intercom question

I recently purchased my first a/c, unfortunately it only has a 2 place
intercom. I don't really want to go through the trouble of installing a four
place intercom for the few occasions that I take backseat passengers. I have
looked (online) at the portable intercom systems but I am not sure how they
connect and if they will be compatible with my current intercom. Do these
things just plug and play? Any experiences that you can relate will be
greatly appreciated.

Ge,

It is very possible that you have a four place intercom that simply
doesn't have the rear seats wired. Do you have a model name?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

GE wrote:

I recently purchased my first a/c, unfortunately it only has a 2 place
intercom. I don't really want to go through the trouble of installing a four
place intercom for the few occasions that I take backseat passengers. I have
looked (online) at the portable intercom systems but I am not sure how they
connect and if they will be compatible with my current intercom. Do these
things just plug and play? Any experiences that you can relate will be
greatly appreciated.

I have a Flightcom two-place portable. It plugs into a set of radio jacks. If one
were to plug it into the passenger jacks, you would sort of have a three-place
intercom system. You could pick up a four-place portable and wind up with a
five-place intercom system. Keep in mind that the more electronic units you chain
together, the lousier the sound quality will be. Also keep in mind that, if your
existing intercom and radio system has a PTT for the right seat, all your passengers
will be broadcasting if that PTT is used.

George Patterson
In Idaho, tossing a rattlesnake into a crowded room is felony assault.
In Tennessee, it's evangelism.

The short answer is, yes, they are for the most part plug and play.
Sometimes the plug part is not obvious, but if you follow the directions
you'll figure it out.

I have a similar predicament, bought a 4pl Beechcraft with an old
Davtron 202 2-place intercom that doesn't work very well. There is a
set of jacks straight into the radio, down by where the old microphone
hangs below the throttle quadrant. I have a Softcomm 4-place portable
intercom from my training days. I plug it straight into the radio and
then plug everyone in the plane into the portable, set it between the
front seats, and secure the wiring, and I'm done.

The PTT in the pilot's yoke activates the intercom's talk circuit, so
from my perspective it's just like having a built-in unit. It isn't the
most convenient unit to adjust, but once it is set I don't need to touch
it in the air. There is even a pilot-isolate function if I get
desperate or my pax get too chatty.

If I remember to turn it off, a 9V battery lasts a good 15 hours of
continual use. I think the intercom cost $160 new. It will last until
I can afford to install a real intercom and put jacks in the back seats.


GE wrote:

I recently purchased my first a/c, unfortunately it only has a 2 place
intercom. I don't really want to go through the trouble of installing a four
place intercom for the few occasions that I take backseat passengers. I have
looked (online) at the portable intercom systems but I am not sure how they
connect and if they will be compatible with my current intercom. Do these
things just plug and play? Any experiences that you can relate will be
greatly appreciated.

GE wrote:
I recently purchased my first a/c, unfortunately it only has a 2 place
intercom. I don't really want to go through the trouble of installing a four
place intercom for the few occasions that I take backseat passengers. I have
looked (online) at the portable intercom systems but I am not sure how they
connect and if they will be compatible with my current intercom. Do these
things just plug and play? Any experiences that you can relate will be
greatly appreciated.

G.R. Patterson III wrote:
I have a Flightcom two-place portable. It plugs into a set of radio jacks. If one
were to plug it into the passenger jacks, you would sort of have a three-place
intercom system. You could pick up a four-place portable and wind up with a
five-place intercom system. Keep in mind that the more electronic units you chain
together, the lousier the sound quality will be. Also keep in mind that, if your
existing intercom and radio system has a PTT for the right seat, all your passengers
will be broadcasting if that PTT is used.

A possible problem with daisy-chaining intercoms is feedback into the
intercoms and/or radio when transmitting.