not a good scenario.
P**E
Much better conversation with them
This radio is advertised as waterproof and comes with a speaker microphone (bonus $50 value) However the speaker mic and the connection to the radio is not waterproof. When I received and unpacked the product. There was a label on the speaker mic saying not waterproof. I had to call Uniden and they also told me the connection is not waterproof and cannot be made waterproof. Using the speaker mic in the water would void the warranty. I asked if there was a waterproof speaker mic option from them and they said no. I also asked if the connection is a industry standard. He said " he thinks is...." There is no standard. Customer service was not helpful and he really did not want to talk about the products downfalls. I am returning the radio. I call Standard Horizon Radio today. Much better conversation with them. They actually wanted to talk to me and answer questions. They made me confident in their product. Their HX870 radio and speaker mic are waterproof. More accessories for the radio. Purchasing a marine radio for sea / touring kayaking. Want the speaker mic option. It's going to get wet, every time ! Had to go with a better product. This is a life safety device. Has to be good. Uniden dropped the ball and their customer service was not impressive.
D**A
After a couple of weeks of use, mixed review. UPDATE: FEB 2016
UPDATE FEB 2016:The description now states WITH HANDHELD MIC...maybe it does now, but back when I bought it in 2014, the box said Includes Mic and showed a picture. It is NOT included.Customer service at Uniden is awful/non-existent. They actually wanted to charge me a yearly fee to talk to customer service for a device I had purchased. I've never even heard of that before an it truly aggravated me. I'll never buy another Uniden product just based on that alone.As other reviewers have said, the belt clip is junk. You run a significant risk of the radio falling off when bending over or moving around. Not good.Battery life is very good. Some reviewers say battery is not available anymore. I have just researched this.GPS seems a bit kludgy, i.e., not especially intuitive. It's on my list to delve into this and learn how to drill down and make this work, but I have not done this yet.The Owners Manual states that the lithium-ion battery is BT-895. This is not listed anywhere though, including Uniden online. When you look at this radio (MHS235 on Uniden's site, they do list accessory products, but the battery is # BBTG0913001. They have it available as of today (Feb 08, 2016) for $45.50. If you google around, you can find it at a couple other places for a couple of bucks less. However, there are also a number of sites that sell batteries which list the battery as Unavailable or Discontinues. So if you are considering this radio, better buy a spare battery now!Not having a volume knob is a real pain. (OR a squelch knob) You have to get the radio out, hit the VOL/SQUELCH button, then keep pushing the up or down arrows to adjust. It's not fun with gloves or when it's just a PITA to get to the control panel. MUCH better to have an actual knob you can just reach for and adjust without looking. The actual sound volume can reach a pretty high level though. Plenty adequate for me and probably good even if you are around engine or machinery noise.I want to test the waterproof function out in a non-emergency situation but I'm hesitant to do so based on other reviewer's comments! That should say something right there. I know if there's a problem, I'll be SOL and probably won't even be able to reach Uniden customer service.Mixed review. First of all, I'm not using this in a professional/marine environment.I bought it for shore fishing to get weather, hear emergency alerts and have ability to communicate with coast guard during emergency.The MMSI number is a great feature (number registered to the radio, encodes emergency broadcasts with your unique identifying number and your GPS coordinates)...BUT- you can only get a number in association with a marine vessel. You cannot, as of yet, obtain a number as an individual not associated with a specific boat. Obviously this is not a problem with the unit, simply the way the FCC and Coast Guard have the system configured at the present time.And there's some extremely deceptive packaging. The box says, in the lower right corner, "Includes remote speaker mic, $49.99 value! " There's a picture of the type of microphone a police officer would have at the shoulder, with a cord coming off.However...There is NO remote mic included and there is no empty space in the box where it would have been included! Just blatant deception.That being said, it seems to be a well-designed, fairly robust unit. Some features are just really hard to remember how the heck they work because some buttons are long press, some are not, some items are buried in menus, you get the picture. I like the emergency broadcast switch, but can't really make use of that for the above reason. It feels well-built. I have not fully-submerged to test. Audio quality is decent and it can get very loud to be heard over surf or engine noise. the squelch and volume are both "digital settings", and are not nearly as good as real knobs to me. Weather band is onboard. You can scan any preselected channels and do a constant channel 6/16 scan. Unit has rechargeable lithium ion battery, which stays on the radio, and get's charged automatically when radio is placed on cradle/docking station. Battery life is very good. There's also a battery "accessory tray". This is a plastic battery holder, about the same size as the lithium ion pack, and it replaces the lithium ion pack when it's dead. For the life of me I cannot figure out how to open the darn thing. It's a true Chinese puzzle. User manual describes it but words are unclear, and there's no diagram/picture. Still cannot get it open to add batteries. Tried to call/email customer service.IMPORTANT: If you need to call customer service, Uniden CHARGES $90 A MONTH to speak with you!!!! WOW! That is the worst customer service policy I have every heard of. I cannot speak to Uniden about their product without paying for a "Service Plan". They charge something like $40 for a week of service, $90 for a month, and a lot more more for a year. This is not actually REPAIRING or FIXING your device, only answering questions about it! Probably from Pakistan! Simply Outrageous! If you happen to own a business, imagine charging your own customers $90 just to be able to tell you they are having problems. This alone, if I have known it before purchase, would have stopped me from making the purchase.Aside from this major annoyance, the digital buttons are not altogether intuitive and not easy to interpret in dark/ stormy conditions. The buttons "multipurpose" and you cannot tell by touch which is which. At best, three stars... if I think about that missing microphone and customer service, I'm more likely to give it one star.
R**B
Good radio
I have had no problems with radio. I have read reviews about battery problems. I went to battery plus, they don't carry them. I found another review stating where to buy on line.Factory outlet store sells them. $43.00 expensive for lithium battery no thats about right. I ordered one for back up. Cost Guard loves these radios !Up Date I ordered battery, expected Tomorrow Friday. I paid two day shopping. Web site showed in stock. Now I find out their on back order. I canceled. It won't be here in timeWhat a waste of time. Buy your self a radio with easy to buy batters.
D**.
Gotta get one
One of those things you thought you wouldn't ever need..Till times like today where out on the reservoir with no cell service, dead engine and no one around..Saved the day, Sheriff commended me on having one.
G**.
Don't buy it if you plan to ever use it in Newfoundland.
Great unit. Does everything well BUT not suitable for use in Newfoundland because it cannot display local time. The GPS uniit downloads the time from the satellite in UTM and it's impossible to set to Newfoundland time because the minutes can't be adjusted. It's a half an hour later in Newfoundland!! I returned it for that reason and bought a Standard Horizon HX851 which offers time adjustments in 30 minute increments instead of just hours. It took two weeks to get a response from Uniden's customer service informing me that no, the unit isn't capable of minute adjustment.
Trustpilot
1 month ago
1 month ago
