A few updates (longish)

Guest Discussion
1

Last Saturday I posted a http://cirruspilots.org/cgi-bin/wwwthreads/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=nmqa&Number=8314long, rambling PIREP of various enhancements to N84MR. I ended most of the paragraphs with “Stay tuned” - so, for those who have not touched that dial…
Engine Monitor
ARNAV agrees that these (minor) issues are indeed bugs, and they will soon be releasing a new, improved version of the software. I’ll post on that when I get it.
Engine View PC Software
ARNAV is working with me to correct the bugs in this. The issue surrounding the small number of records I could download from the ICDS2000 into my PC seems to be the FLASH card; they’re sending me a new one overnight. Once again, stay tuned.
The Transponder Problem
Despite the fact that the size of my transponder ground plane has now been greatly increased, my old problems are still with me.
Yesterday, on a flight from Belmar, NJ to First Flight at Kitty Hawk (hmmm… if you’re reading this, then all those cryptic clues in my earlier post were just a waste!), I had Dover approach tell me that they’d lost my transponder. BUT… when they handed me off, they said "Four Mike Romeo, contact Pawtuxent Approach on 127.95; for some reason, they can see your transponder just fine. At that moment, I was overhead Georgetown, Delaware at 6,000 feet; Dover was at my 4 o’clock position (I know that their radar could have been anywhere, but that’s where THEY were relative to me); and Pawtuxent was almost dead ahead.
When I called up Pawtuxent, they confirmed Mode C at 6,000. The little cogs in my head started turning… this seemed to be a directional issue, and it lends credance to the theories that maybe the exhaust stacks are somehow blocking the signal. [I don’t really understand how this can be – doesn’t fit with my understanding of, or experience with, RF behavior; but I suppose it is possible.]
I decided to just keep this as a datapoint, and see if it ever happened again. I didn’t have to wait long – a little while later, when I was approaching Cape Charles, Pawtuxent lost my transponder. They were at my 4 o’clock… and Norfolk, straight ahead, was picking it up just fine.
I was hoping that it would happen again – I was going to request clearance to do a 360 to see if my transponder would magically reappear on someone’s radar; but it behaved itself the rest of the trip south, and all the way back home. This is too little data to prove anything; but it’s a new tack to take next time any of us experiences a loss of radar contact. I’ll be discussing this with my Avionics guy tomorrow.
GPSS
Pure joy. Glad to have it.
Handheld Antenna Connection
Good news: Works great.
Bad news: No longer made, and the guy I know who had them has sold out.

  • Mike.
2

GPSS

Pure joy. Glad to have it.

For those who have emailed asking for more about the GPSS… sorry, I forgot that when I wrote the first PIREP, it still wasn’t working. The problem turned out to be the setup in the GNS430, which needed to have an output set to ARINC 429 to feed the S-TEC 55. [Thanks to Steve Lin for suggesting that I check that].

  • Mike.
3

The Transponder Problem

Despite the fact that the size of my transponder ground plane has now been greatly increased, my old problems are still with me.
Mike,
I have discovered the problem. It is you!

I have not had a controller tell me they’ve lost my transponder in about the last 30 flight hours - most of it IFR or w/ flight following.

Today, on the way back from ECCFI #2, Boston Center told me that they lost my transponder, and could I pleae recycle. Within a minute of my recycling the transponder, I hear “Boston Center, Cirrus 84MR”.

Sounds like Albany Approach forgot about you. Anyway, after BOS center gave you another freq to try, within about 4-5 minutes, she said she could see my transponder again.

Thus I have to conclude your presence on the airwaves was enough to give my transponder whatever it is that yours has! :slight_smile:

(Seriously, they picked it up again right after I made about a 20-30 degree turn at DNY VOR. So going on your theory, maybe that turn was enough to move the antenna back into a “good” region not blocked by the exhaust or whatever is blocking it…)

BTW - We had pretty decent turnout at ECCFI #2 - 11 people, 2 Cirri on the ramp (plus 1 in a hangar!), and at least another 3-4 planes of various types. Probably would have had more people if the forecast had come through – as it was, ceilings of about 2000-2500 over GFL.

Steve