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william weesner
which one :
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Van's Air Force
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I haven't seen a great deal of differences in quality of the handhelds on the market. They're all pretty good. Look for the features you want at the best price. I use the cheap ICom for unicom at my private strip and other than being pretty low on power, am very happy with it.
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RVbySDI
Well Known Member
All seem to work well
I agree with Mel. I have the ICOM A5 (I think they no longer sell this radio) that works well. My hanger mate is using the Vertex handheld and likes it.
The power issue raised by Mel is a real issue. I am not sure how well the Vertex works but if you use the ICOM A5 very much on the batter it will drain fairly quickly. I have had some issues with getting the A5 to hold a charge. Last year at Oshkosh I was able to go to the ICOM booth where they "Shock charged" my batter. After that it held a charge better. They mentioned that you have to charge the battery pack according to their specific instructions to avoid charging problems. I felt that I had done so but still had problems with the batter holding a charge. If there is any one thing I would have an issue with would be that their battery and charging system can stand some improving. Otherwise, the radio performs flawlessly. I have had many comments from other pilots who have said I sound crystal clear when broadcasting using the ICOM in my airplane.
As a side note I have since eliminated the power problem all together by hardwiring a power plug for my handheld so that it gets power directly from the aircraft battery. This works well when using the handheld while in the airplane but does not charge the battery well at all. If you intend to use the handheld primarily while flying in the airplane this may work well for you. If, on the other hand, you plan to use it simply as a handheld you may have to wrestle with keeping the batter pack charged.
Good Luck,
I agree with Mel. I have the ICOM A5 (I think they no longer sell this radio) that works well. My hanger mate is using the Vertex handheld and likes it.
The power issue raised by Mel is a real issue. I am not sure how well the Vertex works but if you use the ICOM A5 very much on the batter it will drain fairly quickly. I have had some issues with getting the A5 to hold a charge. Last year at Oshkosh I was able to go to the ICOM booth where they "Shock charged" my batter. After that it held a charge better. They mentioned that you have to charge the battery pack according to their specific instructions to avoid charging problems. I felt that I had done so but still had problems with the batter holding a charge. If there is any one thing I would have an issue with would be that their battery and charging system can stand some improving. Otherwise, the radio performs flawlessly. I have had many comments from other pilots who have said I sound crystal clear when broadcasting using the ICOM in my airplane.
As a side note I have since eliminated the power problem all together by hardwiring a power plug for my handheld so that it gets power directly from the aircraft battery. This works well when using the handheld while in the airplane but does not charge the battery well at all. If you intend to use the handheld primarily while flying in the airplane this may work well for you. If, on the other hand, you plan to use it simply as a handheld you may have to wrestle with keeping the batter pack charged.
Good Luck,
What featues are important you most of you? I see all the new handheld comms with all the scanning and frequency hopping features. Is this stuff needed? I can only see using one frequency at a time. Unless you are using it as your primary radio in your aircraft. I use mine to listen to at home (live near the airport) and on a couple first flights to speak to the PIC of the plane being flown. Other than that it will just be a backup comm I carry in my plane. So features important to me are obviously battery life, clarity and volume. That about it. I recently bought an old bullet proof Terra 720 for $50 that you can plug your headsets in without and adapter. Also its speaker is very loud and clear. I also have a new JRC JHP-500 that the battery doesnt last for about 30 minutes and is difficult to hear at it loudest setting. Its no use to me.
-Jeff
-Jeff
otterhunter2
Active Member
Get yourself a good USED King KX-99. The thing is bullet proof, you can drop it, submerge it and burn it. Keeps on ticking! Try E-BAY for some good ones.
JMHO
JMHO
LifeofReiley
Well Known Member
Handheld Nav-Com Package
I bought the Vertex 210 Pilot Standard in a package priced deal. It came with all the accessories you'll ever need including the harness for headset and PTT. After a lot of research I found it to be the best deal around.
I bought the Vertex 210 Pilot Standard in a package priced deal. It came with all the accessories you'll ever need including the harness for headset and PTT. After a lot of research I found it to be the best deal around.
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vertex handheld
i got the vertex vxa150 at osh last year. came with the headset adapter. also as a show special, there was a $30 rebate and a double-a battery pack (which i wanted). i bought an sma to bnc adapter at fryes for $4.95 so i could hook it up to external antenna. i'm pretty pleased. no vor nav with this radio, although it does get vor audio (and weather band). i use portable gps for nav, and never did like the handheld vor nav performance, so i specifically wanted a radio without that feature.
i've always hated nicads ('swhy i wanted the alkaline pack). i charged this one up, ran it down, and charged it up again. then it sat in my truck for about 5 months. when i took it back out, i was surprised that it still came on. (i bought an elt for the rv7a and wanted to test it out.) it had about 2 hours of receive battery left, after sitting out in my hot truck for five months. i was impressed.
ymmv.
john
i got the vertex vxa150 at osh last year. came with the headset adapter. also as a show special, there was a $30 rebate and a double-a battery pack (which i wanted). i bought an sma to bnc adapter at fryes for $4.95 so i could hook it up to external antenna. i'm pretty pleased. no vor nav with this radio, although it does get vor audio (and weather band). i use portable gps for nav, and never did like the handheld vor nav performance, so i specifically wanted a radio without that feature.
i've always hated nicads ('swhy i wanted the alkaline pack). i charged this one up, ran it down, and charged it up again. then it sat in my truck for about 5 months. when i took it back out, i was surprised that it still came on. (i bought an elt for the rv7a and wanted to test it out.) it had about 2 hours of receive battery left, after sitting out in my hot truck for five months. i was impressed.
ymmv.
john
rv9aviator
Well Known Member
I have an Icom A-24 that works very good and has some nice features. It has the ability to use the Com radio without effecting the VOR side. It has a flip flop feature so you can easily go from flight service to tower to ground quickly.You can also monitor Flight service while talking on another frequency. Mine came with charger, 12 volt adaptor and headset adaptor.
