[month-index] [thread-index] [prev] [next] [thread-prev] [thread-next]

Just logged in and saw 23 very informative responses to my original
question. Some further questions/comments/observations:

1. I wasnt originally considering a handheld GPS. Since it was
mentioned, it got me thinking as another good to have item.

Firstly, the GPSCOM190 seems to be discontinued, based on
http://www.garmin.com/aviation/products.html#portable. I wonder if
there are any other NAV/COM/GPS combos in the market.

Second question - I recently bought a Garmin Etrex Summit GPS for my
mountaineering needs after much research. Is a GPS a GPS? Meaning
can this be used for aviation (this is probably a silly question and
the answer is likely no). In either case, any recommendations for a
standalone handheld aviation GPSs?

2. Noone commented on the A23, which is the newest version of ICOM -
much more compact. Also, based on my research so far, the A23 does
not come with a battery pack which could take alkalines. So I may not
have a choice but to stick with the NiMH (of course, I will have a
spare NiMH).

3. Someone implied that the cigarette charger voltage in a plane is
different than in a car. Is this really true? I always assumed
cigarette chargers worldwide are the same. This would also have
implications for handheld transceiver chargers, laptops, portable CD
players, portable flashlights, etc. which come with cigarette lighter
adapters (not necessarily specifically meant for planes), which I (or
a passenger) may want to use in a plane.

4. I also missed the posting which mentioned that one needs a radio
license to operate a handheld transceiver on the ground. Is this
true? What does it take to get one? Does it also imply that it can
be used in the air without a radio license? I live in London, so the
answer may be different for me anyway, but I would be interested in
the answer for the US also.

Thanks again!


Jefro wrote in message news:<3CE00887.E2DADAA5@transmeta.com>...
> I have been following this and with little deviation the result seems to
> be:
>
> Sportys NAV/COM: sucks about 90% of the time
> JRC JHP-500 or 520: excellent about 90% of the time
> ICOM IC-A22 or A23: excellent 100% of the time
> Yaesu: highly variable
> Garmin GPSCOM: no one answered about this one
>
> other items that came up:
> - nicads need a lot of babying
> - headset adapter is vital
> - dedicated antenna outside the aircraft increases utility by a large
> factor
> - dont use it from the ground without a radio license
> - dont ask for integration help from Jim (hi Jim!)
>
> What amazes me is that the Sportys turd is one of the more expensive of
> the bunch. Also, I thought they were made by Icom, but obviously not,
> unless they just take whatever units didnt pass Icoms QA.
>
> My own research shows that discount prices on new merchandise are about as
> follows:
>
> Sportys: $295
> JRC JHP-500: $225
> JRC JHP-520: $300
> ICMO A-22: $300
> ICOM A-23: $400
> Yaesu Aviator II: $225
> Yaesu VXA-100: $300
> Garmin GPSCOM: $550
>
> I didnt do a comprehensive comparison of features, but the obvious choice
> for reliability vs. cost is the JRC JHP-500. Everything else is more
> expensive or yields highly variable opinions, at least on these
> newsgroups.
>
> A possible contender might be the Garmin, since buying a GPS and
> transceiver separately would cost considerably more than $550. However,
> having two units means that one could fail and the other would still work,
> and of course its only cheaper if you are also in the market for a
> handheld GPS. I havent talked to anyone anywhere who owns one of these,
> though.

View index by [date] [author] [subject]
Previous Message:: Re: Handheld transceivers recommendation?
Next Message:: Re: Handheld transceivers recommendation?
Previous message in thread:: Re: Handheld transceivers recommendation?
Next message in thread:: Re: Handheld transceivers recommendation?