Feb 28, 2021     Replacing SL40 with Garmin GTR200 COMM - (4 hours)       Category: Avionics

Our Garmin (Apollo) SL40 #2 COMM died while it was sitting in the panel waiting several years for us to finish the Sportsman. Finally, in January 2021 when Doug was trying the transmit and receive functions of the SL40, he found it dead! After pulling the radio from the panel, he smelled something had burned. We have no idea what happened, but we were out of radio since the warranty had long ago expired. So, Doug suggested we replace it with the much more capable Garmin GTR200, for about $1200. This radio has all sorts of neat new features as well as being shorter and lighter than the SL40. But, the tray that came with the new radio had holes for the attaching screws about half a hole displaced from the SL40. What a pain! So, as you can see in the photos, using a long, somewhat flexible #30 drill, Doug, with Brutus's help, managed to drill new holes which worked!

Doug studied the instructions from Garmin and programmed our new #2 COMM radio. The good part of this unexpected expense is we have a #2 COMM with updated features. The GTR200 has a 2-place intercom which we don't need since we have a PS Engineering audio panel with a four-place intercom and Bluetooth in the panel.

  Nov 24, 2011     VP-200 Vertical Power electronic circuit breaker and control installation - (60 hours)       Category: Avionics

We installed a then "State of the Art" electronic circuit breaker and programmable electrical control system introduced by Vertical Power. Our VP-200 was the first version which included a panel-mounted screen plus a switch panel just beneath that. Those controls were wired to a box behind the panel which housed the electronics to perform the wizardry of resettable circuit breakers, measuring current flow in any circuit, activating alarms for out-of-spec parameters, and programming a number of functions which would then perform "normal" cockpit duties for the pilot automatically depending on speed and altitude of the aircraft. Totally amazing.

  Nov 02, 2011     ELT E-04 406 Mhz and 121.5 by ACK - (10 hours)       Category: Avionics

We mounted our ACK E-04 406 MHz elt under the "arch" support for the rear lithium battery, solenoid, and fuse "platform". The remote Doug mounted on the right top of the instrument panel. By removing the glare shield, the lithium battery for the remote is easy to replace.

On the right top of the instrument panel, we mounted the remote ELT control panel with a TEST button, LED which flashes when ELT is activated. On the backside is a rectangular box housing an audio alarm when the ELT trips, either during a test or when the G-switch in the main unit in the back is tripped.

  Oct 27, 2011     VOR-LOC antenna by AAE fed with RG-400 cable - (2 hours)       Category: Avionics

This is not a Bob Archer VOR-LOC antenna but one designed and manufactured by AAE. it is a thin, flexible dipole with the pick-off of the signal in the center. Again, this is connected to the instrument panel with RG-400 cable.

  Oct 27, 2011     Marker beacon antenna by Bob Archer - (1 hour)       Category: Avionics

The simple copper foil marker beacon antenna is a Bob Archer design. We epoxied it to the bottom of the fuselage shell and attached an RG-400 cable that runs forward to the instrument panel.

  Oct 27, 2011     VOR-LOC antenna by AAE fed with RG-400 cable - (3 hours)       Category: Avionics

The VOR-LOC antenna we bought from AAE. It is connected to our COMM radios using RG-400 coax.

  Aug 11, 2011     Avionics wiring in the cabin and panel - (40 hours)       Category: Avionics

We spent some time discussing where the jacks for our headsets should be placed. As shown by these photos we ended up installing them overhead, center, just forward of the tray.

We chose Honeywell rocker switches for most functions, except heady duty toggle swiches for the originial Subaru engine.

  Jun 16, 2011     GPS antennas and #2 GRT GPS non-RAIM modulel - (10 hours)       Category: Avionics

This GPS antenna is supported by an aluminum bracket we made and attached to the inside of the fuselage shell behind Bulkhead A. This feeds our GTN650 certified VOR/LOC/GPS in the panel. We also have a second GPS module from GRT Avionics which a backup and not WAAS certified, i.e., no RAIM.

  May 20, 2011     Magnetometers, dual GRT, in tail cone right rear on shelf       Category: Avionics

Where to mount the dual magnetometers for the GRT Horizon HX's was a head-scratcher. We thought of installing the magnetometers in the tips of the wings under the fiberglass wingtips. You can see a photo below of us trying to see if it would fit. Plus that location was too close to the heavy lead aileron counterweight and the long, square steel tube on which the lead was mounted. Not a good idea.

We next tried putting the two magnetometers though an inspection hole inside a wing. Again, that was a very difficult location, especially trying to get them accurately aligned and leveled. We finally decided to construct a fiberglass shelf on the right side of the tail cone and mount both units there. The really tricky part was getting the shelf level and in line with the longitudinal axis of the fuselage. To do this we built an aluminum support plate for both stacked magnetometers, and then used screws and nuts to support the plate on 4 corners. That allowed precise leveling of the plate and therefore the magnetometers. That was a win!

  Aug 15, 2010     Angle of Attack Indicator installation - (10 hours)       Category: Avionics

The Sport angle of attack system we installed ran from the left wing where utilizing two tiny holes, one on top and the other on the bottom of the wing, differential pressures would feed down to the floor, and up to the glare shield through red and blue vinyl tubes. These tubes attached to a small computer which uses the pressure differentials to then feed signals to a 9-LED indicator mounted on center of the glare shield. We mounted the indicator rather far forward so both the pilot and copilot could easily see the LED lights. We also mounted a switch micro switch next to the flap handle so when the flap handle is pulled up to the first 10-degrees of flaps, the AOA "brain" knows the coefficient of lift has changed because of the lowered flaps.

  Mar 09, 2008     #2 COMM antenna in tail cone left side - (4 hours)       Category: Avionics

This interior #2 COMM antenna by Bob Archer we attached to the left side of the tailcone. As you can see it had to curve around the fuselage, but Bob told us that would be OK. The antenna is held in place with strips of fiberglass cloth soaked with epoxy. As is the RG-400 coax feeding forward to the instrument panel.

  Feb 07, 2008     Transponder antenna by Bob Archer installation in tail cone - (8 hours)       Category: Avionics

This transponder antenna was one of several antennas we bought from Bob Archer, an antenna guru. We were trying to get all of our antennas to be inside the fiberglass fuselage. This transponder antenna we installed just forward of Bulkhead B fairly far back in the tail cone and under the vertical fin. Instead of buying this directly from Bob, we bought this antenna from Aircraft Spruce.

  Jun 21, 2005     #1 COMM antenna was installed in the vertical fin by Glasair       Category: Avionics

One of the items Glasair Aviation pre-installed in our Quick Build Fuselage Kit was the #1 COMM antenna.