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Intercom on Main Switch or Avionics Master?

Did you put your audio panel on the main battery or avionics master switch?

  • Main battery

    Votes: 5 19.2%
  • Avionics master

    Votes: 21 80.8%

  • Total voters
    26

iamtheari

Well Known Member
Every plane I remember flying in has had the audio panel/intercom on the avionics master. I configured my VP-X to run my audio panel based on the avionics master switch just to follow that pattern. But I am thinking that it would be nice to have the audio panel on the main battery switch. How did you wire yours, and why?
 
Avionics master for the same reason everything else is on there. Perhaps modern intercoms are protected against transient voltages (?) but honestly It's never crossed my mind that I would want to be talking to my passenger during that transition period. The opposite actually as I especially don't need distractions right when the engine is firing up and all of that.
 
Avionics Master

I don't put my headset on until after engine start anyway. I want to hear all engine start noises.
 
Reminds me....

Me too. I also want to hear if anyone answers back after I call “clear”.

One of my favorite "pet peeves" is hearing "CLEAR PROP" and the engine turning over less than 1-2 seconds later.
 
One reason I like my Clarity Aloft is that I can put it on my head with the earbuds dangling so I’m not heads-down after engine start looking for my headset, and I can put one earbud in to hear the intercom while talking my passenger through putting on a headset.

The logic for putting it on the main bus would be:

1. Hear EFIS alerts before and during engine start. But this shouldn’t be an issue as alerts that early should occur while monitoring the gauges that would trigger an alert.

2. Shed radio load while keeping intercom alive to talk to passenger in event of alternator failure. I guess that it’s not so hard to use circuit breakers for that if it ever comes up.
 
One of my favorite "pet peeves" is hearing "CLEAR PROP" and the engine turning over less than 1-2 seconds later.

Me too! Headset off, paying attention to surroundings and the sound of starter and engine. If the engine monitor is powered up too, there will be too many alerts that are irrelevant at that point anyway.

Bevan
 
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