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Trig Electronics?

dj45101

I'm New Here
Any one have any experience with either one of these? TRIG TT22 MODE S TRANSPONDER and TRIG TY91 VHF RADIO.
Good or bad, service?
Any info will help.
 
Any one have any experience with either one of these? TRIG TT22 MODE S TRANSPONDER and TRIG TY91 VHF RADIO.
Good or bad, service?
Any info will help.

Been running Trig TT22 transponder for years. Works great.
 
Haven't bought yet but I'm watching the Trig TT31 to replace my GTX337 to cover my ADS-B out needs (1090ES)
 
The Trig transponder is essentially the Dynon Mode S transponder used by a lot of folks.
 
Trig

I use both the Trig transponder and radio in my Highlander, both have performed well over the past 2.5 years. I also use the Dynon modified Trig T22 transponder in my RV10. The transponder works seamlessly with the Skyview system.

Gary
 
I have installed dozens of the TT22 transponder. They work great and the form factor is fantastic. What else you have in your panel will determine what I would recommend. The TT22 has its own encoder, so that saves a lot of hassle and wiring, especially if you don't have a digital encoder already. You will need a certified GPS position source, so if you have a 430/530W, a 480 or a 6/7xx GPS from Garmin or a 440/540 Fromm avidyne, you will just need a serial port wire from that. Hop over Tom FL and I'll install a TT22 in your bird for you.

The TT31 is a little bit more e pensive, doesn't have the encoder built in, but fits in the radio stack in a more normal fashion.

I can't speak to the com radios, but from my experience with Trig products, I wouldn't hesitate.
 
If you have a GRT HX, HXr, or one of their new mini's, GRT will sell you a remote mounted TT22 that you can control thru the EFIS. For ADSB-out just add one wire from a Garmin GPS (4x0W, 650, 750, etc) or a promised $500 GPS from GRT. The former qualifies for the FAA's $500 rebate. Works great.
 
I have about 25 hours behind a Skyview system with it's integrated Trig Mode ES transponder with ADS-B in/out and it worked great. And that's from a guy who is vehemently anti-1090ES and pro UAT/Mode C for ADS-B out.

Summary of the below long-winded BS: If you need to stay "round" instrument hole size I would go with Trig TY91. If you can or prefer to install a conventional rectangular stack form factor go with Garmin GTR-200.

Under the assumption that you do in fact want a round comm to go into a 2.25" instrument hole I offer the following:

I was at this past Oshkosh (Airventure 2016) looking for a replacement transceiver for my great "round" Becker AR 4201. I hadn't had any trouble with the existing Becker unit but was set on replacing it with the newer Becker AR 6201 transceiver if for no other reason than to get standby frequency monitoring while maintaining existing wiring and connectors. I have only one comm and sometimes when flying with other aircraft miss out on air-to-air communications when dealing with ATC or monitoring AWOS while on CTAF etc. I got spoiled early on with the SL-40 and cannot imagine a comm without standby monitoring. Thanks IIMorrow engineers for being so innovative back in the early 90's.

As I talked to the various vendors at OSH one thing became clear. There was a bias towards the Trig TY-91 over the Becker due to the size, weight and newer design and ergonomics. Plus it was cheaper at MSRP with the possibility of show discounts. I saw the Trig comm units were favorites in many of the newer airframes like X-Cub and had an option for dual control heads with smaller panel real estate needed than the Becker. One of the very appealing feature of the Trig is it's ability to interface with an external GPS for database sharing via the Garmin SL-40 protocol. That will work nicely with my Aera 660. Very cool indeed. I talked to a Pitts driver who praised the large display and simple ergonomics of the Trig, especially while wearing gloves. One only need look at the MGL V10 comm for horrible ergonomics distracting a pilot in flight to grasp how important simplicity is. I have been there and done that with a V10 in a different aircraft and burned my MGL T-shirt.

I talked to the Big Cheese at the OSH Sarasota Avionics booth and he completely agreed on the Trig unit being a better choice despite the fact he could make more profit selling me the Becker. He said it was strictly my choice. Sarasota does lots of installs and have had great customer response to the Trig TY series comms. He shot me a quote packaging the Trig TY91 with a G5 and dual GMA 28 servos and GMC 307 control head for my RV3 with a special show discount and a bundle volume discount. He was unable to discount the Becker. Sorry to abandon my old reliable friends at Becker... but Sarasota made me an offer I couldn't refuse.

So in a nutnshell I scrapped the idea of buying the pricey yet solid AR-6201 in line with my original feeble attempt to re-use my existing Becker harness and went instead for the Trig TY91 with a mandatory quick rewire job to my PSE intercom.

USA Trig support is provided by Mid Continent Instruments and Avionics in Wichita. Wise move on Trig's part. I called Mid Continent with a question about shield termination they were top notch with friendly and helpful support. The two fellers I talked to were truly interested in helping me and discussing my proposed install while cheerfully volunteering helpful hints. I rate their support an A+.

Many avionics manufacturers use quality Trig components in their systems. The Dynon and GRT efis sytems are prime examples. Freeflight Systems uses a Trig control head with built-in altitude serializer for their RANGR UAT out ADS-B systems and it just so happens I am installing one of those too.

I am currently installing the Trig and said Freeflight RANGR ADS-B system in my Aviat Husky panel as part of a mini makeover (ni, "mission creep"). The two avionics control heads look like they belong together next to each other in the panel. I am happy with the quality of the Trig components. As a plus the tray included with the Trig comm LRU has mounting holes identical to the most common legacy altitude encoders. So if you are removing an existing blind encoder the Trig tray can bolt right in without drilling new holes. Genius and thrifty (Trig are Scotts after all).

The Trig TY91 is also a perfect solution for those airframes with fuel tanks just in front of the instrument panel since the shallow control head fits well in low-depth configurations as the transceiver itself is remotely mounted. Think Pitts, early RV-3, Champ, A Model Avid Flyer and the like.

I will report my performance findings after flying it around and in our Class C a few times.

Jim
 
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Trig TY91

Thanks for the writeup, Jim. Assuming you wire it up correctly to a good antenna, you feel that the 6 watts put out by the TY91 will be enough? Mainly curious since they also have the TY92 at 16 watts, the SL40 has 8 watts, and the GTR-200 has 10 watts.
 
Just a quick word on "watts"... While manufacturers like to make big noise about transmitter power, the reality is that receiver sensitivity is of FAR greater importance. Of course transmitter power and receiver sensitivity are totally meaningless numbers without an optimal antenna installation. A 10W transmitter tied to a crappy antenna installation isn't going to get you any better communication than a 6W transmitter with a well-optimized antenna installation.

Don't get wrapped around the axle when it comes to transmitter power. For most of what we're doing, 6W is plenty enough.

As for Trig, if you think the support you get from Mid Continent is great (which it is!), try talking to the Trig factory folks in Scotland. Truly outstanding service.
 
Rv8ch,

Yes, the TY92 does provide for 16 watts. But it is strictly a 24 volt installation. So no TY91 for me.

Canadian Joy provides sage advice on transmitter wattage ratings. A well designed blade antenna, coax type and connectors and low-impedance ground plane bonding are the most important items for good successful transmit and receive range. Many times it's the receiver sensitivity and audio quality that we as pilots can take on a personal level and in many cases matter more than transmit range. Also, look closely at the fine print on wattage ratings as there are "max" values and RMS values. There can be complications to some of the higher wattage transmitters out there like more distance required between airframe antenna locations and/or splitting locations between top and bottom of airframe to avoid bleed over interference. There will be more EMI in the aircraft for the balance of the components to have to deal with and if the transmitter doesn't have tight performance specifications it can get down right nasty. Imagine being able to check your ammeter by looking at it when you press the PTT and the transmitter whacks your PC680 or EarthX.

So like the Rolling Stones might say, when it comes to transmit watts in the glossy brochures, sometimes it's better to get just what you need and not what you want. Or think you want.

Always go for a quality vs quantity when it comes to comms.

Jim

Thanks for the writeup, Jim. Assuming you wire it up correctly to a good antenna, you feel that the 6 watts put out by the TY91 will be enough? Mainly curious since they also have the TY92 at 16 watts, the SL40 has 8 watts, and the GTR-200 has 10 watts.
 
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Trig radio & transponder

I have both in my RV3A, boxes under the forward floor between the rudder pedals and the small remote heads in a sub panel.
With the fuel tank in the fuse with little space behind the panel this arrangement works really well.
More importantly is the performance of the radio, it is best I have ever used.

Transponder works well, and easy to operate.

As always just my opinion

Rob
RV3A G-BVDC
1/14th share in L4 Cub
Very Very slow build RV 8
 
Trig radio & transponder

Thank you all for the reply's. With all positives and no neg. I guess I now know the way to go.
 
You've installed with a 480 as a GPS source ?

I have installed dozens of the TT22 transponder. They work great and the form factor is fantastic. What else you have in your panel will determine what I would recommend. The TT22 has its own encoder, so that saves a lot of hassle and wiring, especially if you don't have a digital encoder already. You will need a certified GPS position source, so if you have a 430/530W, a 480 or a 6/7xx GPS from Garmin or a 440/540 Fromm avidyne, you will just need a serial port wire from that. Hop over Tom FL and I'll install a TT22 in your bird for you.

The TT31 is a little bit more e pensive, doesn't have the encoder built in, but fits in the radio stack in a more normal fashion.

I can't speak to the com radios, but from my experience with Trig products, I wouldn't hesitate.

Hi Jesse,

You sure about the Garmin 480 as a GPS source? Trigs and Dynons docs and those submitted and listed on FAA indicates 400W series and I'm hard pressed to see anywhere they say the explicitly the 480 or Apollo version.
If this is true it will certainly be good news.

Thanks.

Michael B.
 
Michael - it's all about software versions for all three units (GNS480, Trig TT22 and TC20 control head, if that's the transponder you're looking at using).

The issue in the past has been that Garmin did not provide the GNS480 with its proprietary "ADSB+" data format. Garmin then released version 2.4 software, purported to be the last release ever to be made for the GNS480, specifically to add "ADSB+" data output capability to the 480.

While Garmin didn't provide ADSB+ from the 480, Trig had no reason to accept the ADSB+ format. Once Garmin made the ADSB+ data format available from its GPS navigators, Trig had to reverse-engineer the data format in order to make their transponders compatible. Version 2.7 software for the TT22 accomplishes this goal. Version 1.12 is required for the TC20 control head, if used.

I have this combination in my aircraft so I can confirm all three of these software versions are available for installation.

Keep in mind that we don't need to have an STC-approved installation in our amateur-built aircraft, and since we can't ever be eligible for the $500 ADSB equipage rebate because we're Canucks, that approved list of devices to which you refer likewise doesn't apply.
 
480 & TT22

Michael - it's all about software versions for all three units (GNS480, Trig TT22 and TC20 control head, if that's the transponder you're looking at using).

The issue in the past has been that Garmin did not provide the GNS480 with its proprietary "ADSB+" data format. Garmin then released version 2.4 software, purported to be the last release ever to be made for the GNS480, specifically to add "ADSB+" data output capability to the 480.

While Garmin didn't provide ADSB+ from the 480, Trig had no reason to accept the ADSB+ format. Once Garmin made the ADSB+ data format available from its GPS navigators, Trig had to reverse-engineer the data format in order to make their transponders compatible. Version 2.7 software for the TT22 accomplishes this goal. Version 1.12 is required for the TC20 control head, if used.

I have this combination in my aircraft so I can confirm all three of these software versions are available for installation.

Keep in mind that we don't need to have an STC-approved installation in our amateur-built aircraft, and since we can't ever be eligible for the $500 ADSB equipage rebate because we're Canucks, that approved list of devices to which you refer likewise doesn't apply.


The TT22 just seemed to be low hanging fruit since I'm also looking at the possibility of a Dynon panel and IFR that could carry me into the US. The legal source was the major issue. Since the 480 is a certified source and if you have it working that's what I needed.

Thanks for the added information and clarification.
Now it's into the "hangar" for alodine prep.

Cheers.
 
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