Vario and Radio on a common speaker?

All,

What are the pros and cons of having a common Speaker for both the radio and the vario?

My new vario (LXNAV V7) requires an external speaker. My radio Dittel FSG71 happens to have an input Audio signal. According to the manual, that audio input is processed and sent to the speaker of the radio. It looks that I could have both the Vario and Radio connected to a single speaker [Obvious to say but I am NOT planning to physically connect the vario and radio output to the same speaker!]. According to the manual again, the sound volume of the vario will still be adjusted from the Vario.

The main benefit is to eliminate the need to lodge a speaker behind my panel and use the existing Radio speaker behind me. In addition, I assume that during transmission, the Radio will shut off the speaker, thus eliminating the Bip Bip of the vario from my communications.

Does anyone have experience with this approach? What are the pros and cons?

Thanks,

Bastoune

My guess it the Dittel will want line level input, not amplified speaker input. I don't think the V7 has line level audio output. You might need some signal conditioning for starters... In order to reduce radio noise when you are concentrating on centering a thermal, you would have to turn the radio completely off, and that might turn the vario off too... You also might miss some subtle awareness cues from having the sounds come from different directions that may enhance processing the inputs. Note how good the brain is at filtering out the conversation next to you in a restaurant, so you can focus on hearing the person across from you...

I was actually thinking the same thing few days ago. I suppose
it would cut the vario sound off when radio is receiving, and also
during transmit. Could be useful?

At 02:55 15 January 2013, Bastoune wrote:
All,

What are the pros and cons of having a common Speaker for
both the radio
an=
d the vario?=20

My new vario (LXNAV V7) requires an external speaker. My
radio Dittel
FSG71=
happens to have an input Audio signal. According to the
manual, that
audio=
input is processed and sent to the speaker of the radio. It
looks that I
c=
ould have both the Vario and Radio connected to a single
speaker [Obvious
t=
o say but I am NOT planning to physically connect the vario
and radio
outpu=
t to the same speaker!]. According to the manual again, the
sound volume
of=
the vario will still be adjusted from the Vario.=20

The main benefit is to eliminate the need to lodge a speaker
behind my
pane=
l and use the existing Radio speaker behind me. In addition, I
assume that
=
during transmission, the Radio will shut off the speaker, thus
eliminating
=
the Bip Bip of the vario from my communications.

Does anyone have experience with this approach? What are
the pros and cons?

Thanks,

Bastoune=20

On Monday, January 14, 2013 9:55:06 PM UTC-5, Bastoune wrote:
All,



What are the pros and cons of having a common Speaker for both the radio and the vario?



My new vario (LXNAV V7) requires an external speaker. My radio Dittel FSG71 happens to have an input Audio signal. According to the manual, that audio input is processed and sent to the speaker of the radio. It looks that I could have both the Vario and Radio connected to a single speaker [Obvious to say but I am NOT planning to physically connect the vario and radio output to the same speaker!]. According to the manual again, the sound volume of the vario will still be adjusted from the Vario.



The main benefit is to eliminate the need to lodge a speaker behind my panel and use the existing Radio speaker behind me. In addition, I assume that during transmission, the Radio will shut off the speaker, thus eliminating the Bip Bip of the vario from my communications.



Does anyone have experience with this approach? What are the pros and cons?



Thanks,



Bastoune

IIRC the when I looked into doing this I uncovered something about the FSG71 using more power when enabling external audio input. It may have had something to do with the fact that the radio uses much less power (when the audio amp is "sleeping") when in squelch mode (i.e., silent). When out of squelch the audio amplifier is on. The changing of the required J4 jumper would keep the audio amp powered continuously for the vario (the radio com would still appear to squelch normally though).

On Wednesday, January 16, 2013 6:15:03 PM UTC-5, Jim wrote:
On Monday, January 14, 2013 9:55:06 PM UTC-5, Bastoune wrote:

All,







What are the pros and cons of having a common Speaker for both the radio and the vario?







My new vario (LXNAV V7) requires an external speaker. My radio Dittel FSG71 happens to have an input Audio signal. According to the manual, that audio input is processed and sent to the speaker of the radio. It looks that I could have both the Vario and Radio connected to a single speaker [Obvious to say but I am NOT planning to physically connect the vario and radio output to the same speaker!]. According to the manual again, the sound volume of the vario will still be adjusted from the Vario.







The main benefit is to eliminate the need to lodge a speaker behind my panel and use the existing Radio speaker behind me. In addition, I assume that during transmission, the Radio will shut off the speaker, thus eliminating the Bip Bip of the vario from my communications.







Does anyone have experience with this approach? What are the pros and cons?







Thanks,







Bastoune



IIRC the when I looked into doing this I uncovered something about the FSG71 using more power when enabling external audio input. It may have had something to do with the fact that the radio uses much less power (when the audio amp is "sleeping") when in squelch mode (i.e., silent). When out of squelch the audio amplifier is on. The changing of the required J4 jumper would keep the audio amp powered continuously for the vario (the radio com would still appear to squelch normally though).

Ah! I found a reference in section 3.4.5 on page 3-12: "...Jumper...is to be changed...this inhibits the automatic power saving circuit"

Bastoune, I'd suggest a second speaker.
Having a different point of source for the vario audio is better than having the same point of source as the radio. Listening to mono mixes, things are not as easily identifiable within the listening material. From experience with stage monitoring using early wireless headphone systems, you end up with "everything louder than everything else" when using mono. Probably not what you want in a glider.
Late model Schleichers have dual speaker positions near the pilot's shoulders, with speaker wire to both. Having vario on one side and radio on the other is very nice and doesn't require much amplification. Any of these audio devices will use more battery power the louder you turn it up.
If you really don't want to have a second speaker, there are transformers available to drop the speaker output of the vario down to line level.
With a radio having auto mute of the line input, it won't be very helpful to lose the vario signal each time someone pushes the PTT, and the switching the radio off trick won't fix it.
Jim

Guys,

Thank you all for your inputs. It seems that perhaps having different speaker is preferable from an audio perspective (beside the additional headhache of connecting the vario to the radio).

Looks like a set of wire will be needed from the panel to the rear of the cockpit for the second speaker(I don't want to have a speaker close to the compass). Do the audio output wire need to be shielded?

Thanks,

B

On Wednesday, January 16, 2013 11:36:16 PM UTC-5, Bastoune wrote:
Guys,



Thank you all for your inputs. It seems that perhaps having different speaker is preferable from an audio perspective (beside the additional headhache of connecting the vario to the radio).



Looks like a set of wire will be needed from the panel to the rear of the cockpit for the second speaker(I don't want to have a speaker close to the compass). Do the audio output wire need to be shielded?



Thanks,



B

I just remembered another concern I had: since the speaker is driven by the radio amp you cannot turn off the radio without then loosing the vario audio.

-Jim

I investigated this when I bought a V7 also. How about one of you electronic geniuses create a circuit board that would do this job for us? It would have two inputs (radio and Vario) and one output to the speaker. It would pass the vario signal through until a radio signal is received. This would allow us to separately adjust the volume of each from the instrument just as we do now. If someone draws it up, I'll fabricate it or hire it out.

Originally Posted by Bastoune

All,

What are the pros and cons of having a common Speaker for both the radio and the vario?

My new vario (LXNAV V7) requires an external speaker. My radio Dittel FSG71 happens to have an input Audio signal. According to the manual, that audio input is processed and sent to the speaker of the radio. It looks that I could have both the Vario and Radio connected to a single speaker [Obvious to say but I am NOT planning to physically connect the vario and radio output to the same speaker!]. According to the manual again, the sound volume of the vario will still be adjusted from the Vario.

The main benefit is to eliminate the need to lodge a speakers behind my panel and use the existing Radio speaker behind me. In addition, I assume that during transmission, the Radio will shut off the speaker, thus eliminating the Bip Bip of the vario from my communications.

Does anyone have experience with this approach? What are the pros and cons?

Thanks,

Bastoune

Your speaker must be pretty old as new ones never had such issues. Can you tell the model number to find better information about the speaker