Cobra MR HH350 VHF Radio Reviewed in 2025

Key Features

Cobra wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel with this model, but they were sure to include a solid suite of features, including everything you would demand from a marine VHF.

The backlit, orange LCD panel is easy to read in any lighting. The control buttons and knobs are comfortable and responsive. This radio can transmit and receive on 88 VHF channels; not a ground-breaking number, but still more than most boaters will need to find a clear channel to communicate on. NOAA weather forecasts, including emergency alerts, come in on 10 separate channels.

The Tri-Watch capability allows you to monitor channel 16 for emergencies and two user-selected channels at the same time.

Two features that we found most useful were the noise-canceling microphone and the burp feature that purges water from the speaker. Neither is unique to this device, but both are very well executed in the MR HH350.

Durability

At an immediate glance, it’s clear that the Cobra MR HH350 can handle many rough days on the water. The hard plastic case inspires confidence, and we didn’t feel the need to baby it. We don’t recommend throwing any electronic device around without a care in the world, but this Cobra will definitely survive many accidental bumps and drops.

When you’re on a boat, of course, your most urgent worry isn’t dropping your device on something hard, but into something very, very soft: the water. Fortunately, an accident that would be an instant loss for your cell phone is a minor inconvenience for this marine radio.

The MR HH350 is both waterproof and floats. The IPX7 rating promises it will survive at least 30 minutes at a depth of three feet (one meter). And since the buoyancy will keep the Cobra at the surface, instead of under pressure, we expect the seals to hold up for a very long time.

On a note that’s unrelated to durability but still important to the device’s survivability, we appreciate the design feature of a bright, orange band that goes around the entire rim of the radio. This dramatically improves visibility and makes it more likely that you will retrieve the radio after dropping it in the drink. After all, it doesn’t matter if your radio is still in perfect shape if you can’t find it after an accident!

A surprising flaw reported by some boaters is a flimsy belt clip. While this doesn’t affect the basic functionality of the radio, a handheld radio should always be, well, at hand, and a broken clip makes it hard to keep the device nearby. In an otherwise solidly-constructed radio, this was a disappointment.

Range

Range is perhaps simultaneously the most important and most controversial quality in any marine VHF. Shadier brands will often wildly inflate the capabilities of their products, but there is really a very simple formula to predict a radio’s performance: more power equals more range.

The Cobra MR HH350 has a transmitting power of six watts, putting it comfortably in the mid to high range of transmission power that you’ll find in a handheld marine radio. In ideal conditions, you could get a range of 7-10 miles with the VHF radio turned to its highest setting. More likely, expect 5-6 nautical miles unless communicating with a coast guard’s considerable array.

And while, once again, there are shadier companies that oversell their product’s true transmission power, testers indicate that Cobra’s range estimates are spot on.

Transmission Clarity

Garbled transmissions are practically a trademark of wireless communication. When you add in the extra wind and wave noise inherent in boating, it can sometimes feel like it could be easier to get a clear message through.

Fortunately, the HH350 manages to offer some noteworthy improvements. The noise-canceling microphone functions reliably and dramatically reduce background buzz  when transmitting. When receiving, many marine radios are hampered by water and salt intrusion that muffles the speaker.

We appreciated the Cobra’s “burp” feature that purges water from the speaker grill with a powerful blast. This is something seen with success on the celebrated ICOM 94D, called a quake function, vibrating water out of the speaker and microphone parts.

As mentioned at the beginning, neither of these features is unique to this radio, but we do believe they were very well executed in this case, offering greater clarity both when receiving and transmitting.

Battery Life

On high power (6 watts), the Cobra MR HH350 claims a battery life of eight hours. When turned to low, however, this handheld only draws one watt and can last for up to 16 hours. Testers indicate that the claimed battery life holds up in real world use, as well.

Read our guide to VHF radios to understand more about transmitting power, range and battery life.

Since many mariners will rarely need to use the radio at full power (and some areas require that transmissions be limited to low power), you can expect the HH350 to get you to the end of the day with battery life to spare.

Even transmitting at six watts, however, you’ll have enough battery power for most days on the water. The radio also comes out of the box with a drop-in desk charger as well as AC and DC power adapters.

Charging from 0% will take a couple of hours.

Should You Buy the Cobra MR HH350?

Of course, pretty much everyone is hitting the water with a cellphone nearby. So why carry along an extra device? In short, convenience, reliability, and safety. Marine radios are designed for a harsh environment, and even the cheapest models can take a beating that would trash any cell phone.

Getting in touch with the right people and monitoring marine chatter can’t be done on a cell phone either.

When seamless communication with marinas, towing services, or (heaven forbid!) the Coast Guard can be a literal lifesaver, you want to know that your communication device has the durability, range, and features that you need.

And that’s where we believe the Cobra MR HH350 shines; not in revolutionizing marine communication, but in providing a solid device at a reasonable price. There are slightly cheaper options out there, but at a price of around $129 at most vendors, the HH350 is hardly a bank-breaker, not for something that is an essential piece of your boating kit. At this price, it is a highly recommendable piece of equipment.

For a hundred dollars more, features like Bluetooth integration, DSC and AIS start to become possible. But the Cobra 350 functions great as an extra to a fixed VHF, for coastal cruising as well as for sea kayakers.