Radio Quick Guide

ICOM IC-V86

7W maximum transmit power
USB-C battery pack available
MARS/CAP modification requires surgery
- Order this modification when you order the radio

Antenna

Replace the stock antenna with a Diamond RH77CA for in-flight and most ground use. This antenna is more important than raising the transmit power to the maximum 7W figure, but together, they extend the reach substantially.

Consider carrying a Diamond RH205, 52.8” telescoping antenna for use on the ground. Sometimes, this antenna will allow you to contact your ground chase crew, a very distant airborne pilot, or a repeater when the smaller antenna will not.

Battery

This radio ships with a good lithium-based battery that will last for several flights on a single charge, but it must be charged with a bulky charging cradle and a wall wart.

Consider adding a USB-C chargeable battery (another source) so that when you travel, you can take it along with a fully charged stock battery, leaving the charging cradle and wall wart at home.

Yaesu FT-65

5W maximum transmit power
More intuitive UI than older Yaesu or the ICOM IC-V86
MARS/CAP modification is simple (don’t pay the dealer for it)
Dual-band: 2m and 70cm

Antenna

Replace the stock antenna with a Diamond SRJ77CA for in-flight and most ground use.

Consider carrying a Smiley Super Stick II 2 Meter, 48” telescoping antenna with a reverse-SMA (female) connector for use on the ground. Sometimes, this antenna will allow you to contact your ground chase crew, a very distant airborne pilot, or a repeater when the smaller antenna will not.

MARS/CAP Modification

While the dealer will happily charge you a fee to do it, there is no need to pay anyone to modify this radio.

Follow this procedure:

Install an antenna on the radio.
With the radio turned off, hold down both the PTT (push-to-talk) button and the middle button, just below the PTT.
Turn on the radio.
Notice the screen is illuminated, but blank.
Release the two buttons, and notice that radio is now in an advanced menu system.
Use the numbered keys on the radio to enter: 62406665
Watch the radio reboot itself.

Headset

Mounting a headset inside your helmet dramatically improves the quality of your communication. I run the wire for a miniature PTT button down the inside of my sleeve to my finger where an adjustable loop of velcro wraps around my gloved finger to hold the PTT button there.

Pryme makes a good system, but it comes with a bulky PTT button intended to be mounted on a motorcycle handlebar. Connected into the system with a 4-pin DIN barrel connector, this button can easily be replaced with a miniature PTT button that you can strap to your finger.

Micro Avionics makes another option with a mini-PTT, but it appears the cable on the PTT is too short to run down the inside of your shirt sleeve to your finger because it’s intended to be mounted on your helmet, making it somewhat less convenient to talk while managing the wing.

Many other options exist, so ask an AI for help, using the requirements that matter to you:
Wired vs. wireless. Wired tends to be more reliable, eliminating the need to charge, pair, and connect.
Miniature PTT button, suitable for finger or helmet mounting, with enough wire to reach wherever you plan to mount it.
Boom vs. in-helmet microphone. Boom works with both open and full-face helmets.
Radio compatibility. There are at least three different standards for headset connectors on handheld transceivers, so ensure you buy a headset with a connector compatible with your radio.

External Speaker/Microphone

An external speaker/microphone, typically clipped on your shoulder will also improve communications relative to using the speaker and microphone built into the radio. Ensure you order something to cover the microphone to filter out wind noise.

Sean Ryan is modifying external speaker/mics, adding a wired miniature PTT button that can be strapped to your finger, making it easier to talk while managing the wing. He has versions available for both ICOM and Yaesu radios.

Frequency Step

Set the frequency step on your radio to 5 KHz.

Wide / Narrow Band

Select wide band.

Transmit Timeout Timer

Set this parameter to a value of one minute or less.

When using an external microphone, it is not uncommon for a radio to get stuck transmitting, non-stop. This makes the frequency completely unusable for everyone close enough to receive your inadvertent transmission.

Setting a value for the transmit timeout timer (TOT) ensures that if your radio does find itself with a stuck mic, it will stop transmitting when the timer expires, allowing others to use the frequency, probably to say, “someone has a stuck mic!”

Transmit Power

If your radio requires it (the IC-V86 does), enable extra-high transmit power. Then, use the highest transmit power available on your radio.

DCS

Digital-coded squelch opens the squelch only when an inaudible digital code matching the one set on the receiving radio is received. Accordingly, the squelch is either closed, keeping the radio completely quiet, or it’s open, allowing you to hear a transmission from anyone using the same DCS code you are using.

Most radios require at least two different settings to be adjusted:

Squelch type: DCS
DCS code: e.g., 025
- Some radios allow a DCS code to be set separately for transmit and receive. For our purposes, always set both transmit and receive to use the same DCS code.

Many different users operate on the business-band frequencies licensed by USHPA, including UTV enthusiasts (think, non-stop, turn-by-turn chatter as they rip through the terrain), EMS helicopter pilots and dispatchers (nothing more comforting than hearing a description of the carnage to which an EMS pilot is directed), and crane operators (“up, up, up, stop! down, stop!”). To avoid listening to chatter completely unrelated to our free-flight operations, many clubs are using DCS.

While it may seem like we’re operating on our own private channel, in reality, we are still sharing the frequency with everyone else who is using it, whether they are using DCS or not. This means that anyone who is listening on the open frequency (no DCS for receive), or anyone who is listening with the DCS code we are using, can hear us.

FAQ

Do I need a HAM license? No.
Is it difficult to get a HAM license? No.
Why should I get a HAM license? It depends.

It is legal for you to listen to any frequency your radio is capable of receiving. It is illegal for you to transmit on any frequency for which you are not licensed…except in an emergency. During an emergency, you may legally transmit on any frequency.

Many local flying communities still use HAM frequencies even though many pilots flying in the area are not licensed. Beware that some HAM operators take great pride in hunting down unlicensed operators and reporting them to the FCC.

If you fly cross-country, consider getting a HAM license and learning to use repeaters. The HAM community is incredibly helpful, whether you have an emergency or a mere inconvenience (e.g., landed a long way from civilization, outside cell coverage). HAM operators will happily make phone calls, relay messages, or send the HAM cavalry to collect you.

With a HAM license, you can legally practice using repeaters so that when you need to use them in a pinch, your radio is already programmed correctly to do so.