Trig transponders

[A and C]

I am about to go Mode S across the fleet and Trig seem to be offering a compeditive product.

Have any of you got a Trig ?

What do you think of the product ?

[AN2 Driver]

Installed a TT31 on my aircraft about a year ago. Perfectly happy with it, especcially the fact that it is fully ADS-B compliant with extended squitter.

I was looking at all the other products and also talked to them (Trigg) before I bought it. It came out best both in terms of cost and in terms of what it offered for the money. So yes, full recommendation from me.

Can't wait until they finally release the ADS-B receiver to show traffic on your GNS 430....

[Rod1]

I have helped with a couple of TT31,s and TT21’s. The TT31 is very good, the TT21 is quite fiddly and needs to be positioned closer to the pilot. If you are replacing a KT76a then the TT31 is a true slide in and forget solution, others not so much. The TRT 800A is the other option but that is harder to fit.

Are you going to keep the existing encoders?

Rod1

[Shoestring Flyer]

I installed a TT31 two years ago when I built my aircraft and find it an excellent piece of kit. No problems and easy to use.

[Dan the weegie]

I have a TT21, it runs off my battery just an air powered alternator keeping the battery charged and Im very happy with it indeed.

It's really not that fiddly just more fiddly than the Garmin which is significantly more expensive considering the ALT encoder is separate.

[KeesM]

I've one for about 3 years now and works great and is easy to use.


BTW. Not all KT76's are compatible with the Trig TT31.

[Rod1]

I am no expert but I thought the Trig was not compatible with the KT76 at all, just the more common KT76a?

Rod1

[muffin]

Mine was not plug in compatible with my KT76A without a bit of fiddling around. Unless the installer just said that to justify the £300 installation bill..

However, the TT31 works fine for me, although I am still not certain that I needed it in the first place

[KeesM]

Trig's website says it is a "plug and play" for the KT76A, KT76C and KT78A
I can not remember which one I had but the installation was a piece of cake.

[david viewing]

I'd like to second what's been said about the TT31. I've had it several years with no problems, other than the antenna co-ax failing tiwice (which it also did when I had the KT76a). Found Trig tech support very helpful indeed.

However, do consider the ergonomics. The Trig is a no-brainer if you are replacing a KT76a. But if you are having wiring done, do consider the Garmin or King equivalents with their numeric keys. The Trig's 'turn and click' control is less that intuitive and takes a little getting use to.

[Rod1]

Whatever you do avoid the Garmin GTX328.

Rod1

[Shoestring Flyer]

What swayed the decision to buy TRIG for me, quite apart from it being a fine piece of kit, was the fact that it is British....Made in Scotland!
It was also apparent after talking to them that if a problem did occur, which hasn't happened, that they would sort it out quickly and effficiently.....No brainer really.

[2high2fastagain]

Very happy with the TT31. I did think about upgrading to the GTX330, but with the additional cost of the Garmin unit, plus a load of rewiring it ended up being a no-brainer. My engineer slipped the Trig into the KT76 tray without any bother. It works beautifully. To be quite honest, I think the knob is probably a better bet than buttons if its bumpy up there.

The only thing I don't like is the creepy fact that since I had Mode-S, someone in Birmingham is posting all my squawks and altitudes on the Internet (along with everyone else's I hasten to add). Not that I'm spotter bashing. I think its great when these fine fellows come to the airfield and chat about aviation or take nice pics and post them up on the Internet. Collecting Mode-S altitudes however, has gotta be well up near the top of the 'Sad' league table. MODE-S Reports BHX/EGBB (http://faime.demon.co.uk/local-bin/sbs_reports)

[Piper.Classique]

We went with the 21 for the cub as it would actually fit in the panel without major surgery, with the rest of it under the seat. It works fine, though as the cub has never had a tx before we had to pay the CAA 350 quid of our hard earned cash. :{

[Jetblu]

Some brilliant reports for the Trig. A friend has just fitted one to his B58 and says the same.

I have a Garmin GTX 330 coupled up to the Garmin530W for traffic. It is 2 years old and has gone wrong twice. The recent repair was £700 by Garmin.

[140KIAS]

Ive had the TT31 for about 3 years and happy with it. Esp like the VFR button for switching back to 7000.

The only slight annoyance is that sometimes on start up it displays the previously issued discrete squawk code rather than 7000. This is despite 7000 being selected following landing.

[smarthawke]

We've just begun the pre-Permit test flying on an RV fitted with Dynon SkyView. The Dynon transponder is the TT21 unit controlled through the SkyView screen (a la G1000 etc).

Simple to wire up and worked fine from the outset. It's nice to support a UK product. Also like the idea of the ADS-B receiver...

[A and C]

Thank you for all the replys, it would seem that the Trig is a quality bit of kit judging by what has been said above.

Now I better go write the cheque for three of them !

[AN2 Driver]

True, the TT31 is a direct replacement for most KT76 types. However, if you want to connect the ADS-B position functions for the extended squitter, you'll need to have some rewiring done to feed the position data from the GPS to the transponder.

True, Mode S with ADS-B makes you visible on sites like flight radar 24 or others. So what, everyone else is. Personally, I prefer having technology on my aircraft which will prevent additional expense in the not too far future, when the powers that be will decide that ADS-B becomes compulsory one day, which is really only a question of time. Plus, I can't really figure why to buy an inferior product which costs more.

I'd do the same thing again and I have given advice to people who wanted to upgrade their Mode C transponders to do the same. So far, Trigg has come out very well indeed.

[Rod1]

“The only slight annoyance is that sometimes on start up it displays the previously issued discrete squawk code rather than 7000. This is despite 7000 being selected following landing.”

That is a known firmware bug. If you get your unit upgraded to 2.5 (the latest one?) it will go away.

If you are replacing a KT76a + with a Trig and you want ADSB out you need to cut an additional hole in the old KT76a tray and wire it up to an approved GPS. In the UK it is not legal to use a hand held or an unapproved (ie permit) installation. This is a very silly rule!

Rod1