You can transmit to the
horizon from jet altitudes with 1.5 watts. [...]
...transmit power is not a big deal for aviation handhelds.

One of the uses of a handheld is to get weather, clearances and such on the ground in winter before starting the hobbs meter. I suspect that this is
where the extra power comes in handy.

Jose
--
Freedom. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.