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handhelds

bobnoffs

Well Known Member
hi all,
looking to buy ahandheld as a backup. with 3 other gps on board I really only need the com feature.
sporty's 400 really looks top quality.coming .from someone that has used both is the icom a14 as clear as the 400?
thanks for any first hand info
 
I recently purchased an Icom A25N after much research. The consensus was that the Sporty's unit wasn't as reliable as the others. I haven't used the Sporty's myself, this is just from reviews and forum chatter.

Note that all of these units are basic and far less capable than say an app on your smartphone, however, they do provide aviation specific features in addition to the radio that make them useful.

I'm very happy with the Icom, it's really loud and crystal clear and has already survived some abuse.
 
I'm happy with the used ICOM A6 I picked up here on VAFs. Limited range, but with the accessory jack and PPT you can plug it directly into my headset. Also like the compact size.
 
I have owned and used a Sportys, almost every model of ICOM, and a JRC JHP-520 Nav/com. I have loved them all, no noticeable differences, I tend to like the ICOM for no really valid reason.
 
I had an ICOM handheld...... what a PITA. Having to hold down a button to turn it on and off.

If nothing else, get a unit with an on off switch so you can control it with your master if you have it powered from the panel.

If you an find an old Sporty 200, has a solid battery pack (AA's)... it will last you forever and is simple to operate.

Connected to an outside antenna will greatly increase your range.
 
Backup handheld

For backup how about the Sporty's SP-400, it has VOR and Comm. I was able to fly an ILS down to minimums with mine. Sure all the GPS's are good, but what if you loose aircraft electrical and the GPS is down too. You can get to a VOR and fly an ILS with that handheld. Comm works fine too.

Steve
 
hi all,
looking to buy ahandheld as a backup. with 3 other gps on board I really only need the com feature.
sporty's 400 really looks top quality.coming .from someone that has used both is the icom a14 as clear as the 400?
thanks for any first hand info

I have two Yaesu brand air band handhelds and both are excellent. I've also have a Yaesu 2m/440 ham band handheld. It's been working great for 20 years.
 
I guess I never owned that model, all of my ICOMs turn a knob to turn on and off, including the three ICOMs I presently own..

I had an ICOM handheld...... what a PITA. Having to hold down a button to turn it on and off.

If nothing else, get a unit with an on off switch so you can control it with your master if you have it powered from the panel.

If you an find an old Sporty 200, has a solid battery pack (AA's)... it will last you forever and is simple to operate.

Connected to an outside antenna will greatly increase your range.
 
I have a Yaesu handheld com through Aircraft Spruce. The rechargeable battery lasts a long time and I have an AA battery pack as backup power. I use it as backup for my RV6A and dedicated radio in the cub and sprayplane.
 
seems like you can be happy or sad with any of the 3 popular handhelds from what I have read here and elsewhere. I do like the icom a14 with li po batteries. I see them new on ebay for $22.
thanks for all the replys.
 
important add on

Good advice and comments so far. I would add that all things considered, one of the more important considerations is being able to hear the radio clearly. Having headset adapter plugs is important. If your primary radios go down, you will have to get home and land. If it is a tower controlled field, you will annoy them less if you are not shouting and asking say again.
The built in antenna is perfectly adequate, though some wire for external. In these scenarios, you will likely be facing right at the tower, with a line of sight from the rubber duck antenna. I learned to fly before headsets. Shouting and tilting your head towards a speaker were a terrible classroom environment. The technology we have today is a bit better. BTW I also carry the ILS capable unit mentioned in other replies.
 
I have the Yaesu FTA550L Handheld VHF Transceiver w/Li-Ion Battery purchased from Amazon. It came with every conceivable charge adapter, head set adapter and optional battery pack if you want to use AA batteries.
 
Reading this thread I had another idea.. If I would buy a handheld for emergencies and even install a proper external antenna,wouldn`t it make sense to have kind of emergency jacks to wire the handheald to the audio panel.. The idea would be to have the possibility to use the PTT button on the stick. Anyway for time beeing I only have one radio connected to my GMA-245...
 
So I am TDY, and as you would guess, I had a flat and now a VHF transceiver fail. I have a new unit in my hangar across the country and am wondering if I could use a handheld with decent performance to get by with for a few months. I can connect my external antenna for added reception. Thoughts anyone?
I am looking at the Yaesu FTA550L
 
So I am TDY, and as you would guess, I had a flat and now a VHF transceiver fail. I have a new unit in my hangar across the country and am wondering if I could use a handheld with decent performance to get by with for a few months. I can connect my external antenna for added reception. Thoughts anyone?
I am looking at the Yaesu FTA550L

Didn?t you ever buy the 550?

Our Narco just went south and I don?t want to be out of a plane while I decide what to replace it with..
 
Yes, I bought the 550L. It's great. Simple and intuitive. I haven't used it for air to ground yet. My radio issues turned out to be a bad headset.
 
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