REFLECTOR: Tera Comm

[sbjknox]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bachman, Jonathan" <jonathan.bachman at mtsi-va.com>
Subject: REFLECTOR: Tera Comm


> I turned on my radios last weekend and discovered that my Tera Comm #1 did 
> not light up.
> It did transmit, as verified by my #2 Comm.  Is there anything I should 
> check before I look
> into a replacement.  I was hoping to not redo the panel yet.  Thanks

> Jon Bachman
> N956DR
> Std RG

Jon, failure of the plasma displays used by Terra is probably the most 
common problem with these radios.
The displays are (painfully) replaceable if you can find a good one.
My Velocity has the six-bay stack (two Comms, two Navs, Transponder, ADF).
When my first display failed, I took the plasma part out of the ADF since I 
did not need ADF.  The second plasma failure was my transponder. 
Fortunately, after asking on this forum, a forum member had a transponder 
with a deaf receiver but a good display.  I bought the ailing transponder 
from him and used its plasma in mine. (all the plasma units are identical 
among the various radios).
Unfortunately, complete Comm replacement (with a non-Terra) if you have a 
Terra stack is a sad alternative because the odd form-factor of the Terra 
units appears to be unique.
Reasonable opinion tells me that of the hundreds of avionics shops in the 
country, some (many) of them have old Terra units in a box or on a shelf in 
storage.  But, how to find them?

Sid Knox
Oklahoma

Velocity  173 RG  N199RS
Starduster  N666SK
KR2         N24TC
W7QJQ