![]() This could be acceptable if it was a station playing Willie Nelson but that never seems to be the case. The VOR needle would bounce around, and sometimes you could hear a hard rock FM station through the MK12D VOR audio. We’ve seen cases where portable GPS units unlocked the synthesizer in the VHF navigation section of a Narco MK12D nav/comm when the VOR receiver is tuned to certain frequencies and the GPS is on.Here are a few examples we’ve run across at Avionics West: ![]() The same holds true in our light aircraft. Believe me, it’s a lot cheaper.Īt this point, I know you’re wondering whether that innocent little handheld GPS or notebook computer could cause any problems with your avionics? The simple answer is YES! There are sound reasons many air carriers require portable equipment to be shut off during takeoffs and approaches. As you probably guessed, anytime you have to get a DER involved, you are talking big bucks! If you want to watch TV, check into a hotel. In order to permanently attach a heavy piece of equipment such as TV or your prized moose head to an aircraft bulkhead requires some structural analysis and must normally be done by a structural DER (designated engineering representative). On the other hand, a small TV that is securely strapped to the seat is normally acceptable. television set won’t come flying forward. The main reason the Feds have a problem with nonportable things you could drag out to and hook into the aircraft is because of crashworthiness: they want to be sure that if you make a forced landing in a field somewhere, a 100 lb. Now you probably think, “why not wire in a VCR, 31″ TV and a coffee maker in the back of the Cessna 340 and have all the comforts of home?” Well that’s another problem. On the other hand, you can’t mount that CD player in the glove box if you attach it to the airframe in any way, because now you’ve got a “permanent installation” in the eyes of the FAA. You may also fly with your notebook computer on the copilot’s seat, hook a DC power cable to the cigarette lighter socket, and even hook a serial data cable to your panel-mounted GPS or LORAN receiver, provided those cables can be easily disconnected at the end of the flight. You may hook the output of your handheld VHF comm transceiver to an external antenna as long as you use a method that allows easy connection and disconnection of the antenna cable. The main idea is you must be able to carry the handheld unit to the aircraft, plug in whatever cables are required, and be able to remove it easily from the aircraft. The trick is that the antenna and power cables must be able to be attached to and removed quickly from the handheld unit. You can also install a power cable for your handheld GPS, connected to the aircraft bus. ![]() Don’t even think about drilling holes in a pressurized aircraft without proper data. You don’t want to punch holes in areas where they shouldn’t be. Proper antenna installation is very critical. The antenna must be installed properly by a certified person (A&P or avionics repair station) and in accordance with the FARs. This is much better and safer than a cable running around the controls and antenna bouncing around on the glare shield, and the GPS will usually work better with the external antenna. If you have one of the new portable GPS units, you can use an external antenna attached to the top of the fuselage with a cable run behind the interior. According to the FARs, “portable equipment” cannot be permanently attached to the aircraft. By “portable” we commonly mean anything which is easily carried, but the FAA adds some things to that definition.
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