Hello Europa friends,
It's been a couple of months that I have been away from the forum. Life got a
bit
on the way but I'm hopping to socialize with you all again.
I have been flying my beloved Europa quite a bit. It's nearing 300 hours now and
running better than ever. I finally got my DUC prop properly balanced with it's
new CF spinner and the engine tweaked to the point that it is running soooo
smooth :) . I also dropped the pitch a little on the prop and found a sweet
spot were I am cruising at 132 knots (5100 RPM) and the takeoff and climb are
exhilarating! Still need to paint and reinstall the speed kit so maybe I will
gain an extra knot. OK, a lost a little speed but the takeoff at full weight
is much more relaxing. Need to finish this thing one day but I am having so much
fun as it is that I haven't found the time to work on it much.
So reading back older posting, I saw one about the uAvionix ECHO and a question
about ADSB solutions in the Europa. A while back I bought a used uAvionix
SkyBeacon
and installed it underneath the baggage compartment on one of the floor
support ribs, right next to the access cover. I never thought it would work
adequately
being underneath the baggage floor but it has done so perfectly. All
the PAPR reports come perfect and no complaints from the FAA. I though that once
I placed stuff on top of it the GPS signal would be blocked but it has been
OK so far. Maybe if you place a lead plate on top it would be an issue but with
regular baggage not so.
The install could not have been simpler, just two wires (power and ground) and
I used double sided tape to stick it to the rib (also surprised it has not come
off). I have a GTX-327 transponder. There is a setting in the utility app for
this unit that lets you turn the light part of it off.
For ADSB-in I have a GDL-39 inside the starboard headrest pocket. The antenna on
this unit went bad so I made little dipole with some thin coax cable I had
laying
around and a dirty straw with some hot melt glue and the silly thing, stuck
to the outside of the headrest next to the door, now lets me see a bunch of
stations really far away.
Crazy, but no issues with this setup in 3 years.
Chris
Read this topic online here:
http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.php?p=513565#513565
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