Intercom question

Hi All,
I have been lurking here for some time now and enjoy some of the very
interesting threads that take place.
Jay always seems to come up with something interesting.
Now I have a question and I hope some of you experienced people don't mind
wading in.
I own a Piper ArcherII PA28-181.
In all the years I have flown this aircraft I haven't used a headset, mainly
because when I have tried it I find it strange not hearing the same engine
sound I have always been used to.
Due to some peer pressure, and mates that fly with me making the suggestion
an intercom would be great, I have now started to think about it.
Not having had any real experience with intercoms, I am wondering what your
thoughts are on the Telex PC4 unit. I have seen one advertised second hand
and because I'm not sure if I will like the thing, I'm thinking a low budget
might be a good idea.
Any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.

Kind regards
Steve.

Stephen,

Wow! Good luck on the hearing part of your medicals for the next years
;-)

Seriously, flying without a headset in an aircraft that noisy is
dangerous to your health. There's little to debate about this.

Obviously, before you buy an intercom, you'll need a headset. Spring
for an active unit, no matter what. You own an airplane, so you'll
likely fly a considerable amount of hours.

Any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.

The PC4 seems to be an old unit not in production anymore. I'd get
something current. You can't go wrong with PS Engineering, but they
aren't exactly low budget. For that, the Flightcom 403mc is hard to
beat. For a portable, the cheapo unit from Pilot Avionics, PA-400, is
probably it, but you might invite trouble.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I have been lurking here for some time now and enjoy some of the very
interesting threads that take place.

Hi Stephen -- welcome to the group! We need more delurkers...

;-)

You may be the last pilot in the world flying without a headset! I
don't know how you can stand it -- I get a headache if I fly with non-
ANR headsets, nowadays -- but you're obviously cut from the same cloth
as Lindbergh, Knight, and Daltry. (That last guy is Roger Daltry, of
"The Who" -- who is now mostly deaf from his early concert days...)

Anyway, as with all things aviation, more is better. I'd go for a
stereo intercom, so that you can listen to tunes. The cost
differential (in aviation terms) is inconsequential, and the enjoyment
you will reap from it is amazing.

I'd also go for a built-in (rather than portable) solution. When we
first started flying we had a portable Flightcom intercom, and --
while it worked fine -- it was a giant PIA to snake those wires every
which way.

Take a look at some of the PS Engineering stuff. Their owner is a
regular here, and their stuff is bulletproof.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 23:05:42 +1030, Stephen Ahrens
wrote:

Hi All,
I have been lurking here for some time now and enjoy some of the very
interesting threads that take place.
Jay always seems to come up with something interesting.
Now I have a question and I hope some of you experienced people don't mind
wading in.
I own a Piper ArcherII PA28-181.
In all the years I have flown this aircraft I haven't used a headset, mainly
because when I have tried it I find it strange not hearing the same engine
sound I have always been used to.
Due to some peer pressure, and mates that fly with me making the suggestion
an intercom would be great, I have now started to think about it.
Not having had any real experience with intercoms, I am wondering what your
thoughts are on the Telex PC4 unit. I have seen one advertised second hand
and because I'm not sure if I will like the thing, I'm thinking a low budget
might be a good idea.
Any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.


If you want to retain your hearing for your retirement years, get a
headset immediately! It is well proven that lengthy exposure to high
volume noise (ie GA aircraft cabin) is damaging to hearing.

Choosing a headset is largely personal preference. I have Lightspeed
30-3Gs and 20XLs in my plane and like them a lot. I also flew many
years with non-ANR David Clark 13.4s.

You will still be able to hear the engine, even with a noise
cancelling headset. With my ANR set, I think I can hear the engine
better as the overall noise level is reduced.

No experience with the Telex PC4, but I have had several portable
intercoms in my plane, which worked fine (other than the cords). I
now have a PS Engineering 7000, which is a great intercom/audio
panel/marker beacon receiver. You can't go wrong with that unit.

Stephen Ahrens wrote:

I own a Piper ArcherII PA28-181.
In all the years I have flown this aircraft I haven't used a headset, mainly
because when I have tried it I find it strange not hearing the same engine
sound I have always been used to.

Hi Steve,

I hope you are using some kind of ear protection, if not a headset. This
is a great hobby, but it's not worth losing your hearing.

I don't think there's any better kind of protection than an active noise
reduction headset. You will quickly accommodate to the different engine
sound. Get one.

I don't have any specific knowledge of the intercom you inquired about,
but the cost of an intercom is small compared to installation cost and
the other costs of owning an airplane. Don't skimp, get a good one. As
others have mentioned PS Engineering has a sterling reputation. Good
products and a good company.

Unlike Jay, I don't value listening to music or having stereo, but
that's a personal choice.

Let us know what you decide and how it works out.

Dave

In article ,
Dave Butler wrote:
I own a Piper ArcherII PA28-181.
In all the years I have flown this aircraft I haven't used a headset, mainly
because when I have tried it I find it strange not hearing the same engine
sound I have always been used to.

Hi Steve,

I hope you are using some kind of ear protection, if not a headset. This
is a great hobby, but it's not worth losing your hearing.

The Archer isn't all that loud. I can carry on a conversation in a
normal speaking volume in my Archer while in cruise. Apart from that,
the low frequency noise poses much less of a short-term risk for
noise-induced hearing loss.

That being said, I use a headset in my airplane, and can't imagine
flying for very long without one, especially when radio work is required.

While ANR headsets may be the way to go, it is important to understand
that there is _NO_ clinical evidence that ANR does anything to preserve
a person's hearing over passive attenuation.



JKG

Jonathan,

The Archer isn't all that loud.


It's ok that you like your plane, but that's just, uhm, ridiculous.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

In article ,
Thomas Borchert wrote:

Jonathan,

The Archer isn't all that loud.


It's ok that you like your plane, but that's just, uhm, ridiculous.


I didn't comment on whether I do or do not like my airplane.

The layman's litmus test for whether ambient noise may be damaging is
whether or not you can carry on a normal conversation without raising
your voice to do so. If you can, the ambient noise level is no more
damaging than the normal speaking voice. I suspect that many folks play
their automobile radios at a higher volume than that required to carry
on a conversation in an Archer during cruise. In my particular case, my
airplane was equipped with the "super soundproofing," so such insulation
and thicker windshield undoubtedly contribute to reducing the noise
level in my airplane.

Thomas, you seem to be a perpetual presence in every thread having to do
with headsets or hearing protection while flying. Not only do you
appear to have some undisclosed personal interest in promoting
LIghtSpeed headsets, but you continue to lead folks to believe that ANR
headsets somehow contribute to "preserving" their hearing over passive
attenuation sets. Yet, you have never cited any data to support your
claim. You are not alone. I have never witnessed anyone else cite any
applicable, peer-reviewed, clinical studies that show any benefit to ANR
for hearing protection.

There may be a benefit to ANR for comfort, or for fatigue, etc, but all
of those evaluations are quite subjective. There's a big difference
between an opinion on comfort and using fear of permanent hearing loss
to promote a product.



JKG

Jonathan,

Thomas, you seem to be a perpetual presence in every thread having to do
with headsets or hearing protection while flying.

Yep. I'm simply interested in the topic.

Not only do you
appear to have some undisclosed personal interest in promoting
LIghtSpeed headsets,

Nope. I simply like mine. I also like what the company brought to the
market - innovation at a low price. That's a fact I'd like to see disputed.
My wife has a pilot shop selling several brands of headsets. Lightspeeds
are currently not sold in Germany. They were, though.

but you continue to lead folks to believe that ANR
headsets somehow contribute to "preserving" their hearing over passive
attenuation sets.

Nope. I just point to the facts as known, including the well known and
supported fact that ANR for many frequencies will lower the audio pressure
a microphone positioned at the point where your ear would be while wearing
the headset is subjected to. Whether or not that preserves your hearing I
have not said. You may quote any statement you have seen me make saying
anything remotely like you claim above.

I have never witnessed anyone else cite any
applicable, peer-reviewed, clinical studies that show any benefit to ANR
for hearing protection.

So what? I have not seen you cite evidence to the contrary.

What I have seen is your being a perpetual presence in every thread having
to do with headsets or hearing protection while flying. You appear to have
some undisclosed axe to grind against ANR. You continue to lead folks to
believe that ANR headsets somehow do NOT contribute to lowering noise for
the wearer of the headset.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

" Not having had any real experience with intercoms, I am wondering what
your
thoughts are on the Telex PC4 unit. I have seen one advertised second hand
and because I'm not sure if I will like the thing, I'm thinking a low
budget


I had a Telex and didn't like it one bit. Removed it and installed a PS
1000.

Just my 2 cents worth.

PS I learned to fly in the 50's and didn't know what a headset was till many
years had passed. My favorite word is HUH?

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A
KPLU