Great price on Standard Horizon HX851 VHF

With all the research I've been doing for the new yak I thought I'd pass this on since it was too good to pass up.

This unit runs $499 but I found it at Boaters World for only $253.23 - one hell of a deal.

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/MP91892008.htm

That thing is sweet.

If you already have a GPS, you can get the regular floating/waterproof VHF from standard horizon for about $150 with all the other features.

Cool features, but I think I'll stick w/ my Uniden Atlantis.  Sometimes simpler is better.

How did they get a black case to glow in the dark?

"case gasket glows-in-the-dark to assist retrieval"

They fit nicely in these pouches from Condor Outdoor tactical gear. I found one at Andy and Smax for 10 or 11 bucks. The pouch is model: MA-9. Biner and ID tag not included.

"case gasket glows-in-the-dark to assist retrieval"

Doh!  I didn't catch that part.

Ling-  Do you have a remote mic/headset for it?  I've been keeping mine clipped to my pfd strap so I can talk into it and hear it at lower volume until I get one of those throat mic's.

submersible noise canceling mic p/n is CMP 460. I bought mine last year so they might have updated stuff.  

btw - a great feature on the 850/851x is the DSC distress call feature. Rotate the red protector plate out of the way, push and hold the "distress" button for three seconds. A distress call is sent straight to Coast Guard with your position via GPS. There is a scroll through menu for type of emergency (ie. MOB, SOS) then they send you a confirmation your distress signal was received. Then the unit switches automatically to ch 16 to further explain your call. DSC is the wave of the future because the CG stations are tired of keeping auditory watch on ch16. You have to register to get an MMSI number and input it into your handheld before this feature works. They also want your hull id number in case that's all they find.

btw - a great feature on the 850/851x is the DSC distress call feature. Rotate the red protector plate out of the way, push and hold the "distress" button for three seconds. A distress call is sent straight to Coast Guard with your position via GPS. There is a scroll through menu for type of emergency (ie. MOB, SOS) then they send you a confirmation your distress signal was received. Then the unit switches automatically to ch 16 to further explain your call. DSC is the wave of the future because the CG stations are tired of keeping auditory watch on ch16. You have to register to get an MMSI number and input it into your handheld before this feature works. They also want your hull id number in case that's all they find.

This means I probably won't need the ACR AquaLink™ View PLB-350C

They also want your hull id number in case that's all they find.

Plastic navy universal hull number: UR2L82SAVME 

submersible noise canceling mic p/n is CMP 460. I bought mine last year so they might have updated stuff.  

btw - a great feature on the 850/851x is the DSC distress call feature. Rotate the red protector plate out of the way, push and hold the "distress" button for three seconds. A distress call is sent straight to Coast Guard with your position via GPS. There is a scroll through menu for type of emergency (ie. MOB, SOS) then they send you a confirmation your distress signal was received. Then the unit switches automatically to ch 16 to further explain your call. DSC is the wave of the future because the CG stations are tired of keeping auditory watch on ch16. You have to register to get an MMSI number and input it into your handheld before this feature works. They also want your hull id number in case that's all they find.

Is the transmission range for the distress call further than the range of the VHF?  Another way...If you are out of speaking range for the VHF (happens a lot on the coast, at least if you want to talk directly to the coasties) are you also out of range for counting on the distress call to be received?