In-flight Radio Range Test - how far can portable aviation radios transmit?

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Portable radios are cheap insurance for pilots - in an electrical failure they can offer a lifeline to ATC. But how far do they reach? In this Product PIREP, Sporty's John Zimmerman takes you flying in a Cirrus SR 22 with the PJ2+, Yaesu 850L, and Icom A25N to test these popular handheld radios to see how they stack up against each other in this real-world range test. The results might surprise you!
Additionally, we showcase the PJ2+ with a headset plugged in to demonstrate the clarity it can offer and the benefit of plugging your headset directly into the PJ2+. If you're considering a new handheld radio or just curious about how these models perform, this video is a must-watch.
Radios tested:
- Sporty's PJ2+ Radio: www.sportys.co...
- Yaesu FTA-850L: www.sportys.co...
- Icom A25N: www.sportys.co...
Shop all pilot supplies: www.sportys.com/

Опубликовано:

18 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 22

@CanardBoulevard 2 месяца назад

It would have been very useful if you had also tested the headset plug-in functionality of the other two radios as well. Because aviation radios work on amplitude modulation, a hotter signal coming from the microphone of a headset, is going to make a very big difference in clarity and even range. Also, it would be interesting to see how one of these radios plugged into an antenna connection in the airplane intended to allow your handheld to utilize the aircraft's external antennas would make a difference in terms of clarity and range.

@flexairz 2 месяца назад

With AM, amplitude modulation, the modulation depth is controlled by the radio and its internal electronics. It may never modulate more than 100% to avoid distortion. Most radios are 80% modulated. So a hotter mic will not add much range, only clarity a bit. Peak power is around 5 watts modulated and with a carrier of usually 1,5 watts for these handhelds.

@sportyspilotshop 2 месяца назад

Very good points. Most of these are 6 watts peak and about 1.6 to 1.8 typical. Your point about clarity is key - if the mic has a lot of background noise, that can have an effect on the effective range (even if not the technical range).

@CanardBoulevard 2 месяца назад

@@flexairz Correct, but reduced modulation (due to less audio amplitude) from using the built-in electret condenser mic means less overall modulation of the carrier, hence less range and clarity. Plus the signal to noise ratio (speaking in an audio sense) is MUCH higher than it would be when using the noise-cancelling boom mic of a headset.

@flysport_tedder Месяц назад

agree, the whole point of something like the PJ2 is to use your headset, rather than simply using it handheld. it would have removed a variable.

@stephenhparker Месяц назад

Thank you for this test. As others have commented, it was not a scientific experiment, nor I'm sure was it ever intended to be so. Nevertheless, it certainly helped me to get a feel for how each of these radios performed in similar conditions, and then to make my own subjective assessment.

@cmritchie04 2 месяца назад

Performance is also based on height, SWR of antenna if able to use the airplanes power supply and you don't need a new top of the line radio you can still use handhelds from the 80's....

@bulldogbrower6732 Месяц назад

Thanks for the testing, something we’ve all wondered about. I’d like to see you repeat the test with a standard base radio with an antenna on the roof. I think that would be a simulation of a tower based radio.

@sportyspilotshop Месяц назад

This is on our list to test at some point - good idea.

@WhyDoINeedThis2023 2 месяца назад

Nice real world comparo.

@xking18 2 месяца назад

Cirrus is composite aircraft so hull is pretty transparent for radio waves, I wonder if all metal aircraft hull will make a difference?

@sportyspilotshop 2 месяца назад

We’ve tested this in other airplanes (Cessna 172 for example) with similar results. 10-15 miles seems to be consistent.

@johnwood5674 23 дня назад

@@sportyspilotshop what was the range if you weren’t plugged into the aircraft external antenna?

@eds.173 2 месяца назад

Any idea how the Icom A-24 performs. That's what I have.

@rsxtypes06usdm 2 месяца назад

Pj2 is the clearest?

@cmritchie04 2 месяца назад

For Private PIlot certificates Only how about adding a Ham radio for a DIYer Aircraft Dispatcher?

@Explorer121 2 месяца назад

When using the pj2 radio directly connected with DavidClarkH10-13.4 or boseA20 , I get this high pitch tone in the transmission. When routing the headset cables a bit around the pj2’s antenna it fixes the problem, but depending how the headset cables are near the pj2’s antenna, i get often this phenomenon. Any suggestions how to avoid this when using a headset directly connected to the pj2?

@sportyspilotshop Месяц назад

Sounds like maybe the headset cables are not shielded? You might try a ferrite bead on the headset cable - that often fixes it.

@MrShaneSunshine 2 месяца назад

Why MSL and not just above the ground? What about different altitudes too (above the ground)!

@sportyspilotshop 2 месяца назад

As we said at the beginning, most of this was about 2000 ft AGL. We tested higher at the end (5500 ft) but it didn’t make a major difference. Basically, the portable radios run out of range before the altitude makes a difference.