XM Radio

[Hwood]

Am looking to put XM radio in the -8 and can't find any good information from the intercom or the XM folks, so thought it about time to go to the experts.

Looking for any inputs from someone who has installed XM in their ride (Doug). Some of the questions I have are; a good intercom to use and how to input the unit, any problems with volume control, do you use it very much (is it worth it), recommended units to use, and any other tidbits of advice that might be worth hearing about.

Thanks in advance.

Hwood

[N916K]

I have a Sirius radio in my plane. On the trip from Michigan to Sun n Fun I had it on most of the time. I installed an audio input jack that goes to my intercom. I have a Flight Tech 402P intercom, but I believe most intercoms have an audio input.

Some people have problems with volume and have to add a small amp. I was getting too much noise in the system with the amp I put in my plane so I never flew with it. Also it turned out that I didn't need an amp for my intercom/radio setup. In fact I have to turn the volume all the way down on my Serius radio.

I do most of my longer flights by myself so I use the isolate switch on the intercom to turn the radio on and off. That way when I need to start talking/listening to the tower I don't have the music radio coming in and out.

Both Sirius and XM have a small radio that has the wires plug directly into the unit. I would go with one of those. The handheld XM might be a cool option also, I believe Sirius has one coming out soon also.

[pboyce]

I have the XM Roady2 which works great. About $110 plus subscription. Small antenna footprint. Lightweight.

My intercom is the Flightcom FC-403 stereo unit which Van's sells. I wired a mini stereo female jack to it. The Roady2 has a mini stereo jack output, so that's what I use. With this setup, I can easily unplug the Roady2 and plug in an Ipod or portable cd player if I want. No need for an amp.

The nice thing about the Flighcom unit is that you can set it to automatically mute the music if you transmit, receive, or if someone in the plane talks. Nice feature.

Paul

[Captain_John]

I was wondering about this very thing. Do any of you have problems with transponder signals while using the XM?

My reason is, my buddy has his ControlVision WX Anywhere system that utilizes a satellite phone for data acquisition and when the phone is operating, it balnks out the xponder signal. Cherokee 63N, recycle transponder is the common phrase.

Anyone have interference with XM or Sirius this way? Any other considerations?

CJ

[N916K]

I've flown into a few class C and D airports with the Sirius on and nobody has said anything. I have a King 76A transponder. I keep the antenna on the glare shield or on top of the passenger seat if nobody is there.

[ClayR_9A]

Satellite radio (like GPS) just sits there receiving signals. I doubt it could ever cause interference with the transponder.

A Satellite phone, on the other hand, is a transmitter that is blasting on some frequency that could possibly interfere with the transponder or anything else in the plane.

-C

[DeltaRomeo]

Originally Posted by Hwood

Am looking to put XM radio in the -8 and can't find any good information from the intercom or the XM folks, so thought it about time to go to the experts. Looking for any inputs from someone who has installed XM in their ride (Doug). Some of the questions I have are; a good intercom to use and how to input the unit, any problems with volume control, do you use it very much (is it worth it), recommended units to use, and any other tidbits of advice that might be worth hearing about. Thanks in advance. Hwood

Howdy Hwood,

I have the UPS equivalent of the Garmin 340 audio panel in Flash

...and have the 1st generation of XM 'Roadie'. I think it's worth it (used it this morning on a before-work flight). You can control music volume from the Roadie. I plug into the panel in a little headphone jack straight out of the XM Roadie (tied into the back of the audio panel). The audio panel lets me, with the push of a button, have the boom mic cut out the music the instant I say something (for when I'm in busy airspace) or lets me sing along if that button is not engaged.

Plan #2: I can plug into the headset (Lightspeeds). They have an audio input feature and offer the same features.

I don't notice any interference and have never heard anything but 'Radar contact' when using it in class B or C.

Like another said I just put the antennae on the dash. I've notice that doing steep turns (rolls) while flying North looses the signals temporarily (the XM satellites 'Rock' and 'Roll' are in the southern sky). It's my understanding that two more satellites are on the burner ('Rythm' and 'Blues') to take up the sky coverage slack.

Hope this helped.

B,