There is no sound when the volume control knob on the SL-40 is pushed in but I get sound with the knob pulled out. SteinAir sent a replacement radio but the system has the same problem. Stein suggested that the problem might be with the intercom. Van's sent a replacement intercom but the same problem exists. I tried tweaking the COM Pot to no avail. Ken at Van's suggested that it may the headset I am using. I have not tried a different headset yet. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.
Van's Air Force
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SL-40 volume control problem
- Thread starter rlricks
- Start date
Walt
Well Known Member
Unless you are receiving a transmission on the selected freq you will not hear anything with the knob pushed in, pulling out the volume knob opens the squelch and you will hear the backround white noise. If you hear the white noise and can adjust it with the volume knob then it sounds like everything is working. If you can't hear a transmission then thats another issue.
Capflyer
Well Known Member
Perhaps check the internal squelch settings. Tune it to the awos or other ongoing chatter frequency that you would normally hear on the ground. Seems to me if you can hear something with the squelch off then you should with the squelch on if it's adjusted properly. The instructions to do this are in the installation manual. Here's a link to a copy http://www.eaa49.av.org/VAF/sl40_install.pdf
Thanks for the help. I changed the internal "Recv squelch" from the 61 setting that came with the unit, first to 87, no joy, then to 25 the low end. It worked, also a setting of 40 works. I haven't tried to find the breaking point. The disheartening thing is that Garmin, SteinAir, or Van's did not suggest the solution prior to sending replacement units. Now I'm stuck with the shipping charges to return the SL-40 and the intercom.
Walt
Well Known Member
If you're on 40 now and the squelch is open all the time then you have it set to sensitive. Are you expecting to hear the backround noise all the time?
I'm sorry about your troubles, but if you recall we did have a conversation where I specifically asked if you had read the manual and tried adjusting those settings. Believe me, I'd much rather not go through sending a replacement radio over simple troubleshooting. We too are out a set of shipping and associated costss because we purchased a brand new radio from Garmin to send you as a replacement....
I'm glad you found your issue and I apologize if we weren't clear enough on the phone during one of the conversations we had. As I said, we try to eliminate all the simple stuff first. In this case you had indicated it was working fine before and quit working at some point, which in addition to the other symptoms lead us to believe the radio may have gotten sick or perhaps the intercom got sick.
Anyway, again I'm glad the issue is resolved and we'll see what we an do to help out with the shipping. Sorry it took this much work over a simple issue, but now you can see how incredibly difficult this can be if we jointly miss a simple bit of communication.
I also hope others can learn from this and also realize how VERY important it is to read ALL of the manuals for your equipment. I know I harp on that, but a lot of this stuff is covered in the manuals.
Have a good week,
Stein
Mike S
Senior Curmudgeon
Gonna hijack this thread just a bit
I have been reading my manuals till the words are getting worn out----------but a lot of the stuff is just not penetrating my thick skull. Electronic device manuals seem to be written in some foreign language at times.
Now returning the thread to its original track.
Mike S
Senior Curmudgeon
Mike it also helps a lot when you are reading those manuals to have the radios powered up and running right in front of you. Installing and understanding Avionics is an art form.
Yep, been doing that.
Big problem is I am a mechanic, not an artist
Free is not good enough?????
What? Free is not good enough? Sorry, I'm not the diplomat that Stein is.
Next time maybe this group of extraordinary vendors will assist you with a rental unit with two way shipping for your swap-out trouble shooting. Or an offer to fly up for a diagnosis. Or maybe a list of appropriatelyh priced radio shops in your area.
RTFM.
What? Free is not good enough? Sorry, I'm not the diplomat that Stein is.
Next time maybe this group of extraordinary vendors will assist you with a rental unit with two way shipping for your swap-out trouble shooting. Or an offer to fly up for a diagnosis. Or maybe a list of appropriatelyh priced radio shops in your area.
RTFM.
Just a note on the squelch settings and the "number".
Note all SL's have the same linear numbering as it relates to high and low. For example, the "1-100" can be either 100 being the highest limit or 100 being the lowest limit. They are all pretty much the same, but I point this out because the age of the unit can be a factor (older ones are not necessarily the same as newer ones) and different software levels as well. I have no idea why! Anyway, no big deal if you just go play with it until it works! I understand peoples frustration with manuals - sometimes they aren't the most user friendly things in the world which is why we try to explain things the best we can. That being said, we can get confounded just as easy as the next guy!
Cheers,
Stein
Note all SL's have the same linear numbering as it relates to high and low. For example, the "1-100" can be either 100 being the highest limit or 100 being the lowest limit. They are all pretty much the same, but I point this out because the age of the unit can be a factor (older ones are not necessarily the same as newer ones) and different software levels as well. I have no idea why! Anyway, no big deal if you just go play with it until it works! I understand peoples frustration with manuals - sometimes they aren't the most user friendly things in the world which is why we try to explain things the best we can. That being said, we can get confounded just as easy as the next guy!
Cheers,
Stein
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