From: mtravis@vnet.ibm.com
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 12:47:17 EST
Subject: Re: King KX-99 (was Re: Sporty's A300 transceiver)
Newsgroups: rec.aviation.products

I have not yet figured out how to include prior comments, since I am new
at using Internet, so please forgive me.

Just a bit of trivia about my search.

I was looking for a scanner in the beginning. Something I could use to monitor
ground, tower and ATC in my quest for better radio procedures and to practice
copying down the clearances in shorthand. I decided to go with a transeiver
after reading a few Instrument Flying handbooks with stories about lost
radio communications. I have no experience "in the soup" yet, and I can't
imagine not being able to scream at someone on the ground in case the radios
went out under these circumstances.

I had originally made up my mind in favor of the Sporty's A300. The flying
club that I am a member of gets a 10% discount from Sporty's, so the already
low price of the A300 seemed better.

However, one of the club instructors showed me that after I added the cost
of the A300, the nicad battery pack, the recharger, and the headset adapter,
it was within a few bucks of the KX-99. (We also get a discount through
another distributor for the KX-99 - $475. I have seen them in TAP for
$479.95 at an un-remembered distributor, so it is available for about
$100 bucks less than suggested retail.) So I (semi-happily) wrote a check
for $475 and got my KX-99 about 2 days later. I've only seen the ICOM A21
for about $475, so I opted for the King since I could get it in two days.

Here's the real reason I am happy with the King over the ICOM. I was on
a CAP training mission (mountain flying!) with a couple of other people
and one of the guys had an ICOM A21. Since he and the instructor were in
the front, I got to sit in the back seat and play! On the ground at Peachtree,
I tuned the VOR on both radios to 000 while we were at the VOR checkpoint.
The King was dead solid on the radial. The ICOM was dead solid for a second,
then it was a tick to the left, then it was a tick to the right. It never
seemed to want to settle down.

Once airborne, the instructor wanted me to tell him when we got to a certain
radial from a station that was about 25 miles away. I set the radios up to
receive the radial and at 2000 feet, the King was tracking and the ICOM was
not getting anything. Finally, at about 3500 feet, the ICOM began getting
the signal. Although it did have to think about it for a few minutes.
At 5000 feet, both radios seemed to agree, although the ICOM showed 1 to 1.5
ticky marks more left of course than the KING.

I got the co-pilot to tune the LORAN and the second NAV radio to the radial
I was tracking so that when we got to the checkpoint, I could verify that
all radios were saying the same thing. Well, once we got to the checkpoint,
everything but the ICOM said we were there. The ICOM still read 1 to 1.5
ticky marks left of course. A few minutes after we passed the radial, the
ICOM caught up, wavered a bit (in the zone of ambiguity), then picked back
up on the other side but only about 1 ticky mark behind the others. The
KING was rock solid the whole time, and it's interpretation of the zone
of ambiguity seemed much shorter that the ICOMs did.

I did like the display on the ICOM better. It was much easier to read and
interpret than the KING. (I like the little >>>#<<< arrows better than
the ||||||||||| marks of the KING). Also the display seemed a little better
laid out for some reason. (I don't recall why I liked it better). On all
other fronts, the ICOM and KING seemed to perform equally. (oh yeah, I almost
forgot. I like the toggle switch for the mike on the ICOM. I wish the KING
had this, but it doesn't. You have to use the PTT on the radio).

One thing I wish both radios had was a way to turn the light on in the
display and keep them on. (I don't remember if the ICOM had this, but the
KING definately does not.)

Anyway, I will let the reader draw his/her own conclusions. I for one am very
happy with my purchase. :+) :+) :+)

Mark Travis    MTRAVIS@VNET.IBM.COM

These are my opinions, I would never express those of my employers.
PP-ASEL, Navy Flying Club, Civil Air Patrol Atlanta #1 composite