Radio gone bad

Three times over the past 30 days my radio has quit receiving. When it is cool it works fine, but when it warms up it has quit receiving. I can transmit just fine. When it quits, there is no warning, it just stops receiving and usually won't work again until in the cool of the morning on the next day. The radio is an older Terra TX 760D. I have checked all wires, in-line fuse and antenna connections at the radio and antenna. I plan to pull the radio out of the tray and check the connectors for dirt and/or gunk. Any ideas?

Yesterday I took a one hour flight to another airport and back. It worked great when I left and when I arrived at the neighboring airport. When I departed the other airport it worked fine, then I realized I could no longer hear other aircraft making location calls. As I neared my home airport I tried to get the ATIS which confirmed I could not receive. I also tried to monitor my home airport tower, no luck. Hoping I could transmit I called my home airport tower, explained I had lost com and told of my intention to set up for a straight in for runway 16, squawk 7600 and I would call from 5 miles and 2 miles out, and requested a light gun upon arrival. I made my calls and hit ident on my transponder before each call, set up for my straight in and called tower to report traffic I was seeing. I got their green light on my 1 mile final. Upon touchdown I received a red/green light which I reported. I told them which taxiway I would take and that I would cross another runway with caution. I got a green light, which I reported. After clearing all runways and the hold short line I called ground and reported which taxiway I was going to take and which ramp I would be going to. Another green light. After shutdown I called the tower on my cell phone to thank them for their help. When a controller answered the phone I identified myself with name and tail number and thanked him for their help. He answered, "Hello, hello... is anyone there... I can't hear you". Then laughted. He thanks me for the radio calls and for providing my intentions and we had a good laugh. It's great to have good controllers who understand their roll is to help pilots. A great team. But, I really don't want to do that again!:eek:

First off, good job on the radio out procedures Steve.
Second , might be time to retire the Terra. Most have been removed from Kitfoxs around here years ago due to break downs and getting them repaired was such a pain.

Wow. :) That's literally the first time I have ever heard of anyone actually using the light gun. Great job! Sounds like it worked as planned.

I had it happen to me too but on final approach at Phoenix Deer Valley airport in my first model 3. I ran my battery down while using the power sucking strobes and position lights close to sunset. The poor little 912 coudn't keep up with the power usage and when I keyed the mic there wasn't enough power to transmit.:eek: Light guns for me. When I cleared the runway and shut off the lights I had enough power to transmit again to the tower. I thanked them for the light gun help.:o

My Terra com was scrapped after only 28 hours of service and a $600 repair that took about 3 months to complete. I did manage about 350 hours on the transponder before it died.

Bill W.
Classic IV 912ul

Yes, I agree. It looks like it might be time for the old Torah Torah Terra to go. I just don't want to spend the money right now for one of those new small, round, lightweight radios that actually work. I mean it will take up less space on my panel and increase the useful load of my plane.;)

I'm considering the MGL 6V. Anyone have a good source?

Steve , I think I've read a couple of our members are running the MGL with good results so far. I'm trying one if my MicroAir goes south for any reason.
Lowell might have one in his new model 4 if my memory hasn't completely failed me.

So far my Terra still works.

My Mangy Fox project just got an iCom A210 for the panel at Airventure.

I've got a V10 and I love it. Ordered the radio and pre wired harness direct from MGL for same price as anywhere else. They seem to keep all their distributor prices the same as theirs. Ordered direct since going through Spruce would have added a bunch for me in taxes.

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Originally Posted by DesertFox4

Steve , I think I've read a couple of our members are running the MGL with good results so far. I'm trying one if my MicroAir goes south for any reason.
Lowell might have one in his new model 4 if my memory hasn't completely failed me.

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I've been watching this. I had the V-10 and it went south on the flight down to the Desert Fox Fly-in. Unlike Steve, I couldn't transmit. The receiver worked fine. I could hear the click, but no noise out and the transmit icon on the radio didn't indicate transmit.

Long story - I sent the radio back for repairs using the approved procedure. After a week or two, I called to see if they received the radio - they did. Repairs would take about three weeks. I called after about a month and was told that it would be a couple more weeks. I called again and they offered me a new radio to replace the old one. That was fine. After another couple of weeks, I called again and they offered me a V-6 to replace the V-10. 2-1/4" vs. 3-1/8 mounting hole and different wiring harness but I went with that. It came in just a few days. The kicker was the knobs for tuning and volume on the V-6. I am an old guy and much prefer turning knobs rather than trying to remember which buttons to push.

Another thing. A friend with the V-6 complained that his was "too sensitive". He has the V-6 in one airplane and a Flightline FL-760 in his other. He says the FL-760 is much more understandable. Checking mine out on transmit, the mic gain from the factory was set way too high resulting in garbled transmission. As I recall, I reset it to minus 7 or 8 and the transmission cleared right up. I suggested he check the mic gain on his. The V-6 has lots of adjustments to fine tune performance and I like it. All in all not a bad experience - I'd do it again.

Thanks for the update Lowell. I hope the V-6 works as advertised for you.

Thanks Lowell. Good input from real world experience is always helpful.

Hey all I went to change the freq on my comm radio today and the knob just sat there and free turns. It will not change the freq. I pulled the control head off the radio to see if it was just a part that moved out of place, but with my normal luck, it was not.

My question is if anyone might have an old Terra TX 760D around that I can get the control head off of.



Would be the part on the left. The one on the right is the radio.

thanks, let me know cost if you have something that would help.

There is a place in the southwest (Arizona?) that works on these radios. An airport friend swears by them (I mostly swear at mine!) and has had them worked on recently. I will see if I can find out who this is...

Stand by.

Thanks so much. My radios work great other than the one knob. go figure most seem to say they die on them. So was looking for one. Of the dead ones to get the control head out of.

But please do get me that name they may have the part I need as well.

Thanks

TSTC Avionics Repair, Texas.

Link

Just a follow up in my problematic Terra. I pulled it from the tray, cleaned the contacts and reinstalled it in the tray. Turned it on and walla, it worked! Now I'm just waiting for it to puke in flight again.

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Now I'm just waiting for it to puke in flight again.

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Steve, odds are good it will meet your expectation sooner than later.;)

Did I type that, really? Sorry Steve. It must be the heat getting to me.:o

DesertFox 4, must be the condom (or glove) pulled down over your head. :p:p:p

Oh wait, wrong thread!:D:D:D:D

ya it's hard to breath under there Steve.

Best of luck with that Terra.
You may want to pick yourself up one of those little camping signal mirrors so you can at least respond back to the tower when they have to give you the light gun again next flight.:p
There I did it again. So very sorry Steve. :o:o:o ;)

Hope to see you at McCall,Idaho next month for the Kitfox factory fly-in Steve. :)

Is all good I still have one that works till I am in need of a mirror.

I'll see you all in McCall. I can't afford a brand new camping signal mirror so I'll be the one with the old Whalen Jennings CD disk hanging from my panel.

Well thanks guys contacted TSTC Avionics Repair. They are able to send me a input selector. Will get to do some soldering. But it will save me $1k if I would have had to buy another radio.