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Old August 17th 08, 04:24 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
James Hamilton[_2_]
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Posts: 15
Default Becker vs Microair

At 19:18 16 August 2008, Wayne Paul wrote:

"Neal Pfeiffer" wrote in message
news
When I asked about XCOM, it was not because of price. In fact in the

US

the cost is on par with a Becker and definitely well above a Microair.

I

simply wanted to know if others out there use them and found them to be


reliable.

As for ATR radios, the ATR720C in my Ka6E has worked well. The ATR57

in

my Ka6BR has not been reliable. Now the ATR57 in a friend's Elfe

appears
to work well for him. My 57 was an early version and they may be more


problematic. Whenever I get the 57 back from the shop, I will need to


decide whether to keep it or trade it out. I do want to keep the small


package with a circular, panel mount.

..... Neal


I have one of the very early ATR 57s. It set around the shop for about
four
years while I was restoring my HP-14. When it was finally installed, it
had
problems. It was sent back to the factory (not a inexpensive process)

and

was upgraded.

As Brian mentions, there are times I miss transmissions if my squelch is
set
too high and there is background hiss if it isn't.

Counting the ART 57's original cost plus the repair cost, I could have

had
a
new Becker and a few extra dollars in my pocket.

Wayne
HP-14 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/Schreder



I had a Becker 3201 radio and Becker 4401 xpndr in my Ventus for 6 years
(they are still there, I think, new owner). They both worked flawlessly
in all kinds of temperatures at altitudes from sea level to above 20K. In
both cases I spent a few extra bucks to have a professional make up the
wiring harness for me. Basically all I had to do was hook up two wires
for power. Also, a good antenna installation is a must. The Becker ran
on a 12 volt battery and I had flights up to 6 hours in length with the
radio going strong...xmit & receive (granted I don't talk much on the
radio). I got many comments from others about how clear and strong my
transmissions were heard over the air..."airline" quality.

JLH