Van's Air Force
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SL30 question
- Thread starter Dave12
- Start date
Jamie
Well Known Member
The SL-40 and SL-30 trays are surprisingly *not* the same.
I had an SL-40 in my -7A and I had to swap out the tray to upgrade to the SL-30.
Walt
Well Known Member
But they are exactly the same size, only the rear connector plate is different.
Jamie
Well Known Member
Mine were not the same. The SL-40 tray depth was different on one of the sides where the antenna connectors mount (can't say for certain but I'm thinking it was the nav side). The -30 and -40 trays were different depths there. This meant that the connector plates were not interchangeable and I had to swap the the entire tray. They were manufactured several years apart so I'm not sure if something changed over that time period.
Edit: I'll try to find some pictures. I distinctly remember taking pictures of the differences. However it sounds like in your experience, Walt they are the same so either I just got a really weird tray or they've changed them? Who knows.
This brings me to my next questions, can I integrate the SL30 to the skyview directly or does it have to go through Van's black box and will the black box accomidate the nav side of the SL30? Also, will the SkyView A/P couple directly to the vor/loc/gs feature of the SL30?
DonFromTX
Well Known Member
Jamie is correct, I just swapped mine out. The SL40 tray WILL work with the SL30, the difference in the nav antenna depth is minor and you can still use it. The 40 tray already has the cutout for the D-sub connector needed by the SL30.
I just today ran my antenna wire down the tunnel, I have ran out of room on the bottom, so it is going on top of the fuselage between the rear window and the vertical tail. Looks kinda sexy there I think!
By the way be prepared for the cost, the Garmin recommended antenna is like $300!
I just today ran my antenna wire down the tunnel, I have ran out of room on the bottom, so it is going on top of the fuselage between the rear window and the vertical tail. Looks kinda sexy there I think!
By the way be prepared for the cost, the Garmin recommended antenna is like $300!
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DonFromTX
Well Known Member
The 30 uses only one TX and one RX connector, the same for skyview as the 40, except they now come from the nav side plug, just use the same pins, move them over to the nav d-sub.
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OK, I am square on the connection to the black box, but will the 30 fit in the place of the 40 with no panel modifications? It appears that it will, but I want to be sure. Also, does this high priced antenna receive both nav and com signals or is a separate nav ant. required?
DonFromTX
Well Known Member
Yeah, that antenna receives all the stuff the 30 is capable of.
The 30 will even slide right into the 40 tray in the 12, the only thing you would have to do is add the nav d-sub and adjust the nav antenna plug a bit.In my case, I found most people want to buy an sl40 with the tray, so I changed to the SL 30 tray. Either radio will slide into either tray, no mods whatever are required to the 12 panel. The hardest part is adding the antenna cable thru the tunnel. Some have just tucked it up along under the longerons for simplicity.
The 30 will even slide right into the 40 tray in the 12, the only thing you would have to do is add the nav d-sub and adjust the nav antenna plug a bit.In my case, I found most people want to buy an sl40 with the tray, so I changed to the SL 30 tray. Either radio will slide into either tray, no mods whatever are required to the 12 panel. The hardest part is adding the antenna cable thru the tunnel. Some have just tucked it up along under the longerons for simplicity.
Pretty much everyone is spot on here, but just to confirm that the trays for the -30 and -40 ARE indeed a wee bit different (The nav side of the -40 tray is about .250" reduced in depth from the -30 tray). I can post pictures if you like, but I have piles of both sitting here so....just believe me! 
I know I've posted this in other places, but for a record in this thread (as others have noted):
SL-30 Tray - Will accept either an SL30 or an SL40.
SL-40 Tray - Will accept an SL-40 only.
Now there are folks who've modified various trays in various ways with various backplate combinations to make it work out, but as a whole the above holds true. There have also been a number of folks swap out their -40's in the RV12's for -30's, so we know it works fine...but they usually have swapped out the trays as well.
Just my 2 cents as usual.
Cheers,
Stein
I know I've posted this in other places, but for a record in this thread (as others have noted):
SL-30 Tray - Will accept either an SL30 or an SL40.
SL-40 Tray - Will accept an SL-40 only.
Now there are folks who've modified various trays in various ways with various backplate combinations to make it work out, but as a whole the above holds true. There have also been a number of folks swap out their -40's in the RV12's for -30's, so we know it works fine...but they usually have swapped out the trays as well.
Just my 2 cents as usual.
Cheers,
Stein
Careful here, joining Tx and Nav Rx signals by using the same antenna will put 8W into the nav receiver which will not be a recipe for long, reliable life. Why not just use a regular comm antenna and a cat's whiskers VOR antenna? Plenty of folks don't use the Garmin antenna. If you have a large enough area of glassfibre an antenna from Bob Archer is the best VOR solution, but I think the -12 wingtips are aluminium?
Pete
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Dave
You will most likely go with a Whisker VOR ant underneath the tail or remove the fiberglass cap on top of the vertical stab and put it there.
Mark S (MS19087) made very nice fiberglass housing for the bottom of his 9 for the whiskers
The best pic I have of his handy work
You will most likely go with a Whisker VOR ant underneath the tail or remove the fiberglass cap on top of the vertical stab and put it there.
Mark S (MS19087) made very nice fiberglass housing for the bottom of his 9 for the whiskers
The best pic I have of his handy work
Just purchased the SL30 and will be trying the combined antenna as it is recommended by Garmin. The antenna is manufactured by Comant. It is pretty pricey. BTW, SL30's seem to be in short supply, it is no longer being produced. The unit that replaced it has a longer tray. Thanks to all for your input.
DonFromTX
Well Known Member
I may be making a mistake, but the only spot left seems to be on top just behind the rear window, forward of the vertical stabilizer. Underneath seems to be too close to the other antennas. Will that be a problem does anybody think?
Dave
You will most likely go with a Whisker VOR ant underneath the tail or remove the fiberglass cap on top of the vertical stab and put it there.
Mark S (MS19087) made very nice fiberglass housing for the bottom of his 9 for the whiskers
The best pic I have of his handy work
Dave
The best pic I have of his handy work
Any picture you take of this a/p will show off Mark's handiwork. Seriously, this one is a gem!
