TKM Pirep - two years later

Hi All

Two years ago I replaced my aging Narco Com 120 with a TKM MX-11R slide in
replacement radio and thought I'd give a performance update.

#1 Installation: This is a true slide in replacement. Remove old one and
install new one and you're good to go. Simple (for me). I've heard that
others have had to take the unit apart and inset a resistor (shown in
manual)

#2 Performance: Very good. Always five by five and incoming transmissions
are clear (better than the Narco 120). The digital display is easy to read
in all light situations. I really like the tactile feeling of the dials
when changing frequencies and the flip-flop frequency button is very handy.
Although it can hold ten pre-programmed frequencies, I never used them. I
found this feature to be a bit cumbersome and I'll just change the frequency
over on the stand by and then flip it to the active. When using the
pre-programmed feature, I found it a bit of a struggle to hit both the
flip-flop button and the "test" button together when flying, especially in
turbulence. Also when rowing through the pre-select frequencies, all I hear
is static in the headphones while switching, which is very annoying.

#3 Conclusion: Because I was replacing an old Narco with an already
installed tray, I found that this was an easy solution and ended up with a
very good radio. If I didn't have a tray already in the panel though, I
would look closer into the Icom A-200. I'm not sure, but I think that the
pre-programmed frequencies on the Icom a bit simpler to use.

Blue Skies

Eugene