Hand Held Radio

J

JOhnH

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Right Seater
I would like to get a hand held radio for backup, and also for listening to incoming traffic when I am on the ground. Like when I am at the airport waiting for my wife's approach.

I don't need any of the NAV stuff. If I get lost with all the gadgets I have, I am hopeless or all of the satellites have fallen or been shot out of the sky.

I want a good quality, easy to use, good sounding radio with good (for a handheld) range. I think I want a full keypad instead of one of those with fewer buttons that do different things. At least, that is what I think I want.

Suggestions?
 
I use a VXA-710. So far it's proven to be reliable and the battery lasts forever.
The disadvantage is that it doesn't tell you how much battery life is left (non of the VXA radios do), and it's not the most user friendly.
 
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I bought the Vertex Standard VXA-220 Pro VI Transceiver. It was under $200 and works well.
 
Go with the Icom IC -A6. Great radio. I got if for all of the same reasons that you listed above. It is easy to use, no nav, and has a large keypad. I use it for listening to the ATIS on the way to the airport. Overall great radio and from a trusted brand.

Here is a link: http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/10975
 
I'm interested in this as well, is there anything good that's a little more affordable?
 
For less than $20 you can get an airband scanner on ebay. That's plenty affordable. I've never understood why people insist they have to have handhelds. I flew for near thirty years before I bought mine, and frankly, it gets scant use today.
 
I simply just want to listen to air traffic near me. I have liveATC but options are limited.
 
I have the Vertex VXA-220, too, and love it. Small, loud, waterproof, plenty of features, etc. But it has been replaced by the Yaesu FTA-230. At $199, with NiMh battery and Alkaline battery case, it's a bargain. Now with low battery indicator.
http://www.mypilotstore.com/MyPilotStore/sep/9115
 
I'm not crazy about Yaesu/Vertex handhelds. I bought one and ended up replacing it.
The audio is good and all that, but the operating logic of how to set frequencies, enter direct freqs, adjust squelch, all that is very non-intuitive.
I decided I did not want to work a Vertex handheld in a cockpit, under stress, and with split attention.

I would suggest an ICOM radio. Hit clear, enter the numbers for the freq, done. On the Yaesu, it's hit a Function key, turn the knob to get to "VFO", then enter the freq, and hit enter.
With ICOM, there's squelch up and down buttons on the side, rather than Yaesu when you hit a Function key, turn the knob till "SQ" shows on the screen, then hit the "up" and "dn" buttons to adjust the squelch, then enter.

When I was a radio geek (and used them all the time), I loved Yaesu radios. With a radio that will be carried a lot and used a little (and during high stress), I would use the ICOM.
 
I'm dissatisfied with VXA-220 too, for several reasons.

My unit was improperly assembled and sometimes lost sound. I ended forming the contact stips for the speaker using needle-nosed pliers. Made in Japan, quality.

It does not show the discharged alkaline batteries at all, just dies at some point. I had to switch to rechargeables. Charging station does not show when the unit is charged, yet it's said that keeping it in the craddle for a day is bad for the battery life.

The UI is nightmare, pure nightmare. I have to carry the manual in the flight bag.

Compatibility with my DC headset is somewhat imperfect. I have to screw the adapter in just right.

All in all, I'll go with ICOM next (if ever).
 
I have an ICOM IC-A6, I didn't bother for the 24 with NAV functionality, I figure if both my NAVs goe out the 4-5 GPSes in the plane outta do.

The IC-A6 works fine, an external antenna helps a lot. I've never actually used it other than just toying with it and to listen in while I sit in the hangar.
 
John221us said:
I bought the Vertex Standard VXA-220 Pro VI Transceiver. It was under $200 and works well.
Click to expand...

I also have a Vertex (Yaesu) nav/com and I like it. It is a very simple unit and that is a good thing.

The only thing I do not like about it is that it does not use a standard BNC antenna connection so I cannot hook it to the external antenna on the Luscombe.

edit: I see that the Yaesu units now have BNC so that is a good thing also.
 
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My 220 radio is always on VFO (unless on Memorized channels), so you just punch the numbers in like yours. I really never adjust Sqlch, except to kill it if I'm looking for a weak signal, and for that you just press the Sqlch button. I like the fact that you can program the volume to be either the knob, or the arrow buttons, depending on your preference. Out of 63 reviews, the Yaesu did get 4.5 out of 5.
I can never really remember how to set it to scan two frequencies at once, so I put a little cheat sheet under the battery with directions.
 
Best would be to find a used Dynon DX-15. Dirt simple, works just like you expect. Cheap. Unfortunately, they don't make then anymore.
 
CT4ME said:
My 220 radio is always on VFO (unless on Memorized channels), so you just punch the numbers in like yours. I really never adjust Sqlch, except to kill it if I'm looking for a weak signal, and for that you just press the Sqlch button. I like the fact that you can program the volume to be either the knob, or the arrow buttons, depending on your preference. Out of 63 reviews, the Yaesu did get 4.5 out of 5.
I can never really remember how to set it to scan two frequencies at once, so I put a little cheat sheet under the battery with directions.
Click to expand...

I didn't have much problem intuitively figuring mine out. Ironically the thing I always get wrong is mixing up the knob and the arrows for volume and frequency. I guess I should have read the directions. I didn't know you could switch them.
 
My original use of a hand held was to get over mic fright. I kept it with me while flying. Only twice used in flight in 22 years. Remember, NORDO is legal.
I currently have an ICOM A25. Easy to use. It's active during the day monitoring KBOS and at the airport monitoring UNICOM, ATIS/ASOS, ground, or tower.
 
I also have the VX-710, bought it because of the small size (fits in a vest pocket) and the cool magnesium case.

But....unless you use it all the time or have gone to night classes there will be a lot of WTF moments every time you turn it on. It just has a flat out complicated user interface. Even the squelch is buried in some sub-function somewhere. I swear, I'd literally have to pull out the manual to tell you where and I've owned the thing for years..
 
For those of you that like the Vertex (Yaesu) radios, it it largely because of cost, or are they better than Icom in some way? I was looking at some advertisements and the Icoms advertised 700 mw where the Vertex units advertised 5 Watts. Did I miss something or are the Vertex units more than 7 times as powerful as Icom? And is that a significant statistic for these radios?
 
Add me to those who like the VX220 for its built, sound quality and range but deplore the awful operating logic.
I know it can probably do my tax-return, but a radio that doesn't allow you to change squelch level with a simple twist of a knob....
 
weilke said:
Add me to those who like the VX220 for its built, sound quality and range but deplore the awful operating logic.
I know it can probably do my tax-return, but a radio that doesn't allow you to change squelch level with a simple twist of a knob....
Click to expand...

Guess we'll have to rip out all those Garmin 530's, 430's, 480's, SL30's, and while you at it the KX155's and a lot of other radios.

The Vertex's have a monitor button right below the PTT to open the squelch which is arguably easier to use than the SQ feature on many of the panel mounts.
 
silver-eagle said:
My original use of a hand held was to get over mic fright. I kept it with me while flying. Only twice used in flight in 22 years. Remember, NORDO is legal.
I currently have an ICOM A25. Easy to use. It's active during the day monitoring KBOS and at the airport monitoring UNICOM, ATIS/ASOS, ground, or tower.
Click to expand...

Nice to have something to turn on the lights if you have a radio failure at night though.

Also if you fly out of a towered airport or want to use a GCO to get an IFR clearance (Do GCO's even work anyways, I swear they are a myth) they are handy. Sometimes that can take awhile and it can save you 10-15 mins of sitting there idling.
 
dell30rb said:
Nice to have something to turn on the lights if you have a radio failure at night though.

Also if you fly out of a towered airport or want to use a GCO to get an IFR clearance (Do GCO's even work anyways, I swear they are a myth) they are handy. Sometimes that can take awhile and it can save you 10-15 mins of sitting there idling.
Click to expand...

Mine primarily gets used when soloing students. Even my son admitted afterwards that he relaxed a bit after hearing me call him on the radio during his first solo. Of course his response to my first radio call was, "This thing sure flys different without a fatty on-board!"
 
FWIW, even though I like my Vertex/Yaesu, I wish they had a Lithium Ion battery. The NiMh one "self-discharges", so after setting un-used for months (like they generally do), the darn thing has little battery left. I have to remember to keep it charged up.
The Alkaline battery pack is a life-saver though, I just keep one filled with Lithium AAs, and I know I'm ready for anything.
 
PilotAlan said:
I'm not crazy about Yaesu/Vertex handhelds. I bought one and ended up replacing it.
The audio is good and all that, but the operating logic of how to set frequencies, enter direct freqs, adjust squelch, all that is very non-intuitive.
I decided I did not want to work a Vertex handheld in a cockpit, under stress, and with split attention.

I would suggest an ICOM radio. Hit clear, enter the numbers for the freq, done. On the Yaesu, it's hit a Function key, turn the knob to get to "VFO", then enter the freq, and hit enter.
With ICOM, there's squelch up and down buttons on the side, rather than Yaesu when you hit a Function key, turn the knob till "SQ" shows on the screen, then hit the "up" and "dn" buttons to adjust the squelch, then enter.

When I was a radio geek (and used them all the time), I loved Yaesu radios. With a radio that will be carried a lot and used a little (and during high stress), I would use the ICOM.
Click to expand...

On the amateur radio side my first HT was a Yaesu FT-727R, the original dual band HT. The user interface was straightforward and programming was a snap. Fast forward a number of years and the transmit audio was getting iffy and it would cost too much to fix. Liking my old Yaesu, I bought a Yaesu VX-5. Never again. The numbers wear off the keys. Programming is a convoluted mess, so bad that I use a computer interface and program it that way. Without a cheat sheet I can't remember how to use most of the 'features'. If their aviation radios are as bad, forget about it.

I have the old Sporty's radio. Big, clunky and it works. Two alkaline battery packs and it's good for a whole day at an air show.
 
flyingron said:
The Vertex's have a monitor button right below the PTT to open the squelch which is arguably easier to use than the SQ feature on many of the panel mounts.
Click to expand...

Yes, although I mentioned the squelch as a "gripe" to be honest I set it at 6 when I first got the radio and have never thought much about it since - which is the reason I can't remember how to get to that function. I do have to say however, that with my VXA-710 I have spent a lot more time wondering "why is it doing that?" than with any other radio I've ever owned. I'll admit that I haven't spent a lot of time using it though. There's a definite learning curve to be tackled.
 
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