Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site watcgl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watcgl!dmmartindale
From: dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale)
Newsgroups: net.aviation
Subject: Experience with portable transceivers
Message-ID: <1119@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 27-Nov-83 16:39:29 EST
Article-I.D.: watcgl.1119
Posted: Sun Nov 27 16:39:29 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 28-Nov-83 00:23:53 EST
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 27

In several years of flying, I've experienced several radio failures in
one-radio aircraft, and one alternator failure in an IFR-equipped aircraft.
Though I fly only VFR, the thought of losing all radios is not a pleasant
one, particularly if it is night.  Thus I've been considering buying
a handheld transceiver for emergency use.  The ones with only a few frequencies
available via crystals seem a bit too limited; if I'm going to spend the
money for a transceiver I might as well get a 720-channel one.  Do any
of the readers of this group own one of these, or have you looked them
over closely?  How do they perform?  Do they require a station licence
as transceivers installed in an aircraft do (at least in Canada)?

So far, I've seen 3 different units advertised.  Terra has had one available
for a couple of years which selects frequencies via a thumbwheel switch on
the end of the case.  Narco has recently come out with one that uses a digital
keypad and an LCD display, and can be used as a 10-channel scanning receiver
as well as a transceiver.  There is one sold by a company called
"Communications Specialists" which I know little about.  The Narco seems
most attractive to me at the moment because of its ability to double as a
scanner.

These are rather expensive pieces of equipment (about $1000 CDN) and I don't
know of any local dealer where I can go and look at one, so any comments
are appreciated.

	Dave Martindale
	decvax!watmath!dmmartindale
	{allegra,ihnp4,teklabs}!watcgl!dmmartindale