Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014 - 75

and precision-landing guidance – though the oncedominant ILS, or instrument landing system, a VHFspectrum guidance system, now trails precision GPS
technology in the number of runway ends to which it
provides guidance.
Runway-end dominance aside, more aircraft still
sport ILS receivers than those with panel-mounted
GPS navigators and approved WAAS enhancements
and the approvals required of GPS-based precisionapproach guidance.
And there remain many benefits and advantages of
today’s powerful portable VHF units.
Let’s consider these common uses typical among
aviator and airport staff before we address maximizing
the potential of your handheld VHF device.

primary and standby communicator and
navigator; note, however, that the majority
of portable nav/comm units receive only the
VOR/LOC components of VHF navigation – no
glideslope, which uses a different frequency.
•

Emergency communications: In the event of
a forced landing or crash, the portable nav/
comm can help the pilot supply useful data to
searchers seeking the accident site; a VOR
bearing from the portable VHF navigator can,
for example, be a helpful reference line; ditto
for voice-broadcast descriptions of the crash
scene to help searchers.

•

Monitor weather radio, flight service
and to file flight plans.

•

Clearance-delivery tool: Call for
your clearance before engine start
– it saves fuel.

•

Primary communications: For older
aircraft – particularly those lacking
electrical systems – a batterypowered VHF radio can expand
its range of safe operations by
expanding its communications
reach.

•

Standby communications: For
any aircraft, the loss of radio
communication raises the
prospect of many other issues
threatening your flying day;
properly outfitted for the portable
radio, the aircraft can continue
to communicate with controllers,
airport UNICOMs and other
traffic.

Portable VHF Accessory Options
If this all sounds familiar, go back and re-read
the section on portable GPS navigators – the same
thought applies here. The last thing a pilot wants is a
loose electronics device floating around in the cockpit
... best to strap down that unit somehow. Consider
the options for yoke, knee or panel-mounted securing
of your portable VHF unit – particularly for aircraft
in which it serves a primary job and not primarily a
standby role.
Also, extra power to run the unit – and, for best
service, an external antenna ... one mounted outside
the fuselage like any other panel-mounted radio
antenna.
The greatest shortcoming of the handheld VHF
radio can be reduced immensely by an external
antenna mounted on the aircraft with a panelaccessible jack to connect it to the VHF handheld unit.
A handheld VHF radio for voice communications
suffers from the unit’s antenna being inside the
airframe; a useful range of 7 or 8 miles may fall to
under 2 – barely enough to reach the far end
of some airports.
Add an external antenna to the aircraft,
with a connector jack accessible from the
cockpit, and the effective range of the
handheld increases significantly.
The external antenna also can help the
sensitivity – and in turn the accuracy – of the
navigation side of those VHF radios that sport
one; should GPS be unavailable, a couple of
fixes from a VOR station can go a long way to
helping a pilot fix the location of the moment.
Also consider the improved audio quality
possible with your headsets plugged into an

•

Standby navigation: The portable
nav/comm can serve as both

Continued on following page…

Saving Steps and Time ... Safely
The handheld or portable VHF
communications transceiver offers as much
to aviation on the ground as in the air.
Consider these common applications:
•
Communications before engine
start: a tool for monitoring ground
and clearance-delivery frequencies
and for tracking ramp and taxiway
activities near where you listen.

Sporty’s Pilot Shop’s SP-400

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Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014