G

Galenkillam

Member
My 8 has one radio in it and I have been thinking I should have a back up handheld. Yesterday I had alternator failure / total electrical failure on my 4 place Cessna. Landed fine and no issues. However, I am going to get a backup radio for both planes. What type of handheld do people suggest and why? I want to be able to connect it to my headphones.
 
This is solely dependent on the type of airspace that you fly in. I fly out of uncontrolled airspace all of the time so if my single radio were to die I would operate as normal just without a radio. I fly out of an airport with numerous aircraft that have no electrical systems or radios so I'm always looking for aircraft that are not communicating.
Your comfort level for navigating without talking is a big part of this also, if you feel that you can't fly without talking to someone on the radio then a backup is required.
The additional item that a handheld will require is continual monitoring / charging of the battery. Will do you no good to carry a handheld in your flight bag if the battery is almost dead or is dead. Keep in mind a 12v charging port in the panel will do you no good if you have a power failure.
 
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I like the Sporty's SP400. Compared to the iComm and Yasue radios, the face and keypad are larger and easier to manage which, although I haven't had to put it to the test, would seem to me to be a plus if I ever had to resort to using it inflight.

I have a Yasue 2 meter band radio. It looks very similiar to the aviation models. Its a small but great little radio. But, I wouldn't want to have to punch in a freqs 1 handed while trying to fly an airplane.

You can buy an adapter that would allow you to plug your headset directly into the handheld for a few dollars. I keep mine set up with the adapters pluged in ready to go in the map pocket when I fly.
 
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yaesu

I have had several over the years. First was icom and they ding you for all the extras and its didnt last. Tried a vertex, it was awesome. (now yaesu). It came with aa back up battery case, it came with headset adapter. Very nice Used as emergency back up and for listening at my office etc for over 5 years. No issue. Great radio.

At kosh i just purchased another, to make my primary back up. It was a yaesu pro x. Just the aa model. Seems bigger and a little blocky but it was $195 and has a $20 rebate so for $175, with headset adapter and also nav built in....seems great to me.

The lithium was $100 more, i did that last time but figured for $100 i can buy a TON of really good AA. Will see.
 
My handheld

I carry an iCom A24 for backup and checking ATIS. My panel is currently one COMM, but not for long ( :) )

Once it does have dual COMMS I will probably still carry the iCom in case of electrical issues.

It was a couple years ago when I looked at Sporty's, Yaseau, and Icom. In the end I "picked" the A24 because someone was selling a used one eBay for a great price.

Very scientific, I know.
 
I have the original Sportys. It's cheap, it works. I keep the battery case separate to prevent accidentally leaving it on (which is easy to do).
 
Old Garmin

I have a nearly 15 year old Garmin 190 handheld with a GPS also. Its a small screen, minimal data, but I used it to go from NC to Sun-N-Fun in my Taylorcraft. I have converted the NiCads to Nickle Hydride, and still use this as my back-up . Not only can you communicate, you can navigate with it.Very few companies made anything like it, but I believe I saw another is available now days. If mine ever dies, it will be really missed.
 
Works on the ground too...

A backup radio also works on the ground if your plane is rolled up into a ball. Keep many batteries in your flight kit too. You may have to use it for, say, 6 hours.

:(

CC
 
SP400

I keep my SP400 on a ram mount at the left edge of my panel. I use the rechargeable battery pack and plug it into the cigarette lighter adapter whenever I fly to keep it charged. I leave my headset adapter plugged into it (mike plug only) so I don't have to look for it if I need it. It's attached to a Bob Archer VOR antenna in the left wingtip. VOR/glideslope reception is good whether on the Bob Archer or the Sportys antenna, and the screen is in easy view if I ever need the glideslope in a pinch.

Audio reception is good. I usually listen to ATIS on the handheld while preflighting. Not sure how good transmission strength is through the Bob Archer, but ATC says I'm loud and clear from the ramp. I have the rubber duck antenna in the glove box if I need it. Don't have any experience with the other brands, but I really like the glideslope feature of the SP400. John
 
where are they now???

seems the little Dynon DX15 handheld was a nice unit....then after a short run, they stopped? making them.
what's up with that? any pireps? any word from Dynon?

still on their web page, but 'not in stock' at any dealer.

http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/DX15_Intro.html

the knobs and screen look a bit 'yaesu'
 
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I have an ICOM IC-A20 (now an antique) that has been the primary radio (with external antenna) in my Champ for the last 29 years. Never had an ounce of trouble with it and it has performed great. Although it is a little large compared to todays handhelds it will probably be a back up in the RV-8 once flying. If it ever dies I wouldn't hesitate to go with another ICOM.
 
flyboy1963 said:
seems the little Dynon DX15 handheld was a nice unit....then after a short run, they stopped? making them.
what's up with that? any pireps? any word from Dynon?

still on their web page, but 'not in stock' at any dealer.

http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/DX15_Intro.html

the knobs and screen look a bit 'yaesu'
Click to expand...

the battery died in mine, won't take a charge- disappointing to say the least, i haven't heard back from dynon at all on options to fix it
 
The latest version from Sporty's actually has glideslope and localizer on it.
Don't know if you are IFR rated or not. If you are, you will see the significance of this latest technology.
 
I bought an ICOM A21 (yes, it is an antique) over 20 years ago. I have used it a lot, primarily as a scanner in my home and in my shop. I even loaned it once to a fellow RV-er who had his radio out for repair, and he reported it worked great with his headset adapter and only the little rubber ducky antenna. I think he used bungee cords to secure it to his passenger armrest in his RV6A.

I've only had two problems that I can report. The original NiCad batteries wouldn't take a charge after about 10 years of use, so I converted the battery pack to NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) and have had no problems for over 10 years since.

Secondly, I have worn out the original case and a replacement case, and I probably need a third, but I consider that trivial so I probably won't buy a third case even if one were available.

I don't agree with the previous post that ICOM radios "don't last."

Also, I have an ICOM A-23 that was given to me by a friend who sold his RV9A and it performs flawlessly. It's probably seven or eight years old.
 
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Champ said:
I have an ICOM IC-A20 (now an antique) that has been the primary radio (with external antenna) in my Champ for the last 29 years. Never had an ounce of trouble with it and it has performed great. Although it is a little large compared to todays handhelds it will probably be a back up in the RV-8 once flying. If it ever dies I wouldn't hesitate to go with another ICOM.
Click to expand...

Same here! (Correction...it's an IC-A21, but I don't think there's much difference) Replaced the rechargeable batteries a few years back with higher-capacity ones (old ones wouldn't take a charge anymore), and it's still going strong after 22 years!

Only other replacement part was the leather case for it.
 
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I have an Icom A-6 and a couple of Yaesu.
How will you use the radio? Will you use it often and become familiar with the menu systems or will it be something you forget how to use and have to relearn under stress? Will you fly in Class G/E and have only Unicom use or will you be in congested airspace and need to change frequencies quickly and accurately?
Will you want to pre-program a lot of frequencies? If so, maybe you want one with a cable and software to load it from your computer.
I think one should imagine the worst possible scenario and get a radio that best supports it.
So, dark and rainy night, lot's of radio traffic, complicated airspace. Sure, you want to talk to ATC and just get on the ground, but it is no time and place to forget how to replace the batteries, tune in the dark and enter new frequencies.
My experience, and I'm a ham radio operator as well, is that I can't remember how to change between bands and how to get the right station in quickly and unerringly without devoting a lot of my attention to that task, and I'll be busy flying the airplane.
My own preference is something very simple, with big buttons and knobs, that can be operted with one hand in poor visibility. Not the Icom or the Yaesu I have. I'd investigate the Sporty's model if I were to start over.
 
rolivi said:
XXXXXXX is advertising a Yaesu FTA-550 for 169.00$ with free shipping.

Sold thru Gulf Coast Aviation.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link or other information about how to find this deal? I didn't see it on the site you mentioned.
 
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the ad

It was an email and it's through GCA...

PM me and I can forward the email.
 
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DX15

flyboy1963 said:
seems the little Dynon DX15 handheld was a nice unit....then after a short run, they stopped? making them.
what's up with that? any pireps? any word from Dynon?

still on their web page, but 'not in stock' at any dealer.

http://www.dynonavionics.com/docs/DX15_Intro.html

the knobs and screen look a bit 'yaesu'
Click to expand...

I have to second the Dynon Radio, it is a nice radio and nice and small. I found mine used on this site.

I like to fly sometimes in the evenings and over some remote terrain, if I ever had to but it down I figure I would be spending the night. I converted a Fly Fishing vest into a survival vest. It has my radio and other items for survival, including my Spot Tracker.

The nice thing about these vests is they are light and made of half mesh so they are not hot at all. I ware mine every time I fly. I throw in an LPU when flying up north as there is a lot of water around the Puget Sound.

I also keep a light weight back packers tarp from REI and my sleeping bag on board.

I know one guy that vacuum packed survival gear and sleeping bag that stay installed in his wingtips. Kind of a genius idea.

Cheers
 
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