ICOM A210 Diff. Summary?

Can someone "in the know" briefly summarize the differences of the A210 over the older and quite a bit cheaper A200? I have read about the internal intercom and ability to listen to a 2nd freq. and I'm trying to determine if this alone is worth the extra $4-500...

Thanks for any info.

Doug Lomheim
RV-9A, FWF
OK City, OK

dlomheim said:

Can someone "in the know" briefly summarize the differences of the A210 over the older and quite a bit cheaper A200? I have read about the internal intercom and ability to listen to a 2nd freq. and I'm trying to determine if this alone is worth the extra $4-500...

Thanks for any info.

Doug Lomheim
RV-9A, FWF
OK City, OK

Click to expand...

A few of things off the top of my head:

1. You can also use a Garmin 496 or other EFIS to change the frequencies on it.

2. It has a lot of stored memory channels and groups of channels.
You can add text to each freq to identify what it is for. I think there is over 200 channels available in the memory system.

3. New display that is supposed to be more readable in all lighting conditions.

4. 10 Weather channels

5. Some timer functions.

6. You can program the configuration settings from a PC.

Value products

dlomheim said:

Can someone "in the know" briefly summarize the differences of the A210 over the older and quite a bit cheaper A200? I have read about the internal intercom and ability to listen to a 2nd freq. and I'm trying to determine if this alone is worth the extra $4-500...

Thanks for any info.

Doug Lomheim
RV-9A, FWF
OK City, OK

Click to expand...

I am a born cheap skate and have a A200, its great. Its a small, reliable, powerful, flip flop COM and for the lowest price on the COM market. What more do you want. However the COM is one thing you use all the time. If you are going to splurge, the COM would be top on my list.

Are you going to wire it to a Garmin and use the stored freqs? If you fly around the home patch all the time, probably not as much use. Fly X-C a lot, especially into busy airspace, sounds like a great thing. Never used this feature on any radio before so don't know, but not having to look up and dial in the freq is a convenience I think I would like a lot. Not sure if the button pushing to transfer freqs from the GPS and make active is that much of a savings over just dialing it in, but it sounds pretty fantastic. Don't want to get carpel tunnel in the wrist!

The two-in-one receiver is pretty nice for listening to ATIS/AWOS while on ATC or Tower. Not switching off of ATC or TOWER to me is a safety thing. Again what kind of airspace do you fly in.

$400-$500 is up to you but those two things are very nice things to have and you are getting something for your money, verses just the "King" name brand for example. Either Icom unit is a value priced product.

dlomheim said:

Can someone "in the know" briefly summarize the differences of the A210 over the older and quite a bit cheaper A200? I have read about the internal intercom and ability to listen to a 2nd freq. and I'm trying to determine if this alone is worth the extra $4-500...

Thanks for any info.

Doug Lomheim
RV-9A, FWF
OK City, OK

Click to expand...

Doug, It is only a few hundred more if you want to participate in my latest Group Buy!



CJ

Deven said:

I was really interested in the radio for this feature for formation type work with one radio, however, after reading the manual posted in another thread it seems that anytime you press the PTT the radio will automatically come out of "dual watch". I was really hoping for more of a priority channel type operation. Anyone else get a different read out of it?

d

Click to expand...

Is this what happens on the SL30 and 40's 2nd freq monitoring as well?

No..SL-30/40 will remain in monitor standby in that scenario... you won't have to re-engage it after pushing PTT.

Since none of the radios have yet appeared "in the wild" for us to play with, I guess all we have to go on is the manuals....but from what I have head, they are still doing software updates, so who knows for sure how they'll work? I bought one on speculation that I'll like it - for me, the dual monitoring is the big feature that I wanted. Granted, it's my second Comm, which means that now I can listen to three channels - but I am used to having multiple communication loops in my ear at one time, and like having as much info as I can. If I have one, I want two, if I have two, I want three....

I really liked the multiple channel feature on Louise's SL-30, and the icing on the cake for the A210 is the huge number of memory slots organized into groups. Yeah, it'll take a little while to program, but it will be quite nice - and I might even get it hooked up to auto-channel from the EFIS someday!

For plane old VFR on a budget in simple airspace? Probably overkill, but as Captain John said - for the group buy price, it's a darn good deal!

Paul

seen at OSH

When you swap freqs from standby to active, the numbers scroll across the screen from field to field like a movie marquee.

Different but dunno if I like it,
Steve

i don't like that

Deven said:

I was really interested in the radio for this feature for formation type work with one radio, however, after reading the manual posted in another thread it seems that anytime you press the PTT the radio will automatically come out of "dual watch". I was really hoping for more of a priority channel type operation. Anyone else get a different read out of it?

d

Click to expand...

Ok, this may be a deal breaker for me personally. I REALLY want 2 coms for this reason; to be on freq. with ATC and monitor ATIS,AWOS, or Unicom where i am about to land. I had NO idea that just pushing PTT would dis-engage the second freq. monitoring. IS THIS TRUE? Any chance they will change this? I am fine using 2 separate A-200 to monitor 2 freq. and that way, if one unit goes on the fritz, then i can have repaired and still have one unit working in the plane. I liked the "auto load" of freq. from the new GPS/ EFIS stuff, but mainly want to monitor 2 freq. and not have to re-establish this..... Hope someone tells me different.
HMMmmmmmmm??