MicroAir Radio problems...

[Steve Hill]

A couple of years ago I purchased a brand new MicroAir 760 tranceiver. I
kept it in the box, planning on exchanging it, as my trusty old Dittel
FSG60m was starting to make funny noises and not quite act right...When the
Dittel finally gave up the ghost one day, I set to installing the MicroAir.
My first flight with the new radio was great other pilots said it was very
clear and easy to hear and be heard. And the next day...nothing. It just
quit allowing transmission. I can hear others, but can't reply.

Of course now it's out of factory warranty, and the factory simply says send
it back and they'll fix it and charge me...but I have spoken to several
other radio shops and they all either roll their eyes, or make a similar
grimace and then direct me to spend the money on replacing it entirely and
chalk it up to a $750 mistake.

I guess what I'm looking for is A: Has anyone out there had decent
experiences with this radio..? And B: Is it generally the consensus that
it's really not a worthy piece of equipment to have in the cockpit?

When I consider the investment of a few hundred bucks in comparison to the
investment in the rest of the sailplane I'm not really worried about the
money as much as just being duped...and I don't want to see others head down
the same path.

Any comments...?

Steve Hill
(DG-400)

[Vorsanger1]

We installed a brand new Microair 760 about 6 years ago. It has never worked
properly, no bugs could be found in the installation. It has been "repaired"
twice with no apparent improvement.

Cheers anyhow, Charles

[goneill]

I believe there was a problem with a component(s) in some of the early ones
manf
I believe they fix it and the problem goes away ,from scuttlebutt, the radio
works well
but but transmits very tightly on its band and some older radios don't seem
to receive
that type of signal very well and distort the audio. Newer radio's don't
seem to have
that issue.I am not a radio man so I am only repeating what I have heard.
gary
"Steve Hill" <REMOVE_TO_...@hillstamping.com> wrote in message
news:2slbmkF...@uni-berlin.de...

[Tim Mara]

Generally Microair radios are OK....there is a late revision to the M760
(Revision N) that came out earlier this year, apparently addressing some
problems of earlier versions.
In my own personal opinion, there is nothing available yet that is as good
as the Walter Dittel radios, these are just terrific and have always been
so.we have some gliders still sporting FSG40's from the 1970's. There are
other radios that are also "good" and work well in gliders, I just would
rate none of these alternatives as being "AS good". Almost any of the
current radios, once they have made it beyond the warranty period rarely
have problems for a very long time afterwards since most problems with
avionics will show up early on.
Microair is quite good with warranty and repairs and we are working
currently at setting up a repair and warranty facility here in the
USA....though it is not in place yet.
My suggestion, since you already have the radio and the investment would be
to send it in and get it repaired and updated to the current version and
give it a second chance, the shipping and repair costs will be relatively
minor...I think you'll find it will be an OK radio...or call me and I'll be
happy to offer you a good trade-in towards any other radio I can offer
(Becker, Walter Dittel, Microair, Filser, Icom ect)
Tim
www.wingsandwheels.com

"Steve Hill" <REMOVE_TO_...@hillstamping.com> wrote in message
news:2slbmkF...@uni-berlin.de...

[F.L. Whiteley]

Our went back once for minor, perhaps similar, repair. Has worked fine
since.

Frank Whiteley
Colorado

[thisdo...@earthlink.net]

I owned a MicroAir Radio that I installed in my Gensis II. It is a
fantastic radio. I had comments from pilots saying it was one of the
clearest radios they have heard. I never had problems with it. Most of
the MicroAir radio complaints can be traced back to poor installations.
Having said that, our club has several MicoAir radios and one has
actually had a real problem that had to do with a fading display.
MicroAir lists all their service bulletins on their web site and one
dealt with this issue (about a 6 month range of serial numbers). A 28
cent capacitor resolved the problem that I repair myself. All issues
that we have dealt with since have been installation issues (mikes,
wiring etc.). I would not hesitate to purchase another. If you are
worried about failures, you can buy 2 for the price of a Dittel and have
a spare.

[Sf760]

Ours has been fantastic since day 1.

[Nick Gilbert]

The Microair service department is VERY reasonable. I would try my luck. At
least send it back for a quote!

"Sf760" <sf...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041007142415...@mb-m23.aol.com...

[Ray Lovinggood]

At 17:36 07 October 2004, Steve Hill wrote:
>A couple of years ago I purchased a brand new MicroAir
>760 tranceiver.

Steve,

I've got mixed feelings about my MicroAir. I've had
it installed for about, oh, 4 or 5 years. It sat in
its box under my bed for about a year before one of
my flying buds got fed up with trying to listen to
my transmissions via my hand-held radio. He was so
fed up that he installed the radio for me.

After installation, it worked great for a couple of
years and then, it wouldn't transmit. It would receive,
but not transmit. So, I sent it back to Australia
for repair. Since getting it back, it works fine,
again. There was also one other peculiarity about
it before sending it to Oz: I coudn't understand the
transmission from one particular MicroAir. Other pilots
understood that pilot fine, but not me. I heard the
transmission as a garbled mess. Well, I hear that
MicroAir fine now.

Shipping to Australia from North Carolina, USA: It
can be expensive via UPS or FEDEX. UPS quoted me $180
EACH WAY!!! And that was their cheapest rate, he said.
I got a similar price via FEDEX. The U.S. Postal
Service ended up with my business and their fee was
something between $20 and $30 each way, including insurance.
The repair bill, not including shipping, was something
like $60 (US$). I just included my credit card number
on my transmittal letter.

In our club, two ships have Microairs and both have
been back to Australia for repairs. One radio went
twice. So, we aren't too happy with them, but they
are currently working. We did hear after sending them
to Australia that there is a place somewhere in Florida
that will now repair them. At least, there was a place
before the current hurricane season started. I don't
know about now...

I do like the features of the radio. I use the Memory
function most of the time, but will use the 'flip-flop'
function from time to time.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, NC, USA
DG(LS)1-d

[ZASoars]

I have been more than pleased with my Microaire which i have used for more than
4 years without problems . I frequently talk to glider buddies 200 miles away
each weekend .

[Jim Phoenix]

Make absolute sure that your antenna and antenna connections are perfect.
Use an ohmeter and check the resistance of your antenna connections - all of
them. I've fixed many radio problems on many different types of aircraft,
including one of my previous 1-26's with a Microair, by fixing the antenna
connection. Ensure the antenna connectors are corrosion-free, properly
installed and that the antenna is properly tuned. Invest in a fancy new
antenna, the best you can afford and is suitable for your installation.
Check the VSWR. Then move on to the power supply. I hear lots of bad radios
on the air after 4 pm when their batteries start to droop.

Jim

"Steve Hill" <REMOVE_TO_...@hillstamping.com> wrote in message
news:2slbmkF...@uni-berlin.de...

[Geoff Vincent]

Steve,

I purchased a Microaire 760 in 2002 to replace an old (non-working)
radio in my PIK 20B. The Microaire was supplied by an agent (Ian
McPhee) who also supplied his own-built wiring harness. Installation
and pre-flight checks went fine but then the unit died completely.
Problem was a faulty main chip that was replaced promptly at no charge
under warranty - back in the air in a few days.

About 3 months later I tried the scan function for the first time but
to no avail. It stopped on the first frequency in the memory and
wouldn't go any further. As I don't really have a regular use for
scan I haven't yet bothered to pull it out and return it. Apart from
this the unit has performed very well. I particularly like the toggle
feature to select active and standby frequencies and also the memory
function that is very easy to use.

Geoff Vincent
VH-GAX

On 7 Oct 2004 17:11:48 GMT, Steve Hill

[JW]

Hey Ray,

I still have a photo of your LS1 flying over a green landscape as screen
saver

I bought a MicroAir directly from Australia in 2001 to replace the fixed
cristal radio in our LS1-C
I installed it myself and replaced the dynamic micro capsule "temporarily"
by a cheap electret micro for a PC
Very clear send and receive, never changed the micro

I use a separate battery for the radio, since at the end of a long flight
the voltage drop by the radio emission did take the LX-20 down (and cause a
pause in the log track, a reason to refuse the flight for competition or
badge)

Jan Waumans
Belgium
LS1-C OO-YDD

"Ray Lovinggood" <REMOVE_TO_...@intrex.net> wrote in message
news:2slnnbF...@uni-berlin.de...

[Ray Lovinggood]

Jan,

Send me your e-mail address to:
vi...@intrex.net

Thanks,
Ray

[Chris OCallaghan]

Steve,

I've never been a big fan of the Microair. Laura and I have owned one
each. We still have one in her LS-8 and it performs reasonably well,
but only after upgrading the electirical system to 14V. Both Microairs
receive fine, but transmitting is problematic, especially after a
couple of hours flying on a 12V 7AH battery.

In fact, I was so concerned with its dependability and stories of
continuing problems even after repair, that I decided not to sell it
after upgrading to a Dittel.

OC

[Andy Durbin]

Steve Hill <REMOVE_TO_...@hillstamping.com> wrote in message news:<2slbmkF...@uni-berlin.de>...

> A couple of years ago I purchased a brand new MicroAir 760 tranceiver. I
> kept it in the box, planning on exchanging it, as my trusty old Dittel
> FSG60m was starting to make funny noises and not quite act right...When the
> Dittel finally gave up the ghost one day, I set to installing the MicroAir.
> My first flight with the new radio was great other pilots said it was very
> clear and easy to hear and be heard. And the next day...nothing. It just
> quit allowing transmission. I can hear others, but can't reply.

> snip

> Any comments...?
>
>
> Steve Hill
> (DG-400)

Steve,

Many problems with Microair radios can be traced to poor connections
between the microprocessor and its socket. The microprocessor
controls just about everything in the radio and failure of one or more
pins to connect correctly can have a whole variety of effects. In my
case the radio stopped receiving and transmitting on the selected
frequency but it was in fact continuously scanning the whole com band
even thought the display said it was on one freq. My problem was
fixed by removing and reseating the microprocessor in accordance with
Microair service bulletin SB-003 which is available from their
website. The fix was easy and the total time to fix including removal
and replacement of the radio in the glider was in the order of 3
hours. I'd be a lot faster if I have to do it a second time. If you
are competent to handle static sensitive electronic components it's
not difficult to do, and a far better solution than sending the radio
back to Australia. Supposedly the new rev radios have a better
microprocessor socket.

Andy (GY)

[tango4]

I bought a used Microair recently. It refuses to store any information in
eeprom so it doesn'r remember frequencies beyond the two ( active and
standby ) and wont store anything in its memories. I'll have it serviced
this winter but I'm a little ticked off at the whole affair.

Ian

"Geoff Vincent" <gvin...@melbpc.org.au> wrote in message
news:pnccm09t738jc9fq7...@4ax.com...

[Snead1]

I have had good service from a MicroAir radio for past two years.

Bill Snead
6W

[tim.wo...@gmail.com]

my 760 wont transmit, it needs looking at but i am in the uk 50M north London, where can I get it seen to ?

[uncl...@ix.netcom.com]

Find the service bulletin that details how to remove the main processor chip, clean the contacts, and re seat. That normally corrects the problem.
Good luck
UH

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

To add to this (BTW, I need to follow up on one I did for you UH.....), yes, there is a sorta known issue of the main chip to its socket.
Proper cleaning can help.......proper cleaning followed by a "contact enhancer" works better long term.
The required fluid to make a longer term solution sorta moot is not cheap, but if you can line up a few fixes in the near term, the economics sorta work out.

I have a field service, electronics, high end stereo background. I did a "rehab" on one of Hanks radios a number of years ago, need to see how that is working vs. his other similar radio.
Yes, I fly both.
Yes, at times the MicroAirs sucked on transmit.
Had to do a text to my son at the airport once since I couldn't transmit but could receive. At least they knew where I was and where I was going.


Sorta end of story, late in the day, late climb over a forest fire by the Delaware water gap, more than 8K ASL in a -28, I was "local"....., long medium speed glide back to home.......early spring, so wringing out electrical issues, no glide computer, no steering, look out the window, guess miles home, figure 8 miles/thousand feet of altitude (40:1), mechanical vario, until I could watch the home field on the canopy.

[Wheaton]

Call 814-838-8934 and discuss. Erie Aviation in Pa. Micro Air repair in US. Should still be there.

[johnrobinso...@gmail.com]

Our club's Microairs were rubbish. But these were early models. The main problem was a poor-quality 4-sided socket the holds the main CPU. The socket sides were not strong enough and bowed-out. Thus poor connection to the chip. Numerous symptoms including spastic display... Remove the chip, carefully bend the contacts out to make better connections and hope that fixes things for a while. JR

[itsc...@gmail.com]

I’ve recently removed an old intercom and installed a flightcom 403mc used with my quite old microair 760 and rewired the input plug for the radio and seem to have gotten something wrong. The intercom works great, but the radio does not. It recieves and transmitts, however it only revieves scramble and only transmitts scramble. The problem is not with the intercom as I am having the same problem when I byepass the intercom entirely. Radio was working fine before. Any help would be greatly appreciated

[2G]

On Saturday, May 26, 2018 at 5:40:08 PM UTC-7, itsc...@gmail.com wrote:
> I’ve recently removed an old intercom and installed a flightcom 403mc used with my quite old microair 760 and rewired the input plug for the radio and seem to have gotten something wrong. The intercom works great, but the radio does not. It recieves and transmitts, however it only revieves scramble and only transmitts scramble. The problem is not with the intercom as I am having the same problem when I byepass the intercom entirely. Radio was working fine before. Any help would be greatly appreciated

Over the years, Microair has had more complaints listed on RAS than any other radio that I can recall. I would strongly advise pilots to buy only those radios that can be serviced in the U.S. - why bother with dealing with a radio that has to be shipped internationally (two ways) to get repaired? And the other brands NEVER seem to require repair!

Microair lists the minimum voltage at 10.7 V. While transmitting, it draws 1.8 A, further dropping the battery voltage; this could be a problem at the end of a long flight if you have a full panel.

Tom

[Dan Marotta]

There is/was an avionics shop in Erie, PA which services Microair radios.

Agreed on the radio crapping out at low voltage.  You could watch the
volt meter, key the mic, and be amazed at the drop.

--
Dan, 5J

[Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)]

Major MicroAir complaint has been the "chip fix". Sorta easy to do, not much more effort to make a longer term fix.

As mentioned I believe all of 2 posts above yours was a potential fix it shop in NW PA, thus US.

I have done the longer term fix, but not looking at making a living off it. I have only done local radios based on info from multiple sources.
I have no capability to do other fixes.