MicroAir Radio Transceivers - JUNK and Zero Support

[kgwilson]

20 hours ago, Bruce Tuncks said:

As I said earlier, I bought a "smoother" for operating a radio from a 4wd. It worked fine for 20 years and it was cheaper than the powermate. I would have been happy to use a powermate but I'm so cheap that I thought he spent too much on advertising.

I reckon I need something similar for the microair on the 230... Size doesn't matter, but cost and weight sure do. Any suggestions will be most welcome.

Bruce, in their installation Microair recommend a power filter be fitted to eliminate EMI noise & one is suggested called a NF-5 with a picture of it. I could not find these anywhere & Microair were no help at all (they did answer the phone back in 2014). I put in a Mar-Ace marine radio noise filter I got from a local boat shop but it was completely useless so threw it out. I eventually found an in line power filter I think on Ebay from China. It was physically quite big (about 100mm x 50mm cylinder shape) compared to the Microair recommended one that I couldn't get but I managed to find a space on the back of the panel next to the radio. It weighs bugger all. Before the filter I was getting engine induced noise & the filter got rid of this. 

 

Other than that I replaced all the radio wiring with single core coax & ferrite chokes for eliminating RFI noise on the cables at the DB15 connector to the radio, the headset jacks & terminated all the earths back at the radio. I didn't have antenna issues as my aircraft is full metal jacket.

[RFguy]

try one of these in series.
They are not an LC filter- actually they are an active filter. (transistor, cap ,resistor) 

https://www.jaycar.com.au/10a-dc-noise-filter-improved/p/AA3074

 

 

[rgmwa]

I have to admit, you electronics guys inhabit a different world for someone whose knowledge of electronics is negligible.  My greatest achievement was to build a crystal set that worked when I was about 13, although I had no idea how it actually functioned. It motivated me to look at valve radio circuits in a book my dad had in an effort to build something better, but that went nowhere.  To this day I'm amazed that anyone can figure out how those black boxes work, how to track down problems when they don't, and how to design new products.  I'm glad someone knows how it all works.

 

[Kiwi]

On 16/06/2022 at 2:01 PM, Kyle Communications said:

 

 

Xcom can still be fixed..some parts are not available but most are

 

Hi Mark, 

I have a intermittent fault code

"PLL FAIL" on my Xcom, sometimes won't transmit but will receive, and sometimes won't transmit or receive. Checked the radio back in the hangar and it was working fine again. 

Any idea on what the fault code means?

 

Thanks,  Kiwi. 

Edited yesterday at 01:12 AM by Kiwi

[onetrack]

Kiwi, I have no radio skills and only basic electrical knowledge, but this is what a search tells me (link below).

 

The Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuit in your radio appears to be suffering from intermittent failure, and I would have to opine this is either a hardware fault, or a circuitry fault in the radio.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=xcom%2Bradio%2BPhase-Locked%2BLoop%2Breference%2Boscillator&sca_esv=80900f88cf1b312c&sxsrf=AE3TifNoCp0ipiL1reCdaKQayxFfPqenFQ:1756603918630&ei=DqazaJelJpObnesP2Lr9sAw&ved=0ahUKEwiX5NLE87OPAxWTTWcHHVhdH8YQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=xcom%2Bradio%2BPhase-Locked%2BLoop%2Breference%2Boscillator&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiMXhjb20gcmFkaW8gUGhhc2UtTG9ja2VkIExvb3AgcmVmZXJlbmNlIG9zY2lsbGF0b3IyCBAAGIAEGKIEMgUQABjvBTIFEAAY7wUyBRAAGO8FMgUQABjvBUj7LVDyB1imKnABeAGQAQCYAeMBoAHDEaoBBTAuNC43uAEDyAEA-AEBmAIMoALxEcICChAAGLADGNYEGEfCAgcQIxiwAhgnwgIEECEYCpgDAIgGAZAGCJIHBjEuMS4xMKAH_TSyBwYwLjEuMTC4B-4RwgcFMC41LjfIByU&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

WWW.GOOGLE.COM

 

[FlyBoy1960]

Needs to be reprogrammed by the engineer will send a private messge with his details

[Kiwi]

Thank you both for the reply.

 

I wasn't sure if Ken was still repairing the Xcom.

 

Kiwi 

[Kyle Communications]

Yes Ken is still servicing the radios and also has most parts but some are not available anymore.

a PLL fault is a hardware issue not a software one. I think the original PLL chip is not available now but Ken has a updated mod for it

 

Mark

 

[RFguy]

yesterday I returned a favour and installed a Funk 833 for someone in  Thruster . is a great radio, recommended. good feature set. I wired it direct to the battery terminals with 18AWG tefzel and  a 5A inline blade fuse at the battery, rather than take my chances with the very mixed electrical setup in Thrusters which often means the alternator current shares all grounds putting noise into everything.