Vertex Handhelds

[Jeff Franks]

Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.

thanks for any opinions.

jf

[Jack Allison]

Jeff,

I bought a VXA-210 about a year and a half ago and I love it. It's
worked great. My only complaint is the SMA style antenna connector (vs.
BNC). Requires an adapter to convert to BNC for plugging in an external
antenna.

I have friends with ICOM radios and they like them a lot. I've never
used one myself nor have I compared side by side ICOM with Vertex Standard.

You might want to google the newsgroups for information as I recall
several similar threads.

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, soon-2-B-IA Student, airplane partnership student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Peter MacPherson]

I'm on the opposite side. I've never owned a Vertex but have
had an ICOM A-22 for about six years. It works great and
have never had a problem with it.

Pete


"Jack Allison" > wrote in message
...
> Jeff,
>
> I bought a VXA-210 about a year and a half ago and I love it. It's worked
> great. My only complaint is the SMA style antenna connector (vs. BNC).
> Requires an adapter to convert to BNC for plugging in an external antenna.
>
> I have friends with ICOM radios and they like them a lot. I've never used
> one myself nor have I compared side by side ICOM with Vertex Standard.
>
> You might want to google the newsgroups for information as I recall
> several similar threads.
>
> --
> Jack Allison
> PP-ASEL, soon-2-B-IA Student, airplane partnership student
>
> "When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
> with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
> you will always long to return"
> - Leonardo Da Vinci
>
> (Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[10Squared]

Jeff Franks wrote:

> Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
> handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure
> whether or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.
>
> thanks for any opinions.
>
> jf

I own both Yaseu (Vertex) and Icom HTs. The Icom is an aviation transceiver
(AC-23) and the Yaseu is a 3 band amateur radio transceiver (VX5R) that
also recieves aviation frequencies. The Yaseu is loaded with features, but
the programming interface is not intuitive (translation: carry the manual
with you). I like the programming interface of the Icom much better. Also,
I like the audio of the Icom better, reception is "cleaner" than the Yaseu
on the same aviation frequency. The Yaseu has a magnesium case whereas the
Icom case is plastic, so I think the Yaseu is more durable. The buttons on
the Icom are larger. The Yaseu runs longer on a charge than the Icom (I
don't recall the power output on the Icom, but the Yaseu is up to 5W). I
haven't looked at any Vertex aviation radios, but I think the engineering
approach is going to be very similar to the unit I have. At any rate, those
are some features and characteristics of the radios that stand out.

[Nathan Young]

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 10:59:26 -0600, "Jeff Franks"
> wrote:

>Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
>handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
>or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.
>
>thanks for any opinions.

I have a Yaesu Vertex (I think a VXA150), and am happy with it. I
have only used it a few times in flight though.

As expected, range with the rubber antenna was not very good, but this
will be true of any handheld.

I would buy another one.

-Nathan

[RM]

"Jeff Franks" > wrote in message >...
> Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
> handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
> or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.
>
> thanks for any opinions.
>
> jf

I used to have one. It didn't work very well. When it was eventually
stolen, I replaced it with an ICOM.

[Jim Weir]

About 6 months ago, I had to make a corporate decision as to whether to carry
Vertex/Yaesu or Icom handhelds in the product line. After a hell of a lot of
work and research, I settled on Vertex. THe reasons would take me an hour to
lay out, so I won't.

Yaesu/Vertex is my choice.

Jim




"Jeff Franks" >
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

->Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
->handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
->or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.
->
->thanks for any opinions.
->
->jf
->
->

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

[TaxSrv]

"Jim Weir" wrote:
> About 6 months ago, I had to make a corporate decision as to
whether to carry
> Vertex/Yaesu or Icom handhelds in the product line. After a hell of
a lot of
> work and research, I settled on Vertex. THe reasons would take me
an hour to
> lay out, so I won't.
>
> Yaesu/Vertex is my choice.

I like my Yaesu also, but mainly due to its compactness. But its
compactness means a tiny speaker for less audio capability, and its
almost "5W of peak envelope power" for transmit is misleading. A
battered old Narco, brick-sized handheld I have (HT-8xx series, and
with more battery power) has nice, loud audio, and though spec'd at
minimum 1.5W of carrier transmit power, mine measures almost twice
that on most of the band, and significantly more than the carrier
power of the Yaesu. It's the one I prefer to toss in the airplane for
backup, whereas the Yaesu is just fine for airport bumming to
eavesdrop on communications and occasionally needling certain people
on unicom.

Fred F.

[Cub Driver]

>Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
>handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
>or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.

I've been happy with my Vertex. Right now I'm having problems with its
picking up interference with my Garmin 296; I haven't resolved this
yet, and don't know if it would be better with a different handheld.
(I didn't experience this phenom with my Garmin III+.) On my most
recent flight, I finally turned off the radio while en route, and
turned off the GPS while landing.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

[Cub Driver]

>I
>haven't looked at any Vertex aviation radios, but I think the engineering
>approach is going to be very similar to the unit I have. At any rate, those
>are some features and characteristics of the radios that stand out.

I owned a Yaseu handheld for two years and then bought a Vertex for
its higher rated output (5w as against 3w). The units are identical in
every respect.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

[Cub Driver]

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:11:12 -0800, Jim Weir > wrote:

>After a hell of a lot of
>work and research, I settled on Vertex. THe reasons would take me an hour to
>lay out, so I won't.

I would one would appreciate hearing any of them that related to the
units' performance, durability, etc (as opposed to business reasons).


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

[Malcolm Teas]

"Jeff Franks" > wrote in message >...
> Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex
> handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether
> or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.

I bought the VXA-700 and I'm quite happy with it. I've used it twice
now in the air when I've had radio problems (I don't fly with that
club anymore). Once to fly back into the Wash. DC ADIZ. I monitor
local traffic for my own amusement when I'm on the ground with it too.

I like it since it's small and relatively lightweight. It uses a LiON
battery so there's a very long battery life. It has a 5W output which
is good. It's hardy and robust so that it can bang around in the
bottom of my flight bag w/o harm. All of this combined means that
it's easy to carry and will have the power to be useful when I need
it.

If it's NOT easy to carry, then I'm more likely to omit it and not
have it when I need it. A bigger and heavier radio, or one that I
need to carry a backup battery for, is one I'm less likely to have
with me.

I bought the headset adapter for the earphone plug. I often just
leave that attached to the radio. I can move my headset from the
panel to the handheld very quickly if needed. It has the VOR feature,
but I've not had occasion to use that. It also gets weather radio (in
the US), FM broadcast, and 2 meter band.

Ideally, I would prefer a standard earphone/headset plug and standard
antenna plug, but it's a minor issue. I'm willing to live with
external adapters for the sake of the smaller size and lower weight
than ICOM or Sporty's.

The thing is waterproof up to 3 feet under, so rain won't hurt it
either. There are rubber corners for more protection from getting
dropped too.

I live under and fly in and around the ADIZ. Loosing a radio here is
a big deal. Potentially fighter jets and license suspension type of
big deal. Having a robust, powerful, long-life backup radio is a key
part of my strategy. I would recommend the VXA-700.

-Malcolm Teas

[Jim Weir]

The nice thing about being on the engineering side of the house (as opposed to
the business side) is that my decisions are based on the quality and technical
superiority of one product over another. Business reasons played very little in
my decision.

I considered the Vertex superior in terms of mechanical design and the resultant
reliability. As was pointed out elsewhere, that chicken$#!t advertising 5 watts
RF output (and then in small letters "PEP") isn't far from deceptive
advertising, but that's the way some other companies are doing it and I guess to
be competitive you have to play the game.

Actually, you can't really go wrong with either Vertex or Icom. What I wish
Vertex would do is come out with a permanent panel mount flatpack like the Icom
and then I'd REALLY be happy.

Jim



Cub Driver >
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:

->On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:11:12 -0800, Jim Weir > wrote:
->
->>After a hell of a lot of
->>work and research, I settled on Vertex. THe reasons would take me an hour to
->>lay out, so I won't.
->
->I would one would appreciate hearing any of them that related to the
->units' performance, durability, etc (as opposed to business reasons).


Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

[Cub Driver]

On 25 Nov 2004 09:05:04 -0800, (Malcolm Teas) wrote:

> It also gets weather radio (in
>the US), FM broadcast, and 2 meter band.

I use this a lot. It's great to have always-on NOAA radio reports in a
battery-operated radio when you live in the country.

>
>Ideally, I would prefer a standard earphone/headset plug and standard
>antenna plug, but it's a minor issue.

The headset doesn't matter to me, since the Vertex is my only radio
and it is always hooked up. The antenna plug is another matter, since
the adapter is so small, hence easy to lose! I keep it in a ziplock
bag so as not to mislay it. (Not such an issue now as it used to be,
since the plane I rent doesn't have an external antenna, alas.)


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum www.pipercubforum.com
the blog www.danford.net

[John Galban]

Jim Weir > wrote in message >...
> As was pointed out elsewhere, that chicken$#!t advertising 5 watts
> RF output (and then in small letters "PEP") isn't far from deceptive
> advertising, but that's the way some other companies are doing it and I guess to
> be competitive you have to play the game.
>

I think it is deceptive. More than once I've heard somebody saying
that they bought X handheld because it had a 5 watt transmitter.
Several of the companies that sell handhelds are using the gimmick.

Transmit power on most handhelds is about 1.5 watts. The funny part
is that this is plenty of power for the task. You can transmit to the
horizon from jet altitudes with 1.5 watts. When I used a handheld as
a primary radio (1.5 watt w/ external antenna), I had no problem
conversing clearly with Approach when I was 30 miles out. All in all,
transmit power is not a big deal for aviation handhelds.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[Jose]

> You can transmit to the
> horizon from jet altitudes with 1.5 watts. [...]
> ...transmit power is not a big deal for aviation handhelds.

One of the uses of a handheld is to get weather, clearances and such on the ground in winter before starting the hobbs meter. I suspect that this is
where the extra power comes in handy.

Jose
--
Freedom. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Jim Weir]

Please stop me, Dear Lord, before I answer him in a tone unbecoming of a
Thanksgiving weekend...

{;-)


Jim



Jose >
shared these priceless pearls of wisdom:


->
->One of the uses of a handheld is to get weather, clearances and such on the
ground in winter before starting the hobbs meter. I suspect that this is
->where the extra power comes in handy.
->
->Jose

Jim Weir (A&P/IA, CFI, & other good alphabet soup)
VP Eng RST Pres. Cyberchapter EAA Tech. Counselor
http://www.rst-engr.com

[Jose]

> -> One of the uses of a handheld is to get weather, clearances and such on the
> -> ground in winter before starting the hobbs meter. I suspect that this is
> -> where the extra power comes in handy.

> Please stop me, Dear Lord, before I answer him in a tone unbecoming of a
> Thanksgiving weekend...

Bearing in mind that the sites one might need to reach from the ground might not be located on the same field (in which case a tin can and a string
would work), and there could be hills and such in the way, what is wrong with my thinking?

Jose
--
Freedom. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

[Jack Allison]

Jim Weir wrote:
> Please stop me, Dear Lord, before I answer him in a tone unbecoming of a
> Thanksgiving weekend...

Wow, such restraint? An early New Year's resolution perhaps?
Impressive! :-)

--
Jack Allison
PP-ASEL, soon-2-B-IA Student, airplane partnership student

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth
with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there
you will always long to return"
- Leonardo Da Vinci

(Remove the obvious from address to reply via e-mail)

[Dave Stadt]

"Jose" > wrote in message
om...
> > -> One of the uses of a handheld is to get weather, clearances and such
on the
> > -> ground in winter before starting the hobbs meter. I suspect that
this is
> > -> where the extra power comes in handy.
>
> > Please stop me, Dear Lord, before I answer him in a tone unbecoming of a
> > Thanksgiving weekend...
>
> Bearing in mind that the sites one might need to reach from the ground
might not be located on the same field (in which case a tin can and a string
> would work), and there could be hills and such in the way, what is wrong
with my thinking?
>
> Jose

DON'T DO IT JIM! Just send the poor guy a 30 year old ARRL Handbook and
maybe he will see the light. Hmmmmm, now, what chapter was it that talked
about transmitting through hills at VHF frequencies?

[Blueskies]

My Vertex VXA-210 works just fine...

"Jeff Franks" > wrote in message ...
> Just wondering if anyone here had experience (good or bad) with Vertex handheld transceivers. I'm about to buy
> SOMETHING, but I'm not sure whether or not I'm gonna stick with the standard ICOM.
>
> thanks for any opinions.
>
> jf
>
>