Towner Posted July 8, 2023 Report Share Posted July 8, 2023 So, my plane is equipped with a Garmin 250xl as the only radio. Even though it’s no longer supported, it works great and is tied into the 496, which is tied to the autopilot. My problem is that you can’t monitor the standby frequency on the 250xl. 90% of my flying is into uncontrolled airports, but the other 10% can be to towered airports, on flight following, in busy airspace. It would be really nice to be able to get the weather without breaking contact with the primary frequency or waiting for a frequency swap and trying to grab the weather between frequency changes. My question is would a handheld with Bluetooth, paired to the headset, give enough range to get the weather so I can keep the main radio where it should be? I am perfectly happy with the 250xl if I could only find a better way to get the weather when approaching a towered airport. Sure, I’d love to upgrade the panel, but it currently works and I’m afraid to ask permission for an upgrade! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anticept Posted July 10, 2023 Report Share Posted July 10, 2023 If you can set your bluetooth to mute when there's something coming from aircraft audio, that's a perfect way to do this. Recievers generally outrange transmitters, so if you're using it rx only then you shouldn't have any issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towner Posted July 10, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2023 The Bluetooth does mute for primary radio. I appreciate the input because my current handheld is 30 years old and I didn’t want to judge performance on it. I guess I’ll order a new handheld and give it a shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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