Our old radio did not receive nesrly the number of transmissions that this one dors. We feel we are in better touch with other boaters.

This does not have a built in gps. You will need to buy standard horizon's scu-31 gps antenna and receiver (it's that specific. Or else risk wiring your own receiver/antenna that's probably not compatible because it's likely standard horizons system and there is no industry standard). Your other option for gps is nmea network input. I intend to use it with a chart plotter with gps and nmea 2000. That being said, in an emergency dsc is only useful with gps.... so it would've been nice to have a built in gps in case the chart plotter or nmea network fail. If you're like me and always want to be prepared for failure then you need the scu-31. Of course the radio could fail all together and you should have a backup, but you definitely want a system with less separation to failure.

That being said, I have no doubt that the rest of the device is up to standards. It's nice to not need to purchase an additional AIS receiver system. The downside of having too many systems combined into one is that failure can mean having to replace everything at once. Unfortunately the scu-31 is likely only compatible with standard horizon devices... another downside.

Does not include NMEA 2000 cable, GPS receiver or flush mount brackets...another $$$

This radio has everything you could put in a modern marine radio except for ais transmit. It records audio, incorporates PA, and has onboard GPS. I recently received a DSC Distress call and oh boy did it alarm loud! The radio immediately displayed the mmsi of the distressed vessel and provided a compass on screen with direction of travel to reach the distressed boat. I highly recommend this radio and find no need for a NEMA cable connection for GPS as it is all in one. I would buy it again.

Feature rich, easy to use and clear sounding. This is probably the best VHF radio made to date.