Radio sales and service also Brauniger flight panels

[Kyle Communications]

Hi All

 

My name is Mark Kyle and I have owned and operated Kyle Communications since 1988 as my main job. I am located at Burpengary about 35km north of Brisbane and 7 km south of Caboolture airfield. My experience in this field is I am a electrical fitter/mechanic "special class" which means as well as a fitter/mechanic I also have done industrial electronics as well. I went to TAFE and did a advanced trade course over 2 years to swing me across to a radio technician some 20+ years ago. I have been involved in flying over the years its only now I am getting full on into it building my own Savannah VG XL kit you may have come across my thread/blog. I have always been interested in aviation be it from the small end to the fair dinkum end. I was flying model RC aircraft from the age of 12 then in the mid 1980's I logged around 80 hours in full size gliders out in Kingaroy then the mid 1990's I was flying a C172 doing my PPL when I was knocked back on my medical with type 2 diabeties but still have around 28 hrs logged in it. These past few years I have been full on wanting to build and fly my own Savannah and finally this is now happening. I have joined the suppliers on this site to help with the running cost and I believe its a great idea. Now to the commercial stuff...

 

Kyle Communications is a premium dealer for Icom, Vertex and GME also many others. We not only sell all types of radios be it airband,commercial,marine UHF and also ham radio I service them as well I have a very comprehensive radio tech workshop and I work from home so I am always pretty much around most of the time. I have now also been made the distributor for the Brauniger Alpha MFD which I am putting in my Savannah.

 

I will be doing some posts here from time to time supplying info on radios and panels also please feel free to give me a call if you want some advice on a problem or anything else you need feel free to ring. I answer the main phone line between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Fridays the contact numbers will be at the bottom of this post. If you ring outside of these hours on my mobile please I like to have a sleep in on sunday mornings :)

 

Work 07-38887899

 

Fax 07-38883899

 

Mob 0408724272

 

Email [email protected]

 

Regards

 

Mark Kyle

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Ok a couple of pieces of housekeeping. As a premium dealer for Icom and Vertex here in Australia please be aware that there are some rules that the government (ACMA Australian Communications and Media Authority) legislate for. That is that any radio transceiver used in this country MUST be type approved for that operation. Penalties for using unapproved radios can be upwards of $100,000 and also jail for the USER (NOT the seller). Please be aware of this situation as there are a few companies both Australian based and overseas based that import NON approved radios and sell them to unsuspecting pilots and ground crew. Even though the model numbers may look the same there are mechanical and electronic differences in the radio to make them compliant in this country. It is like radar detectors its not illegal to sell them but it is illegal to use them

 

Some radios are approved for in air use only and others are approved for both air and ground crew use. Icom and Vertex is listed below

 

Icom IC-A15 air use only

 

Icom IC-A6AUS air and ground use

 

Icom IC-A24 air use only

 

Icom IC-A110 air and ground use

 

Icom IC-A210 air use only

 

Vertex VXA-220 air and ground use

 

Vertex VXA-300 export only air use only

 

Vertex VXA-710 export only air use only

 

Regards

 

Mark Kyle

 

 

[dazza 38]

Thanks for the heads up, mate.

 

 

[Skykroozer]

Good to know wasn't aware, now I have an Icom IC A22E is that air and ground use?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Skykroozer

 

The IC-A22E is a european version. The Australian version were Ic-A22 and the IC-A22 S The A-22 came with a nicad battery and charger and the "S" version came with a blank battery pack to put AA batteries in and no nicad or charger the reason was to try to keep the price down. It was last sold here in 2003/2004. I actually have one myself they are a good radio. There is a but though...it may have IC-A22E on the front of the radio because the European version usually will meet the same spec as the Australian one The 22 is approved for both air and ground use. Its a bit harder to tell with those earlier radios but now its different the radios are actually marked as the correct version. The only real way to tell older radios is by the serial number and the import records.

 

Another thing to note is that Icom and Vertex will not do any warranty on radios that do not meet the australian spec or that are brought in from another source or grey importer. If you buy a radio from a grey importer here then if it requires any warranty repair you need to send it back to them and then they will have to send it back to whatever country their parent company is based then it will have to go back to their Icom/Vertex supply source.

 

Mark Kyle

 

 

[fleurenf]

Hi Kyle,

 

Does that mean then if I purchased a Vertex VXA-220 on ebay which is shipped from Hong Kong, the item is illegal to use?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

To be quite frank...Yes

 

It will NOT have a approved power supply for charging the unit also it may not have had any internal modifications done by Vertex here if it required any to be compliant with the ACMA rules and approval certificate issued for the Australian version of the VX-220 and because it was not sold by the approved body in australia that can prove the particular unit and serial number does comply with the ACMA regulations

 

Regards

 

Mark Kyle

 

 

[fleurenf]

Thanks for the heads up Mark.

 

I'm just curious how the costs vary so significantly ie anywhere between $315 to $425 for the same product (VXA-220) and sold by Australian reputable suppliers.

 

How can we tell in that case that the product we buy from an Australian supplier is legitimate? Does one receive an approval certificate guaranteeing the product being an Australian version and compliant with ACMA ruling or is it the more you pay for it the more likely it is legal to use?

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

For a start look for the australian approval tick.

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Australian reputable supplyers....now thats a nice way of putting it. I can give you a few names who may well be so but they are NOT authorized to sell Icom Australia products in this country or Vertex for that matter and do NOT sell the versions that definately comply with the australian rules. Ask that supplyer if he has or can get a copy of the ACMA approval for the product he sells/imports.

 

The only real way to be sure you are buying a correct approved version is to buy from a authorized dealer. If you want to find your closest dealer either look on the relevent website for australia for that manufacturer or ring them to find out who you closest dealer is. The price difference you see is because the dealer is importing the radios from a source outside australia. Either they are doing it directly or they are importing from their parent company overseas. The stock they sell does not go through the Australian Icom or Vertex company.

 

Icom Australia 03-95497500

 

Vertex Australia 03-95182113

 

Mark Kyle

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

I have recently put up a new website www.kyle.com.au there is Icom and Vertex airband info there as well as the Brauniger flight panels

 

 

[HEON]

What is situation regarding warrenty on Icom radios fitted as standard on new factory built aircraft imported from overseas. Is it the same as Rotax...supported by Australian Dealer (Bert Flood)?

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Hi Peter

 

Icom Australia's policy is they will only warrant radios they import and sell and it seems to be this way world wide. Icom America will not warrant radios they do not sell either. "International warrantys" are not a common situation in the electronic market. An example is buy a Nikon camera in Hong Kong and try to get it fixed here by Nikon....no chance. The Rotax warranty is a unusual situation. Rotax themselves tell their dealers if you wont supply a world wide warranty then you do not get a dealership. Icom Japan do not seem to support this type of policy

 

I could always ask the question for you but I am pretty sure they will not

 

Mark

 

 

[HEON]

So much for "world" brands!

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

The Vertex policy I think you ill find is the same. The saving grace (although it may be at a cost) is you can get the radios repaired in another part of the world because they are usually a generic model . This can not be said for some other "well known" brands

 

Mark

 

 

[darryle]

just found your info here, very interesting, will be in touch down the track