Boosting ICOM IC-A23 Handheld Aviation Radio

I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.

--
Will
westes AT earthbroadcast.com

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 14:25:57 -0700, "CHANGE USERNAME TO westes"
wrote:

I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.


My radio guy swapped out a loran antenna for a VHF antenna when I had
some radio work done. He ran a wire up to the cockpit and put it in
the map pocket. If I ever need it he's told me it will work almost as
well as a regular radio with that set up. Haven't tried it out yet,
but I do trust his judgement.

HTH

z

It's not just ICOM. The rubber ducky antennas that come with the handheld
units are almost, but not ntirely, useless. Getting a good signal in or out
of a metal enclosure is tough...you have to hold the unit near a window and
keep it vertical for best results.
If you are a renter and can't go for an installed antenna, talk to your
local avionics shop about getting a better antenna.

Bob Gardner


"CHANGE USERNAME TO westes" wrote in
message ...
I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both
the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.

--
Will
westes AT earthbroadcast.com

An external antenna is essential. I had an occasion to use it airborne
after an electrical failure in IMC. It had a range of 20-30 miles at
5000 ft. I was able to talk to ATC al the way to the airport. My
external antenna is on the belly sine I figured I would be transmitting
down to the radio antennae's.

Michelle

CHANGE USERNAME TO westes wrote:

I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.




--

Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity

All very true, but I think the original poster was referring to reception on
the ground (next to the airport or under the plane), not inside a cockpit.

Rod
"Bob Gardner" wrote in message
...
It's not just ICOM. The rubber ducky antennas that come with the handheld
units are almost, but not ntirely, useless. Getting a good signal in or
out
of a metal enclosure is tough...you have to hold the unit near a window
and
keep it vertical for best results.
If you are a renter and can't go for an installed antenna, talk to your
local avionics shop about getting a better antenna.

Bob Gardner


"CHANGE USERNAME TO westes" wrote in
message ...
I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both
the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third
party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.

--
Will
westes AT earthbroadcast.com

In article , CHANGE USERNAME TO
westes wrote:

I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.

If you are on the ground, outside the airplane, you can purchase a
metal, 5/8 wave, telescoping antenna to replace the standard rubber
duckie.

Don't forget, VHF is line of sight. On the ground, you won't get much range to
another ground station regardless of how good your antenna is.

EDR wrote:

In article , CHANGE USERNAME TO
westes wrote:

I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.

If you are on the ground, outside the airplane, you can purchase a
metal, 5/8 wave, telescoping antenna to replace the standard rubber
duckie.

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

Rod Madsen wrote:

All very true, but I think the original poster was referring to reception on
the ground (next to the airport or under the plane), not inside a cockpit.

Several years ago, I went to a ham radio shop and had them cut an roof mount
antenna for my ICOM 21. I believe I had them cut it for 128 MHz and 3/4 wave
length. I got awesome performance from my car. I could hear the ATIS and talk
with ground control five miles from the airport on the freeway. I could drive
along I-5 on the coast and talk with LA Center's RCO on Catalina Island.

EDR wrote:

In article , CHANGE USERNAME TO
westes wrote:

I recently purchased an ICOM IC-A23 radio, and I'm disappointed in its
pickup. It gets the weather channels fine, but the reception for both the
airport and airplane radios is poor. Aside from standing next to the
airport or being right under the airplane, do I have any options for
improving gain and the quality of reception? Is there some third party
antenna that I could attach to this radio? It looks like it takes a
standard BNC type connector for the antenna that comes with it.

If you are on the ground, outside the airplane, you can purchase a
metal, 5/8 wave, telescoping antenna to replace the standard rubber
duckie.

Right, I think my antenna is 5/8 wave. Makes it awesome with a roof mount.

Ray Andraka wrote:

Don't forget, VHF is line of sight. On the ground, you won't get much range to
another ground station regardless of how good your antenna is.

five miles is pretty good. And, since ZLA Catalina's RCO is atop a mountain on the
island, 40 miles works with ease.