I intend to buy a handheld.

Sorry to reply to my own post, but I believe most radio manuals are know
available as .pdf's via manufacturer web sites. This makes operational
comparisons very easy, as one can compare the difficulty of the personal
tasks most often required of the unit.

I'm sure my most common uses for a handheld would be different than a
glider pilot or FBO lineman.

I agree. I have the VXA-700 because it has two-meter FM along with the
standard aviation stuff. Another neat feature is it displays battery
voltage in the lower right corner so you know when it's time to put it
on the charger.

Thomas Borchert wrote:

Flyingmonk,


What's Yaesu's latest and smallest com only model out right now?


They quit upgrading the comm only models with the 150. Guess it's no big
deal to add nav once you have it figured out. Their most compact is the
VXA-710. More info at http://www.vertexstandard.com


Price
and size? How much shipping to east coast? Cheaper 4 me to buy
locally maybe?


Absolutely buy in the US. My wife's shop is in Germany ;-) Pilotmall.com
or Avshop.com will sell them.


Is quality competitive with Icoms?



Absolutely. Yaesu/Vertex Standard is a major ham radio manufacturer with
decades of experience, just like Icom.

Newps,

I have the VXA-700 because it has two-meter FM along with the
standard aviation stuff.


Unfortunately, the 700 is not available anymore. The 710 is the 700
without the 2-meter band. Apparently (it was never clearly said) there
were FCC issues with the 2-meter leaking into the airband or vice
versa. All of a sudden, they stopped offering the 700 with no real
explanation. That was about a year ago.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Well, glad I got mine when I did.



Thomas Borchert wrote:

Newps,


I have the VXA-700 because it has two-meter FM along with the
standard aviation stuff.



Unfortunately, the 700 is not available anymore. The 710 is the 700
without the 2-meter band. Apparently (it was never clearly said) there
were FCC issues with the 2-meter leaking into the airband or vice
versa. All of a sudden, they stopped offering the 700 with no real
explanation. That was about a year ago.

I have the Icom A24. Works very well for me but I do agree that the
Nav/com is lacking. What ever umit you get I would suggest these
options....
Get the Headset adaptor...and the remote push to talk key I would
also get the AA battery adaptor. Nice to have if you are like me and
carry spares for the assorted flashlights. etc.

almostthere wrote:
Just got my ticket and I plan to purchase a handheld Nav-Comm for back-up
but it is said that they're useless at altitude without an external antenna
connection. What connector do I use (BNC?) and how do I go about doing this
on rented C172s? Any alternatives/suggestions? Thanks in advance.

On 23 Jul 2006 20:17:34 -0700, "Flyingmonk"
wrote:


Thank you all for your inputs the Yaesu radios. Next step is for
me to physically see and feel the difference between the Icom and the
Yaesu

Again, I think you'll find that the name is Vertex. If you find one
branded Yaesu, it will be five or six years old.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email: usenet AT danford DOT net

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

Cub Driver wrote:
On 23 Jul 2006 20:17:34 -0700, "Flyingmonk"
wrote:


Thank you all for your inputs the Yaesu radios. Next step is for
me to physically see and feel the difference between the Icom and the
Yaesu

Again, I think you'll find that the name is Vertex. If you find one
branded Yaesu, it will be five or six years old.

From www.yaesu.com --

Vertex Standard - Land Mobile Radio/ Airband Radio

Standard Horizon - Marine Division

Yaesu - Amateur (Ham) Radio

Randy

Slightly divering topic here...
I stopped by the ICOM booth at AirVenture last week to discuss the
A-6/A-24.
I mentioned to the rep that I have an A-2 and an A-20 and wondered if I
could get a part replaced.
He said something about them being 20 years old.
I had to stop and think for a moment.
Where did the time go?
Later I bought a new, higher powered battery pack from Batteries.com to
replace the dead original CM-7.
The radio still works great.
I have so much invested in chargers and accessories, I cannot bring
myself to purchase a new handheld when the old one is perfectly
serviceable.