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Backup Handheld COM Recommendation?

Toobuilder

Toobuilder

Well Known Member
I'm hoping to be flying a Cub type airplane with no electrical system in the near future. I'm also long overdue a backup handheld for my current airplanes, so I thought I'd ask The Collective if there is a consensus on a low frills, but high performance Comm on the market. I dont need GPS, CDI, ect. I just want to be able to dial up a freq and actually reach out and touch the outside world. Good battery life is also high on the list.

Anyone have a product recommendation?

Thanks for your time.
 
I really like my ICOM IC-A14. It's got a lithium-ion battery that's good for 18 hours of use. With the antenna in place, it won't fit in my map box, so I remove it for storage...to attach, it's got the typical 1/4 turn fitting like you'd see on coax cable for a transponder, etc.
 
Sporty 400

I like the glideslope feature on my Sporty 400. It's very usable as an emergency backup, or, for making straight in VFR landings on ILS equipped runways if you put it on a RAM mount. And, it's got a 5 year warrantee. And, they dropped the price to $315. John
 
Good timing!

Over the weekend my wife plugged the charger into one of the headset ports and fried my handheld.
 
Yaesu FTA 230

I bought a Yaesu FTA 230 last year. It was less than 200 bucks new, with rechargable battery, and came with backup AA battery clip and headset adapter. This little radio is also waterproof and can be submerged. I have used it a bunch, and really like its performance and clarity. I also have an old school garmin 190 handheld with a GPS that is huge in comparison to the Yaesu.
 
Sporty 400

I received the Sporty 400 handheld as a gift. Its a backup to my Garmin 430 W which I've had go down twice due to loose wire connections.

I like that it has large font and a big sunlight readable screen. I haven't used the navigation part yet.

The little plastic tab on the battery latch for mine broke and Sporty's sent me a new one at no charge even though that is not covered on the warranty.

Bluetooth connectivity would be a cool option.
 
Good timing for this. My very old Terra I was using in the Bucker gave up the ghost. The problem with the new handhelds is I can not find one with a top display. The Terra had thumb wheels for channel changes on the top. There is little room to mount a radio, and I can not read the display on the front where I need to mount the radio.
Anybody know of a radio with the display top side?

Keeping with the original thread, I have an older Icom in the RV. I have the rechargeable battery pack and a AA pack for back up. It has worked well for over 15 years. I am on my second rechargeable pack.
 
I like my Sproty's SP-400. My plane has an external antenna with a jack on the panel for the SP-400 so I get pretty good range even when flying. The rubber duck antenna is not very good for much more than the airport area. I think this is the case with most handhelds.
 
I have the ICOM A24 and a couple extra battery packs. It works well on the golf cart.

I have external antenna connectors in the panel of all of the planes I fly. I didn't like the reception with the whip antenna. YMMV.
 
The rubber ducky antenna (love that) got excellent reception and transmission in my old Aeronca. I think it is a high wing/low wing, or perhaps fabric/metal thing. They don't seem to work well in the RV's but I carry mine for back up. Better than nothing for sure.
 
ICOM makes a little gadget that taps into your panel com antenna, so in the event of a failure you just plug in your handheld and keep on flyin! I have one installed on my plane, it disconnects the panel com in the process to protect things. Thos little handhelds can really reach out when you do that..
 
I need to install an external antenna. Right now I have an ICOM A-23, a rechargeable battery pack and one AA battery pack.

One thing I also recommend is getting an adapter for your headset and a PTT switch so that the comms come through your headset.
 
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I have read that the Icom A24 has impedance mismatch issues with headsets, and it is really a "ground only" radio. I have been carrying one for 5 years as my backup for inflight but never had to use it, and never tried it with a headset. edit: here is a link to the discussion I was thinking about http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-434376.html

I will say what I don't like about it is that I never really know the state of its rechargeable battery. I recharge it every now and then, but just to maintain it. Still I don't have a clue how long it will actually last, etc. I am sure it drains the battery even turned off because I have found it dead after no use. I now store it with the battery detached.
 
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DonFromTX said:
ICOM makes a little gadget that taps into your panel com antenna, so in the event of a failure you just plug in your handheld and keep on flyin! I have one installed on my plane, it disconnects the panel com in the process to protect things. Thos little handhelds can really reach out when you do that..
Click to expand...

If this a no electrical system plane with no external antenna the Icom (A23 and A6) works pretty good for around the patch kind of flying. The little rubber duckie antenna it comes with can reach 5 miles out okay but not much more.

Now if you have an external antenna then as mentioned by Don above this little guy is great for the handheld to reach out (extends range) with your plane mounted antenna. I've picked up ATIS 20 miles out with this and my A6 on the Pazmany.
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More info I posted about it is here
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=566871&postcount=6

Aircraft Spruce (among others) has it here
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/icomswitchbox.php
 
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When I wanted a handheld I found direct comparisons between the available radios to be difficult due to the differences in included options/accessories, etc. So I put together a spreadsheet with all of the features that I wanted then inserted the prices for the various base units and for each of the options/accessories (A/C charger, cigarette lighter plug, extra battery pack, rechargeable pack, etc.) that made it easy to run totals and pick the least expensive package that had what I wanted. (It turned out to be the ICOM, which had the highest base price at that time.) From my observation, they all work well, so most advice iw worth what you pay for it!
 
CATPart said:
I have read that the Icom A24 has impedance mismatch issues with headsets, and it is really a "ground only" radio. I have been carrying one for 5 years as my backup for inflight but never had to use it, and never tried it with a headset.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't know about the A24 (I have the A23). I tested mine plane to plane with the headset and it worked fine.
 
No current handheld has topread ease of delcomm's 960 or the terra with built in headset jacks. Many will squeal at transmit if the headset cord is not routed away enough unless you use an external antennae.

I have an antenna BNC I can reach in flight. Unplug panel bnc, twist on handheld bnc, just loses the intercom.
 
I appreciate all the discussion. Some things I have not yet considered have come up. Good stuff.

For my own circumstance it is a tube and rag Taylorcraft that has an Archer antenna buried in the fuselage, so yes, the external antenna will be used.

The Sporty 400 has a bunch more "stuff" than I need, and I cant help but draw a correlation to cost and battery consumption. I have heard a bunch of good things about the Yaesu FTA 230, so that is the leading contender at the moment.
 
That Sporty's 200 that a couple people have mentioned was one good radio. I drug it all over Africa for several years and never had a problem. Transmitted and received just fine with the rubber ducky inside C-310's and 402's.

It and my flight bag got stolen when I got back from Africa (ironic, that) or I'd still have it. Good radio and if you can find one it'll probably be cheap. I used two alkaline battery packs. One for the radio and another for back-up. Headset adapter a good thing - actually it's a necessary thing. Good luck finding one, they're getting pretty old.

I think the rest of the radios mentioned are also fine.
 
Two

Two handhelds come to mind. A Garmin GPSCOM 190 or a Vertex Pilot. The vertex has both COM and VOR functions. The Garmin has COM and GPS which is nice. I use both from time to time as backups.

Edit: After rereading your post, I don't think that my two suggestions are worthy as they are no longer offered new. I bought both used and have been very happy, especially with the Garmin.
 
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MikeS said:
That Sporty's 200 that a couple people have mentioned was one good radio. I drug it all over Africa for several years and never had a problem. Transmitted and received just fine with the rubber ducky inside C-310's and 402's.

It and my flight bag got stolen when I got back from Africa (ironic, that) or I'd still have it. Good radio and if you can find one it'll probably be cheap. I used two alkaline battery packs. One for the radio and another for back-up. Headset adapter a good thing - actually it's a necessary thing. Good luck finding one, they're getting pretty old.

I think the rest of the radios mentioned are also fine.
Click to expand...

That adapters are easy to make. They used standard 2.5 and 3.5mm plugs. I wired two receptacles into my panel and made a patch cord to connect the sportys 200 handheld. It 'removes the comm radio from the circuit and patches in the handheld. Intercom behaves as normal and use the same PTT on my stick. $8 in parts from digikey. I also have a BNC termination nearby to plug the handheld into my external comm antenna. My handheld is my IFR backup radio and wanted to insure that using it wouldn't increase workload. Only downside is that it doesn't support a direct 12v power connection.

Larry
 
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