HF radio..is it mandatory for ferry flight ?

[jet-lover]

hi all,

we r planning to ferry a C208 from S. Korea to Indonesia but among us nobody can b sure about the specific regulation with regard to the requirement of HF radio. fyi the aircraft is under Indonesian registration. i checked the indonesian CASR part 91 but still couldn't clear the ambiguity. can anyone shade some light on this issue please.. thanks

[Flying Mechanic]

I have known a few guys who have ferried Cessna's around Asia , and they have always had a HF. evn flying a Cessna from Manila to Hong Kong you will need a HF, due to non VHF coverage mid way. What routing do you plan?

[FerrypilotDK]

Although there is a solution that you have not thought of, I imagine. An aircraft HF is incredibly expensive. Get a "ham" HF. Yaesu (spelling) makes a nice one. The airborne frequencies are blocked, but a good radio shop can go in and "unblock" them for you. Then you need an electronic tuner.

You can use the old-fashioned reel antenna to tune, but you are inexperienced and it is a pain which modern technology has resolved for you.

You run a wire from the wing tip to the tail, using sprung, insulated connections, like the way an ADF antenna is sprung. Then you attach your antenna from the electronic tuner, to this line. The line from the wing is about 2 feet long, then you have a thick plastic block. This line is on the ADF spring. Run your antenna line then in a sort of an L shape, going to the other end of the sprung plastic block, to the tail, where it again is attached to a plastic block, which is sprung attached to the ADF anchor on the tail.

This is important, as you have to make certain that the antenna is isolated from the fuselage and wing.

The radio is 12 volt, so if you don´t have a 12 volt source, you need a transformer between the radio and tuner and the aircraft electricals. Use the landing light fuse circuit as it is large and you won´t be using them both at the same time. Ground the radio and tuner well.......

Alternate, if you can find a good gauge wire, the best is a twisted, copper.....is to run the antenna wire through a rubber hose, speed taped to the side of the aircraft and down to the bottom of the fuselage. You need about 30 feet of wire and a spool, use a weight on the end and a funnel. This will keep it from whipping around and the funnel makes it aerodynamic. You then need a conector to this cable, to your antenna wire from the tuner.

Everything in the cabin has to be insulated from these cables!

Roll it out, attach the antenna cable, turn it on and electronically tune the length. The longer, the better.

It sounds complicated, but it works wonders. I was relaying for airlines all over the Pacific with San Francisco. When I reached Guam airspace and had to sign off the freq, SFO said they would miss me. I had the best radio going! (I was dragging 100 feet of wire) REMEMBER to reel it in before landing!

Have fun!


Once you make the

[latetonite]

Common sense would dictate you have one on board. Possibly working as well.