Radios to roam
After a new handheld GPS, probably the gift a pilot would most like to receive during the holidays is a handheld transceiver. Especially in today's high-density traffic areas and temporary flight restrictions, it pays to have a handheld radio on board-whether it's your primary or a backup. We feature several aviation-specific transceivers that we have tested over the years to help you decide which one should be at the top of your wish list. All of them operate on the civil aviation VHF com and nav frequency bands, and have varying memory features.
Icom IC-A4
What makes the Icom IC-A4 stand out is its scan switch, excellent range (readable transmission quality in our tests to 30 nm), headset adapter, and the ability to give alphanumeric names to often-used frequencies. Icom also produces the IC-A24 (nav/com), which features a 10-channel recall function that's easily accessed with one hand using the "flip-flop" buttons on the keypad. The IC-A6 does not have VHF navigation frequencies and functions, but it does have a larger display.
Price: $219 (A4), $259 (A6), $319 (A24), average retail prices
Contact: Aircraft Spruce & Specialty: 877/477-7823 or www.aircraft-spruce.com (A4, A6, A24); Marv Golden: 800/348-0014 or www.marvgolden.com (A4, A6, A24); or Sporty's Pilot Shop: 800/776-7897 or www.sportys.com (A6, A24); among others.
Vertex Standard VXA-300 Pilot III
The VXA-300 Pilot III, the latest in Vertex Standard's line of transceivers, features the most memory channels overall of the transceivers we tested (150 user-input frequencies and 100 preprogrammed channels), and a decent range (good transmission quality to 10 nm in our tests). Vertex Standard also markets the VXA-710 (with the longest battery life among our test group and more user-input memory channels-160 total) and the budget-priced, com-only VXA-150 Pro V.
Price: $299 (VXA-300); $419 (VXA-710); $229 (VXA-150), average retail prices
Contact: Aircraft Spruce & Specialty: 877/477-7823 or www.aircraft-spruce.com (VXA-300, VXA-710, VXA-150); Sporty's Pilot Shop: 800/776-7897 or www.sportys.com (VXA-300, VXA-150); or PilotMall.com: 800/249-5730 or www.pilotmall.com (VXA-300, VXA-710, VXA-150); among others.
Sporty's SP-200
A perennial favorite among pilots for its rugged construction and stone-simple operation, the SP-200 from Sporty's Pilot Shop features great range (good transmission quality to 20 nm in our tests), a headset jack, and a unique on-screen VOR and localizer course deviation indicator. The SP-200 runs on eight AA batteries, in an easily interchangeable pack (spares can be ordered from the company). Sporty's also recently reduced the SP-200's price from $295 to $279.
Price: $279
Contact: 800/776-7897; www.sportys.com
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