Cobra HH500 VHF Marine Radio

The Cobra HH500 has been in longterm use with our Tech Editor Fox Morgan for the past 6 years - let's see how it's faired...

Overall rating:

Pros:

Waterproof, Can pair and use bluetooth phone connection through it, rewind say-again feature

Cons:

some other VHFs offer better battery life

Cobra HH500 VHF Marine Radio

Best VHF marine radio for bluetooth mobile phone connectivity

The Cobra HH500 VHF marine radio has been used as a backup to the main fixed set onboard my sail boat and for a variety of other boating or on water activities.

It has frequently been drenched with both fresh and salt water. Since I haven’t been overly cautious with rinsing it after after bit of salt spray, the rear contacts to charge on the body of the radio have gone fuzzy and require a regular going over with a bit of wire or a fibreglass pen to keep the contact clear for charging in the cradle.

It charges via a drop in holster/cradle, which has two cable options, one for 12v and the other for 240v charging.

As the second lightest handheld VHF radio included a VHF radio group test this lends the Cobra HH500 to being used where weight or size might be an issue, such as carrying on a tender, kayak or paddleboard and it is also easily stowed in a grab bag for emergency use.

The Cobra HH500 VHF marine radio also comes with an additional battery tray that takes 5 x AA batteries. This makes it an ideal candidate to live in a grab bag.

The bluetooth connectivity with a mobile phone allows waterproof calls, meaning you can leave your mobile phone in a dry bag or pocket out of harms way and still send and receive phone calls.

A great feature on this handheld VHF, seen top right on the unit keypad is the rewind-say-again button, which allows you to quickly re-listen to the previous transmission as the unit records the last 20 seconds. I don’t know about you but I often have to ask people to repeat what they’re saying as my northern ear often doesn’t quite understand a southern accent.

When sending and receiving transmissions a signal strength scale appears on the large display which is reassuring.

The Cobra HH500 is a really tidy looking, compact but feature packed handheld VHF radio with brightly illuminated large screen. I like mine very much. My only gripe has been the fuzzy contacts and slightly wobbly connection in the holster as a consequence.

Specifications