Wings Forum

Well if you understood the subject line, 73 N5VJA
I know I saw that someone else had a 70cm antenna on the belly. Any other hams going air mobile?

N5VJA,
73 de VE3NCI.
No Highlander yet... but I'll take a multi-band portable when I finally buy, build and fly one, even if I only use it on stop-overs between flight legs on cross-countries.
-FlyerChief

For novices like me, which is a good entry level or better portable multiband brand to consider for lightweight in aircraft use?

I would love to go aeronautical mobile in our Escapade but our authority over here make it almost impossible to do it.
How is it over in the US is it just a case of bolting evrything in an away to go?.

Our Escapade with its ULPower260i is very nearly ready to fly just a few more bits of paper hopefully.

73
John GW0IVG
(Phoenix group)

Dave,
My top picks for putting in the plane would be the smaller units with a separation kit so that the control head can be panel mounted while the radio itself is installed close to the antenna or wherever you need it. Yaesu FT-857D or FT-100D; Icom IC-7000 or IC-706MkIIG; and Kenwood TS-2000 all fit the bill.

John,
Here in the US it is no problem. I know quite a few Cessna 150/152 flyers with APRS setups in their certified planes. There's no restriction from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) or the FAA.

This link: http://www.aclog.com/aprs/ will show you aeromobile APRS stations in real time.
APRS is Automated Position Reporting System. Basically, ADS-B for ham radio. http://aprs.fi/ will show you all APRS stations in your area on a google map.

Don't get me wrong, HF in a plane sounds good, but having an HF capable rig means extra weight, larger antennas, tuners, accessory equipment, etc.
I was thinking about something more along the lines of the new triband Yaesu VX-8DR portable with advanced APRS capabilities...

http://radioworld.ca/product_info.php?c ... ts_id=7133

-Dan

Wow that thing even has APRS, cool. That's what I was thinking of for an aircraft. Small and light but, how's the range for talking?

I know some Cessna 150/152 guys who are using this: http://www.byonics.com/microtrak/mtaio.php


I have a PicoPacket TNC interfaced to my pocket PC and an old Radio Shack HTX-202 hand held that I use for APRS now.


For the Highlander I'm planning on making the tracker part of the avionics and pipe the display to the moving map.

Hi Dave,
With an external antenna, I suspect the coverage will be very similar to aviation band radios. Using the 'rubber duck'... likely about 1/3 of that range because of the decreased efficiency of the antenna and the shielding effect of the airframe. Also, just as with flying over large bodies of water, when it comes to radio signal range at VHF and UHF frequencies, height is your friend.

I hope the next step in avaition radio is to combime one with an amateur rig like this one. There may be some regulatory reason not to do it, but if they do build one.... I'm in!!!

-Dan

They did make a handheld. Vertex (Yaesu) VXA-700 http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3377
But it was taken off the market due to poor performance. It wasn't very good at being a ham radio or an aviation HT.

Sean,
Struck a nerve here with hamin' and flying.
I've planned on integrating ham hobby activities into the airplane from the start, so the Icom 706 always had a place.
See pic of the current (and hopefully final) panel config.
The IC706 is such a versitile radio (provides HF, VHF and UHF) and also acts as backup aircraft com.
I've done quite a bit of airborne HF work on different airplanes and it is fun!

The 'Tinytrac' is a good little unit that I've used to track my brothers trikes on various trips and it works great!

73's
Wes (AF4N)

Thanks for the info. It seems this radio was pulled off the market before I started flying in 2007, so I never would have seen it or cared about it then... and with your new information, I don't care for it now either! It looks like separate radios is still the way to go.

Thanks Sean.
-Dan

Can the 706 transmit in the air band once you mod it? I know my FT-897D won't.