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Old August 16th 08, 06:16 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bill Daniels
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Posts: 687
Default Becker vs Microair


"jcarlyle" wrote in message
...
Both my Becker radio (AR4201 installed July 2000) and Becker
transponder (ATC4401 installed April 2008) have worked and performed
to my entire satisfaction. I would definitely buy Becker again!

I know there are folks who have had problems, but I think you'll
always hear about problems and seldom hear about good experiences. One
should also keep in mind that electronics problems in gliders may be
magnified since a lot of instrument wiring seems to be done by non-
professionals.

-John


John is right. Reliability is more often the result of a good installation
rather than the basic radio.

I have a Microair and, as long as you feed it 11.5V, it works fine. Up and
down the flightline it seems that every radio brand has it's share of
problems. Gliders are a harsh environment for complex electronics. Be
thankful radios work at all.

Most often I note the problem is low battery voltage or bad power wires, bad
antenna connection, bad mike or mike wiring. Classic symptom: "Works on the
bench but not in the glider."

I do recall one problem with my Microair 760. At first there were
complaints of low modulation (strong carrier - weak voice). I increased
mike gain with a screw in the side of the unit and now have good modulation.
I think radios are set for use in airplanes where pilots are likely to shout
over engine noise. In gliders, we tend to speak softer so we need to set
higher mike gain.