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  #1  
Old 01-07-2012, 09:48 AM
maxelrad maxelrad is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: pittsburgh pa
Posts: 16
Default Handheld com as primary inflight

I am in the final stages of RV-4 construction and would consider using a handheld com with external antenna as my primary radio. Feedback on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Please keep opinions to a minimum. Actual experience positive and negative would be very useful. Thanks.

Last edited by maxelrad : 01-07-2012 at 09:51 AM.
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  #2  
Old 01-07-2012, 09:54 AM
flyinga flyinga is offline
 
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Location: Fredericksburg, TX
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If you fly exclusively in and out of uncontrolled fields it might work. Otherwise, range for a handheld is limited so I wouldn't do it.

My $.02
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  #3  
Old 01-07-2012, 09:57 AM
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Ron Lee Ron Lee is offline
 
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Reference post #2, what is the relative output power between a handheld and panel mounted radio. If significantly different, I would not do it.
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  #4  
Old 01-07-2012, 10:21 AM
Flybipe Flybipe is offline
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 120
Default It works fine.

Before there were lightweight coms on the market this was the standard setup for most hardcore acro planes well into the 90's - even Tucker's plane was set up like this 10 years ago.

I flew this system in my S-1S for about 5 years with no problems. If you are trying to use it to talk to ATC say to get flight following or something outside of the local airport environment though I probably wouldn't do it as my primary com as they don't have a ton of transmitting power. If you do it it is nice to have it wired into the electrical system though.

Last edited by Flybipe : 01-07-2012 at 10:46 AM.
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  #5  
Old 01-07-2012, 10:38 AM
mikerkba mikerkba is offline
 
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Location: Ely, Nevada
Posts: 223
Default Relative power outputs

I found:
Garmin 430W - 10 watts
Garmin SL-40 - 8 watts
Icom A14 - 5 watts
Vertex 220 IV - 5 watts.
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  #6  
Old 01-07-2012, 10:41 AM
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Ironflight Ironflight is offline
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Location: Dayton, NV
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I flew that way in my old J-3 Cub for years - worked just fine in the pattern (I think - maybe I was NORDO all the time, and never knew it....).

We're setting up the RV-1 with one of the new Dynon handhelds as the Comm radio due to space limitations (there IS no space). the airplane will only go cross-country with an escort, so range isn't important. We'll see how it works soon - I hope.

Paul
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  #7  
Old 01-07-2012, 10:52 AM
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hydroguy2 hydroguy2 is offline
 
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Location: Townsend, Montana
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we used a Icom A6 as the only comm in a Rans S-6. When hooked to an external antenna it worked great. 25mile+ range. It also had the battery eliminator pak so it ran off ships power.

The biggest drawback was the readability of the screen made it difficult to change channels. (It was mounted low near my right knee).
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  #8  
Old 01-07-2012, 12:18 PM
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DonFromTX DonFromTX is offline
 
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Location: La Feria Texas
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I had an old unreliable panel radio in my Cherokee 140, I used an ICOM for years as primary radio. Even without an external antenna I had no problems ever. In my currentl build, I am putting in the antenna splitter from ICOM so I can use the aircraft antenna if I choose to, a great backup system I feel.
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  #9  
Old 01-07-2012, 12:32 PM
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Ron Lee Ron Lee is offline
 
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Obviously you can do whatever you wish, but given the info here, I would probably not buy an RV equipped that way...primarily due to the degraded range compared to a more powerful panel mount radio.
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  #10  
Old 01-07-2012, 02:37 PM
maxelrad maxelrad is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: pittsburgh pa
Posts: 16
Default ATC Network

I appreciate your responses - doing further research I came up with this:

Center airspace is divided into sectors in the same manner
as terminal airspace; additionally, most Center airspace is
divided by altitudes into high and low sectors. Each sector
has a dedicated team of controllers and a selection of radio
frequencies, because ---- each Center has a network of remote transmitter/receiver sites. ----All Center frequencies can be found
in the back of the A/FD in the format shown in Figure 9-13;
they are also found on en route charts.

Each ARTCC?s area of responsibility covers several states;
when flying from the vicinity of one remote communication
site toward another, expect to hear the same controller on
different frequencies.

Source:
http://www.faa.gov/library/manuals/a...apter%2009.pdf


The requirement for higher power may not be necessary.
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