What type of radios are used in paramotoring?
There are two primary buckets that the handheld radios that paramotor pilots use fall into Aviation or 2-Meter (two-meter). Below are some high-level bullet points that will answer common questions.
2-meter Radio aka (Two-meter radio)
This radio is most commonly used for pilots who want to talk pilot to pilot or to someone on the ground. You will not be able to talk or monitor aviation traffic with a 2-meter radio. They operate within the two meter amateur radio band of the VHF (Very High Frequency) spectrum that spans from 144 to 148 (MHz). These radios can not communicate on aviation frequencies, but are a great option if you just want to talk to other paramotor pilots of people on the ground.
Pros:
- Good option for non-airport launch/landing sites
- Cheaper than most Aviation Radios
- Easy to source
Cons:
- Technically speaking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requires you to have a “Ham Radio License” to operate……I would bet less that 10% of the users of these radios actually have the proper credentials.
- Most are cheaply made, Baofeng, and pickup quite a bit of ignition noise from the engines. This is most noticeable when the engine is between two radios communicating from a line of sight prospective. This is mitigated with the higher quality Wouxun and Kenwood radios.
You guessed it! Aviation radios are used for aircraft communications. They operate on the VHF band between 118.0 – 137 (Mhz) and are very useful for monitoring and reporting positions in and around airports. Additionally these radios can be used with common frequencies for talking between aircraft to aircraft as well. There are a few options out there 123.45Mhz is a common one used.
Pros:
- LEGAL to operate WITHOUT a “Ham Radio License”
- Great for situational awareness
- Strong range and audio quality
- Pickup weather stations if flying cross country (ATIS, AWOS, ASOS, etc)
Cons:
- More expensive
- Responsibility….plan and preflight your radios…know which frequencies you are going to use for a given flight
- Connectors. Seems like each of the big name brands ICOM, Yaesu, Sportys, etc all have their own proprietary connections making it challenging to swap radios around
Which radio should you choose?
Airport Environment - Aviation Radio
- Wouxun KG-R86
- Pros – Low cost, shares K1 Kenwood Connector (easy swapping to 2-meter radios), excellent range, clear audio, etc
- Cons: Off name brand and harder to find.
- ICOM A16
- Pros – Brand name, well known, excellent range, clear audio, etc.
- Cons – Proprietary radio connector (looks like K1, but is slightly off), high price point, and easy to find.
- Yaesu
- Pros: Brand name, well known, excellent range, clear audio, etc.
- Cons: Proprietary radio connector (most require and adapter included with the radio) and high price point.
Away from Airport Environments - 2-meter Radio
- Wouxun KG-UV86 Dual band radio
- Pros – Low cost, shares K1 Kenwood Connector (easy swapping to Baofengs, Kenwood, or Wouxun Aviation Radios), excellent range, clear audio, better construction and etc
- Cons: Off name brand and harder to find.
- Baofeng (Various Models)
- Pros – Cheap, easy to find on Amazon or other similar sites
- Cons – Cheaper construction of casing, poor electrical design internally with antenna allowing excess noise, etc
- Kenwood
- Pros: Brand name, well known, excellent range, clear audio, etc.
- Cons: Extremely expensive. We’re unable to hear the difference between the Kenwood and Wouxon.