VHF radios tested include, from left to right, the Vertex VXA-700, VX-210 and VX-300. ICOM’s IC-A6 and A-24 performed well, as did the Sporty’s SP-200, far right.

by Chuck Forsberg

In the world of portable avionics, GPS navigators are the stars while VHF radios are the bench warmers. Yet every pilot we know has a portable comm radio, even if it’s rarely used. It’s the sort of basic equipment everyone seems to carry in a flightbag, like a pad or flashlight.

Why? Back-up communication is the reason most of us have VHF portables. Call this standby mode, if you like. You’ll probably never need it, but for a couple of hundred bucks, you can have a radio to lean on if the panel goes dark during an IFR flight. Ground ops and pre-flight are another good reason for having a…