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

" 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

"Tri-Pacer" wrote:

installed a PS 1000.


I installed one of these 6 years ago. It's performed without a glitch ever
since. Great unit.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

Any thoughts, experiences would be appreciated.

You may want to look at Jim Weir's RST Engineering products.
I have been using one of his two-place, kit built intercoms for 25 years.
His kits have excellent, easy to use instructions.

"Dan Luke" wrote in message
...

"Tri-Pacer" wrote:

installed a PS 1000.


I installed one of these 6 years ago. It's performed without a glitch
ever since. Great unit.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

PS. Panel mount. No question. Just get the most minimal system that meets
all of your requirements. Mine: 4-place, stereo, aux audio input. I don't
like listening to music in the air. It just somehow seems wrong. But,
isolate the passengers from the pilot and they jam away and are much more
tolerant of longer trips.

--
-------------------------------
Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK

Thanks for the great feedback and some of the colourful comments from
everyone ;-)
I understand your thoughts on hearing problems. (Just ask my wife) But this
isn't just a problem from flying.
I actually own a Flightcom Blackhawk 5DX headset and used it on a trip years
ago... (Jay does that count towards not being the last pilot in the world to
use a headset? :-) .. I found it to be not so bad in the cruise but every
time I went to takeoff or land I felt more confident with them off. Then I
couldn't be bothered using them, and of course without an intercom it's a
bit unsociable with the passengers.
After looking at the likes of Thomas, Jay, and Dave's posts I think the
right thing is to spend a little more and get something better. The PS units
do look good and it seems they have some excellent features
In the mean time I will have to dust the Flightcom's off and go do circuits
until I get use to them.

Many thanks guys

Steve
PA28-181
VH TVF