Tmcdavitt
Pre-Flight
I'm hoping someone can help point me in a general direction regarding my recently unreliable 430w...
I would like to state the obvious first; I'm not an A/P, nor am I a certified avionics technician. As such, I do not intend on attempting to repair my unit or any of the wiring myself. I wanted to state this so that this post does not stray down the path of "this is not owner maintenance."
My intent is to help the avionics shop with potential issues to avoid as much "hunting and pecking" on my bird as possible. I've had a few avionics shops work on my plane in the past and none of them have impressed me with their ability to troubleshoot certain issues. With that being said; they are extremely good at installing new G1000s or complete avionics packages...
My issue is this: my 430w decided to not transmit the other day without giving any indication (other than no replies from the tower of the controlled field I was trying to land at). It was on the appropriate frequency and the "TX" light was coming on when I depressed the PTT button. It was receiving fine and my headset was plugged in (I actually checked it first thinking that was the problem). I switched to my second radio (SL30) and continued my trip into the towered field. After a brief stop I headed back to my home (towered) field and asked the controller if we could check my radio - this is where I confirmed that even though the "TX" was indicating, the radio was not transmitting.
I searched the net and found some information regarding similar issues with the 430. The first thing I tried was to check the fuses. I found one blown and promptly replaced it. While sitting in my hangar I keyed up the ground frequency for a quick radio check which was responded to affirmatively. I thought at this point I must have fixed the issue and moved on. However; when I went to fly today (first opportunity since replacing the fuse) I found that the same issue was present. Once again I replaced the blown fuse and again that fuse did not last. (Of note, I do have an avionics master switch that I don't turn on until after the plane is running and I turn off the electronics prior to turning off the switch at the end of each flight - while the engine is still running).
Some of the other items that could cause this type of problem seem to be related to bad grounds, failing audio panel (in my case it's an old KM24), bad PTT switch, and/or the 430 is not fully seated in the cage (x amount of turns of the install screw once the power is engaged).
Can anyone provide additional issues to look for? Also, does anyone have good experience with an avionics shop in the Houston area?
Thanks!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I would like to state the obvious first; I'm not an A/P, nor am I a certified avionics technician. As such, I do not intend on attempting to repair my unit or any of the wiring myself. I wanted to state this so that this post does not stray down the path of "this is not owner maintenance."
My intent is to help the avionics shop with potential issues to avoid as much "hunting and pecking" on my bird as possible. I've had a few avionics shops work on my plane in the past and none of them have impressed me with their ability to troubleshoot certain issues. With that being said; they are extremely good at installing new G1000s or complete avionics packages...
My issue is this: my 430w decided to not transmit the other day without giving any indication (other than no replies from the tower of the controlled field I was trying to land at). It was on the appropriate frequency and the "TX" light was coming on when I depressed the PTT button. It was receiving fine and my headset was plugged in (I actually checked it first thinking that was the problem). I switched to my second radio (SL30) and continued my trip into the towered field. After a brief stop I headed back to my home (towered) field and asked the controller if we could check my radio - this is where I confirmed that even though the "TX" was indicating, the radio was not transmitting.
I searched the net and found some information regarding similar issues with the 430. The first thing I tried was to check the fuses. I found one blown and promptly replaced it. While sitting in my hangar I keyed up the ground frequency for a quick radio check which was responded to affirmatively. I thought at this point I must have fixed the issue and moved on. However; when I went to fly today (first opportunity since replacing the fuse) I found that the same issue was present. Once again I replaced the blown fuse and again that fuse did not last. (Of note, I do have an avionics master switch that I don't turn on until after the plane is running and I turn off the electronics prior to turning off the switch at the end of each flight - while the engine is still running).
Some of the other items that could cause this type of problem seem to be related to bad grounds, failing audio panel (in my case it's an old KM24), bad PTT switch, and/or the 430 is not fully seated in the cage (x amount of turns of the install screw once the power is engaged).
Can anyone provide additional issues to look for? Also, does anyone have good experience with an avionics shop in the Houston area?
Thanks!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD