MX 170B

Robert M. Gary wrote:
: On Nov 3, 3:05 pm, Jack wrote:
: I have a 1967 172 with a MX 170B nav/com. I noticed not long ago that
: the display was flickering from bright to dim. Now the radio will not
: come on at all. Any suggestions.

: TKM will not release the service manuals so all work is done at the
: factory. Lucky for you the 170 *B* is still supported. I have the
: original "MX-170" and the factory refuses to work on it so its a door
: stop.

A friend of mine sent his MX-170 in to the factory to have a display dimmer issue worked on. They quoted him over the phone
that it was "an easy fix," and "happens all the time." After a number of weeks and phone calls, they finally told him that they had
many hundreds of dollars of labor into the repair, but would "trade up" for a brand new model for $1500... the going rate for a flat
out new on from them at the time. He declined both, and they kept the radio.

From that experience, it would appear that TKM's "inexpensive, only factory service" policy is untrue a company to avoid.
Also, having seen the insides of one, I'm unimpressed with their construction quality (comodity-grade ribbon cables, cheap
tin-plated DIP/SIP connectors, etc). Yes, they're built better than the functionally-equivalent (5-watt AM tranceiver) you can buy
at Wal-Mart for $40 called a "CB radio," but not as good as King/Narco units.

-Cory

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* Cory Papenfuss, Ph.D., PPSEL-IA *
* Electrical Engineering *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University *
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