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Reducing power on the Byonics MT-8000 FA

mikehoover

Well Known Member
I have been trying to troubleshoot the RF surge from my APRS. It is a Byonics MT-8000 FA. Everytime it fires, my autopilot pitch servo causes an undulation of the aircraft in the pitch axis and my EGTs on my Skyview peg out.

I wrote to Byonics for help and their reply is:
This is a known peril of running 2 meter ham radio products in an aircraft. The problem can usually be resolved or minimized by turning the output power of the MT-8000 FA down slightly.

I wonder if this RF blast will eventually damage the autopilot servos or other equipment.

I suppost I can adjust the PWR pot on the circuit board slightly and test different levels. Just wondering if anyone has had this trouble and resolved it with PWR adjustments.

Thanks for comments and suggestions!
 
Mike,

What kind of APRS antenna are you using?

By the way I have been running a MT-8000 for five years and never have dialed down the power. I've never seen servo hits but before I went with an antenna with a BNC connector I sometimes saw evidence of RF being reflected back into the panel.
 
Last edited:
Hey Sam,

I went back to the original straight wire antenna that came with the unit when I purchased it several years ago and the CHT surges are not noticeable on the Skyview except minor bleeps when you look at the data on Savvy. I flew two different days to check the autopilot and did not notice the undulations. It was bumpy both days, but I did not see the pattern I had been experiencing. I think the problem is resolved by using the original antenna. Not sure why the other antenna would cause the problems.
 
Mike,
We also have an update for your SkyView EMS module that will solve the issue with your CHTs and EGTs. It is a physical change so you'll need to send it to us. Contact our support team via email or phone if you want to set this up.
 
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