8.33 MHz + Mode S
 

As the deadline approaches I'm going to bite the bullet and swop out my old Narco radio and Mode C transponder {both working perfectly well thanks for asking} so I'm looking for some advice before shelling out the heard earned cash to keep the airlines, NATS and EASA happy!!

My options are:

1. Dittel KR2 + Trig TT21 @ £2755
1. Trig TY91 + TT21 @ £2900
2. Funke ATR833 LCD + TRT800 LCD @ £2915
3. Funke ATR833 OLED + TRT800H OLED @ £3100

My preference would be to have the two units from the same manufacturer but the Dittel + Trig setup comes in £150 cheaper. I had an old, err ancient, Dittel in my Auster and it was a reliable unit so I am happy enough with the manufacturer unless anybody has any negative experiences with the more modern units.

Does anybody have any preferences regarding the Trig / Funcke choice>

What is the actual difference from an operational viewpoint between an LCD and an OLED display and is it worth the £185 difference?

Of course another view is, what the hell, there is only 10% delta between 1 and 4 so go for the best spec.......

All advice and user stories gratefully accepted:ok::ok:

My twopennyworth:-
1.Trig is British..Made in Edinburgh. Their products are top notch and service is excellent and quick if a problem does occur.
2. The Dittel of today is not the same company as the Dittel of old. I believe it is now owned by Funke.
2. The Funke OLED units are not good in bright sunlight. If you must go Funke I would go LED.

A friend was one of the first to get a 8.33 and chose a Dittel KR2. He would not do it again. Handling is not the best and quality wise on the lower edge. AFAIR Dittel is now Funke anyways, I guess? I did not meet somebody actually using Funke, one reason - my shop refuses to fit them by not communicated reason, but if I hear the name at pilot talk, mostly because of issues. I would not go OLED yet, the lifetime of that displays is still less.

Being a fan of Trig and having fitted a TT31, I would go that route. My experience with Trig is superb and their devices are rock solid, as the old steam devices were.

Were are you flying, plans to do Netherlands? Then also keep in mind to check wether the ADS-B Out mandatory for certain operations in Amsterdam FIR applies to you, so a certified WAAS/EGNOS GPS for 1090ES may have to be on the list as well.

I had the Filser TRT800 and ATR500 in my SportCruiser and was satisfied enough to then install the same Funkwerk combination in my Eurostar, which works just as well. However, looking at the Trig, it looks to me that the ENT button will be less fiddly to use than the equivalent arrow buttons on the Funke units.It might be a good idea to check this out.
I don't think the Sterling price of the German equipment will hold for long. :-(

I've not heard anything bad about it either so it sounds like the Trig combo is the way to go.

Thanks for the input all.

Why not look at the Becker range of radios and xpnds, small, sensibly priced and do not take up a huge space in your panel, have both fitted to my aircraft, been installed 5 years with not one issue.

can anyone advise - I have a unit in my plane that does both - coms and nav. I have space available to install a 8.33 radio - do I HAVE TO get rid of the old radio or can I keep them both in the plane to preserve NAV features of the old rig? I've heard so many different opinions about it but no one has been able to point me in the direction of the regulation it self or anything that says so

That seems to depend on where you fly. There are indeed many statements on the www, as I read them European countries have different interpretations of the EASA / SER guidelines. I seem to have read somewhere that the Netherlands (not a G/A-friendly place anyway) totally forbids carrying 25 KHz only radios.

realistically I don't see myself going further than UK/France/Germany and maybe Spain.. sorry to 7500 the topic, I can live without Netherlands, what's the consensus - in or out with the 25KHz rig?

Hard to estimate the time until big hammer. One can assume that under EU regulation there will be a date where we have to carry 8.33 only, but when exactly, will this happen before the EU breaks apart and how does it influence after Brexit? Last statement I heard was the 25 radios can stay with a "121.50 only" label on it and solely set for the frequency. This I would do if I want to keep the NAV until all VORs are dead.

Another idea for the radio
 

You could have a look at the PS Engineering PAR200A, it uses the Trig remote radio that is controlled by a PS engineering audio panel.
Without wanting to sound like a PS engineering advert I have always found the audio quality of their kit superb and have had twenty years trouble free service fron one of their intercoms.

Apart from the great audio quality from the intercom the unit would give you audio switching for other devices that may come along in the future such as FLARM or other types of collision avoidance kit.

There's no deadline for transponders .... Jan 1st 2017 is the 1st day of mandatory 8.33s.
We've fitted 1. Dittel KR2 + Trig TT21 @ £2755 in our group permit a/c and are pleased with both .

rgds condor

12 months out, the deadline is Jan 1st 2018

I've got both Trig units in, phone service has been superb.
Both units are intuitive in operation and easy to see in direct sunlight.
The battery drain on the transponder is surprisingly low.

Give it a month and the pound will have dropped far enough that the Trig units will be much cheaper than the others.

Stupid Question Time
 

I get the radio bit. But what happens to my ILS on the King 155 I have? Does that have to be replaced? Does ILS transition to 8.33?

Thanks maxangle I'll postpone it to the next Annual now!!,

No, not at all. The VOR and Localiser frequencies (which are in the same part of the spectrum as each other) remain exactly as they are. I can't see this changing for many years. Depending upon the State concerned, you can just leave your 155 in place and use it as a receiver for both COM and NAV, or placard the COM '121.5 only' and carry on using the NAV side as before. That's what we intend doing with our 155 and just replace the 165 with a Garmin 255A.

TOO

Trig radio and Trig transponder. Lovely little units. And get a Pilotaware too.

Whoops , apols for error , was trying to say expires '' 31st Dec 2017 '' . Changed it to new start 1st Jan .... Did Not proof read the year .

condor

Are the Trig units easy to install?