AU_James
Pre-takeoff checklist
BLUF: the comm side of my nav/comm doesn't seem to work and I'm debating whether to spend money for somebody to chase it down or to buy a replacement unit.
A little over a year ago my second nav/comm (MX170B) started giving me issues on the comm. Being VFR only, I just used it to pick up weather at my destination while staying on flight following. Losing that capability is an annoyance, but no big deal. Now that I'm into my IFR training, I need to get it fixed.
First, the Nav side works fine. I'm able to tune into and identify VORs without issue and the HSI works. It will mirror what my 430 is doing. I haven't tried it on a localizer yet but I would imagine it works fine considering.
On Comm, when the unit is powered on I can hear some faint background hiss even when Comm2 is not selected for me to listen to on my audio panel. The hiss goes away as soon as I power off the MX170B. While on, there is a "tic" in the comm window that should indicate transmitter power. I've also tried the "test" button which should override squelch and still hear nothing.
When this first happened, I asked a mechanic to look at it while doing something else. Didn't find anything. During the last annual, non-avionics specialty folks spent a little bit of time just to make sure all connections were secure and to look for anything obvious. Nothing found.
It's frustrating because it seems like it could be something so simple and just "messing around" with the connections or ensuring no interference is occurring would fix it. I even cleaned the antenna on the bottom of the plane to make sure grease wasn't blocking signals. But, I need this thing to work now and I'm hoping somebody else may have some advice or experience with this sort of thing.
If I replace it, also looking for thoughts on whether it's a good idea to go used/ebay or to buy something online. I also assume I'm looking at a KX155 or MX170C but is there something else out there that's a slide-out/in replacement?
A little over a year ago my second nav/comm (MX170B) started giving me issues on the comm. Being VFR only, I just used it to pick up weather at my destination while staying on flight following. Losing that capability is an annoyance, but no big deal. Now that I'm into my IFR training, I need to get it fixed.
First, the Nav side works fine. I'm able to tune into and identify VORs without issue and the HSI works. It will mirror what my 430 is doing. I haven't tried it on a localizer yet but I would imagine it works fine considering.
On Comm, when the unit is powered on I can hear some faint background hiss even when Comm2 is not selected for me to listen to on my audio panel. The hiss goes away as soon as I power off the MX170B. While on, there is a "tic" in the comm window that should indicate transmitter power. I've also tried the "test" button which should override squelch and still hear nothing.
When this first happened, I asked a mechanic to look at it while doing something else. Didn't find anything. During the last annual, non-avionics specialty folks spent a little bit of time just to make sure all connections were secure and to look for anything obvious. Nothing found.
It's frustrating because it seems like it could be something so simple and just "messing around" with the connections or ensuring no interference is occurring would fix it. I even cleaned the antenna on the bottom of the plane to make sure grease wasn't blocking signals. But, I need this thing to work now and I'm hoping somebody else may have some advice or experience with this sort of thing.
If I replace it, also looking for thoughts on whether it's a good idea to go used/ebay or to buy something online. I also assume I'm looking at a KX155 or MX170C but is there something else out there that's a slide-out/in replacement?
