Agreed Francis. Horses for courses!

If everyone used VHF..... I guess that is why I bought both for going a distance. As ever, there isn't a single answer to the question is there?


Interesting - I found a GPS/2M (Rhino) radio combined in the Garmin store in Chicago. It looked cool and a good solution.

Hi all,

Took the opportunity to visit the radio ham meeting tonight. In a nutshell they told me that the frequency 143.950 is just underneath what they call the 2 metre band which starts at 144. Serious s**t in there. Unofficially the frequency has been used for so long without any problems, a blind eye has been turned. Worse case scenario(they suggested) the radio would be confiscated. So to summarise- it IS illegal to use this frequency, but as long as people do not abuse it, I (and once again unofficially, they) cannot see any problems. I, for one, will continue to own one.

Bendme

143.950....

How odd?

That's what most of the people who fly PPG in Berkshire have been using for many moons.

SW

and the TVHGC Club as well
Mike

I was a licenced radio ham, till i got fed up with it about 3 years ago. From what i remember, 2m radios were ilegal to use even by licenced hams on or in any aircraft.
From my experiance, after being caught with a very powerful illegal radio transmitting device!! that was causing severe interferance to several peoples radios and T.V.s upto 3 miles away on a regular basis, all that happened was the illegal equipment was conviscated, with no fines or other penalties, and they knew that i was a licenced radio ham G6 ***, so i could not pleed ignorant. So from my experiance I personally would not worry about using any form of radio 2m or other wise, just be sensible

Phat Boy (Paul)

Anyway What is the best radio to use
Pete b

Hi, can you help.

I recently purchased an Icom IC-24E like the one in the pic. After only a few hours of monitoring / receiving only, the battery runs low. It is brand new. Surely this can't be normal??

I also had trouble with interference when using resistor plug and R plug cap NGK type but have resolved it using a Champion PRO5M which works better and is rubber which stays on the plug nice and tight.

I have a 2m Icom IC-V68 which is excellent, had it >15 years since hangliding days still works better than anything else Ive had.
Also 2m Alinco DJ-193 nice and rugged but far to complicated, keep forgetting how to work it, came with helmet bought on E-bay.

Regards
Richard Whitmarsh.

So, the choices seem to be:

An Alinco DJ 195s (2 metre radio) on 143.950 frequency

or

An ICOM IC-A6 / ICOM IC-A24 (airband radio) on 118.675 frequency

or

Both if you have the cash! Use them sensibly, don't abuse 'em and a blind eye will be turned.



Well, that's that sorted then or is it...........

"I recently purchased an Icom IC-24E like the one in the pic. After only a few hours of monitoring / receiving only, the battery runs low. It is brand new. Surely this can't be normal?? "


No, that's not normal! It's most likely a duff battery but I'd change the whole unit just incase there's a fault with the radio that's draining the battery.

The cheapest Alinco DJ195E i found is £109

http://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/acatalog/alinco-dj195e.html


The cheapest Icom IC-A6 i found (i did find this cheaper in the US but when you add import duties etc. it worked out the same)

http://www.harrymendelson.com/


This is also an interesting website for radio equipment, this is an Icom authorised main dealer, i didn't have time to price check though.

http://www.rocketradio.co.uk/handheld-462-c.asp

"The cheapest Alinco DJ195E i found is £109

http://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/acatalog/a ... j195e.html "

This is the best place to buy from as they are the sole UK importers. " Dealer mark up is less than £5. so no good for a offer of the week."

I have had my DJ195 for 8 years and it is now dead. I think 8 years is OK for £109 quid.

SW

Waters and Stanton DJ195E £99.95 http://www.wsplc.com/acatalog/Alinco_handhelds.html

You are right about dealer markup! I think they want £97 for the 195 and they are selling it at 99.95 on their own site.

I was asked what radio I use a while back.. Sorry forgot to reply. I try to avoid taking a radio at all. They never work when you really need them and if I'm going for a fly the last thing I want is someone talking at me.
I have used the old faithful DJ 190 for years and has proved utterly reliable. Still works fine and pumps out 5 watts when you ask it to. I use a AA pack not the rechargeable which died years ago.

I only fly with a radio when in comps or with students or pilots on trips. And then only to warn of dangers. Mostly i just monitor the frequency of the day. Comps often use 148.75 or 149.00 this is just above the amateur band unused by anyone else. just below 144 is also good, 143.875, 143.925.
I never use airband unless I intend to fly near airspace, then I might use a scanner to monitor the local tower, but not for transmission.

For training students I use PMR radios in the UK, (legal to trasmit from the ground to the air) and almost disposable! and LPD in Italy. But in France I use 2m 143.875 for training. In the Emirates they have their own PMR type system and you have buy radios when you get there. They will confiscate all others (unless you have Airband radio, a ppl and a RT license). Still dont know about Greece though.

DONT LIKE RADIOS - HATE 'EM. worse than mobile phones gaaaaah

Richard, I think your problem was that you were trying to use a resistor plug AND a resistor cap. You should use one OR the other not both.

BTW I too am a huge fan of PMR.

Hi,

Dug this off the net. Worth a read.

******************

In the UK, we are allocated one (one!) airband frequency for HG
exclusive use - but NO ONE uses it, as no one has an airband radio - for
historical reasons - they all use 2-Metre instead.

This is because :

1) They're cheaper, like half the price

2) They have much clearer transmission and better range. 2-metre
radios are FM, airband are AM, which is antiquated and inferior
to FM in terms of clarity and audibility.

3) They have multiple channels (we actually use a small "illegal" band
between 143.750 and 143.950 Mhz) ONE channel, after all, is no damn
use when there are fifty pilots in the air at a site - as happens in
the UK on good days.

4) All other HGPG pilots that use radio use 2M, so if you bought an
airband, you'd have no one to talk to. For safety/rescue/collision
avoidance they'd be useless.

5) It's what HGPG pilots in most other countries also use, so you can
take it on holiday and use it. (Oz excepted)

You don't HAVE to have a radio at all - although there have been
persistent murmurings about the authorities trying to get us to
compulsorily use Mode C transponders (height-encoding radar reflectors).

No such HG-compatible device exists at present, though.

I'll put this reply on the Epg list, in my position as **** radio
adviser because some people STILL don't know these basic facts. If you
buy an Airband radio in the UK, you'll be talking to yourself - 'cos NO
ONE else on an HG or PG has one! (Well, a tiny minority of XC hounds
maybe).

Only the other day I had an anguished email from a guy who had bought
two airband radios (for him and his wife) and was trying to get them
licenced through CAA! He couldn't understand why no one else on the hill
had a CAA callsign, and why he couldn't talk to them! He also wanted to
know how he could legally use his airband radios abroad (he can't in
most countries). Sadly, I had to enlighten him that he'd wasted his
money...

And just to recap for anyone who is in the dark.....

The "unoffical" frequencies used by HGPG in the UK are:

Calling channel....143.950

Other channels used for "private" nets (groups going XC, teaching new-
soaring pilots, etc):

143.925
143.900
143.875
143.850
143.825
143.800
143.775
143.750

These frequencies are not currently used or allocated elsewhere, so you
won't interfere with anyone else.

Do NOT use any "official" frequency between 144.00 and 146.00 in the
2-metre band - these belong to the radio amateurs, who will shop you in
an instant. (They're a bit anoraky as a tribe - sorry any Amateurs out
there - how's the Asperger's coming on? - still suffering from "frozen
trigger finger" where you key the mike and rabbit for ten minutes
without saying anything?)

Also, NEVER use anything above 146.00 Mhz - these are used on a split-
frequency basis by ambulance, police, fire, etc, and although the
channel may SEEM to be empty, you can get into a repeater and cause
havoc over half the country from 2 grand!

The same goes for anything under 143.750 Mhz.

Why do we get away with illegal use? Well, there are very few vans with
spinning roofracks at 3 grand over most sites - imaging the enforcement
problems - we are never at the same place 2 days running, we never LAND
at the same place, hardly, and while we're in the air - what can they do
to catch us? Bit difficult unless the RA heavies hijack the local Plod
Helicopter...

People used to use any old frequency that they could tune their 2M to -
and caused quite a bit of havoc. I've spent years trying to shepherd
everyone into this small unused band just below 2M, where they'll do
least harm. It seems to be working....

**********************

Cheers

Bendme

Very interesting read!