Saturday, June 11, 2022

VHF handheld radio

We are back to lovely weather again although yesterday afternoon I had a bit of exciting times. Another boat dragged its anchor into Eidos and for a while it seemed that there would be some damage. But with help from friends we managed to disentangle the two boats and re anchor safely. Unfortunately due to the urgency of the situation I have no photos.
Today I have another project to take care of. My two year old VHF radio is no longer holding its charge.
It's a Standard Horizon HX210 that I received as a prize for a short article published in a sailing magazine.
You would think that all I needed to do was get a new battery for it but it's not that simple. The only access to the inside of the radio and the battery is by taking off six screws. I had to buy a new screwdriver to do that. It was not difficult to open and a bit of a struggle to get the battery out but I managed. I searched online for a source of this battery but only found one place that had any in stock in Cyprus.     https://www.telectronicsit.com/product-page/sbr-23li-standard-horizon
However, they have to install it. Why I have no idea because any monkey with a screwdriver can do it. I found another source but this particular battery is on back order. Price approximately 50 euros plus I don't know how much for service. I can buy the whole radio for 100 euros. I am getting the idea that the company that makes these radios are doing this on purpose to make life difficult for me. Here is a link to a conversation online to support my theory. https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f13/trying-to-buy-this-battery-236922.html
I have been in contact with an Electronics shop in Lefkas. Perhaps they will have better luck sourcing the battery for me.
My son has a Standard Horizon HX851 and he can just pop the battery in and out to easily replace it. Why is the HX210 so complicated?

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