Here is a last look at the Navman 7100 VHF radio.The Navman brand is no longer. In mid-March 2008 Navico, the Navman parent company, stopped marketing the Navman brand name. Many products will still be available worldwide under the Northstar brand.
Navman 7100
This particular radio will now be marketed exclusively as the Northstar Explorer 710.
Performance
In performance testing, the 7100 transmitter frequency stability was rated good while receiver sensitivity got an excellent rating. Receiver selectivity is specified by Navman at greater than 65 dB, thats a little lower than average for VHF radios in this price range. Audio output was measured at 90 dBA, about average.
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Operation
Manual channel selection is accomplished with up/down pushbuttons, while off/on/volume and squelch are controlled with a pair of knobs on the left side of the radio face. Several dedicated pushbuttons provide quick 16/9 channel selection, weather channel selection, a favorite three channel toggle, scan, UIC selection, and access to the menu.
Digital Selective Calling
DSC capabilities on this Navman VHF radio are wide-ranging, though not the best in class. It has the ability to make distress, individual, all ships, group, position request, position send, and geographical calls.
Odds and Ends
The 7100 features Dual, Tri Watch, or all channel scan. Selecting the menu allows the input of up to 20 names in a DSC call buddy list, local/distance receive sensitivity selection, and control of display backlighting.
The compact display on the 7100 earned a good rating from our testers because it shows much useful information simultaneously on screen. The only downside is that some of the data displayed uses very small letters that can require you to get within a foot or two of the radio to read. Icons for high/low transmitter power, local/distant receive, transmit/receive, and alpha channels are all displayed.
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Final Thoughts
The Navman 7100 is a good radio available at a reasonable price. We found it on the web for $149. The warranty period is 2-years rather than the 3-years found on almost every other VHF radio weve tested.