Electric Vario Suggestions?

[ContestID67]

I searched back a few years in rec.aviation.soaring to see if this
topic was covered before. If so please forgive me.

I am looking to replace my mechanical Winter vario with a electric or
electronic vario. Any suggestions?

Also, which do you prefer;

1) The mechanical/electrical versions such as a Borgelt B40.
2) An electronic version such as the Tasman V1000.

Thanks, John

[chipsoars]

Haven't used the Tasman to comment. We put a 57mm B-40 in the ship
which works very nicely. The separate battery was a key factor as we
wanted an audio if the main power failed.

Chip F.

[[email protected]]

I use a B40 to backup my LX5000 and Cambridge 302 and find its
performance and reliability to match both.

ted/2NO

[Bruce]

ContestID67 wrote:
> I searched back a few years in rec.aviation.soaring to see if this
> topic was covered before. If so please forgive me.
>
> I am looking to replace my mechanical Winter vario with a electric or
> electronic vario. Any suggestions?
>
> Also, which do you prefer;
>
> 1) The mechanical/electrical versions such as a Borgelt B40.
> 2) An electronic version such as the Tasman V1000.
>
> Thanks, John
>
We recently installed Tasman V1000 varios in one of our club ships and a
syndicate Std Cirrus.

Results are good so far - occasionally wish it were possible to read > 5m/s.
Audio is very clear. I have sensitive hearing, and would prefer to be able to
set the audio quieter. Even in our vintage Bergfalke with its howling gaps we
set it down to 50% volume.

What clinched it for us is the total absence of moving parts. In a club glider
that operates off rough grass this is a really desirable feature.
Similarly we were looking for a smaller and lighter unit, so the 57mm size
suited well. The internal and remote speaker option for the repeated setup is
very neatly wired and compact. Again from a maintenance perspective this is good.

We particularly like the "always on" averager display.
The LCD display is not as good at showing rate of change as a needle - but it
forces one to rely on the audio (which is very sensitive.)From a safety
perspective this is desirable - both students and experienced types have
commented that their eyes spend more time out of the cockpit.

Conclusion - we are extremely happy with the choice - would do the same again.
Service from Tasman has been excellent.
--
Bruce Greeff
Std Cirrus #57
I'm no-T at the address above.

[Ray Lovinggood]

John,

I have a Borgelt B-40 along with a Cambridge 302 and
I'm happy with the B-40. There are other options such
as the new LX16 and the Tasman, and Filser, and Ilec.

The Borgelt has an averager, but you have to push a
switch and hold it for the pointer to stop giving normal
vario information and show the average rate of climb
over the previous 20 seconds. This is cumbersome for
me to do (long stretch). For an additional $125 you
can add a digital display of the average climb. This
additional item, while pricey, still makes the Borgelt
less expensive than the LX16 or the Tasman. However,
the B40 might not have the features of these two.

I see on the Cumulus Soaring site that the Filser LX100
is the cheapest of the group.

The nicest sounding vario I've heard is one from Westeboerer
(sp?). I don't know if they are still available.

Which one works the best? I bet that depends on installation
and the pilot.

If your tubing is suspect, the fuselage-mounted TE
probe as described by Dick Johnson in the latest issue
of Soaring would make an installation of new tubing
easy. Much easier than cutting into the vertical fin
to replace old tubing from the fin all the way to the
cockpit!

Let us know which vario you choose and how you like
the instrument.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA
LS1-d


At 01:36 15 June 2005, Contestid67 wrote:
>I searched back a few years in rec.aviation.soaring
>to see if this
>topic was covered before. If so please forgive me.
>
>I am looking to replace my mechanical Winter vario
>with a electric or
>electronic vario. Any suggestions?
>
>Also, which do you prefer;
>
>1) The mechanical/electrical versions such as a Borgelt
>B40.
>2) An electronic version such as the Tasman V1000.
>
>Thanks, John
>
>