GeeGeeBee

Just my 1/50th of a dollar's worth - while mistakes and miscommunication (and assumptions) were made by several parties on my installation, I mostly blame the shop that upgraded the Garmin 430 to 430W (well before I owned this aircraft). During that upgrade, Garmin required the installer to change the antenna (which was done) and the coax to a low-loss type like RG400 or RG142B (those are specifically mentioned in the Garmin install manual), which they failed to do. Now, should my avionics shop that installed the IFD440 have noted that it was the wrong cable? Yes. We all know the old saying about "assume"... In the end, Avidyne came through with flying colors and I am happy to recommend them.

Update for future reference. Took the plane back to the installer. Despite my initial inquiry as to the type of cable connecting to the antenna, they discovered that it actually wasn't RG400 as they had thought (or assumed) but instead was RG58. They replaced it with RG400 and everything sounds much better now. Though I did have a stuck mic issue on the flight home. Hopefully coincidental and unrelated...

I will say this - over the past 24 hours I have had several emails from Avidyne tech support and would like to upgrade my "mediocre" rating to "very good." Hopefully they'll see me all the way to the end and earn an "excellent". Right now they seem to be focused on the wiring/connectors/antenna. They suggest a VSWR test; I will have my installer conduct that as soon as weather permits (he's about 45 minute flight from me). I did run one more series of test looking at squelch, engine, and alternator. Results here: PS - I discovered after posting this video that the IFD440 does have adjustable squelch levels, but the adjustment is buried and has to be accessed via maintenance mode.

Thanks @LANCECASPER. Would love to hear Avidyne's thoughts, not just on the specs and installation requirements but on my issue(s) as well. @Bryan Kahl

@LANCECASPER, I'm glad to hear that. My experience thus far with Avidyne has been mediocre at best. Most of the time, the tech support simply consists of "ask your installer." I'm an engineer and though I'm no avionics expert, I know how to troubleshoot and methodically fix problems. I get that slide-in replacements can be frustrating for Avidyne but they're the ones touting it. They had to have realized that they're accepting all the prior cables and antennas and should have designed accordingly. In my case, my 430W radios were working just fine, so it doesn't seem likely that it's the cables and antenna, though certainly something might have happened during the install.

@chriscalandro, would swapping the output cables between COM1 and COM2 accomplish the same thing?

Sorry for the delay in responding. Was down for six weeks with an annual inspection that would not end. To answer your question, now that I'm back flying: it's static-y. Pretty bad actually. And I lost comm completely on the ground today. I've also had the same frustration as you, @chriscalandro with Avidyne continually responding to request for tech support or troubleshooting tips with "contact your installer." If anyone wants to hear what today's flight sounded like and the comparison with my COM2 Garmin GNC255, go here: https://youtu.be/G5ZKmCVxppE Help or advice appreciated. Getting a little frustrated.

To answer myself (and for the benefit of those who follow), yes. Or at least it apparently made a difference in my case. Turning all volume levels to off except Active Com has improved my reception. Things seem okay except for a background rhythmic static pop that appears to be related to my strobe.

My avionics shop confirms I have RG400. So we'll check that off the list. Will the AUDIO setup settings impact reception? The options are Active Com (volume level and squelch on/off), Standby Com (volume level and squelch on/off), Sidetone (volume level), Active VLOC (volume level and Id On/Off), and Aural Alert (volume level).

Good point! Something else to investigate. https://www.wiremasters.net/about-us/blog/new-ads-b-systems-bring-coaxial-demands-rg58-vs-rg400

Thank you! I will continue my troubleshooting. Primary symptom is poor distance reception though at times even close-up reception (like talking to ground) is poor; also picking up some interference from the flashing strobe.

@chriscalandro I hope you will continue to post updates as I had an IFD440 / GNS 430W replacement surgery recently and am experiencing degraded comm. Thanks for the PIREPs!