Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 12:24 AM - Re: First flight N214KS (Rowland Carson)
2. 01:28 AM - Loose muffler heat shield clamps (willie harrison)
3. 05:07 AM - testing (KARL HEINDL)
4. 03:17 PM - Re: Radio reception problems (Peter Rees)
5. 08:22 PM - Re: Radio reception problems (Fred Fillinger)
6. 08:50 PM - Re: Radio reception problems (Fred Fillinger)
Message 1
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Subject: | Re: First flight N214KS |
--> Europa-List message posted by: Rowland Carson <rowil@clara.net>
At 2005-07-24 20:06 -0400 KandShill@aol.com wrote:
>it was first flown by me (Ken Hill) on July 20, 2005
Ken - congratulations, and thanks for a comprehensive report! I have
just one query - where did the first flight take place?
regards
Rowland
--
| Rowland Carson Europa Club Membership Secretary (retiring) -
email for info!
| Europa 435 G-ROWI (750 hours building) PFA #16532
| e-mail <memsec@europaclub.org.uk> website <www.europaclub.org.uk>
Message 2
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Subject: | Loose muffler heat shield clamps |
--> Europa-List message posted by: "willie harrison" <willie.harrison@tinyonline.co.uk>
Beware! The new design of clamp for securing the muffler heat shield
(which uses screwed fasteners instead of a crimped fasteners) has no
thread locking and shakes itself loose due to engine vibration. In my
case one of the two clamps fell right off after 8 hours flying and the
other one was very loose - not nice if the remains of the clamp find
their way back to snag the rudder cables. Also not nice if the heat
shield falls off and the muffler cooks something which shouldn't be
cooked. I will try lock nuts next time.
Happy landings!
Willie Harrison G-BZNY
Message 3
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--> Europa-List message posted by: "KARL HEINDL" <kheindl@msn.com>
do not archive
Message 4
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Subject: | Re: Radio reception problems |
--> Europa-List message posted by: "Peter Rees" <peter.rees05@ntlworld.com>
I've been following this with interest for a while as we have an Icom in HI
and have almost exactly the same problems - sometimes we can hear / be heard
from a good distance away but on occasions, we can't hear Rochester until we
are within about 5 miles of them (122.25Mhz).
As far as I can see, the problem must be one of three things:
1) the aerials gain isn't over the required range - this could easily be
fixed by a more conventional aviation aerial
2) The squelch is either over enthusiastic or being triggered by noise
from the engine, GPS etc (anyone found any links here - I believe it may be
noise from the engine electrics as the radio 'deafness' seems less
pronounced when the throttle is closed.
3) The design or manufacture of the radio isn't 'as it says on the
box' - which I doubt from a name like Icom.
My theory is number 2 above - anyone got any ideas on this? (my limited
understanding of the Rotax history is that there are 2 types of ignition
unit in use - could it help if those with the same problem told us what
engine they have and what ignition units are installed - this problem seems
to be very widespread (we thought we were just unlucky and needed a new
aerial).
Peter
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan Allsop" <bryan@blackballclub.com>
Subject: Re: Europa-List: Radio reception problems
> --> Europa-List message posted by: "Bryan Allsop"
> <bryan@blackballclub.com>
>
> Thanks for your response Fred.
>
> I confess though that I am not sure that I understand all of it. Age is
> beginning to effect the clarity of my thinking processes, perhaps in the
> same way that my six year old Icom A 200 is not so clear in extreme
> circumstances.
>
> I began to lose the thread with the 'wild geese' and 'turkeys', and
> something to do with 'doorstops'. I must also confess that I am not
> totally
> up to speed with 'Genave Alpha 360's either, and I am even a little rusty
> on
> 'general azimuth'. Other than that, I think I am almost quite clear about
> what you are saying.
>
> So, what can I do Fred? Can I chop a bit off somewhere, or do I need a new
> radio?
>
> Incidentally, friends have noticed that the transmit performance drops off
> when the European Safety Com frequency 135.475MHz is used.
>
> Regards.. Bryan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Fred Fillinger" <n3eu@comcast.net>
> To: <europa-list@matronics.com>
> Subject: Re: Europa-List: Radio reception problems
>
>
>> --> Europa-List message posted by: "Fred Fillinger" <n3eu@comcast.net>
>>
>>> --> Europa-List message posted by: "Bryan Allsop"
>> <bryan@blackballclub.com>
>>>
>>> They were receiving me strength five, but for much
>>> of the transit I could not hear them at all.
>>>
>> Antennas work by the rule of reciprocity, and above indicates antenna
>> is not the problem, at least in that azimuth of the 360-deg pattern.
>>
>>> In both cases I have been able to hear other
>>> aircraft speaking to them strength five,
>>
>> If you can't hear a ground station, but other A/C yes, and they're not
>> in the same general azimuth, the radiating pattern of the antenna is
>> suspect -- an installation location problem. A/C to A/C doesn't have
>> the line-of-sight problem like A/C to ground over terrain. But the
>> ground station can achieve a near perfect antenna, canceling out the
>> line-of-sight issue.
>>
>>> I can now see that I have a common problem at the lower frequencies,
>>
>> Receive problems on the extremes of the bands indicate alignment
>> problems, but radios just don't go out of alignment to any significant
>> degree, if at all. The degree of problem you report suggests a
>> component might be way off spec. Low odds, but people hit lotteries.
>> Also, radiating pattern problems can be frequency dependent to some
>> degree.
>>
>> Hope this helps rather than chases wild geese!
>>
>> BTW, we can't deduce strength five or strength anything from what is
>> heard, unless rather weak. Leveling circuitry in modern radios +
>> other factors. Our old control tower was even handing "strength
>> three" or "four" to people. Must have an S-meter I figure. But first
>> visit to the tower, I alarmingly saw they used a Genave Alpha 360, a
>> "doorstop" in alternative use. No S-meter, but that turkey of a radio
>> could actually hint at strength reasonably well.
>>
>> Reg,
>> Fred F.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
Message 5
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Subject: | Re: Radio reception problems |
--> Europa-List message posted by: "Fred Fillinger" <n3eu@comcast.net>
> --> Europa-List message posted by: "Peter Rees":
> ...sometimes we can hear / be heard
> from a good distance away
> but on occasions, we can't hear Rochester until we
> are within about 5 miles of them (122.25Mhz).
If at all times off the nose, or same azimuth point elsewhere, it
could be a simple matter of which of their transmitters they're using.
They need not have the same xmit power, but if an installation is
performing poorly, above can happen. When you have squares and logs
in the math, seemingly small matters can then cause extreme results!
Like get this. At only 100AGL over really flat terrain, theory says
at 5 miles you should hear ATC if they were using a 100milliwatt
transmitter! Something's not working well at all.
> 1) the aerials gain isn't over the required range -
It's the loss, not the gain. Only a directional antenna can have gain
of practical use. There is a small, omnidirectional gain of 2.2db due
to pure physics. If there's greater than 2.2 in some directions,
other points around the circle _must_ have a loss. But if a loss in
one direction, there may not be a gain anywhere else, depending upon
what a nearby metal element is doing (like changing the signal's
polarization).
> this could easily be fixed by
> a more conventional aviation aerial
The radiating pattern of a whip antenna pointed down is somewhat
better than a dipole. However, more significant is where it's located
within a fuselage. External to the fuselage, and any problems go
away.
> 2) The squelch is either over enthusiastic or being
> triggered by noise...from the engine, GPS etc
GPS can't do anything to VHF, but engine or strobe etc. noise is
nothing but audio carrier modulation which makes no sense as spoken
words. Same as ATC with talent as a voice comic mimicing an
alternator whine into the mic. So squelch may break, and we hear
noise. It won't decrease ability to receive carrier, but rather as a
combined signal makes carrier stronger -- in a cheap circuit, squelch
can be broken. So Narco in its 810 uses a fancy circuit which
attempts to determine if words are being received. They call it
"squelch comparator and carrier override." IOW, ain't voice, so let's
ignore the stronger, noisy carrier and nothing is heard in the audio.
Works great!
Reg,
Fred F.
Message 6
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Subject: | Re: Radio reception problems |
--> Europa-List message posted by: "Fred Fillinger" <n3eu@comcast.net>
> --> Europa-List message posted by: "Bryan Allsop"
Bryan,
My slang references to turkeys, geese, and doorstops do have meaning,
"...but that's not important right
now." [from our classic comedy movie "Airplane!"] :-)
> I am even a little rusty on 'general azimuth'.
Azimuth references points around a circle when viewed from above.
> So, what can I do Fred? Can I chop a bit off,
> somewhere or do I need a new radio?
First an airborne check, listening to a continuous broadcast, or a
real chatty Approach freq, at a distance that is very weak at best
while doing the test. Fly big, lazy 360-deg circles, and listen for
where there's loss of signal. If necessary fly further away and try
again. If significant voids around the circle, that says antenna
installation problem (location with the A/C).
It's helpful for me to know about distance from an ATC facility and
your AGL altitude, and flatness of the terrain. For example, 2,500
AGL, 40 nm from a smaller field with a control tower who uses a 10W
transmitter. Actually, their actual xmit power doesn't matter too
much. 2,500 may enough above line-of-sight to allow for rolling
terrain. You're nominally receiving 90 microvolts, and you should
hear them if a decent antenna and up-to-spec comm radio.
Reg,
Fred F.
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