"Jeff Franks" wrote in message ...
Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.

I bought the VXA-700 and I'm quite happy with it. I've used it twice
now in the air when I've had radio problems (I don't fly with that
club anymore). Once to fly back into the Wash. DC ADIZ. I monitor
local traffic for my own amusement when I'm on the ground with it too.

I like it since it's small and relatively lightweight. It uses a LiON
battery so there's a very long battery life. It has a 5W output which
is good. It's hardy and robust so that it can bang around in the
bottom of my flight bag w/o harm. All of this combined means that
it's easy to carry and will have the power to be useful when I need
it.

If it's NOT easy to carry, then I'm more likely to omit it and not
have it when I need it. A bigger and heavier radio, or one that I
need to carry a backup battery for, is one I'm less likely to have
with me.

I bought the headset adapter for the earphone plug. I often just
leave that attached to the radio. I can move my headset from the
panel to the handheld very quickly if needed. It has the VOR feature,
but I've not had occasion to use that. It also gets weather radio (in
the US), FM broadcast, and 2 meter band.

Ideally, I would prefer a standard earphone/headset plug and standard
antenna plug, but it's a minor issue. I'm willing to live with
external adapters for the sake of the smaller size and lower weight
than ICOM or Sporty's.

The thing is waterproof up to 3 feet under, so rain won't hurt it
either. There are rubber corners for more protection from getting
dropped too.

I live under and fly in and around the ADIZ. Loosing a radio here is
a big deal. Potentially fighter jets and license suspension type of
big deal. Having a robust, powerful, long-life backup radio is a key
part of my strategy. I would recommend the VXA-700.

-Malcolm Teas