Becker vs Microair

Buy an ATR500 from Funkwerk(ex-Filser) in Germany.
Reasonable price,excellent quality and IT WORKS FAULTLESSLY!

I too had an early Microair and have been scarred for life.

Pete

Buy an ATR500 form Funkwerk(ex-Filser) in Germany.
Reasonable price,good quality and IT WORKS FAULTLESSLY!

http://www.shop.funkwerk-avionics.com/english/

I too had an early Microair and have been scarred for life.

Pete

Second that.

Went through all this tossing up - considered what was installed in other aircraft, and how they were standing up after
a couple of years. Considered the service available. Choice was Becker or Funkwerk.

Consequently:
Remove one by prehistoric power gobbling, huge, heavy,dual 360 channel King.
Lose 2.4kg in cockpit after installing one tiny light ATR500.

Pleasant Surprises
The fittings and wiring that come with the beast are first rate.
The instructions are clear - and correct.
The thing works as advertised - first time.
Reception is crystal clear.
Transmission is perfect - it has a function to tune the transmitter to the microphone. So my ultra low power LX electret
mike can now work from 10cm from my face.
It works down to pretty low voltages. I have not had it below 11.2 volts, but everything was still working at that point.
The dual channel function works well.
The squelch is automatic - and it works.
Power consumption is very low.
Limited experience is that hot (30+ centigrade at launch) and high (13,000 feet) are not problems.

Negatives.
The user interface is very logical, but some of the buttons are hard to reach accurately in my Std Cirrus, bigger might
have been better.
The display is quite readable, but a little cryptic.
You have to turn a knob and push a button for some of the functions. Beats the switch off+on alternative, but again in
the Cirrus the panel is an inconvenient stretch away...
Good part is that in general you only ever have to use the stored frequency knob to select one of the 9 saved channels,
and it is a good size. Everything else is pretty much automatic, or set and forget.

All things considered, I am happy enough with the Funkwerk (ex Filser) product to have ordered it's replacement ATR833
for the new toy.

For reference - fly with a Dittel in the Kestrel and don't like it as much. It is a slightly older radio (FSG2T), but
the ATR500 is far nicer to use == better.

Biggest advantage - I can now get two days power out of one battery , compared to three hours with the monster...


My 2c. worth - come over to the dark side - No amount of cheap is going to compensate for recreation spoiled by stuff
malfunctioning - rather skip a couple of luxuries or make some other plan and buy quality.

Bruce


Pete Startup wrote:
Buy an ATR500 form Funkwerk(ex-Filser) in Germany.
Reasonable price,good quality and IT WORKS FAULTLESSLY!

http://www.shop.funkwerk-avionics.com/english/

I too had an early Microair and have been scarred for life.

Pete

On Sat, 16 Aug 2008 08:39:59 +0000, Pete Startup wrote:

Buy an ATR500 from Funkwerk(ex-Filser) in Germany. Reasonable
price,excellent quality and IT WORKS FAULTLESSLY!

I fitted an ATR500 last winter and am happy with it, though I admit that
I usually soar with it off. I've had no problems with it. Its main
limitation is only 9 presets and the need to remember which preset has
what frequency.

If you want to label the frequencies and have 99 of them, consider the
ATR600.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

Does anyone have any experience with the newer XCOM radio? I had a demo
at Oshkosh and it looked logical with reasonable performance and power
draw. It also has a repeater head, which would be nice for my
two-seater. Given all of the comments in this thread, its obvious that
reliablity is a key concern.

- from someone with an unnamed brand radio in for repair for that last
11 months, but that's another story -

...... Neal

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

ATR600 and ATR833 have a remote head capability.

I understand that if cheap is the requirement then the Microair or XCom may be worth looking at. Based on what I saw -
the eagerness of nearly every microair owner I met to move their radio on at an attractive price, caveat emptor...

Personally I find it impossible to remember what all the frequencies are - given there are 9 of them I program in what I
need if I move to a different location. We have relatively uncomplicated airspace so I have never felt a need for even
the full 9.

Neal Pfeiffer wrote:
Does anyone have any experience with the newer XCOM radio? I had a demo
at Oshkosh and it looked logical with reasonable performance and power
draw. It also has a repeater head, which would be nice for my
two-seater. Given all of the comments in this thread, its obvious that
reliablity is a key concern.

- from someone with an unnamed brand radio in for repair for that last
11 months, but that's another story -

..... Neal

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

Jim White wrote:
My first Becker went back. The second is fine if the volts are high. 12.5
I guess, but I cannot tell because the voltmeter on it always reads 15.1
(on 12V batteries). I would prefer not to buy another Becker. Surely
there MUST be a better alternative?

Sounds like your second Becker should go back, too; however, I suggest
you first swap it with a another glider with a same model Becker that is
working properly. That could tell you if the problem is the Becker or
the stuff in the glider that is causing the problem.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

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

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

"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.