Hand held Radio

[localflighteast]

I'm at the stage of my training where I'll be spending less time in the circuit and more time away from my home base.
I'm considering investing in a hand held radio as a back up, Particularly as my home airport is in a control zone that requires permission to enter.
I have a few questions,

1) how common are comms failures? I mean actual failures not just the muppet on board has dialed the volume down ( yes I've done it!), given that I have two radios on board, should a backup hand held be a priority?

2) If I do get one, what features am I looking for. I've browsed a bit online and all I can see difference-wise is that some are more expensive than others. What are the must haves? Nice to haves? avoid at all costs?

Appreciate any thoughts

[what next]

Good morning!

1) how common are comms failures?

That entirely depends on the aircraft you are flying and it's maintenance. And how much redundancy is built into it (dual radios, dual alternator, ...). I have had two radio failures in about 3000 hours on light types, both were caused by total loss of electrical power.

2) If I do get one, what features am I looking for.

Transmit and receive I would say. :) The cheapest (certified) unit will do the job. A long battery shelf life is nice to have, so you do not need to think about charging the unit too often. All the other gimmicks (e.g. VOR receiver) have long been obsoleted by our GPS equipped smartphones or tablets.

Personally, for flying light types at low altitudes (say below 5000ft AGL) I do not carry my handheld radio any more. The cellphone is good enough for calling the control tower, just make sure the numbers of frequently visited airports and airfields are stored.

[astir 8]

Don't forget the impending requirement for 8.33 band spacing. Buy a new radio without that facility and it'll shortly be "unusable" :mad:

[Maoraigh1]

Will 8.33 apply in Canada? OP is in Toronto.
I've had an Icom for over 22 years as back-up. All my radio failures were in the same aircraft, (which I part-owned) - except for one after maintenance. If renting, you can probably rely on the equipment. I've known of someone (USA) contacting the tower with a mobile phone after an electrical failure.

[expatflyer]

Go with the icom handheld. They now do a 8.33 version. Also if it is your own plane consider getting an extra com antenna fitted with a cable to a Bnc plug put into the panel or sidewall. You can then connect a handheld to this. This will improve transmission and reception from a hand held which only has a transmit power of 5 watts compared to the 15-25 of most built in radios.

[Whopity]

I've had an Icom for many years, it came with a headset adapter and works. Used it twice following total electrics failure, which is more probable than a comms failure. It's also useful for picking up ATIS, can't do that on a mobile phone. Get one with NiMH batteries not NiCAD

[phiggsbroadband]

Hi, I had one comms failure whilst climbing out of the circuit for a cross country flight. The ATC could hear my transmit carrier but no voice.
Tried swapping headsets with the passenger, but still no good.
So as my flight would have been going through a danger area, and I would need a clearance, I had to land and give the plane to the engineers.

I have an Icom 24 Handheld, but as soon as the engine is running, it is very
difficult to hear the radio, or to make a clear transmission. I only use I to
listen to the circuit traffic whilst doing my pre-flight checks.

[Keef]

I bought my Icom handheld many years ago, and carry it on every flight.

The only time I've ever used it in anger is to call for start clearance on an IFR flight plan - to save turning on the master and the main radios.

[mushroom69]

Agree with the icom. Agree with at least having a T connector to the present COM antenna installed, so you get the range. I don´t know if they still make the King with a built in GPS......it was TERRIBLE! All the icoms I have had (have sold them on when I delivered aircraft) were excellent.

I used my own all the time for ATIS, picking up clearances etc without having to use aircraft battery or even having to get in, put the headset on etc.

Even being in the hotel near the airport and listening to the ATIS was sort of useful at times. I did call the tower once from the hotel to delay a flight plan and it REALLY freaked them out, as they had a DF on their receiver and it was indicating a completely wrong direction from where my aircraft was parked....(oops)

Also useful if you have a club or company freq to check arrival times, alter parking positions "The aircraft is going out again, please park up at the fuel station" sort of thing.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I tried the then new Icom some years ago and it wouldn't work with a headset. Any headset! I was in the dealer's showroom and we tried several radios and many makes of headset, but none were usable. They may well have fixed that now, but do check any potential purchase will work with your head set before you buy it.

I was flying a Chipmunk with none-too-reliable radio out of Liverpool John Lennon so the hand held was a nice backup to have. I only had to use it in anger once.

I went for the Vertex Pilot 111 which worked fine with headsets and is well made. Great bit of kit!

[riverrock83]

8.33 will probably start migrating slowly across the world so if you're getting something to last 10+ years then I'd go for one with it.
Get something with a headset adapter. Different models need different adapters.
The SP-400 from Sporty's includes an ILS view along with VOR - up to you whether you'd find that useful (how long does the GPS battery last?). Difficult to buy within the UK but you might be fine. It also runs on normal AA batteries. I'm thinking about a purchase myself...

If you're going to be using it for listening in to others while on the ground, think about some way to plug it in (although not necessarily a desk stand). You may have a suitable transformer / cable already but they do eat batteries. Older ICOMs use a large NiCd battery which has all the normal Nickel Cadmium characteristics (drain over time, memory effect, large for the capacity), so worth checking and making sure what you're looking at uses a more modern technology.

However - during training you really don't need one. Talk to your instructor about what to do in the event of a radio failure. Many airports have radio failure procedures anyway (such as orbiting at a specific point at the edge of, or even within controlled airspace, or use of a mobile phone...). BTW - don't expect a mobile phone to work above 1500 feet. You might be lucky (or you may have to orbit to keep a consistent signal) or you might not be...

[Jodelman]

Go with the icom handheld. They now do a 8.33 version. Also if it is your own plane consider getting an extra com antenna fitted with a cable to a Bnc plug put into the panel or sidewall. You can then connect a handheld to this.

Good idea but don't forget that all the new Icom handhelds are illegal to use in Europe.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

I'm intreagued by this use of mobiles from the cockpit. In the Chippy or the Yak youd have no chance of hearing it unless it was somehow wired into the headset.

[BackPacker]

I'm just going to back up a bit. You're doing PPL training, and you're finally getting away from the circuit. That's great, but honestly you will not be doing x-countries of hundreds of miles just yet. In fact, you'll probably make less than 10 or so flights that will take you over 100 mile away from home base in the course of your PPL training. And once you get the PPL you'll want to expand your range slowly.

If you happen to be very unlucky and get that radio failure when you're far away, you can just land at the nearest uncontrolled airfield, phone the school what happened, let them sort it out and hire a car or something to be home for dinner anyway. In other words: It's not a necessity, but an extra, to have a handheld radio, given the type of operations you're going to be doing in the near future.

If you have budget to buy extras such as handheld radios, I would prioritize things differently. First, I would buy a good headset. Maybe one of those ANR ones, or an in-ear headset. Second on my list would be a good GPS, or (like I have) an iPad with a decent navigation app (SkyDemon is the best option in Europe, I don't know about Canada).

If you fly over hostile terrain a lot (which I can imagine in Canada) my third choice would probably be a PLB and possibly some other survival kit. And in very busy airspace, a PCAS such as the Zaon MRX/XRX or PowerFlarm. A handheld radio would probably come in fourth or fifth place on my list of priorities.

If your main worry is a comms failure, then your priorities may be different of course. If so, the Icom seems to be the most popular, and I can only endorse the tips others gave (headset adapter, 8.33 kHz spacing, some sort of hookup to an external antenna, and maybe a means of hooking it up to the aircraft electric system as well). Don't worry about them possibly being illegal - nobody is going to question you about that if you just had a for-real comms failure.

But another alternative would be to get one of those mobile phone-headset adapters, which allows you to use your mobile phone with your headset. Some ANR headsets even have such an adapter built-in. A lot cheaper than an Icom, smaller so easier to stow in your flight bag, and doesn't need batteries.

[riverrock83]

I have bluetooth connectivity with my LightSpeed Zulu to my phone, but don't turn on the bluetooth in the air. I don't want someone distracting me while on short final... However it would be available in the event of a problem.

Now buying headsets.... that's a different thread topic talked about many times before!

As said below - mobile phone is only as good as the reception it has. No good in the middle of nowhere and variable reception over towns above 1500 feet (some people seem fine up to much higher, others don't). But a hand held with its internal aerial wont have a huge range either - but it would be enough to contact a commercial jet going overhead at 20 000 Feet who could relay a message.

But as Backpacker says - its almost certainly not required at the moment. Talk to your instructor about what they would recommend.

[localflighteast]

appreciate the replies, lots to think about.

Should have expanded on my "needs" a little. I may be a student pilot but my other half has a PPL so we fly at least once a month together for fun. A handheld radio may(?) come in useful there.

We rent , not own so anything requiring structural modification is out. I am aware of the procedures for lost comms. My home airport is in a class C control zone so prior permission needed to enter. Options available to me are indeed phoning the tower on my cell phone ( I have all the numbers of local airfields stored) or landing at an alternative field ( there is one I think that isn't class C or D in the vicinity)
With that in mind, maybe Backpacker's advice is the one to go for.


I did wonder about how easy it would actually be to use a handheld while the engine is running.

Still in two minds about whether to shell out for one or not.

[chevvron]

I bought an Icom in '86 to use in my Monnet Moni. I made my own headset up using a pair of ear defenders in which I inserted 'Walkman' type earpieces and used the Icom hand mike.
All of the microlights I've flown used Icoms as their sole radio either with a battery or running off the aircraft electrical system.

[Maoraigh1]

I'm intreagued by this use of mobiles from the cockpit. In the Chippy or the Yak youd have no chance of hearing it unless it was somehow wired into the headset.

While I can't hear the mobile phone in the Jodel cockpit, people who have called me say they could clearly hear my reply saying when I'd be on the ground. With an earphone in position it'd be possible to use it.
I bought my Icom with a headset adaptor and have never had a problem with it. Without a headset it is useless with the engine running.

[jwilliams85]

Hi- the Icom is good but I think overpriced. Vertex Standard make a new model which is much cheaper and has more features. You don't need to spend much for a backup tx'r

[Howard Long]

"Agree with the icom. Agree with at least having a T connector to the present COM antenna installed, so you get the range. "

Not sure how you were intending to do this. If you we're simply thinking of getting a BNC T piece, and plumbing the handheld in with your regular com/nav stack coax, please read the following...

Speaking as an RF Comms engineer and designer, there are a whole bunch of reasons not to do this.

The most important one is that when you transmit with either radio, you will almost certainly blow up the front end of the receiver in the other one. This will happen in a very short time (sub second).

Secondly, whether or not you've blown up at least one of your receivers, using a simple T connector will ruin the impedance matching to the antenna, and quite possibly blow up your transmitter's PA stage too. Even if it doesn't blow up your transmitter, protection circuits possibly in existence in the transmitter on the unit may well fold back output power when detecting the mismatch, limiting the effectiveness of your transmitter.

Either or both scenarios could most certainly mean a bad day at the office.

I apologise if I've misunderstood what you were suggesting, but that's how I interpreted it.

Many thanks, Howard

[Howard Long]

I don't believe there are any currently marketed handheld radios that are certified in Europe for airborne use.

Most likely they do not have sufficient broadcast band filtering: VHF aviation band is directly adjacent to band 2 FM broadcast band and needs expensive, often hand-tuned filters, to work effectively.

Older second-hand units may not have 8.33kHz channels.

Edit: not sure what the deal is with other jurisdictions regarding use in the cockpit of h/h, just saw the OP is based in Canada.

Cheers, Howard

[Fitter2]

Good idea but don't forget that all the new Icom handhelds are illegal to use in Europe.


I think some misunderstanding/misinformation. Some years ago many microlights were fitted with ICOM A3/A22 as installed COM radios, and they were CAA approved. Once EASA took over Europe-wide avionics approval, there was no EASA specification for hand-held transceivers, hence no new handhelds could be approved. ICOM changed to the A6/A24 range, and there was no approval for use either hand-held or installed, for a variety of reasons; not least because they were not manufactured in Europe. For the same reason, their A210 replacement for the A200 panel mount fell by the wayside.

Eventually the upgraded 8.33KHz capable versions of the A6E & A24E have been approved for use as hand-held radios in EASAland, although not installed (as EASA certification regulation doesn't permit that). Yet another example of EASA working for our safety - you know it makes sense. So now if you want to carry a handheld for emergency use, they are perfectly legal (so long as you hold an FRTOL) .

Meanwhile, the Yaesu TA310 8.33KHz handheld does all the same things, is more rugged and significantly cheaper. It also seems to work well with all headsets, and the battery life is better. It's what I use, but please yourself.

[Howard Long]

Are they approved for airborne use, as opposed to ground use?

Cheers, Howard

[Fitter2]

They are approved for use on the airband frequencies by anyone holding an FRTOL. No altitude specified.

[Howard Long]

Is this specifically written somewhere for these devices, or are you simply saying that there is now no need for certification for comms equipment that does not require installation? I'm trying to understand how you've reached your conclusion.

As far as Icom are concerned, their current transceivers are still not certified for airborne use according to their website.

In practice it is doubtful as to whether this would preclude use as a backup device: are you really going to resist using it when you've ditched hoping for SAR?

Cheers, Howard

[localflighteast]

Lovely info chaps
I feel I may be out of the clutches of EASA ;)
Thanks all the same !

[CrabbitOldBugger]

The Yaesu is a great piece of kit but it will work on 8.33 Khz in Rx mode only.

[Mariner9]

We're all taught (or should be) to Aviate Navigate Communicate.

I prioritise my purchases of flying kit in the same order.

I've suffered radio failure once in 700-odd hours, and simply followed the published radio-fail procedure to rejoin and land at at an International airport within a class D CTR.

[Maoraigh1]

We're all taught (or should be) to Aviate Navigate Communicate.
I prioritise my purchases of flying kit in the same order.
I've suffered radio failure once in 700-odd hours, and simply followed the published radio-fail procedure to rejoin and land at at an International airport within a class D CTR.

As a Group member, a handheld allows me to continue flying, after a radio problem. I notice our aircraft radio licence wording includes a hand held.
If any distance from your base, following radio-fail procedure can work out expensive - by the time the radio is fixed.
I prioritise my purchases too - the only specifically flying kit I own, apart from the handheld and adaptor, are a headset and a cheap ex USAF kneeboard.
P.S. And a conspicuity vest. And an airside badge.

[abgd]

I'm confused about these handhelds. I'm shortly about to get my Druine Turbulent flying, and taking it to the continent is amongst my plans. It has two magnetos but no other electrical system at present.

As far as I can gather the manufacturers still need to submit documentation to the CAA to show that they conform to the standard, and it's still not permissible to wire them up to an external antenna?

There is no mention of the Icom A6/A24 radios on the CAA list of approved equipment, though I understand from the Trainsair website that they are approved.

From what I've heard, the Yaesu radios may be somewhat better, but I haven't seen any statement about whether or not they are approved.

None of them are approved outside of the UK. So what do French microlighters use? (as an example). The links I've found to the EASA approval page are all broken.

[patowalker]

The 8.33kHz spacing ICOM A6/A24 are approved under http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/220/20131126LA301075ApprovalCertificate.pdf

The only French approved handhelds are these, not to be confused with the same model sold here, because they come with an external FM filter, which cannot be bought separately. Note the considerably higher price.

http://www.icom-france.com/files/doc-IC-A6FRII-IC-A24FRII-fr.pdf

ICOM IC A6FR II VHF aviation homologuée pour utilisation à bord - 5001029 - Radio (http://www.espacealtitude.com/icom-ic-a6fr-ii-vhf-aviation-homologuee-pour-utilisation-bord-p-727.html)

[cockney steve]

Seriously, are there anal jobsworths about, who are actually going to check that every item has an approval, certification ,or whatever?

I would be surprised if the French were bothered, at grass-roots level, as long as your equipment performed as intended. they are not known for "gold-plating" any diktats....but, on the other hand, it is said they have a predeliction for bits of paper.

[abgd]

Who knows, but I generally figure it's a good idea not to give them anything to work on. Ditto for insurance companies.

[patowalker]

Homebuilt G reg fly in France in compliance with their PtF. No need to have a French approved radio.

Arrêté du 22 mai 2001 relatif au survol du territoire français par des aéronefs de construction amateur immatriculés au Royaume-Uni | Legifrance (http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000000579761)

[Fitter2]

Hi abdg

The ICOM radios (A6E/A24E) shown in the French data sheet in patowalker's post are the same as those approved by the CAA for airborne use in Annex 2 aircraft in UK, so you will be OK in France using one even in the unlikely event of a ramp check. Warning, they still are rather finnicky about which headsets and wiring installation they work with; this is much better using an external antenna a metre or so away from the cockpit. Best to carry a spare battery, or a 12V battery and use the power adapter supplied if you are prone to talking a lot. The external FM filter is recommended for external antennas, not mandatory, and is to give the FM immunity that certified installations must have. Possibility of FM broadcast breakthrough if flying very close to a local music station radio antenna. The quality of the music received is not good. :O

The Yaesu models aren't approved anywhere for airborne use, something to do with transmit overspill into adjacent 8.33 channels.

[Big Pistons Forever]

If you have budget to buy extras such as handheld radios, I would prioritize things differently. First, I would buy a good headset. Maybe one of those ANR ones, or an in-ear headset. Second on my list would be a good GPS, or (like I have) an iPad with a decent navigation app (SkyDemon is the best option in Europe, I don't know about Canada).

If you fly over hostile terrain a lot (which I can imagine in Canada) my third choice would probably be a PLB and possibly some other survival kit. And in very busy airspace, a PCAS such as the Zaon MRX/XRX or PowerFlarm. A handheld radio would probably come in fourth or fifth place on my list of priorities.



+ 1

Personally the first thing I would invest in is Foreflight for your I pad with a Bad Elf or equivalent external GPS. The moving map is a huge aid in maintaining situtional awareness and being able to obtain a near real time radar composite radar picture is a very valuable flight planning tool.

I have a handheld radio ( An old King KX99) with a headset adapter that I used to always carry with me but now I never bother as I can get ATC on my cell phone if the radio were to fail.

As far as I can recall I have only ever had 2 for real radio failures in 38 years of flying. On one of them I landed short at an uncontrolled airport and called my home, controlled, field from a pay phone (Collect :) ) and the second occurred inside the control zone and so I just sqwaked 7600 and continued until I saw the green light and landed.

I have however seen many pilot induced radio failures and so it is important to have a systematic troubleshooting methodology to use when you think you have a Comms issue.

[patowalker]

The link I posted was to the A6FR (for French), not the A6E. As stated previously, they are different, in that the FR model has an FM filter, which cannot be purchased separately. ICOM FRANCE : Produits Radiocommunication : Accessoires Platines et filtres : FL-IFFM2 (http://www.icom-france.com/produit-fl-iffm2.php)

There is no need to try to pass one off as the other, because the UK aircraftradio licence will be accepted in France.

[Jan Olieslagers]

Pato, the amount of knowledge you show and share is impressive. Even more impressive is the (apparent) ease you find the relevant legal documents with, even abroad - I am sure few French(wo)men would do better.
Thanks very much!

[abgd]

Thanks to all so far:

BPF - not disagreeing, but I don't have an installed radio and I think in this day and age all are called for. I have an Airspace Aware which meets my needs for GPS and moving map.

@patowalker:

The CAA specifically says that the handheld radios are only permitted within the UK. As a handheld radio isn't part of the aircraft, I'm not certain that the acceptance of our permit aircraft necessarily means a radio being used from within it but that isn't part of it, is also accepted.

[patowalker]

abdg,

If you read the small print on your Permit to Fly, you will see that it "permits this aircraft to fly within United Kingdom airspace only..."

Many countries will still accept the aircraft and its (UK only) approved equipment in their airspace.

Just make sure you have all your UK papers in order.


Jan,

Thanks. I spent 7 years flying out of the only microlight field in Luxembourg, which meant every away landing involved crossing international borders. You need to learn the rules that apply in the different countries, or at least know where to find them - especially if you are going to break those rules. :)

PS. I also had my microlight based near Chartres for 3 years and tried to get DGAC approval for my UK purchased ICOM A21. Even though I had a letter from ICOM Japan certifying that it was exactly the same as the A21F, approval was not granted.

[ChickenHouse]

1) how common are comms failures? I mean actual failures not just the muppet on board has dialed the volume down ( yes I've done it!), given that I have two radios on board, should a backup hand held be a priority?
It all depends. There are planes with frequent ghosts in the machine and there are ones which never get failure in COM, but - you can not see it from the outside. I always gave a handheld backup priority by a single reason - if I am getting into trouble I want somebody to talk to and help me. Even in a three COM plane you will have a need if you have to power off ...
2) If I do get one, what features am I looking for. I've browsed a bit online and all I can see difference-wise is that some are more expensive than others. What are the must haves? Nice to haves? avoid at all costs?
I would go for simple COM, no need for VOR, ILS or some more gimmicky things. If you need the handheld, you want it to last long on batteries and not draining for fancy pictures of funny ILSes (which are irrelevant in case of anyways as they will clear everything for you). I would go for 833 spacing as there are some parts in the world in need for it and it is increasing. Don't give a thought on certification as we are speaking emergency backup (never heard of enforcement unless you tie the handheld permanently to the plane). Nice to have - keypad and memory, toggle (Icom calls this flip-flop) between last two stations is also helpful and the possibility to charge at a 12V car outlet.

I did change my Icom A24E (never used the VOR function) for an A6E, due to 833 and raise of antenna power from 3.6 to 5 Watts, lately and I feel it is a nice device. I also changed headset to one with Bluetooth and built in power, to have another option in case of.

[Andy_P]

Not sure how you were intending to do this. If you we're simply thinking of getting a BNC T piece, and plumbing the handheld in with your regular com/nav stack coax, please read the following...

Speaking as an RF Comms engineer and designer, there are a whole bunch of reasons not to do this.

The most important one is that when you transmit with either radio, you will almost certainly blow up the front end of the receiver in the other one. This will happen in a very short time (sub second).

Secondly, whether or not you've blown up at least one of your receivers, using a simple T connector will ruin the impedance matching to the antenna, and quite possibly blow up your transmitter's PA stage too. Even if it doesn't blow up your transmitter, protection circuits possibly in existence in the transmitter on the unit may well fold back output power when detecting the mismatch, limiting the effectiveness of your transmitter.

Either or both scenarios could most certainly mean a bad day at the office.

I apologise if I've misunderstood what you were suggesting, but that's how I interpreted it.

Many thanks, Howard

This.

Antenna direct to radio only pls. Only other option is a RF switch with dummy load.

Source: Instrument Tech and Electrical Engineer with RF experience.

[Crash one]

Has anyone got a Yaesu FTA 230? I've been looking at the spec as best I can but someone here said they only receive on 8.33 not transmit?

[patowalker]

See the bottom of page 24. http://goo.gl/Y4ygdL

[Sam Rutherford]

I have a handheld and use it regularly.


Absolutely fantastic for requesting clearances/engine start etc.


Ie all the calls (and 'please standby') time where otherwise everything is whirring away on the battery but the engine not running.


Never used it in flight, but nice to have if you need it.


Safe flights, Sam.

[Crash one]

Thank you, so much for that idea!

[abgd]

From the CAA:

"I believe that Yaesu are happy to make a formal statement that their airband models FTA-550 and FTA750 also meet the requirements of LA301075 in full."

So I called them, and it seems they'll "have a certificate on their website within the next couple of days".

[Fitter2]

The Yaesu 230 clearly states that TX is 25KHz channels only, selecting 8.33 spacing disables Tx. The 750 Manual Spec says 25/8.33 but doesn't say whether that includes TX and then only describes selection of 25KHz channels in the operation section, and not how to select 8.33 mode.

I would stick with the ICOM products, which do have 8.33 TX and RX.

[patowalker]

This from the FTA 750/550 user manual seems to confirm Fitter2's suspicion:

The adjacent channel selectivity will be slightly degraded while receiving using 8.33 kHz channel steps.

[abgd]

Another quick call to Yaesu - the 550 will both transmit and receive on 8.33 spacings.

I would have expected more crosstalk on an 8.33 spacing - laws of physics after all... There have been problems with microphone impedances on the Icoms so swings and roundabouts.

[patowalker]

If that's the case, then they are already there. LA301075 requires compliance in 8.33 kHz spacing with certain clauses in ETSI EN300 676-1 and those two models comply with the later EN300 676-2 V1.5.1

http://www.etsi.org/deliver/etsi_en/300600_300699/30067602/01.05.01_60/en_30067602v010501p.pdf

[Fitter2]

I was informed (erroneously) by Yaesu UK when the FTA 210 was first announced that it would transmit on 8.33 spacing frequencies.

The manufacturer's handbook for the FTA550 is rather less certain.

Caveat emptor.

[abgd]

I already have one on order, so we'll see how it turns out.

[abgd]

Well, the certificate of compliance still isn't on Yaesu's website (or the radio, for that matter) so I phoned them and they Emailed it to me.

I haven't used it in earnest yet, but so far I'm impressed with it - a lot of functionality in a small package and the model I bought came with accessories such as an adapter for my headset. Seems reasonably usable. To my surprise there is an ILS function, but it only gives you a glideslope on the 750... I'm not sure how useful that sounds, but for a VFR permit aircraft it's not a major concern!

One interesting fact I have noticed so far is that when you're scrolling through the channels, the squelch settings are quite different for the 8.33 channels compared to the 25khz channels. A few months and I should be able to test it in the air.

[magpienja]

ABGD...are they available from a UK supplier...I see on ebay you can get one from Greece so I think that should mean no extra duty???

[abgd]

Try Transair or Amazon.

[Flyingmac]

I got my Ebay Yaesu via Greece. Much cheaper. Had to add an in-line PTT to use it with a headset. Works well.

[Zulu Alpha]

1) how common are comms failures? I mean actual failures not just the muppet on board has dialed the volume down ( yes I've done it!), given that I have two radios on board, should a backup hand held be a priority?

The only radio failure I have had in 30 years of flying was when my alternator packed up over the north sea at the start of a long trip to Hungary in a single seat, single engine LAA aircraft. I used the handheld to allow me to switch off the aircraft radio to reduce drain on the aircraft battery.

Having had both ICOM and Yaesu, I would say the Yaesu is much better value for money as it includes all the extras, desk charger, AA battery pack, car charger, headset adapter etc etc.

Performance wise I couldn't tell the difference.