Intercoms

Question: Anyone out there have any experience with a PS Engineering PM 1000 or other PS model that has a portable CD player hooked up to it. My experience is with the Sigtronics SPA-400. One was in my plane when I got it and I used a Walkman cassette / AM-FM in it for years and it worked fine. When portable CD Diskmans came out, I swithed to one of these. The problem I had was not enough volume. The portable CD just didn't put out enough power to crank up the volume like a Walkman cassette play, go figure? I built an amplifier myself, it worked for a year then blew up. I called Sigtronics and they said they knew about the problem and had designed an "amplified" music switcher box that swaped out the original music switcher, plug and play. I got one for $100.00 and it has worked great. Lots of power to crank up my 70's rock and roll. The thing I don't like about this system is all the various parts and no shielded wiring. Do the PS engineering intercoms have an amplified music circut or put out enough volume in flight? Crash

I have a PM1000 intercom wired for external music. Plenty loud. I have a am/fm player from radio shack. The pm1000 has seperate volume controls for the front and rear seat guy. You can use the intercom volume and fm volume to make it really loud, and then the radio (ky97a) volume works independent of everything else. With a noise cancelling headset it really sounds good.

Volume

Thanks Kase, I like the way PS Engineering wires their intercom jacks with sheilded cable and floating ground instead of using the airframe as a ground like Sigtronics = less noise. Just an FYI, I spent a small fortune on portable CD players trying to find on that wouldn't skip and the best one I found is the Sony D-FJ61 AM/FM with CD and G-protection. Seems like it runs forever on two AA's, weighs next to nothing and at Walmart for about 90 bucks. I mount it on the wing root cover, forward of the fuel sight guage with double sticky back velcro. Mounted anywhere else, every model I tried would skip. Crash

Hey, sounds like you've got a solution for that low-volume problem I've been having with my Sigtronics IC and CD player.

I'm running a Panasonic SLS-361C portable. No skip problems. And it also goes a LOOOng time on a set of AA's...way better than my old cassette Walkman's on batteries.

I bought the Panasonic because the guys at the store said it had the best Anti-shock characteristics. Hmm...Panasonic...who'd of guessed?

Thanks.

Dave Calkins.

crash! I had a PS1000 in a Baron and it worked great with an external music jack? I used it seldom but the kids liked it better on a long trip over listening to ATC. Plenty of volume! Today, might I suggest getting a MP3 player, no moving parts and you can have lots of good ol rock and roll on your computer/ and in the plane! the hookup is the same and there is a great weight savings (just kidding).

Tim

FlightTech ENRI?

Let's see if I can wake this thread up (instead of creating a new one)...

I will soon buy an intercom and I want a small one so I can install it in the left wing root. Aux input with muting and fail safe functionality etc.

I looked at the FlightTech ITC-402P-ENRI and the Flightcom 403mc. They are both quite small and would fit, but the Enhanced Noise Reduction on the FlightTech seems quite neat. Is there someone out there who can comment on how it works in real life?

What I don't like is the FlightTech connector (on the PCB) where I understand that Flightcom use an external (more robust) D-sub type connector, but once installed I think I can live with that.

/Mattias

Guys junk the CD players and get an MP3. A 128MB will hold about 4.5 CDs worth of music. Mine weighs about 2 oz and is the size of a bic lighter. No skips, no hassle. Its so light I just plug it in with a 3" cord, and let it dangle.
Ken

I'll use my CD walkman which plays MP3's. 700Mb of MP3's will last for a while...

What I will listen to? A "Cub remix" of "Teterboro Tower", of course!

/Mattias

I'm leaning toward XM satelite radio. My brother got it and after listening to it I put it in the shop. Non-stop Classic Rock with no commercials and you can pick it up anywhere. I think it would be great in the plane when it is done.

I have a PS engineering 1000 in my C-170. Works great. Does not clip the first syllable like a lot of intercoms. Music inputs, I plug in my sony walkman CD player and it works just fine. It has isolate front to rear and auto muting when the radio/atc comes up.

Bill

I was in the avionics shop this week. Evidently they are coming out with XM or sattelite radio to be used in aircraft........will offer direct weather info, metars, etc........plus the advantages of quality radio to listen to.

I love the sound of Airplane engine noise! I don't even wear a headset!

(just kidding) really, my flightcom portable, hardwired works ok but picks up a lot of alt. noise and such. I think it really important to do a good job of "line voltage filtering" as well as mag filtering (especially if you are building up a new plane?

Tim

During my last rebuild I needed a new intercom, ended up installing a PS PM 3000 in place of model 1000. Works great and sounds even better than 1000 as it is a stereo in & out com. using DC headsets set to stereo. You do have to replace female jacks with stereo jacks and extra wire to jacks to get the output to headsets in stereo. Com is same size as model 1000 with a better pilot/passenger interface i/e one volume control & one squelch control, internal impedance control by ic chip. Higher volume than model 1000 must have a better amp as there is no comparison in sound quality to other coms I have tried with music imput.

Sorry I don't have any specific answers on the FT402P or FC 403MC.

Just a note with regard to -12Driver's mention of "noise".

When installing headset and mike jacks, always source the ground for them at the point of the radio's ground, and always isolate (insulate) them from their mounting location. In other words, NEVER just ground the jacks to the airframe where they are mounted.

I ditto what DMC said. Use those insulation washers that come with the jacks.