Handhelds?

"Robert Barker" wrote in message
...
The airport where I'm a student is pretty busy and I'm still getting used
to the high volume of radio traffic. I was wondering about getting a
handheld radio to listen to at work and at home and get used to the patter
and that I could also use later as a backup. I bought an I-COM IC-5 Sport
but couldn't hear anything from my house so I took it back. I'm about 5nm
from the local tower but line of sight might be an issue. I was wondering
if anyone had any suggestions...


Thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions. I'm thinking the Sport
was a little weak, perhaps, and it didn't have a rechargable battery or VOR.
I'll look for a little bigger unit and see what I can get. Getting
reception at work isn't a problem as I can watch the other students practice
touch and gos from my office window! I thought of the internet thing, but
was thinking that my own radio would be a good backup and I can also keep an
ear out for the club's planes and help to sort out the wheat from the
chaff...

I've heard some good things about the I-COM units...

I know a pilot who described handheld radios as a container for storing
dead batteries. I'd personally invest in a nice aviation GPS before a
handheld, especially if I have dual comms in my plane, but that's just
me.

Regards, and good luck!

Ben Hallert
PP-ASEL

In article .com,
says...


I know a pilot who described handheld radios as a container for storing
dead batteries. I'd personally invest in a nice aviation GPS before a
handheld, especially if I have dual comms in my plane, but that's just
me.

Regards, and good luck!




Maybe - maybe not.

I've carried a handheld for years now, and it's never seen any "serious"
use. I use it to listen to ATIS and traffic when doing a preflight,
before switching on the aircraft's battery and avionics master - but
that's just "because it's there" kind of use, and also serves a s a
check to make sure the thing itself is working.

I have however, on two recent occasions taken the thing out of my flight
bag during flight. The first was an issue with a bad PTT switch. I ended
up plugging my headset into the co-pilot's position, and using the other
PTT switch, but I probably would have been just as well off using my
ICOM headset adapter, and not had the wire pulling on my head!

The other was a rental 172 with dodgy VOR's. With Com1 completely dead,
and Com2 "apparently" OK, I was able to use the VOR function of the
handheld to emulate the KX155A's "to" and "from" modes that I've gotten
used to, as well as a cross-check for the aircraft's VOR indicator I had
little confidence in. Turned out OK, and the flight would have been the
same without the handheld, but I realized the VOR indicator I had always
thought to be a useless gimmick actually does work.

So now, even though it's one of the least used items, I have upgraded it
to "essential" status in my personal rating, and wouldn't want to go
further than a local flight without it.

I concur you will not usually pick up much of anything on the ground, as
soon as you get a few miles from the airport. I can't even tell if mine
is working correctly until I get to the airport.

Ben Hallert wrote:
I know a pilot who described handheld radios as a container for storing
dead batteries. I'd personally invest in a nice aviation GPS before a
handheld, especially if I have dual comms in my plane, but that's just
me.

As a student, I found a handheld very useful for hanging around the
airport, listening to the radio traffic, and then correlating it to the
positions of the actual traffic.

It's also very handy for calling for fuel. :^)

-- Bryan