Standard vs Upgraded Avionics in P2008, Comm 2, etc

[WinP]

Hi --  I visited Captndavid's new plane today in NJ (after driving to the Hudson River Valley to fly the Flight Design F2 prototype.) He has the factory installed dual G3X's and an aftermarket installed Garmin 175 (I believe).  He only has one Comm channel.  Is it possible to get two Comm channels in a factory-delivered plane?  Has anyone had the factory install extras such as an IFR navigator? Also I'm curious -- if one is able to have a second Comm, does one have to install a second antenna?  And if a WAAS navigator is installed, does some kind of extra antenna have to be installed for that?  I'm just wondering how hard all this is and how much can be/is done at the factory if one orders correctly.

Thanks.

[ChiMike]

You can get two comm units on a P2008.

The ESA 2008jc pics show a two comm setup.

[WinP]

I have found out the answer to the Comm question based on the standard setup. Even though the 245 Audio Panel shows a "Comm 1" and "Comm 2," in fact there is no "Comm 2" channel. We'd need a second radio to be installed. There's only one radio and one antenna. By "Comm 2" I mean a radio one can transmit on.

There IS the ability to MONITOR a second frequency. If you push the "MON" button on the 225A radio you will be able to listen in the headset to the frequency that is in the "standby" slot. If someone speaks on Comm 1 then the monitored frequency will be silenced. So one can listen to the weather or CTAF at an airport while talking on Comm 1 to ATC.

[ChiMike]

Yes. And you can have a second full radio installed, just like you’d find in a Cirrus. Tecnam does do that set up if requested. If you look at the P2008jc pictures you will see that configuration.

[Cluemeister]

The monitor feature works very well. Having two radios works even better, but everything has a cost!