Radio issues

[The-sky-captain]

Today on a flight the 430 worked perfect the first 30 minutes or so. I noticed a slight static sound, like a stuck mic, and called for a radio check. Long story short they could hear me but I could not hear them. After that I switched to my #2 radio which is an old MX 170 B and all was fine. On the ground I messed with the 430 and could hear fairly good if the volume was turned up a bit but one airborne the static got louder and I could not hear ATC at all no matter how high I cranked up the volume. Once again, they could hear me loud and clear.

I've flown behind this radio for 900 hours over the last 5 years and have never had a single issue until today. As mentioned earlier it happened very quickly as the first part of the initial flight was trouble free. I've got the plane going to Maxwell at the end of the month and will have him address the issue if it's not resolved by months end. Soooo..... Any ideas??

[philipneeper]

I know sometimes a P lead from a mag can cause radio static. Not saying this is the cause but its something i ran into.

[spaz]

I had the same issues and when I adjusted the com volume it would work for about half an hour.  I ended up getting the com volume pot replaced by Penn Avionics and not a problem since.

 

Mike

[Bob - S50]

On another forum I read, a couple guys reported lots of static that made the radio unreadable.  In their case it was caused by the ELT.  They disconnected the ELT and the problem went away.  Can't remember what brand their ELT was, but apparently it was picking up local radio stations, amplifying it, and sending out a signal that caused static on the radio.

 

Bob

[jlunseth]

Push the squelch button so the automatic squelch functions again.  Its the "Comm" button in the upper left.

[1964-M20E]

On another forum I read, a couple guys reported lots of static that made the radio unreadable.  In their case it was caused by the ELT.  They disconnected the ELT and the problem went away.  Can't remember what brand their ELT was, but apparently it was picking up local radio stations, amplifying it, and sending out a signal that caused static on the radio.

 

Bob

I’ve experienced the same thing but only around KNEW on 119.9 and 119.5 and only with my new plane my older plane did not have this problem.  I get the static with both radios Narco NCS 812  and King KT97A.  Furthermore, it only happens in certain locations around New Orleans other areas I can transmit and receive fine.  I unplugged my ELT and it went away.  We do have a few antenna farms around here that could be part of it.

[Schinderhannes]

I had a similar problem with my KX165. After getting taking for $1000 ride by a dishonest radio shop in the Los Angeles area, I researched the problem myself and it was a defective audio panel.

[The-sky-captain]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll dig into it

[Marauder]

I'm glad to hear you are not dealing with a history of issues with your Garmin radio. I have had a number of issues with my GTN 650 where controllers can't hear me. Pretty sad that I need to resort to an old Narco MX-12D+ to make that happen.

[The-sky-captain]

I had the same issues and when I adjusted the com volume it would work for about half an hour.  I ended up getting the com volume pot replaced by Penn Avionics and not a problem since.

 

Mike

Do you remember what the cost of the com volume pot was and where you bought it from? Several sources have told me they are in the $800 range and have to be purchased directly from Garmin. Nuts!

I'm glad to hear you are not dealing with a history of issues with your Garmin radio. I have had a number of issues with my GTN 650 where controllers can't hear me. Pretty sad that I need to resort to an old Narco MX-12D+ to make that happen.

How did you get the issue fixed? Was it a pot switch?

[The-sky-captain]

Push the squelch button so the automatic squelch functions again.  Its the "Comm" button in the upper left.

I'll give this a shot as well as it's free. I may have accidentally tapped it without realizing it. Would this cause me from being able to receive clearly?

[larryb]

No it would not prevent you from hearing a signal cleanly. An open squelch just allows you to hear a weak signal, and you will hear static with no signal.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Marauder]

How did you get the issue fixed? Was it a pot switch?

Still not fixed. I have received a number of COM firmware update notifications from Garmin, I'm hoping that one of them will take care of.

[spaz]

Mine would be silent until the volume was radically moved then audio would return for about 1/2 an hour. I knew it was the pot and I asked them to replace it. I think they charged me about 250-260. I spent nearly as much on shipping insurance, go figure FedEx wouldn't loose it with insurance. I took a gamble that'd probably fix it vs going back to garmin. It was still out and back before my engine maintenance was done.

Mike

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[jlunseth]

Bodie if the squelch trick does not work, the next thing I would check is whether the unit is secure in the tray.  It is a slide in fit, and the unit is held in place by a small, long screw.  There should be a hole in the front of the unit to access that screw with a small screwdriver.  At the back of the screw is a cam fitting, the fitting also being capable of moving up and down on the threads of the screw.  The idea is to push the unit into the tray, the cam fitting being adjusted to the correct spot on the screw, and then a turn of the screw also turns the cam and locks the unit firmly in place.  It is not that hard to just miss with the cam fitting and then the unit is loose in the tray, free to make and lose contact with the connections on the back.  If you know what you are doing, I would first make sure that cam is in the correct spot, the unit is fully installed in the tray, and the cam is screwed home correctly.  If you don't then a local A&P will know how and can do it in five minutes.

 

If that does not work and the auto squelch does not work, and the other radio is fine so it is not the PTT, then it is the unit.  I have to say, Garmin radios are not perfection.  I have a 430AW which was a $3000+ upcharge from the standard unit, it has a 16W transmitter and should light up LA when I transmit from MSP, but I often lose comm on it and have to go to my 30 year old King.  I ran into another Mooney pilot with the same unit and the same problem, of all places at a Mooney PPP that included a trip to the Garmin plant.  In my experience, the GPS parts of the units on the other hand have been flawless.

[The-sky-captain]

I'm going to fly tmrrw so I'll give the squelch a shot and report back. If that doesn't fix it I'll try some of the other suggestions here and see if I get lucky. I appreciate all of the insight into the problem, MS is great!