Intercom Opinions, Please.

AK737pilot

AK737pilot

Pre-Flight
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Aug 20, 2017
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Chris
My 182 is in need of a new intercom and wiring. It currently has the venerable Sigronics SPA-400 that was installed back when mullets were in style.... I'm getting some random crackling and popping with it on. Not entirely sure if it's in the intercom wiring, but I wouldn't surprised if it was.

My current radios and audio panel work fine so I'm not quite ready to get an intercom/audio panel quite yet, just a quick fix/upgrade on the stand-alone intercom. Having a couple bluetooth enabled Bose headsets, I'm not too concerned with AUX audio... although it might be nice to have the option.

Options are:
ps-engineering PM1000II
ps-engineering PM3000A
Sigtronics SCI-4
AvCom DX-AC6PA
FlightCom 403

Have I missed any?

I'd love to hear any first-hand experience with any of the above.

Thanks!

 
Chris,

I have the PM1000 II. I had the old Sigtronics as well and it was pretty much T/U when I bought my airplane. Just like you, I wasn’t ready to dump a bunch of money into an all one one audio panel while my old Collins panel was still working fine. My mechanic recommended the PM1000 and new wiring and I’ve been very happy with it. Everything is crystal clear and you have Crew and ISO positions. You can wire up aux inputs but I didn’t bother with it. The box ran about $400.
 
Thanks for the info!

This will be a fun project!


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AK737pilot said:
My 182 is in need of a new intercom and wiring. It currently has the venerable Sigronics SPA-400 that was installed back when mullets were in style.... I'm getting some random crackling and popping with it on. Not entirely sure if it's in the intercom wiring, but I wouldn't surprised if it was.

My current radios and audio panel work fine so I'm not quite ready to get an intercom/audio panel quite yet, just a quick fix/upgrade on the stand-alone intercom. Having a couple bluetooth enabled Bose headsets, I'm not too concerned with AUX audio... although it might be nice to have the option.

Options are:
ps-engineering PM1000II
ps-engineering PM3000A
Sigtronics SCI-4
AvCom DX-AC6PA
FlightCom 403

Have I missed any?

I'd love to hear any first-hand experience with any of the above.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you don’t need stereo then go with the 1000. I have had an older PM1000 and newer PM1000II, both great intercoms. I had good luck buying used ones for half price.
 
I've got the SPA400 also and had the same static/crackling. I checked the wiring and cleaned up the mic and audio jacks at all 4 positions and still had the crackling. I picked up another 400 (cheap) and swapped it out, still had crackling. Where I eventually found the problem was the mic jack for the old handheld mic. Some grunge had built up on the mic jack contacts and after cleaning and bending them a bit more away from each other, problem solved.
 
I like PS Engineering’s intercom in my Cessna. Had another in my last Cub. I had both installed so the brand choice was mine. My Cessna intercom is stereo with a music input but that’s unimportant in these days of bluetooth headsets.

PS’s tech support is top notch, even when the problem isn’t in the intercom.
 
Flybuddy said:
I've got the SPA400 also and had the same static/crackling. I checked the wiring and cleaned up the mic and audio jacks at all 4 positions and still had the crackling. I picked up another 400 (cheap) and swapped it out, still had crackling. Where I eventually found the problem was the mic jack for the old handheld mic. Some grunge had built up on the mic jack contacts and after cleaning and bending them a bit more away from each other, problem solved.
Click to expand...

Sounds like I’m in for a rebuild of my intercom system. I unplugged everything except my headset and the crackling still existed. It’s time for new hardware anyway. I think a PM1000II or a PM3000A (it’s not that much more) with all new jacks and shielded wiring will be the way to go.


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AK737pilot said:
Sounds like I’m in for a rebuild of my intercom system. I unplugged everything except my headset and the crackling still existed. It’s time for new hardware anyway. I think a PM1000II or a PM3000A (it’s not that much more) with all new jacks and shielded wiring will be the way to go.


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Click to expand...

PS engineering does make nice stuff. You could try just replacing the intercom with the PM3000 and test for static before replacing the existing wiring and jacks. Good Luck!
 
AK737pilot said:
Sounds like I’m in for a rebuild of my intercom system. I unplugged everything except my headset and the crackling still existed. It’s time for new hardware anyway. I think a PM1000II or a PM3000A (it’s not that much more) with all new jacks and shielded wiring will be the way to go.
Click to expand...

You already eliminated the possibility that it's your headset right?
 
dmspilot said:
You already eliminated the possibility that it's your headset right?
Click to expand...

It’s a Bose A20 that’s just over a year old... I won’t rule it out though!


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Have always had good luck with PS engineering equipment.
 
I'd question the the wiring before the box.

Did you check from your headset each plug location? Did you disconnect all reconnect one by one?

It's true you can spend more on diagnosis than a new box with more gizmos. Just throwing out the question.
 
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