Quick Survey (help the new guy out)

Guest Discussion
1

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

2

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

I just use my old “regular” David Clarks.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

I bought the data writer from Jepp along with two additional data cards and subscribe to their internet service for updates every 28 days.

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

Have been changing the oil every 50 hours. Seems to be working out fine.

Larry, N171CD

3

Headsets–I split the difference and put two Bose Xs in the front seat and two Lightspeed 20XLs in the back seat. Spending whatever it takes to get the best headset for you is worthwhile, as you will be spending many hours with the things stuck to your head, and you’ll only cheat yourself by trying to be cheap. Not everyone likes the Bose, but I’m sold on them (light, great ANR, great audio, great support.) I didn’t bother wiring them into ships power (the portables you can take with you, as you won’t want to fly with anything else.)

Garmin–buy the flash burner and the Internet update service. It takes less than a year to amortize the cost of the hardware against the extra cost of the card exchange program. No excuse for not keeping the databases up to date (if you can afford the SR2x, you can afford the $350/year or whatever the subscription costs.)

Oil changes–I’ve been using 50 hour intervals. More frequent changes will marginally improve things (particulary if you’re in a dusty environment) but there’s diminishing returns in there (more chance to screw something up, or at least ding up your cowling.)

4

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

Headsets are very personal. I have Lightspeeds and Bose models. I find the Lightspeed to be just fine but my wife really prefers the Bose. I’ve also noted that controllers often comment that my transmissions are sometimes hard to read with the Lightspeed but they never complain with the Bose.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

If you want to fly IFR get the full update. I’ve been downloading the data from the Web using Jeppesen Skywriter. It works just fine.

If you do NOT keep a current database you can still use the 430 IFR ENROUTE ONLY as long as you confirm the 430 data with an up to date source. You CANNOT use the approaches with an expired database.

If you fly VFR only then less frequent updates are probably fine.

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

It’s impossible to change the oil too frequently.

J. Seckler SR22 #063

5

Brig,

I compared several headsets extensively at Sun-N-Fun last year while I had the opportunity to go from one booth to the other quickly. I had a pair of Pilot 17-79 that work well, are very light, and you just charge them from a wall outlet with their charger, no batteries to worry about. I was going to buy another set of these until I tried on a pair of Lightspeeds. There was a dramatic improvement in comfort, to my head. I ended up buying the Lightspeed 25XL after sitting in their ‘sound egg’ and comparing the Lightspeed 20, 25, and the Bose unit. The Bose may have been slightly better than the Lightspeed for ANR, but the difference was very hard to detect. They were about the same comfort level. Then there was the cost issue. I just couldn’t justify nearly double for not a whole lot of improvement. On the other hand, the Lightspeed 25XLs I bought at Sun-N-Fun this year get a severe feedback making them unusable if you do not have the cushions sealed well against your head. Also, I had to send them back to Lightspeed because of a crackly sound in the left earcup. They said they could not duplicate it, but gave me a new pair anyway. I also complained to them about low volume, which they also could not duplicate. Maybe my hearing is going bad! FWIW, my dad is on his second pair of Bose with never a problem in about 10 years.

Still, I like the Lightspeeds because they are extremely comfortable and beat the Pilot hands down for that.

RE Garmin updates, I checked out this at Sun-N-Fun too. I agree with the other post about the updates over the Internet. Whether you do it every 28 days or so is your own decision. I can’t imagine planning to do any instrument flying without current databases. It defeats the purpose of all those incredible instruments when you can rely on them for nothing but lat/lon.

However, if you are VFR all the time with a sectional in your lap, once a year might be OK for you.

Another humble opinion,

Greg

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

6

Brig,

I forgot to tell you that there is a discernible difference in ANR between the Lightspeed 20 & 25, but it isn’t going to knock your socks off. You won’t notice it unless you can try them both back to back.

Finally, since you identify yourself as a new guy, I recommend you bookmark this sight if you haven’t already. It will be invaluable to you if you have a plane or are a position holder.

Greg

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

7

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Try the Lightspeed SR20 priced between the 20 and 25 and they are supposed to be tuned to the Cirrus SR20. I have 2 pair, airplane to arrive in April. My wife and I love them. The folks at Lightspeed are great to work with. My wife's set was specially built to reduce squeeze, no extra charge. MIKE#396
8

I’ll speak up for Lightspeed XL20s.

I have two of them which I’ve used in a Cirrus

and in a J3 Cub. Last Spring I took a 55-hour

trip in the Cub with a friend, and for all that

time, neither of us ever felt like we needed to

remove our headset for comfort. The 20’s noise

cancellation works very well in a J3, which is

a very noisy cockpit, and it might be more than

you really need in the much quieter Cirrus. But

that’s a very personal call, about which you’ll

have to make up your own mind.

John

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

9

8 hrs a week in a skyhawk has been good testing ground for the Bose/Lightspeed comparison…no question: Bose the winner…but, Lightspeed a 7 compared to the Bose 10. I was very happy with the Lightspeed until I bought the Bose…>Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

GARMIN DATA: With the dual 430s, what program do most of you use, one time updates or every 28 days? Do any of you have the ability to write your own cards through Jeppesen and how has that worked?

OIL CHANGES: Several people have recommended going 50 hours but IÂ’ve also heard every 35 hours is the best for the engine. Is there a consensus on hours between changes? The Continental book that comes with the plane says to change only every 100 hours.

10

Couple of quick questions. If they’ve been covered already and you’re tired of reading about the same old subjects now is the time to move on.

HEADSETS: The consensus seems to be that if you can afford it and you have the wiring already, the Bose is the best system. Not that IÂ’m too cheap but spending $4,000 on a set of four plus the cost of rewiring the jacks is outrageous. For the rest of you that donÂ’t have the Bose, the Lightspeed is often mentioned as a top quality ANR headset. If you have the Lightspeeds and have done a comparison, do you find that there is much difference between the 20s and the 25s? My David Clarks have great noise reduction but they grip like a giant anaconda wrapped around your head.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Try the Lightspeed SR20 priced between the 20 and 25 and they are supposed to be tuned to the Cirrus SR20. I have 2 pair, airplane to arrive in April. My wife and I love them. The folks at Lightspeed are great to work with. My wife's set was specially built to reduce squeeze, no extra charge. MIKE#396
11

IMHO:

HEADSETS:
I have the Lightspeed 20XL’s and love them.

GARMIN DATA:
Downloading the data yourself is easy and alot cheaper than new cards every month. Be careful, though, your computer needs a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM and a PC card reader

OIL CHANGES:
I change mine every 35 hours, but I also change the oil in my daily driver car every 3000 miles, and my “fun” car every 500-1000 miles so maybe I’m conservative. Changing oil frequently sure can’t hurt, though.

12

Headsets are very personal. I have Lightspeeds and Bose models. I find the Lightspeed to be just fine but my wife really prefers the Bose. I’ve also noted that controllers often comment that my transmissions are sometimes hard to read with the Lightspeed but they never complain with the Bose.

I have the Lightspeed SR20s at all 4 seats, and I’m quite happy with them; but I haven’t tried the Bose. A couple of comments:

  1. My wife does find that they’re a little too tight for her; I may ask Lightspeed to adjust the squeeze (as they did for Mike #396).

  2. At one point, someone at Lightspeed told me that the SR20 is actually the same headset as the 25 - that is, they’re not really “tuned”. He said that they ARE “optimized”, but that the optimization consisted of the SR20 name!

  3. I have had a couple of faults develop with Lightspeeds over a 3 year period; they’ve always been terrific with their customer service.

  4. I built an adapter to allow all four headsets to run off ship’s power. In retrospect, it may not have been worth the exercise (or marginally worthwhile), given how long they run on one set of batteries and that they switch off automatically if you forget.

  5. I just discovered something that should have been obvious to me (you’ll probably say, "Well, DUH!!) – ANY headset will give noisy/less clear transmissions if you have the airvent blowing air at your head… and you’re much less likely to notice this if you’re on your own. When you have passengers, and you’re talking to each other through the intercom, it’s amazing how much clearer everyone sounds if they aim their vents so that they DON’T point at the mic!

FWIW…

  • Mike.
13

GARMIN DATA:
Downloading the data yourself is easy and alot cheaper than new cards every month. Be careful, though, your computer needs a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM and a PC card reader

Also, I believe the current Jepp datawriter program runs ONLY on Win98 – not Win95, NT, 2000, Me, etc. (and certainly not Mac or Linux!)

At least, that’s what I was told when I ordered it, and I think I remember hearing someone with NT that couldn’t use it.

Steve

14

Be careful, though, your computer needs a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM and a PC card reader

I give up. What is a PC card reader?

15

Be careful, though, your computer needs a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM and a PC card reader

I give up. What is a PC card reader?

PCMCIA slot.

16

Art, Those little slots on the sides of laptops of similar dimensions to a credit card, only thicker. Usually modems, network cards, and other adaptors plug in there. :slight_smile:

Be careful, though, your computer needs a floppy disc drive, a CD ROM and a PC card reader

I give up. What is a PC card reader?

17

Art, Those little slots on the sides of laptops of similar dimensions to a credit card, only thicker. Usually modems, network cards, and other adaptors plug in there. :slight_smile:

Are you saying that you can’t use the download option with a desk top?

18

Art, Those little slots on the sides of laptops of similar dimensions to a credit card, only thicker. Usually modems, network cards, and other adaptors plug in there. :slight_smile:

Are you saying that you can’t use the download option with a desk top?

Yep! You have to have one of these PC slots. They are standard on all present day laptops. There are add-on adaptors for desktops, but I haven’t seen them in awhile.

Maybe when COPA gets going some of us can help the others out with this.

19

Art, Those little slots on the sides of laptops of similar dimensions to a credit card, only thicker. Usually modems, network cards, and other adaptors plug in there. :slight_smile:

Are you saying that you can’t use the download option with a desk top?

Hey Art, This is off the Jeppesen website:

Skybound Datawriter & PCMCIA Drive Installation Hints

What type of computer are you using? Is it a laptop or desktop? If you are using a desktop you’ll need to purchase a PCMCIA drive. We recommend the ActionTec PC700 from www.provantage.com.

What Operating System is on the computer? The Skybound Datawriter will only work in WIN95B and WIN98 (WIN95A will not work due to Microsoft driver problems).

20

Are you saying that you can’t use the download option with a desk top?

Yep! You have to have one of these PC slots. They are standard on all present day laptops. There are add-on adaptors for desktops, but I haven’t seen them in awhile.

Maybe when COPA gets going some of us can help the others out with this.

Well, NOPE, well not exactly. It is possible and physically fairly easy to add PCMCIA slots to a desktop PC. Few , if any come with 'em.

It is not too expensive and it can be done for well under $200 and potentially under $100. The technical skills are very easy and the software skills required are almost none. Here are some things to consider:

  • I think you must use installed PCMCIA slots and not connect them via a USB port. (I think this comes from Jepp. I don’t understand it, but that’s what I thought they said.)

  • If possible, mount the slots in in the front of the PC case. If you install them so that acces to the slots is in the back of thePC case, access (inserting and removing) the Datawriter would be difficult.

So far, I use this arrangement with no difficulty.

I hear the Jepp is comming out with some enhancements. They have already identified that they want to make the software more user-friendly (it needs it) and capable of working with MS Windows ME and 2000. Hopefully they will address some of the above issues as well.

Marty