IFD440 Standby Monitor |
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cvela90
Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2016 Status: Offline Points: 18 |
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Posted: 12 Dec 2016 at 9:02pm |
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Does the monitor function in the IFD440 works or is it another 10.2 fix? The documentation says "compatible audio panel". I was told my PS-6000 would be compatible by Avidyne tech support.
It does not work and my installer tells me only an Avidyne audio panel has the functionality. Can anyone confirm?
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oskrypuch
Senior Member Joined: 09 Nov 2012 Location: CYFD Status: Offline Points: 3058 |
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The monitor function works as of 10.1.1 I believe.
Your installer is wrong, an Avidyne audio panel is not required. The IFD simply outputs two discrete radio audio signals. You have to route the standby output to an appropriate audio input in your audio panel. I have the #2 standby routed to a switched input on my 450A. Note, that is the #2 standby physical freq, not the cyan bordered standby frequency. And, by that I mean #2 physical slot = #1 standby. * Orest Edited by oskrypuch - 12 Dec 2016 at 11:22pm |
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ac11
Groupie Joined: 21 Aug 2016 Location: SF Bay Area Status: Offline Points: 98 |
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Is it true that the monitor standby frequency only works with the standby #1 slot, but is expected to support other standby slots in the future with a software only change?
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oskrypuch
Senior Member Joined: 09 Nov 2012 Location: CYFD Status: Offline Points: 3058 |
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It was originally the plan to have the monitored standby freq to follow the "active" standby. After using it in the field, the decision was made to instead always have it monitor the #1 physical standby, regardless of which standby is the "active" standby. I concur in that decision in my own use. * Orest |
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ac11
Groupie Joined: 21 Aug 2016 Location: SF Bay Area Status: Offline Points: 98 |
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Thanks for the info Orest. I suppose I'll just have to make it a habit to put ATIS as standby 1. I suppose you find this better so that the monitored frequency can stay the same and remain monitored as you switch other frequencies?
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oskrypuch
Senior Member Joined: 09 Nov 2012 Location: CYFD Status: Offline Points: 3058 |
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Exactly. And if you want to have the #1 standby and the monitored standby the same, you can just position the cyan "active" standby box as required. * Orest Edited by oskrypuch - 13 Dec 2016 at 8:36am |
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cvela90
Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2016 Status: Offline Points: 18 |
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Thank you very much Orest! I'll give the installer the info you game me (I may have to show him in the diagram but that's fine :-D).
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cvela90
Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2016 Status: Offline Points: 18 |
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Not sure what you mean by magenta box. I went to the sim and looked (sorry, newbie here). Is it the box that highlight the pre-programmed options when the freq knob is rotated?
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oskrypuch
Senior Member Joined: 09 Nov 2012 Location: CYFD Status: Offline Points: 3058 |
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If you were referring to my comment, the cyan box, it just highlights the standby frequency that will flip into the active position when you hit the toggle switch. If you have more than one standby freq (you can have several) then whichever freq slot you touched last becomes the on deck standby freq. Very handy. * Orest
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AUXAIR
Senior Member Joined: 01 Jul 2015 Location: KSUA Status: Offline Points: 138 |
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The standby audio out of the IFD is not normally wired to the audio
panel unless you have a new installation planned for it, so you need to ensure that an audio lead has been connected from the proper pins on the IFD to a spare input on the audio panel.
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David E.
Cessna 182 RG II |
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Catani
Senior Member Joined: 21 Jan 2016 Status: Offline Points: 362 |
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The IFD440 has only one standby freq box. I think some posts are a little confusing in that regard, since the OP was referring to his IFD440 and what it could do.
While the IFD440 has an audio output for that standby frequency, you don't necessarily need to wire that up to get "monitor" functionality - a nice thing if you want to slide out an old 430 (that has no such wiring in its harness and tray) and replace it with the IFD440 without having to run more wires. Most aircraft are equipped with a second com radio and an audio panel that has inputs from both the active IFD440 frequency as well as the active frequency from the second com radio. If your audio panel is designed to present both audio signals to the pilot in ways that make it easier to decipher multiple speakers, you won't need to run any additional wires from the IFD440. For example, my audio panel allows me to select to hear "both" (using volume on one to override the other if I want - the old way of doing things), "monitor" mode (which cuts off audio from the second com while the IFD440 is receiving a com transmission), or third, hearing the IFD com in the left ear and the second com in the right ear. In other words, you don't always need to wire up the IFD440's monitor wire to get the "monitor" capability you want.
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cvela90
Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2016 Status: Offline Points: 18 |
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Yes, that's what I was talking about. Thanks!
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cvela90
Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2016 Status: Offline Points: 18 |
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Now, that's interesting. I think that is what my installer was talking about. He said the monitor function was from the IFD440 and the audio panel had nothing to do with it. But I don't see how. If nothing gets wired and the monitor function interrupts the #2 input, how does that works? If two radios are connected to the audio panel, I select both, I can listen to both. But how will the audio panel know to interrupt #2 if nothing was wired to it? How would I even control that from happening when both radios are monitored?
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Catani
Senior Member Joined: 21 Jan 2016 Status: Offline Points: 362 |
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Got to make some assumptions here to take a shot at answering your questions. If any of these assumptions are wrong, the following explanation may be bogus or irrelevant:
1. You had an existing #2 Com radio in your airplane that you kept after the IFD install. 2. You bought the IFD440 to replace an existing #1 com/nav radio, as well as provide FMS/WAAS capability. 3. You kept your existing audio panel and its wiring, which had a wire running from the #1 com (now the IFD) carrying the active frequency signal, and another wire running from your secondary com that carries the secondary com's active frequency signal, but no third dedicated "monitor" wire running from the #1 com to the audio panel carrying the audio from the #1 com standby frequency, because your old #1 com did not have the capability of passing audio from its standby frequency to the audio panel. 4. Your audio panel allows you to select #1 com from the IFD, #2 com from your second com radio, or both at the same time. 5. To agree on terminology, by "monitor" we mean the ability of the pilot to choose to listen to two different frequencies, with the "monitored" secondary frequency muting automatically when receiving a transmission on the primary frequency. Then: 1. The IFD does have a "monitor" audio output from its standby frequency that the IFD automatically mutes when it is receiving transmissions on the active frequency. The audio panel has nothing to do with this capability. 2. If the IFD's "monitor" frequency audio output is not wired to an input on your audio panel, your audio panel obviously won't be carrying that "monitor" audio to your headset. The only thing you will hear from the IFD via your audio panel is the active frequency, which is never muted. 3. If your existing IFD installation did not wire the monitor audio output from the IFD to the audio panel, you cannot be using the monitor function of the IFD at the moment. 4. If your audio panel has its own monitor capability by muting the #2 com active freq when there is a signal from the #1 com active freq, you don't need to go back now and wire up the IFD's monitor capability. You already have it. 5. If your audio panel does not have its own monitor capability, then you have two choices to get the monitor functionality: run a wire from the IFD's monitor output to an available input on your audio panel, OR replace your existing audio panel with a newer panel that has its own monitor capability.
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DavidBunin
Senior Member Joined: 20 May 2015 Location: Rockwall, TX Status: Offline Points: 742 |
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That has not been my experience, Catani. There is no automatic muting. The IFD simply plays both audio at the same time, all the time. I have to manage them with differential volume. As a matter of fact, if the volume levels (as observed on the AUX page) are the same, the Monitor audio is actually louder at my audio panel. So I keep the standby/monitor audio level lower than the Com audio level. My audio panel does have a "priority" mode, similar to what Catani describes. But since I also have my standby monitor audio connected, I can play with three "radios" at once. As a matter of technique, I manage the audio with volumes rather than employing the priority/muting functions in the equipment. David Bunin |
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Catani
Senior Member Joined: 21 Jan 2016 Status: Offline Points: 362 |
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David -- Thank you for the correction. I did not have the IFD's monitor capability wired to my audio panel for the reasons stated, so I had no actual experience to draw upon. I repeated what I had been told at the time I was making my installation decision. Frankly, not being able to auto-mute the IFD monitor frequency means, to me, for aircraft with 2 com radios, the IFD monitor option is not quite as good as using the audio panel to auto-mute the active frequency on the #2 com.
It's also good to know that the definition of "monitor" is not quite standardized, and does not always imply "muting" when listening to both a primary and secondary audio source.
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MysticCobra
Senior Member Joined: 29 Jan 2013 Status: Offline Points: 652 |
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Note that the standby frequency monitor volume can be set independently of the primary frequency, so that it's possible to have it softer (or much softer) than the primary. I prefer this approach over auto-muting, as there are times when the secondary freq broadcast is more important than what's on the primary freq, so I don't want it to mute.
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cvela90
Newbie Joined: 13 Nov 2016 Status: Offline Points: 18 |
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Thanks for the explanations folks.
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brou0040
Senior Member Joined: 13 Dec 2012 Location: KIYK Status: Offline Points: 720 |
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I see that I can set up the standby monitor audio independent from the active radio volume, but the standby volume is too quiet. I have it maxed out and my primary almost at the bottom of the scale and find that I'd like to have the standby even a bit louder. I'd like the standby to be quieter than the active so that I hear the active over the standby, but as it is now, the standby is difficult to hear to the point where it is not very useful. Anybody else run into this?
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DavidBunin
Senior Member Joined: 20 May 2015 Location: Rockwall, TX Status: Offline Points: 742 |
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What audio panel are you using?
My PMA-450 has the ability to set a volume level for the switched inputs, so I do have another place to help control the audio level but that adjustment affects three systems. I tend to leave my switched audio volume control at mid-range on the audio panel and control the relative volumes of the IFD at the IFD itself. To answer your question directly, no I haven't had that. Both my active and standby volumes are set below the half-scale point in the IFD. David |
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brou0040
Senior Member Joined: 13 Dec 2012 Location: KIYK Status: Offline Points: 720 |
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David,
Thanks for the tip, I just got my PMA450A yesterday. I had turned up the #1 switched input on the audio panel while troubleshooting because I wasn't hearing the audio. They found a busted pin and moved it to the #3 slot, but I didn't think to recheck that volume; I bet it's still set at midrange for #3 (now the standby monitor). I'll turn that up tomorrow and see how it works. Thanks, Jayson
Edited by brou0040 - 03 Jun 2017 at 11:29am |
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