bob turner
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2005
- Messages
- 17,066
- Reaction score
- 4,806
I am sure I started a thread on these way back, and promised a report. A search doesn't find it, so I am repeating myself.
Two years ago we had a problem with tower squelch. They turned it up so high they could no longer hear our Icom hand held (everybody else could hear us just fine). And we had our third failure with the Becker in the Stearman - a Becker failure is automatically a third the cost of a new radio.
With help from my forum friends, I chose the new Garmin com.
Then the discussion turned to intercoms. Garmin said "please try our internal intercom". We did so on the J-3 installation, but used the tried and true PM-501 in the Stearman.
So this is a report on the internal intercom:
We loved it! The J-3 installation was trivial, the radio can be operated from either seat, we have separate ICS PTT buttons which we never use, and all is happiness.
Not so much the Stearman. Intercom squelch management was a full time job. I had excellent performance with the 501 in my personal J-3, but it just couldn't handle Stearman cockpit noise. TheStearman went into the radio shop, and they recommended some other intercom. Same problem.
So last week we re-wired it as Garmin intended, removing the external intercom and installing ICS PTT switches, just in case the internal intercom couldn't handle the high noise environment.
I test-flew it yesterday with a mechanic, and it seemed pretty good. Today one of the owners and I gave it a full workout in the pattern for an hour. The owner said "I don't like it - I love it".
It handled the high noise exceptionally well, without any pilot input. We set it and left it alone. The ICS PTT buttons will never be used, unless we get mis-matched microphones somehow on a passenger hop.
We now have three of these things installed. I think it is the all time best com radio. It has only two possible flaws - one related to how long a battery lasts in the no electrics Cub, and another related to RF squelch range. Garmin is looking in to these two.
There is my report. As soon as they fix the battery problem, you will see my SL-40 on eBay!
Two years ago we had a problem with tower squelch. They turned it up so high they could no longer hear our Icom hand held (everybody else could hear us just fine). And we had our third failure with the Becker in the Stearman - a Becker failure is automatically a third the cost of a new radio.
With help from my forum friends, I chose the new Garmin com.
Then the discussion turned to intercoms. Garmin said "please try our internal intercom". We did so on the J-3 installation, but used the tried and true PM-501 in the Stearman.
So this is a report on the internal intercom:
We loved it! The J-3 installation was trivial, the radio can be operated from either seat, we have separate ICS PTT buttons which we never use, and all is happiness.
Not so much the Stearman. Intercom squelch management was a full time job. I had excellent performance with the 501 in my personal J-3, but it just couldn't handle Stearman cockpit noise. TheStearman went into the radio shop, and they recommended some other intercom. Same problem.
So last week we re-wired it as Garmin intended, removing the external intercom and installing ICS PTT switches, just in case the internal intercom couldn't handle the high noise environment.
I test-flew it yesterday with a mechanic, and it seemed pretty good. Today one of the owners and I gave it a full workout in the pattern for an hour. The owner said "I don't like it - I love it".
It handled the high noise exceptionally well, without any pilot input. We set it and left it alone. The ICS PTT buttons will never be used, unless we get mis-matched microphones somehow on a passenger hop.
We now have three of these things installed. I think it is the all time best com radio. It has only two possible flaws - one related to how long a battery lasts in the no electrics Cub, and another related to RF squelch range. Garmin is looking in to these two.
There is my report. As soon as they fix the battery problem, you will see my SL-40 on eBay!
