Becker vs Microair

"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

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

On Aug 15, 8:18*pm, Dixie Sierra wrote:
I've decided to give up on my Avionic Dittel and buy new. It's been a
good radio and has given many years of service, but I'd like some new
functionality.

Functionality is really at the heart of my dilemna. I've kind of
narrowed things down to Becker vs Microair (I've ruled out Walter
Dittel on price... everyone has a limit independent of reason). There
seems to be a broad consensus that the Becker is a more reliable
choice. However, the Microair seems to offer a number of superior
features.

1) Remote operation from a stick mounted toggle.
2) Dual scan beteween the active and standby freqs with the ability to
transmit on the active. (Becker also offers a scan option but it seems
to be cover far more freqs and the freqs covered can only be changed
by turning the radio off and on at least twice. Dual scan seems very
nice when flying XC in the vicinity of an active airport.)
3 Alpha descriptions of saved freqs.
4) Variable squelch (Becker has this, but not without turning the
radio off and on at least twice to make changes.)

So here I am... The Microair costs less and has "better" features. But
who cares if it doesn't work?

What to do? What to do?.. I think I'll fly with the handheld!

What am I missing? I'm sure there are many cosniderations that escape
me.

Doug


Doug,

I bought a used Becker AR3201 from Wings & Wheels more than 15 years
ago and it has been working flawlessly ever since. If I had to replace
it, I would consider a Becker again.
You want to pick a manufacturer that has been around for a while and
will be around for a while, too. Service/Repair facility network is an
important point, too.

Uli

I have a Mircoaire Rev N radio in my glider, purchased as a "Gllider Kit"
kit with mic, speaker, and wiring harness from Aircraf Spruce. It has
worked fine for me. Folks report my transmissions are clear and strong, as
long as my glider is not pointed straight at them (antenna in trailing edge
of rudder, most of which is carbon fiber). I mentioned it was specifically
a "glider kit" since the modulation has been fine.

Our club has another Mircoaire Rev N in a 1-26 that works fine, but has had
to have the mic gain adjusted.

If battery voltage is gets low, the transmission does seem to get garbled.
I fly with 2 batteries so I can switch a fresh one in late in the day if
needed to get good radio transmission.

John Scott

On Aug 16, 8:18*am, Dixie Sierra wrote:

2) Dual scan beteween the active and standby freqs with the ability to
transmit on the active. (Becker also offers a scan option but it seems
to be cover far more freqs and the freqs covered can only be changed
by turning the radio off and on at least twice. Dual scan seems very
nice when flying XC in the vicinity of an active airport.)

I might be wrong but I don't think that the Microaire has dual scan.
It has active and standby freqs but you have to manually toggle
between them.

Otherwise it has what you say that Becker has, scanning all the
channels in memory.

Here is a quote from the manual;

Mode Switch - Scan Mode - By holding down the toggle switch for 3
seconds, the M760 goes into scan mode. The programmed memories are
cycled quickly across the display. The M760 checks each memory in turn
for any signal. If there is no signal the radio moves to the next
programmed memory. When a signal is detected, the scan locks to that
memory to receive the signal. This memory is held for 10 seconds after
the signal finishes to afford the user an opportunity to reply on that
memory channel. The user can stop the scan operation by pressing down
briefly the toggle key, or the PTT button.

Must be new to Rev P.

I decided on the Microair. I don't know if I'll regret it... but I'll
sure find out. Cost was not the only factor, or even the deciding
factor, but it was a factor. With the money I'll save, I can buy a
PCAS (almost). There's at least one Microair in the local area that
seems to work fine.

6.1.2 Monitor Function
By holding down the remote memory button or toggle key for 3
seconds and then releasing, the M760 will enable the monitor
function. Both active and standby frequencies are monitored at
the same time for a signal. An ‘M’ character will oscillate up
and down to indicate that the monitor function is active.
A signal can be received on either the active or the standby
frequency. While receiving a signal on the
active frequency the standby channel is NOT monitored. While receiving
a signal on the standby
frequency the active channel is periodically monitored. If a signal is
found on the active frequency the
M760 will revert to the active frequency. After a signal has been
received the M760 will return to
monitoring both frequencies.
IMPORTANT NOTE
The user can only transmit on the active frequency. If the PTT is
keyed the
radio will transmit on the active frequency only.
Monitor mode can be cancelled by pressing the remote memory button or
toggle key briefly. The ‘M’
character is no longer displayed at the right hand end of the display.
If the mode key is pressed to move
to channel mode, the monitor function is dis-engaged.

On Aug 19, 8:41*am, Dixie Sierra wrote:
Must be new to Rev P.

I decided on the Microair. I don't know if I'll regret it...

I doubt if you'll regret it. Many of the early problems were caused by
poor contact between the microcontroller and its socket. Later
version used a better quality socket and the early ones can be made
fully function by following a service bulletin that improves the
contact with the original socket. It an easy fix that any electronics
amateur would be capable of doing. (A while ago Microaire prevented
public access to the SBs but I have PDFs if anyone needs one)

Thanks for the information on the dual scan mode. I don't have that
but it sounds like are useful upgrade.

I don't have to persuade you since you already decided on Microaire,
but I'd never want a glider radio that didn't have pilot adjustable
squelch level. It allows monitoring of safety calls from close
gliders while shutting off the distant chatterers. Break the squelch
before calling ground crew when out on course.


Andy