Intercom

[bobg56]

Has anyone installed a different intercom besides the Flightcom 403? I have found that certain headsets don't work very well, some you can hear the passenger but they can't hear you very well, or when using two Lightspeed HS there is a pretty loud hissing noise when talking, I've replaced the 403 with another 403 (stereo) and no change, some headsets work better than others but nothing really great, just wondering if other people have issues with this intercom.

 

[bbaggerman]

Pay extra attention to mono and stereo equipment and settings. My RV-12 was setup for stereo operation but I had some old mono headsets. I got the squealing sound and eventually ruined the 403 intercom.



I eventually bought and installed the mono / stereo switch.

 

[bbaggerman]

The other thing I found was susceptibility to RF interference when I transmitted. Apparently the Garmin SL-40 is known to leak a lot of RF. I made an RF filter to go in-line with my 403 intercom connector that clear up that problem. Eventually I replace the SL-40 with a Dynon radio and the problem magically went away.

 

[BobTurner]

A simple answer here is that the Flightcom 403 is an older design which is not the best for noisy airplanes (e.g., RV’s). In particular, there is only one squelch circuit, so when anyone speaks both microphones are turned on, picking up twice as much background noise. For comparison look at the PS Engineering intercom. There is only one control to set the squelch level, but internally there are two squelch circuits, so only the mic that is being spoken into is turned on.

 

[bobg56]

Yes, I am aware of the dip switches that let you select either mono or stereo in the head sets although some of the cheaper headsets don't have a switch. I tried a friends David Clark headset an old one with no dip switch for stereo/mono and it was terrible, poor volume/static...I have two Lightspeed Zulu's one is over 10 years old and is no longer supported by Lightspeed but it works perfectly, it's a good bit better than the new Lightspeed that I bought a few months ago for over $800...I have sent it back to Lightspeed, after being airborne a few minutes it would on occasion get extremely static when xmitting , switching to the old headset made it better. I have been playing around with the settings on the SL40, side tone and mic squelch etc ...I've been thinking about trying an external intercom box (those with the 9v battery) I'll see what happens when I get the new Lightspeed back whether anything changes. What does puzzle me is how well the old Lightspeed works compared to their new one, I've heard people not being too happy with the new more expensive Delta Zulu, I wonder what changes they made that have made it's performance degrade....

 

[scard]

The Flightcom 403 is simply a terrible intercom these days. I have one on the test bench as "worst case scenario".

 

[bbaggerman]

Yes, I am aware of the dip switches that let you select either mono or stereo in the head sets although some of the cheaper headsets don't have a switch.

My point was that it is very, very important for the headset mono / stereo configuration to match the wiring of the Flightcom 403 wiring. If you don't you will hear squeals and may damage your intercom as I did. The 403 docs warn you about this but not very clearly.
My RV-12 was wired for stereo only. That means only use a stereo headset configured for stereo operation. Using a mono headset or a stereo headset switched to mono operation risks damage with the 403.
I'd be happy to send you my 403 filter to try if you like. It got rid of the noise and distortion I was having during transmit with the SL40.

 

[rv6n6r]

I've been very satisfied with my PS engineering intercom. It's the only avionic item that's still in my plane since I built it 24 years ago.

 

[DennisRhodes]

I also am very satisfied with a PS aerocom . Installed in 2008 with initial flight. I also has same in a LEZ for many years. It's a vox operated intercom and remains clear channel unless someone is talking. It s also a portable but mounted permanently in RV9
Called a AerocomIII . Think it may have been forrunner for the intercoms designed into the PS audio panels. Works very well in hi noise cockpit with Lightspeed ANR headset
.