Problems with Becker

I have a Becker 3201 radio in my glider that has a problem. With a
fully charged 14 V system I find that when I push the PTT switch the
display starts to blink and the radio then transmits a garbled buzzing
noise. A friend thinks that the flashing is a low power signal and
that the 24 year old wiring may be offering enough resistance to cause
a voltage drop. The radio receives just fine. Anyone know or heard of
this problem (and the fix) in the past? TIA

Mike
KV

Hi Mike
Check the battery voltage under load (when you key the transmiter). If
ok check the voltage as close to the radio as you can while keying the
transmiter. There could be a poor connection between the battery and
the radio. If that is ok try your radio in a ship that has the same
radio. Don't forget to attach the antenna!

Ken (KP)

Mike,

A blinking display is the signal for low voltage (10.5-11) and it would
show up first during transmit. I am not so sure about the buzzing
sound though.

Test the disconnect the radio and test the voltage on the DB-15
connector. Pins 4 and 5 are +, pins 2 and 3 are ground. Test those
with a multimeter for voltage at the radio. The fix if that's bad is
to rewire the radio power leads.

You might just need to clean the connectors on the radio.

If you can't fix it that way, pull it and send it to Erie Aviation.

Todd Smith
3S

Who has rewired his becker 3 time this year, before I got it right.


wrote:
I have a Becker 3201 radio in my glider that has a problem. With a
fully charged 14 V system I find that when I push the PTT switch the
display starts to blink and the radio then transmits a garbled buzzing
noise. A friend thinks that the flashing is a low power signal and
that the 24 year old wiring may be offering enough resistance to cause
a voltage drop. The radio receives just fine. Anyone know or heard of
this problem (and the fix) in the past? TIA

Mike
KV

Careful probing those pins on the DB-15. It is extraordinarily
difficult to probe the pins without shorting them.



A good alternative is to get the matching connector (male or female),
plug it in, and probe the connections on the back of the connector.
Much easier to probe that way.



Larry







Test the disconnect the radio and test the voltage on the DB-15
connector. Pins 4 and 5 are +, pins 2 and 3 are ground. Test those
with a multimeter for voltage at the radio. The fix if that's bad is
to rewire the radio power leads.

You might just need to clean the connectors on the radio.

If you can't fix it that way, pull it and send it to Erie Aviation.

Todd Smith
3S

Who has rewired his becker 3 time this year, before I got it right.


wrote:
I have a Becker 3201 radio in my glider that has a problem. With a
fully charged 14 V system I find that when I push the PTT switch the
display starts to blink and the radio then transmits a garbled buzzing
noise. A friend thinks that the flashing is a low power signal and
that the 24 year old wiring may be offering enough resistance to cause
a voltage drop. The radio receives just fine. Anyone know or heard of
this problem (and the fix) in the past? TIA

Mike
KV

Hi
Just to check voltage at the connector is not good enough if there is
a week battery or a poor connection somewhere. It will show the 12v so
you need to put a load on the system get a true reading.

Ken (KP)

toad wrote:
Mike,

A blinking display is the signal for low voltage (10.5-11) and it would
show up first during transmit. I am not so sure about the buzzing
sound though.

Squealing or buzzing is a very common problem with low battery voltage
on transmit.



Test the disconnect the radio and test the voltage on the DB-15
connector. Pins 4 and 5 are +, pins 2 and 3 are ground. Test those
with a multimeter for voltage at the radio. The fix if that's bad is
to rewire the radio power leads.

You might just need to clean the connectors on the radio.

Could be bad wiring or dirty connectors, but a more likely problem
is just a trashed battery that won't hold a charge. Before trying
to measure the voltage at the radio, I'd test the voltage at the
battery to see if it's good. And yes, it does need to be measured
while trying to transmit in order to give real results.

-Dave




If you can't fix it that way, pull it and send it to Erie Aviation.

Todd Smith
3S

Who has rewired his becker 3 time this year, before I got it right.


wrote:

I have a Becker 3201 radio in my glider that has a problem. With a
fully charged 14 V system I find that when I push the PTT switch the
display starts to blink and the radio then transmits a garbled buzzing
noise. A friend thinks that the flashing is a low power signal and
that the 24 year old wiring may be offering enough resistance to cause
a voltage drop. The radio receives just fine. Anyone know or heard of
this problem (and the fix) in the past? TIA

Mike
KV

Some years ago I had a similar problem...It's not related to the glider
battery. Inside the box, on a electronic circuit there is a small
"pill" battery dedicated for the memory. After several years of use,
this small battery was leaking and corroded the close area on the
Printed circuit board inside the radio unit. Of course, false contacts
did occur and after a while the LCD display was no more working, and
the radio was no more emitting.

I strongly recommend to bring your radio to a certified shop for
renewing the battery and cleaning the circuit if found necessary.

Best regards,