Standard Horizon HX891BT/E Floating Handheld VHF Radio With GPS And Bluetooth

The Standard Horizon HX891BT/E Floating Handheld VHF Radio combines selectable 6W marine VHF transmission with Class-H DSC, a 66-channel GPS receiver, Bluetooth headset operation and waypoint navigation. Its IPX8 floating housing, water-activated emergency strobe, 700mW speaker and removable 1800mAh Li-ion battery make it suitable for routine communications and emergency use aboard sailing boats, motorboats, tenders and commercial craft.

What is the Standard Horizon HX891BT/E used for?

The HX891BT/E is a portable marine VHF transceiver for voice communication, DSC distress signalling, position sharing and GPS navigation. It can communicate with vessels, marinas, harbour authorities and shore stations on permitted marine VHF channels.

Its combination of floating construction, GPS and DSC makes it suitable as the primary radio on a small craft or tender and as a portable emergency or backup radio aboard a larger vessel. International and applicable regional channel groups are supported, together with ATIS operation for compatible European inland waterways.

Does the HX891BT/E float and is it waterproof?

Yes. The HX891BT/E is designed to float face-up and is submersible to IPX8, equivalent to immersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for 30 minutes.

When the radio enters the water, its white emergency strobe activates automatically, even when the radio is switched off. The strobe can be configured for regular flashing, an SOS sequence or continuous illumination.

Floating and waterproof performance require the battery cover to be correctly locked, the DATA jack cover to be fully closed and the MIC/SP cap to be securely tightened.

What DSC safety functions does the HX891BT/E provide?

The HX891BT/E supports ITU-R M.493 Class-H Digital Selective Calling. Once a valid MMSI has been programmed, the dedicated distress control can transmit the radio's identity and GPS position to compatible DSC-equipped vessels and shore stations.

Supported DSC functions include:

• DSC distress alerts
• Individual calls
• Group calls
• All-ships calls
• Position requests
• Position reports
• Automatic position polling
• DSC test calls
• DSC call logging
• Navigation to a received distress or reported position

The radio stores up to 100 individual DSC identities and 30 DSC groups. GPS reception must be available for the radio to include a current position in a distress alert.

Integrated 66-Channel GPS Receiver

The integrated 66-channel GPS receiver supports WAAS and QZSS satellite reception. It displays latitude, longitude, course, speed and satellite status in numerical or compass-style formats.

The stated GPS sensitivity is better than -147dBm. Typical time to first fix is approximately one minute from a cold start and five seconds from a hot start. Position calculations use the WGS84 geodetic datum.

Waypoint, Route and MOB Navigation

The HX891BT/E can store up to 250 waypoints and 20 routes, with a maximum of 30 waypoints in each route. Its compass navigation display shows the direction and distance to the selected destination.

The MOB function records the vessel's current position and supports navigation back to that location. When used with the DSC distress function, the nature of distress can be identified as man overboard.

Group Monitor Position Tracking

The Group Monitor function uses DSC group position calls to track and display the relative positions of up to nine pre-selected vessels. Group members are shown on the compass screen in relation to the HX891BT/E's current GPS position.

This function can assist crews operating multiple boats together, provided each participating vessel has compatible DSC equipment and the required MMSI information has been programmed.

Does the HX891BT/E support Bluetooth?

Yes. The HX891BT/E has built-in Bluetooth 5.3 Class 1 functionality for wireless headset operation.

When connected to the optional Standard Horizon SSM-BT20 or a compatible third-party Bluetooth headset, the radio can provide:

• Wireless received audio
• Push-button transmit control
• Hands-free VOX transmission
• Adjustable Bluetooth headset volume
• Adjustable Bluetooth microphone sensitivity
• Automatic reconnection to a previously paired headset

Standard Horizon does not guarantee compatibility with every commercially available Bluetooth headset.

What transmit power and audio output does it provide?

The radio provides three selectable transmit settings:

• 6W for maximum permitted transmitting power
• 2W for medium-range communication
• 1W for short-range communication and reduced battery consumption

Some countries restrict the highest transmit setting to 5W. Available channels and permitted transmit power depend on the programmed region and applicable national regulations.

The internal speaker produces up to 700mW of audio output. Separate noise-cancelling functions can be applied to transmitted and received audio to improve intelligibility in wind, engine noise and other demanding marine environments.

Display and Controls

The HX891BT/E has a large, high-resolution full-dot matrix display measuring approximately 43 × 43mm, or 58mm diagonally. The display supports selectable day and night modes, allowing the screen presentation to be adapted for bright sunlight or low-light operation.

Standard Horizon's E2O Easy to Operate menu system uses icons and clear menu categories for access to radio, DSC, GPS, waypoint and setup functions.

• Dedicated Channel 16/Sub-channel control
• Dual Watch and Triple Watch
• Memory and priority scanning
• Preset channel recall
• Adjustable squelch and volume
• GPS compass and numerical displays
• Battery-level indication
• Transmit time-out timer
• Keypad lock
• FM broadcast receiver

Battery and Charging

The radio is supplied with an SBR-13LI removable 7.4V, 1800mAh Li-ion battery pack. Standard Horizon states approximately 11 hours of operation based on a duty cycle of five seconds transmitting, five seconds receiving and 90 seconds in standby.

A fully discharged battery takes approximately three hours to recharge using the SBH-32 charging cradle with the supplied SAD-25 AC adaptor or E-DC-19A 12V DC charging cable.

The supplied SBT-13 alkaline battery case accepts five AAA alkaline batteries and provides an emergency alternative to the rechargeable battery pack. Battery life will be substantially shorter when the alkaline case is used.

Voice Scrambler Functions

The HX891BT/E incorporates two analogue voice-scrambler systems:

• Four-code CVS2500A-compatible scrambler
• Thirty-two-code FVP-42-compatible scrambler

Compatible transmitting and receiving radios must use the same scrambler type and code. The scrambler cannot be used on Channel 16 or Channel 70 and should not be considered cryptographic encryption.

PC Programming and NMEA Data

The micro USB DATA connection can be used with the supplied USB cable for PC programming and GPS log-data transfer. The radio outputs NMEA 0183 data at 9600 baud, including DSC, DSE, GLL, GGA, GSA, GSV and RMC sentences.

The current programming software is listed as compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 11. The DATA connection is not waterproof while its cover is open, so the radio must be connected to a computer in a dry location.

What is included with the HX891BT/E?

• Standard Horizon HX891BT/E handheld VHF radio
• CAT460 marine VHF antenna
• SBR-13LI 7.4V, 1800mAh Li-ion battery pack
• SBH-32 charger cradle
• SAD-25 AC adaptor
• E-DC-19A 12V DC charging cable
• SBT-13 alkaline battery case for five AAA batteries
• CLIP-22 belt clip
• YS-05-01 hand strap
• T9101648 USB data cable
• Owner's manual
• Warranty documentation

The exact AC plug configuration can vary according to the regional version supplied.

Key Features

• Floating Class-H DSC handheld marine VHF radio
• IPX8 submersible to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes
• Water-activated white emergency strobe
• Selectable 6W, 2W and 1W transmit power
• 700mW internal speaker output
• Transmit and receive noise cancellation
• Integrated 66-channel WAAS/QZSS GPS receiver
• DSC distress alert with GPS position
• Waypoint and route navigation
• Storage for up to 250 waypoints
• Storage for 20 routes with up to 30 waypoints per route
• Group Monitor tracking for up to nine vessels
• Man overboard navigation function
• Bluetooth 5.3 Class 1 wireless headset operation
• Hands-free Bluetooth VOX support
• Large 43 × 43mm full-dot matrix display
• Selectable day and night display modes
• E2O Easy to Operate menu system
• Dual Watch, Triple Watch and scanning functions
• Four-code and thirty-two-code voice scramblers
• Micro USB PC programming and GPS log-data connection
• NMEA 0183 data output
• 1800mAh removable Li-ion battery
• Approximately 11 hours of operation under the stated duty cycle
• Supplied emergency alkaline battery case
• FM broadcast receiver covering 65–108MHz
• ATIS mode for European inland waterways
• MIL-STD-810F case construction
• Available in black or navy blue
• Three-year waterproof warranty, subject to applicable regional terms