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.
Uniden UM625c
The large color display screen has 15 levels of backlighting and two color palettes, selectable manually or automatically.
When appropriate it displays a transmit icon, alpha channel display, and channel comments all in large easy-to-read letters and numbers.
If you connect this Uniden marine VHF radio to a GPS it will display Lat/Long, time, course, and speed in text or a graphical format. We rate the display screen highly.
Performance
Overall transmitter performance was good. The receiver section also performed well in our testing.
The manufacturer provided us with a selectivity specification of 80 dB for this radio. A very high number ranking it with the best VHF radios we’ve reviewed.
The UM625c managed only a very average 90dBA during our audio output test.
Operation
Operating the UM625c is a snap. Manual channel selection is made easy with a large rotary knob located in the lower left corner of the radio faceplate. This knob also serves as the enter key for certain menu operations. Volume and squelch are controlled with a pair of smaller knobs.
Eight dedicated pushbuttons provide quick 16/9 channel selection, on/off power, scan, hail, transmitter power high or low, weather, memory/channel bank, and menu.
We found the menu in the Uniden UM625 easy to use. Pressing the menu key selects the menu list. Rotating and pressing the channel knob chooses and completes menu actions.
Digital Selective Calling
The Uniden UM625c DSC capabilities are extensive and include the ability to make distress, individual, all ships, group, position request, position send, and geographical calls.
Odds and Ends
If ships power ever dips below 11 volts the Uniden UM625c warns you with both an aural and visual low battery message. This unit also features a 25-watt hailer with automatic and manual foghorn capability, local/distant receiver settings, and an easy to access menu.
The UM625c has a two-zone hailer system, meaning it can be connected to a pair of hailer horns and operate each independently or together. Automatic or manual foghorn signals for a variety of conditions are selectable through the menu. We tested the hailer by connecting the radio to a Speco SPC-40RP/4 PA Trumpet Horn. All functions worked as outlined in the owner’s manual. To actually use the hailer/foghorn aboard a vessel requires the purchase and installation of a PA horn matched to the radio.
Final Thoughts
The Uniden UM 625 has impressive transceiver performance, a color display screen, and a 3-year warranty.