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Need portable intercom recommendation

rsalar

Registered User
I need a new 2 person portable intercom for my cub. The one that came with the plane is a Flightcom IIsx. It doesn't work very well. The intercom side works sometimes and doesn't other times -- I can't activate the mike to transmit over the radio (I can transmit by talking into the radio itself--but can't use the headset mike unless I plug it direct into radio.) I need a new intercom -- recommendations? Thanks Ron
 
I need a new 2 person portable intercom for my cub. The one that came with the plane is a Flightcom IIsx. It doesn't work very well. The intercom side works sometimes and doesn't other times -- I can't activate the mike to transmit over the radio (I can transmit by talking into the radio itself--but can't use the headset mike unless I plug it direct into radio.) I need a new intercom -- recommendations? Thanks Ron

I have a FlightCom IIsx intercom in my Cub and it works VERY well. Have you played with the squelch for intercom? And, do you have an appropriate adapter for your radio to adapt the headset plugs to the radio and intercom?

I sure have no complaints for the last couple hundred hours for this intercom....battery life is excellent as well. Mine came highly recommended by Steve at Aerotronics in Billings, based on his experience with them.

Something sounds haywire with your installation.

MTV
 
I have a FlightCom IIsx intercom in my Cub and it works VERY well. Have you played with the squelch for intercom? And, do you have an appropriate adapter for your radio to adapt the headset plugs to the radio and intercom?

I sure have no complaints for the last couple hundred hours for this intercom....battery life is excellent as well. Mine came highly recommended by Steve at Aerotronics in Billings, based on his experience with them.

Something sounds haywire with your installation.

MTV

I'm not saying the FlightCom IIsx is not a good intercom -- I'm saying the FlightCom IIsx that is in my plane doesn't work very well. Yes of course I played with the squelch--I spent more than an hour troubleshooting the problem. Tried two different radios, tried all kinds of various ways of hooking things up, different antennas, ptt on the radio verses remote ptt etc etc. Yes I have the appropriate adapter and other than plugging in the radio there isn't much of an "installation." Since yours gets excellent battery life and mine goes through batteries after just a few hours of use, maybe mine is just old and tired. Whatever it is, it's definitely a problem with the intercom. You can be using it one minute and everything is fine, then all of a sudden the passenger can't hear me but I can hear her. I've switched headset jacks from pilot to passenger and sometimes that works for awhile ... then it quits. Then the next day it works again. Now I can't transmit voice from the radio. I can hear an click on the receiving radio but no voice, unless I push the ptt button on the radio and talk into the radio itself. If I plug the headset direct to the radio I can use it that way no problem. I'm 99.9% sure its the intercom -- it's junk and I need a new one -- anyone have a recommendation on make and model for a very noisy J3 Cub?
 
We are running the Transcom II - Sigtronics APO-22N.

We have multiple failures of the Becker in the Stearman, and I run over with the A-20, the SPO-22N, a whole bunch of tie-wraps, a special PTT, and most importantly a splitter for the rear seat mike plug. One end goes in to the intercom, the other into the Icom PTT. Works better than the Becker and Panel Mount intercom. Way better. I drive both the A-20 and the intercom with ship's power, and use the ship's antenna.
 
I should add that my personal Cub has a panel mount PS Industries PM-501. I cannot say enough good about it. It is perfect. The more expensive PS Industries units with digital internal squelch do not like Cubs - the factory engineer told me they are not set for wind noise. Most important feature of an intercom in an open cockpit airplane is having a squelch knob. Just one squelch knob, and just one volume knob. Things can be confusing enough without four knobs on a stupid intercom.

Opinion.
 
Rsalar,

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as condescending.....sometimes folks don't troubleshoot much prior to posting here....myself included.

It does sound like your intercom is shot. How old is it? As I noted, mine works great...in a PA 11, so comparable to J-3. As I noted, Steve at Aerotronics in Billings was the one who sold me on this unit, based on his experience....he also has a PA 11. I can't imagine a better performing portable intercom, and they are about the least expensive. Frankly, if mine were to go belly up tomorrow, I'd buy another.

Near as I can tell, I get somewhere around fifteen to twenty hours battery life, maybe more. Ran to OSH and back on one battery.

MTV
 
I had a Flight Com portable in my non electric Cub for a long time. It finally quit, so I bought another one and use it with my high tech, blue brick, Terra TPX 720 radio. Works great. I use a 3 pound gel cell battery to power the radio, intercom and GPS. My batteries always seemed to crap out when needed the most.
 
I switched to this last spring hooked to my A5 in my Cub. I fly with the door open 80% of the time. Added leather boots over foam and it works great in both seats.

This one plugs directly into the A6

www.ebay.com/itm/NIB-PilotUSA-PA200T-A24-2-Place-Portable-Intercom-ICOM-with-right-angle-plug-/291417619470?hash=item43d9d7fc0e:g:uDIAAOSwNSxVFchd&vxp=mtr

Glenn

Can't get the link to turn blue

 
We are running the Transcom II - Sigtronics APO-22N.

We have multiple failures of the Becker in the Stearman, and I run over with the A-20, the SPO-22N, a whole bunch of tie-wraps, a special PTT, and most importantly a splitter for the rear seat mike plug. One end goes in to the intercom, the other into the Icom PTT. Works better than the Becker and Panel Mount intercom. Way better. I drive both the A-20 and the intercom with ship's power, and use the ship's antenna.

Thanks Bob -- After researching all of the above suggestions (thank you) I ended up ordering the A-20. It gets great reviews and it costs more. Quality usually cost more -- not always but most of the time. --Ron
 
Hmmm - our A-20s are very old Icom radios. They are strange, since they require a special PTT, but nice since ey never break and have memory systems easily understood by pilots. The new A-6 requires a special power plug, and has a frequency memory that is simply impossible to understand. The intercom is a Sigtronics Transcom II SPO-22 N.
 
Hmmm - our A-20s are very old Icom radios. They are strange, since they require a special PTT, but nice since ey never break and have memory systems easily understood by pilots. The new A-6 requires a special power plug, and has a frequency memory that is simply impossible to understand. The intercom is a Sigtronics Transcom II SPO-22 N.


My mistake -- I ordered the Sigtronics Transcom II SPO-22 N intercom not an A-20 radio.
 
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