Strange beeping in my headset during flight yesterday

[Houman]

Hi,

 

On my flight home yesterday from MAPA event in Chattanooga, going to KAGC for fuel, when I noticed at 11500 feet that I started hearing a strange sound in my headset. it was something like a Morse code that you use to identify a station, mostly like the short beep part. Everything looked ok in the airplane, no CHT/EGT/TIT issues, noting on the oil or fuel, gear or flaps or any systems what so ever and flying fine, and speed was about 185 KIAS, so no airspeed warning beep at that point.

 

I started to diagnose the problem in a Sherlock Holmes kind of way, after going trough everything I could think of on the plane systems, I kind of thought it might be my LightSpeed Zulu 2 headset making the noise, I tried to remove them but the engine sound is so overwhelming that you can't hear anything else. I then tried a second set of headset (Bose) A10 that I always carry with me and plug it on pilot site, I was not hearing the beep there. A bit later I tried my Zulu 2 on the co-pilot plug and I was not hearing the beeping either, plug it back to pilot's side, I was hearing the beep, I tried removing my XRX PCAS that connects to pilot side with a Y connection to the pilot's side and nothing changed. Finally I turned off and on the ANR on my Zulu 2 Headset and at that point, the beeping didn't come back.

 

I would say it was more annoying than anything else, but not really happy about hearing a beep continuously like that when flying, beside the noise fatigue and distraction, it is worrisome that something is really wrong with the plane. This was the 1st time I had this issue and I have been using this Zulu 2 headset for more almost 2 years now.

 

One particular thing, I had just replaced the batteries on the headset before my flight, since the light on it was showing red before meaning low battery, after the change, it was showing green, as usual.

 

Anyone has had this before ?

[RangerJim]

Marker beacon?

[Houman]

Don't think so, I didn't have the marker pushed in the audio panel and I did change the navigation frequency on the GTN just to make sure, although it is something my MAPA CFI used during one of our approaches in Chattanooga. Since we don't have Marker beacon's in Canada, I'm not sure how they work. But I did see that it was not pushed in on the audio panel.

[Marauder]

I have heard marker beacons on my Zulus. But from your troubleshooting, it sounds like it is following the headset.

I think yesterday was the day of electronic demons. I had issues with my radios with sounds as well.

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[FlyDave]

Was the bluetooth trying to connect to your phone?

[chrisk]

I've had a faint marker beacon show up before, but I don't recall ever receiving one at that altitude.

[PTK]

I had read somewhere that NASA also had reported an unexplained beep from the edge of a crater on Mars the Curiocity rover was exploring!

Could be it! You were high enough to receive it!

[yvesg]

Did you have a cellular phone or an iPAD open and allowed to connect to cellular Network? (Not in airplane mode)

The way it sounds when a cell or iPAD hanshakes with the network could be misidentified as similar to Morse code for untrained ears.

Yves

[Houman]

Well I had 2 Ipads and my cell open and on the co-pilot seat, but I have had that before, and never heard that sound and the Bluetooth was not trying to connect, not on my phone at least, maybe one of the IPad, since I have paired them a long time ago for music.

 

Didn't thought it might be just an electronic noise signals and I didn't have this issue on my 2nd leg at 13500 feet from KAGC to CYMX.

[HRM]

 Finally I turned off and on the ANR on my Zulu 2 Headset and at that point, the beeping didn't come back.

 

 

ANR headsets work using a feedback principle.

 

The sensor for the loop is a microphone of some sort that samples the noise level external to the headset.

 

A circuit in the headset then subtracts out the noise from any signal being fed to the earphones.

 

When that signal combines with the sound getting past the passive NR features of the headphones, voilà, active noise reduction.

 

Anyway, the operative word here is feedback. Any feedback system can develop a beat frequency, but Bose won't because they know how to correct it (that's why you pay the big bucks).

 

You were hearing a beat from the Zulus that was reset when you power cycled.

 

That's why they are called Zulus. The Zulus used drums to drive their enemies nuts before the attack.

[Houman]

Wow, thanks HRM, nice to understand what might have been going on, but still don't know why I was not getting the beep when connecting the Zulu 2 to my co-pilot plugs.

[M016576]

ADF, ILS or VOR identifier freq- what sort of radios do you have other than the gtn? The "on" knob is typically also volume for that on king radios...

[DonMuncy]

Any possibility your headset temporarily mis-detected you had changed the battery and was warning you of a low battery.

[Houman]

Not sure Don, as since I was more busy in making sure I didn't have a serious system's problem, it kind of took me a while to eliminate everything with the plane before thinking it was the headset.

 

My 1st assumption was that I was getting a marker beacon or an ILS identifier or something, that is why I checked both radios.

 

I guess what ever it was, the reset on the headsets solved it.

[PTK]

Anyway, the operative word here is feedback. Any feedback system can develop a beat frequency, but Bose won't because they know how to correct it...

That's why they are called Zulus. The Zulus used drums to drive their enemies nuts before the attack.

Funny experience I had a couple of years ago when I purchased a Bose for pax use.

I called lightspeed inquiring about their zulu. One of my questions was where are they made. After being placed on hold and transferred a couple of times and placed on hold again, I was (mis) informed that they are made in the USA!!

They're actually made in China!

Why the person found it necessary to lie I don't know. Maybe they didn't know the answer to my question!

Bose is...well...Bose! And it's proudly made here.

[Bob_Belville]

My David Clark NC headset beeps when the 9V is low.

[1964-M20E]

Maybe strobe light and alternator / voltage regulator??

 

the Light speed Sierra's are cheaper than the Zulus and made in the USA go figure.  I like the Sierra.

[HRM]

Wow, thanks HRM, nice to understand what might have been going on, but still don't know why I was not getting the beep when connecting the Zulu 2 to my co-pilot plugs.

 

Good point. I am now leaning towards the battery theory--do they beep when the battery gets low?

 

Sometimes a reset gives the battery just enough rest, or jiggles the contacts, that it comes back enough to overcome the low batt threshold.

 

We are into electrical gremlins theory now.

[gsxrpilot]

I've got a set of those Chinese Zulu's and love them. I've had the Bose as well, but prefer the Zulu's. Of course my iPhone, iPad, MacPro, and a host of other things around the house are all Chinese made as well. I have no problem with the Chinese manufacturing the cool stuff American's think up.  We gotta quit crying about it and think some more cool shit up for them to manufacture.

[cujet]

ADF, ILS or VOR identifier freq- what sort of radios do you have other than the gtn? The "on" knob is typically also volume for that on king radios...

 

 

This is my guess. A nav radio is providing audible information. 

 

This can happen when the audio panel has nav audio selected. But, to confuse the issue, it's not unusual for an audio panel to allow audio from unselected source through as a mode of failure. (in other words, the audio panel can fail-safe to the "selected" position)

 

Try turning nav radio's off and/or changing nav freq's if this happens again. 

[Piloto]

Tinnitus, maybe?

José

[Guest]

I've got a set of those Chinese Zulu's and love them. I've had the Bose as well, but prefer the Zulu's. Of course my iPhone, iPad, MacPro, and a host of other things around the house are all Chinese made as well. I have no problem with the Chinese manufacturing the cool stuff American's think up.  We gotta quit crying about it and think some more cool shit up for them to manufacture.

Too bad we couldn't build some neat stuff they'd like to buy from us for once.

Clarence

[Marauder]

Too bad we couldn't build some neat stuff they'd like to buy from us for once.

Clarence

We do. It is called real estate and they are owning more and more of it everyday.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[PTK]

I've got a set of those Chinese Zulu's and love them. I've had the Bose as well, but prefer the Zulu's. Of course my iPhone, iPad, MacPro, and a host of other things around the house are all Chinese made as well. I have no problem with the Chinese manufacturing the cool stuff American's think up. We gotta quit crying about it and think some more cool shit up for them to manufacture.

That wasn't my point! I have no problem with the Chinese working either.

What I do have a problem with is ethics or lack thereof. A company manufacturing a product outside this country with every intent to sell it back in the country and when asked about it finds it so easy to lie!

Do they not understand it is disrespectful to lie to your own customer base?

That was my point.

In contrast here is my experience with Bose. I got a great deal on a brand new Bose headset on ebay a couple years ago. It was listed as new at some crazy low price. Half of what a Bose normally goes for and being from ebay I wanted reassurance. Before making the purchase I called Bose tech support and had them check the serial number. The gentleman confirmed the date of manufacture. I explained to him the situation that it was from ebay and I was concerned about the warranty and if I bought it could I send it in to them to go over it and check it out. He reassured me there would be no issues with warranty and to send in registration info once I bought it. Also he proceded to give me instructions on how to send it in to get it checked out.

I sent it in and had it back a week later at no charge! They didn't have to do that but they did. This shows that they stand behind their product and that they care about the customer even of I didn't buy it from them.

[fantom]

...I sent it in and had it back a week later at no charge! They didn't have to do that but they did. This shows that they stand behind their product and that they care about the customer even of I didn't buy it from them.

 

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