Tips For Describing Avionics Problems
First, A brief glossary of terms:
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INOP - This is when a unit is completely and utterly DEAD. No lights, No display, no audio, etc. The unit appears exactly as if it has no power applied to it at all.
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NO AUDIO - On equipment that produces normal audio, it would be the lack thereof. However the unit still works. For example, Your VOR, ADF, DME, indicator is pointing properly, but you cannot hear the station identifier.
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NO RX - This is when the unit appears to be functioning (lights up, etc) and has some audio- either noise is heard with volume turned up or static is heard with squelch in test position, etc- but unit will not actually receive a valid audio signal, station identifier, or information. On a transponder, this condition would be that the reply lamp comes on in test mode or when IDENT is pressed, but the reply lamp does not flicker during normal flight.
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NO TX - This is the condition when a transmitter is inop, but receive functions okay. In a NAV/COM, the tower is not hearing any reply from you at all. You may or may not hear your sidetone. In a transponder, you would see your reply lamp flashing, but ATC would not pick you up on radar. With a DME, you would hear the station identifier, but the unit would not display distance, time, etc.
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CARRIER-NO MOD or NO MODULATION - This is a condition on a Com where the tower can hear you clicking the microphone or Push-to-talk switch, but they cannot hear your voice. You may or may not hear your own sidetone.
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SIDETONE - When you transmit on your com, you should normally be able to hear your own voice in your headset, if you are using a headset. Including whether or not you can hear this and the quality thereof, can help us when trouble shooting a transmitter problem.
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NO DISPLAY - This is situation where you have a digital readout on the avionics equipment, but it is blank or a portion of it is blank. You can still hear audio or transmit (if applicable).
What To Tell Us:
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List any of the above conditions, if applicable
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What kind of aircraft it is in and what is your average climate.
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Mention if the problem is continuous or intermittent (Important)
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If the problem is intermittent, note the conditions under which the problem(s) occurred. For example, does the problem occur with heat or cold; under vibration; when the aircraft is on the ground or airborne; after plane has been flying for a certain time; under certain weather conditions; in a particular geographical location; when other equipment is running; only on certain frequencies; altitude or attitude of the aircraft; etc. Also tell us what might have happened just prior to the problem occurring, such as after maintenance, after washing the aircraft, after flying through rain, ice, etc.
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Anything else that you can think of. The more info we have, the faster we can solve your problem. If the problem is intermittent, we have to try and duplicate the same conditions on the test bench as you are experiencing in the aircraft. This can be a daunting task and the old cliche holds true-"If we can't make it break, we can't fix it."
NOTE:
When sending units in for repair, you may want to send
associated equipment as well. For example, if you are having VOR accuracy
problems, send the Nav receiver AND the Nav Indicator.