LHR-80 VHF/GPS equipped

Author: josh

Category: Gear reviews

Published on Monday, 06 December 2010 17:45

Written by Josh

I've been eyeing off the Lowrance LHR-80 VHF marine radio/GPS combo for some time now and after encountering some difficulties with radio comms at Fraser Island (my old Eagle EHR-10 being one of the more consistantly problematic) my interest was renewed. While running through last minute checks before heading out on Saturday I discovered that not only was my power know stuck closed but also that it dodn't take a whole lot of pressure to break it in an attempt to free it up. I wasn't keen on heading out alone without one, so I picked up one of the new Lowrance LHR-10 models. 

The specifications for the Lowrance LHR-10 aren't terribly different from Eagles EHR-10, but it certainly looks and feels a better build quality. Nor does it use knobs for power, volume or squelch (everything is button press operated). It also features an in-built GPS, which although fairly rudimentary, offers enough functionality for use as a back up GPS system. I'm also a big believer in that having a GPS built into a marine radio makes sense, particularly in an emergency situation.

Despite boasting more features than Eagles offering (especially if you live in the US) it's also a lighter unit, due mainly to the Li-Polymer battery, which is lighter and more efficient. Size is almost identical. 

As it turned out, the radio was put to great use on it's first outing. Although I was out there alone, one of my mates camped at Sandon was using one as well and we stayed in contact during my surf re-entry, and it was handy to have him guide me in the right direction, because he knows that stretch of water a lot better than I do.

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