The following is in response to a question asked by a user which is no longer in the database:
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I have the Icom A-23. It's okay, but my dad was talking to me from the ground once, and he sounded pretty weak. Without looking, I'm not sure how the output wattage compares to the A-3 or A-24. We use the A-3 as the primary radio in our ultralights, and they're strong and clear.

The nav radio and built in CDI are kinda cool. My instructor told me a story about how a friend of his was on an instrument currency check and the examiner killed his electrical system on ILS final, rendering his panel mount comm/nav/cdi useless. Without missing a beat, he whipped out his handheld, punched in the freq, and stayed on the localizer at least. Needless to say, the examiner was impressed.

I have a ten year old Icom that works great. I had the original ni-cad battery replaced with a lithium-ion and I can hook it to the airplane antenna and it will get out. The rubber ducky ain't worth a dam.

I've been flying an Icom A23 for about 135 hours. It is hooked up to aircraft antenna and power. I can easily talk 50 miles. The VOR function is pretty useless at any distance. I'd get an A5 if I were doing it again. Same power, no VOR.

tom

John,

I thought I had posted a response but it is gone *poof*.

I have a VXA-700 that I love. It is rugged, water proof, has nav capability. It also has the 2 meter portion of the ham band. They have since replaced this great little rig with the VXA-710 and added BRS band (business radio system). I think my fellow hams bitched (they do a lot of that) about unlicensed use on 2 meters, so they discountinued the VXA-700. In the amateur radio world, ICOM has a loyal following and is well respected while Yaesu (Vertex) is seen as a bit more innovative. IMHO, you need to look closely at what features you want and which model provides those features. They all do about 5 watts pep which is enough with an external antenna. It'll be tough going with just the rubber duck. Make sure which ever you go with it comes with the headset adapter. I paid 340.00 USD shipped for my VXA-700 out of Canada including the headset adapter. They considered it a closeout item because it had been discontinued. Jury is really out on the CDI's on an HT in my book. I can't imagine trying to shoot a VOR approach with one if you had an electrical failure while IFR. Oh, and go for the Lithium Ion battery. Better life, no memory, faster charge in a more compact size. If you can get an AA case for backup that would be great also.

One word of caution for those that use HT's with Lithium batteries. unlike NiCad, Alkaline, or Nickel Metal Hydride, when a lithium battery goes dead it is like a light switch going off, there is no fade and no warning.

Just my .02...

Mark

jmtgt wrote:hey Mark,

What is that BRS all about?

BRS is a VHF/FM unlicensed band that is primarily used by business's like construction sites etc. for communication generally within a 10 mile radius. Security at sporting events etc. will sometimes use this band also. They use a portion of the spectrum just above the ham 2 meter allocation at 151.5125 - 158.400MHz. Some schools etc. have even gone so far as to set up repeaters for better coverage of a campus etc. It's a good no boloney way of having solid fm communication for a small amount of $$$. If you know of somebody using this system you could program your 710 for use in that system.

Mark

John,

FRS (Family Radio Service) is located in the UHF portion of the spectrum. Up around 462-468 I think. It is low powered and only good for a couple of miles. It is the fm cb band and is sort of a jungle. Not really good for real communications, IMHO...

Mark

It isn't a Vertex or Icom but one worth consideration is the King, I believe the model number is a KLX100. It's a GPS/Com handheld and has a nice feature thats transmits your aircraft N# and lat/long in an emergency.

Kind of hefty but transmits strong. Has AA battery pack, with headset compatibility.

Can be had for around $150-200.00 on Ebay. New cost on these were around $1200.00