Top 5 Editorial Picks
Five current fishfinders chosen for distinct buyer needs—from compact value to a premium expandable system. These are editorial selections, not Amazon or reader ratings.
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Best Compact Value
A straightforward sonar and GPS unit for kayaks, jon boats, and small boats.
Best All-Around 7-Inch Fishfinder
A capable sonar-first choice for anglers who want a useful 7-inch display without moving into a full chartplotter system.
Best GPS & Chartplotter Upgrade
The mapping step-up for buyers who need confident navigation as well as high-quality scanning sonar.
Best Side-Imaging Upgrade
A current 9-inch imaging platform for anglers ready to build around serious side imaging and boat integration.
Best Premium Expandable System
A larger-boat platform for buyers who want premium sonar, mapping, networking, and a serious expansion path.
The West Marine VHF650 is built by Uniden and sold through West Marine. This mid-level marine VHF radio has some unique features normally only found in more expensive gear. They include a basic hailer, battery voltage monitor, and dot matrix display screen. Plus, its waterproof to tough JIS7 standards, meaning
The West Marine VHF580 is sold online through the West Marine website and nationally in stores. This entry level marine VHF radio has all the basics plus a Class D DSC rating. The front panel features up/down channel selector pushbuttons as well as one-button control to select transmitter power level
The West Marine VHF550 is built by Uniden and sold through West Marine online and at stores. It’s a mid-grade marine VHF radio with a couple exclusive features not often seen in this price range. It can connect to a wireless remote microphone and has a basic hailer system. Functions
The Uniden UM625c has the first color display we’ve seen in a marine VHF radio. It also sports a super-sized front panel that measures 6.4 by 4.3 inches. Pushbuttons are big, backlit, and well spaced. The large color display screen has 15 levels of backlighting and two color palettes, selectable
Everything about the new Uniden UM525 is big. Its well-lit display covers more area than any other similarly priced marine VHF radio. Onscreen letters and numbers are huge and easy to read even at a distance. Pushbuttons are big, backlit, and well spaced. The only downside with this super sizing
The Uniden UM425 is a mid-priced marine VHF radio with some unique features. They include a basic hailer, battery voltage monitor, and dot matrix screen. One-button control is available for making a DSC distress call, selecting transmitter power level, hailer, weather channels, menu, and a quick 16 or 9 selection.
The Uniden Solara D UM380 is the current entry level marine VHF radio from marine electronics maker, Uniden. It features basic transmit and receive capabilites as well as a DSC class D rating. Beyond the basics its feature list is relatively short. Buy this Uniden marine VHF radio here. Performance
The Uniden Oceanus is an inexpensive basic marine VHF radio with a variety of extra features for little extra money. Let’s call it a mid-level performer for an entry level price tag. Performance Transmitter performance results were generally good. The Oceanus fell a bit short in power output during the
The Standard Horizon PS1000 Phantom couples a VHF radio to a RAM+ microphone and replaces the radio faceplate with a blank cover. The radio box mounts in an out-of-the-way place, and only the large hand microphone with full controls hangs at the helm. According to Scott Iverson, Standard Horizon Marketing
The full line of Standard Horizon marine VHF radios supply both recreational boaters and commercial marine businesses with top quality products. This newer series of fixed mount marine VHF radios share a few model names with the earlier line of unitsEclipse, Quest, and Matrix are still aroundbut with all the
The Standard Horizon GX5500S Quantum packs the most powerful audio system weve found in a marine VHF radio. This top-of-the-line unit has an alphanumeric keypad, a large dot matrix display screen, and very good transceiver performance. The GX5500S can connect to as many as two optional remote microphones and be
The Standard Horizon GX5000S Quantum is a brawny marine VHF radio with a powerful audio system. Fully one-third of its large front panel is designated as the speaker box. The GX5000S can connect to an optional remote microphone and be used with an optional voice scrambler. It also has the
The Standard Horizon GX3500S Quantum marine VHF radio has a large front panel that is fitted with an alphanumeric keypad used for data entry and functional control. Three hefty rotary knobs control volume, squelch, and channel selection. On the left side of the radio front panel the alphanumeric keypad shares
The Standard Horizon GX3000S Matrix is a burly radio with a large front panel footprint and an outsized display screen. This Standard Horizon marine VHF stands at the upper end of mid-priced radios but has features usually only found on top of the line units. The GX3000S can connect with
The Standard Horizon GX2360S Quantum is a brawny marine VHF radio with a large, 9.1 inch by 3.5 inch front panel. Three hefty rotary knobs control volume, squelch, and channel selection. Fully one-third of the faceplate is used for the speaker box; this obviously plays a role in the high
The Standard Horizon GX2150 is the latest edition of marine radio to combine full VHF functionality with an internal marine AIS receiver. The package uses a single standard marine VHF radio antenna for both VHF and AIS communications making it a plug and play replacement for most marine VHF radio
The Standard Horizon GX2100 is one of the first marine radios to combine full VHF functionality with an internal marine AIS receiver. It needs only a single standard marine VHF radio antenna for both VHF and AIS communications. This Standard Horizon radio is also capable of storing and navigating to
The Standard Horizon GX1280S Matrix has a moderately sized front panel fitted with a large display screen and rotary channel selection knob. This Standard Horizon marine VHF is capable of interfacing with the companies optional voice scrambler and can connect to a remote microphone. Performance We found transmitter power output
The Standard Horizon GX1500S Quest X is a mid-level competitor in the Standard Horizon marine VHF radio line up that sports the largest display screen in its class. The GX1500S can connect to an optional CMP25 RAM+ remote microphone or VH-310 handset. When connected to one of these remotes the
The Standard Horizon GX1150 Eclipse is the latest iteration of entry level marine VHF radio from this prominent player in the marine electronics arena. This Standard Horizon radio ships with the radio, front panel attached microphone, owner’s manual, tilt mounting bracket suitable for dashboard or overhead use, mounting hardware, and