In article , Lockrdg
wrote:

Having experienced and successfully survived my first complete electrical
failure, hence no radios (at night mind you), I am looking for suggestions as
to which hand-held transcievers I might looking into buying.

The manufacturing trend is toward miniturization.
€*Unless you have child size fingers, I recommend the older, slightly
larger size units. One finger=one button.
€ Having said that, you can download the instruction manuals for most
of the popular aviation handhelds (ICOM, Yasau). Compare features and
familiarize yourself with the steps necessary to program the
frequencies you will use and other features offered.
€ Compare what is included in the price.
€*Compare the capacity of the included battery.
€*Power output will be expressed in two way, peak and carrier.
Compare apples to apples on these measurements.
€*Determine if this spec is for the included battery pack or attached
to a 12Vdc source.
€*The instruction manual should give the battery capacity (expressed in
mAHr) and the talk/listen time for that battery pack.
€*You will want to purchase an alkaline battery pack as a backup for
when you cannot recharge or if you forgot to recharge.
€ Ask about the antenna connector. Is a standard BNC or some other type
that requires a BNC-adaptor.
€ Look at the display. Is the display large enough to read when 18-24
inches from your eyes?
€Is the keyboard backlit?
Don't be in a rush to purchase before you have an opportunity to try it
out. If you know someone with a unit you are interested in, ask to
borrow it for flight or trip. They are great for obtaining clearances
prior to engine start, especially when there are departure delays,
calling for the fuel truck from the ramp, etc.
The new units have NOAA Weather frequencies built in, so you can get
the latest severe weather wherever you are.