MGL V10 radio now appoved in the U.S.

MGL Avionics V10 COM radio - status

I received a PM asking about what is happening with the V10 regarding FCC etc so here is an update as I know Matt at MGL Avionics U.S.A has over 100 on his waiting list.

The testing of the radio by an FCC accredited laboratory has been completed and the radio complies (with significant margin on all points) with the relevant regulations of part 87 and part 15. It took quite a bit longer than expected until we had the test report in final form in our hands due to the person doing the report going on a lengthy holiday. Anyway, it's done and the matter currently rests with the FAA as we need to get FAA approval. This we should have in a week or so. The moment we have this the rest is merely bureaucratic stuff with the FCC itself and hopefully that should not take long to complete (mainly filing of the relevant documents). Once everything is done we will immediately ship the outstanding orders for this unit to the U.S.

In the meantime we have been shipping to countries that don't care about FCC and have also a large number of units flying here in South Africa so we have been able to gather a good amount of in-field experience which has been extremely positive.

Incidentally we have two installations now that have replaced their expensive ANR headsets with ordinary PNR headsets as this results in better sound quality. This we have found with both DC as well as Bose ANR headsets. The combination of ANR plus the very effective noise suppression system in the V10 tends to overdo things resulting in a somewhat muffled voice sound if the V10's VOGAD intercom is used. Your choice is either change to the normal VOX intercom of the V10 or replace the headsets. Remarkably, it seems the best overall result is achieved with a good PNR headset in combination with the VOGAD system. Individual results may of course differ as the exact makeup of the noise in your cockpit matters.

So, it's all good and we should be shipping a nice batch of V10's to the U.S. very shortly.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Rainier,

Can you give us an update on the rest of the radio line, specifically the NAV radio and how/when you expect it to roll out?

If someone today wanted to plan around a NAV/COM solution for their panel using MGL's stuff, what would they need to know?

I think you said previously that the NAV would be a behind the panel device with a remote control head that has the same form factor as your V10? Is this correct?

Got any pics of prototypes?

What are the estimated cost for the USA?

Brantel said:

Rainier,

Can you give us an update on the rest of the radio line, specifically the NAV radio and how/when you expect it to roll out?

Click to expand...

It's probably going to be towards end of the year or start of the next year before we will be rolling out more RF stuff.

If someone today wanted to plan around a NAV/COM solution for their panel using MGL's stuff, what would they need to know?

Click to expand...

For NAV/COM we are preparing a solution consisting of two units which are "behind the panel". One is a COM very similar to our V10 but without the display and keypad and with a 10W transmitter, the other is a NAV receiver that does ILS/Glideslope/VOR (dual) and also has a marker receiver. Both units can be used independently or as a combination and are intended to be controlled either by an EFIS or using passive panels (ours will be 3.5" but as the communications will be placed in public domain other formats by third parties may follow). In principle the combo of these two units (each just larger than a pack of cigarettes) is approximatey the same as a SL30 and also understands the SL30 protocol.

Appart from that we are working on a smaller version of the V10 with 2.25" panel called the V6.

We also have a mode-S transponder development but have put that on ice for now as the certification red tape and cost is rather daunting for us at the moment. We'll do the other units first and then we may take a deep breath and jump at it.

I think you said previously that the NAV would be a behind the panel device with a remote control head that has the same form factor as your V10? Is this correct?

Click to expand...

Yes, see above.

Got any pics of prototypes?

Click to expand...

No, not yet.

What are the estimated cost for the USA?

Click to expand...

This is a most difficult question to answer. There are too many variables (USD to South African Rand exchange rate is but one of them). As with everything we make, the price is related to the cost of producing an item rather than a fixed "marketable" value - this is also the reason our prices tend to go up as well as down (mostly down). It's a different way of pricing an item to that generally accepted in the industry but it is the most fair to everybody.
The remote COM unit is expected to be about the same as the V10 (we save some money by not needing a display and keypad but this is taken up by a more costly transmitter).
The NAV unit does not have a transmitter so that part of the cost goes away. It has three receivers though so again one can estimate that the cost is roughly the same. All signal processing which in a NAV radio is traditionally involved and needs a lot of parts has moved completely into the digital domain so it no longer costs anything (we need a processor anyway).

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

This is extremely good news!

Rainier, the stars seem to be aligning for an almost-exclusively MGL panel in my -7. It's going to be a good spring/summer/autumn, depending on the confluence of my build progress and the rollout schedule of your new gear.

-John

Further update

We have now received FAA approval for the V10 radio and are proceeding with the FCC filing. Not long now...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Tick, tick.

Good job! I was almost ready to grab a pair of KY196's off ebay, guess I'll wait. I've got a little time yet. When the new AWOS was functioning at my airport it only took the FCC 18 months to assign us a frequency. Zooom.

All documents filed...

Now its waiting for the grant.
Should be quick (they told us).

Rainier

Waiting impatiently!
Sure would be nice to have the NAV/XPDR boxes too!

Bummer, it looks like the "Intro price approx" on the MGL site has been climbing. It's up to $995 right now. This puts it in line with the xcom and microair price-wise. It does look a fair bit nicer than either of those two however.

I'm not trying to criticize btw, it costs what it costs. I just had my heart set on an $800 magic do-it-all transceiver

Lionclaw said:

Bummer, it looks like the "Intro price approx" on the MGL site has been climbing. It's up to $995 right now. This puts it in line with the xcom and microair price-wise. It does look a fair bit nicer than either of those two however.

I'm not trying to criticize btw, it costs what it costs. I just had my heart set on an $800 magic do-it-all transceiver

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I do not have control or influence over prices in the U.S.
Our local end-user price works out to about $679 using todays exchange rate and this includes 14% sales tax. This price does not include a harness but it includes a connector.
U.S. prices tend to be a bit higher due to shipping costs (everything is shipped using UPS courier) and there is also the unavoidable cost of product liability insurance and operating costs in the U.S. which are absent here.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

I received the good news today that we have received the FCC grant for the V10 radio.
This concludes the certification for this item for the U.S.

An indepented U.S. entity is currently investigating to get this radio TSO'd as well. We'll make the decision about this when we have a better idea on the cost.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good for you.

Glad to hear you got the approval.

MAGIC

Wow, can you fix the conomy while you're at it? You'll now be receiving my big fat EFIS/RADIO/RDAC/SENDER/AHRS/SP2 etc. order within a couple days. Thanks, keep workin'.

aerhed said:

Wow, can you fix the conomy while you're at it? You'll now be receiving my big fat EFIS/RADIO/RDAC/SENDER/AHRS/SP2 etc. order within a couple days. Thanks, keep workin'.

Click to expand...

Wow, can you fix the conomy while you're at it?

Wow, can you fix the e+conomy while you're at it?

Wow, can you fix the economy while you're at it?

Fixed

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Lionclaw said:

Bummer, it looks like the "Intro price approx" on the MGL site has been climbing. It's up to $995 right now. This puts it in line with the xcom and microair price-wise. It does look a fair bit nicer than either of those two however.

I'm not trying to criticize btw, it costs what it costs. I just had my heart set on an $800 magic do-it-all transceiver

Click to expand...

I contacted Matt at MGL Avionics USA and mentioned your post. His reasoning for the somewhat higher than anticipated price is that he wants to dampen demand a bit initially to avoid too large quantity orders.
He is correct of course as our production will take some time to ramp up to higher volumes (and we know from experience that you guys don't like waiting - I understand, neither do I).
Anyway, good news is that he agreed to lower the price to $895.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Lionclaw said:

Bummer, it looks like the "Intro price approx" on the MGL site has been climbing. It's up to $995 right now. This puts it in line with the xcom and microair price-wise. It does look a fair bit nicer than either of those two however.

I'm not trying to criticize btw, it costs what it costs. I just had my heart set on an $800 magic do-it-all transceiver

Click to expand...

XCOM has a built in VOX intercom, can scan preselected channels, and can monitor 2 channels at once. The intercom alone is $300. And they are made in the USA.

Geico266 said:

XCOM has a built in VOX intercom, can scan preselected channels, and can monitor 2 channels at once. The intercom alone is $300. And they are made in the USA.

Click to expand...

Pissing contest ?

OK, I'm game.

V-10 has no less than two built in intercom systems, one is your traditional VOX, the other is our propriety VOGAD system. You simply choose which one you like best and you can flip between them at any time (BTW, you might want to throw away your ANR headset when you start using the VOGAD, that can save a few $$$ - all you need is a good PNR headset). Just as an asside, the complete audio signal path is digital - 18 bits for those that count them...

Yup, we got dual scan (active and standby) just like the SL40. It's SL30 and SL40 communications compatible on two serial ports at the same time (consider dual EFIS systems, each can set frequencies directly).

It's even got a display you can read in direct sunlight. And it shows you alpha identifiers too - not just frequency. And it's got more power.
And then there are a few dozen other things I will not bore anybody about here - it's all in the manual you can download from our website.

Seriously, the V10 is so completely new it does not even look like a normal radio if you remove the housing. It's brand new technology that has never before been used on a airband radio. There are zero adjustable parts inside this baby - not even during manufacture. No trimmers, tweakable coils, nothing, nada. No getting slack when things start aging. There is not even a heatsink for the transmitter - it's so power efficient it does not need one.

Yes, you can tell we are quite proud of this thing. It's been in design for seven years now. Now it's ready to rock...

OK, it's not made in the U.S. - I'll give you that one.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Geico266 said:

XCOM has a built in VOX intercom, can scan preselected channels, and can monitor 2 channels at once. The intercom alone is $300. And they are made in the USA.

Click to expand...

I thought XCOM was made in Australia.

Wow, awesome news Rainier. I really love how you guys work hard to respond to the needs/wants of your customers. I'll be ordering all of my avionics/instruments at or before Osh, and It's looking like It'll be an Odyssey/V10/GTX327/Steam BU panel.

Rainier Lamers said:

I contacted Matt at MGL Avionics USA and mentioned your post. His reasoning for the somewhat higher than anticipated price is that he wants to dampen demand a bit initially to avoid too large quantity orders.
He is correct of course as our production will take some time to ramp up to higher volumes (and we know from experience that you guys don't like waiting - I understand, neither do I).
Anyway, good news is that he agreed to lower the price to $895.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Click to expand...

This is way cool. I think the avionics order might happen sooner than I thought.

ROTFLMAO

Rainier Lamers said:

Wow, can you fix the conomy while you're at it?

Wow, can you fix the e+conomy while you're at it?

Wow, can you fix the economy while you're at it?

Fixed

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Click to expand...

I sure am glad coffee wipes off a computer monitor-----

Mike S said:

I sure am glad coffee wipes off a computer monitor-----

Click to expand...

Me too. LOL is way overused online, but in this case, I actually laughed out loud.

Intercom questions

Ranier,

I've been reviewing the V10 manual and have a couple questions. The manual alludes to connecting a MP3 or CD player to the radio as auxillary input.

Will the auxillary input be muted when receiving radio transmissions?
How is a stereo device connected with just one input line? Will it be mono?

The radio looks great. Very interested in it for my panel. Trying to figure out if I can forgoe an audio panel.

I've looked at the wiring diagram. All headsets are wired for mono with one pin for aux audio in. I haven't figgered how to handle music unless your play source allows you to combine left & right together (lotsa audio amps won't handle it).

dhusk said:

Ranier,


Will the auxillary input be muted when receiving radio transmissions?

Click to expand...

Yes. You can also set how the input should behave in case a microphone is active. You can select the auxiliary level for both microphone inactive and active and the system will fade between the two. You will typically set this such that music fill fade to a softer level (but not off) in case anybody starts talking - Note that this does not apply for incomming RX - in that case the auxiliary input is off.

How is a stereo device connected with just one input line? Will it be mono?

Click to expand...

Yes, on the V10 this is mono. For just about any stereo source you can simply connect the two channels together as the outputs tend to be fairly high impedance and any modern audio amp used in MP3 or CD players is completely bullet proof.
You can also, if you like, decouple the two channels using two 10 ohm resistors connected in series with each of the outside connections going to each channel. You then connect the center to the V10.

The radio looks great. Very interested in it for my panel. Trying to figure out if I can forgoe an audio panel.

Click to expand...

The V20 which we are now working hard on has a full integrated audio panel using new digital HD audio technology (stereo for the music). It also has four independent microhone circuits, each with own VOX/Vogad and level adjusts.
It however does not (yet) have a front panel. It is intended to be fully operated through a suitable EFIS - but we may make a small remote panel for it as well, we'll see...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Thanks, Rainier, those are the answers I expected and hoped for.

The V20 is the small behind the panel model, correct? Any time line on the V20? Is that the model that some yet unnamed EFIS manufacturers plan to incorporate in their product? Is it SL40 compatible, so it will work with a number of popular EFIS?

It sure is great to have a number of options for building our panels. I appreciate MGL's commitment to aviation and your participation on VAF.

dhusk said:

Thanks, Rainier, those are the answers I expected and hoped for.

The V20 is the small behind the panel model, correct? Any time line on the V20? Is that the model that some yet unnamed EFIS manufacturers plan to incorporate in their product? Is it SL40 compatible, so it will work with a number of popular EFIS?

It sure is great to have a number of options for building our panels. I appreciate MGL's commitment to aviation and your participation on VAF.

Click to expand...

Yes, it is SL40 compatible as this communication protocol is now standard (together with the SL30 protocol which is slightly different) in our systems. However it is not the only protocol recognized (the system can handle all these protocols simultaneously if required).
The remote control of this unit is quite complex as everything needs to be controlled - volume, squelch, all the various setups, the audio panel and so forth.
But, should we release a passive control panel for this unit (quite likely), then you could indeed use it as compatible replacement for a SL40 or if combined with our remote NAV radio it will look just like a SL30.

I can't tell exactly when the V20 will be released - we went a bit slow on this side of our products pending the approvals of our V10. The technology we use is so new it kind of does not exist (at least until now) so we needed to be absolutely sure that there where not going to be any hidden certification and approval issues. There where none. So now we know we are on the right track and we have learned the ropes on how to certify a radio. Now we forge ahead...

Yes, the V20 and its brothers will be made available under certain other brand names and might be customised. I don't know what affect the current economic issues will have on this though - some of the companies are starting to struggle a little and we are hoping that all of us (yes, including our competitors. OK, most of them anyway) will be able to weather the storm and come out the other side stronger and wiser.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Thanks, Rainier. Very helpful, as always.

Rainier - firstly, congrats on getting this radio as far down the path as you have. Paradigm-breaking technology is never exactly welcomed with open arms in the world of aviation... ;-)

With respect to certifications, is it MGL's intent to seek Industry Canada approval for this transceiver? Since FCC approval is in place I suspect the Canadian approval is more of a rubber stamp and some frustrating paperwork. You have no idea how much I'd like to have a radio like this in my Canadian-registered aircraft. And don't even get me started on the integrated NAV radio - that still seems too good to be true, but then again, MGL has a track record of turning dreams into reality.

Once again, congratulations on achieving this important milestone.

Canadian_JOY said:

Rainier - firstly, congrats on getting this radio as far down the path as you have. Paradigm-breaking technology is never exactly welcomed with open arms in the world of aviation... ;-)

With respect to certifications, is it MGL's intent to seek Industry Canada approval for this transceiver? Since FCC approval is in place I suspect the Canadian approval is more of a rubber stamp and some frustrating paperwork. You have no idea how much I'd like to have a radio like this in my Canadian-registered aircraft. And don't even get me started on the integrated NAV radio - that still seems too good to be true, but then again, MGL has a track record of turning dreams into reality.

Once again, congratulations on achieving this important milestone.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words.
I am not sure what is involved regarding Canadian approvals but I am sure Matt at MGL Avionics U.S. will take care of it as he is the central distribution point for this radio for North America. Matt also takes care of Warranty work and maintains a local workshop for repairs etc.
I'll drop Matt an e-mail and ask him the question - I'll report back.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Is anyone flying with a V10 yet? It would be nice to get a PIREP.

If it was stereo, this thing would be a no-brainer...

--Bill

bigbill25 said:

Is anyone flying with a V10 yet? It would be nice to get a PIREP.

If it was stereo, this thing would be a no-brainer...

--Bill

Click to expand...

It's mono

However, the remote (fully EFIS controlled) version we are working on now has a HD digital audio chip in there with multiple, independent circuits (4 independent microphone circuits, each with individual VOX or VOGAD).
It has a full audio panel in there which is also controlled via the EFIS (with up to two independent EFIS's having control, this could even be different makes - provided they support our control protocol of course - which we provide for free with no strings attached).

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Remote NAV/COM status?

Hi Rainier,

It's been a few months; any new status information available on the remote COM and NAV units? I'm still in the planning stages for my RV-10, but I'm very excited about including these units when I get to that stage.

Could you comment on the interface between these units and the EFIS? Will they use the airtalk bus, ARINC, or RS-232?

Any information you could leak about the capabilities of the "full digital audio panel" capabilities would be greatly appreciated as well. (I got that quote off some random vendor page that mentioned it as a feature of the remote COM)

Thanks for your excellent responsiveness on these forums and for putting out such a great product!

From what I got from Rainier thru the MGL Yahoo group, the V6 (remote comm) would be like the V10 except the built in intercom would be stereo. The V15 would have the digital audio panel which would be stereo, 4 separate microphone inputs, Aux input, and Bluetooth. Both would be controlled by the EFIS.

gpiney said:

From what I got from Rainier thru the MGL Yahoo group, the V6 (remote comm) would be like the V10 except the built in intercom would be stereo. The V15 would have the digital audio panel which would be stereo, 4 separate microphone inputs, Aux input, and Bluetooth. Both would be controlled by the EFIS.

Click to expand...

Sorry to have to chime in here.
The V6 is a 2-1/4" version of the V10 (but with rotary controls). It is very similar to the V10 overall as far as functions are concerned but adds a stereo auxiliary input due to popular demand (meaning it is stereo out as well).
This radio is in current, active development.

The V15 is the remote unit that gets controlled entirely through the EFIS (but with the possibility of a seperate control head if required).
The V15 is also in active development now. As of this point it provides a 10W transmitter using the same ground breaking digital output stage as the V10. From the audio side of things we decided to go HD digital audio as the required chips for this are becomming available at quite reasonable prices.
The unit effectively integrates a complete audio panel with four independent microphone circuits (each with own vogad or vox), several auxiliary audio channels (stereo) as well as bluetooth connectivity for wireless connection to a bluetooth audio device such as a mobile phone (meaning you can use your headsets to make a phone call).

The NAV radio (also a remote unit) is not yet in active development but should start soon as we complete the prototype stages of the other two items.

The RF developments have been going a lot slower than originally anticipated, caused somewhat by a big push to develop our EFIS systems to what you could call "MK-II" status, our currently active autopilot servo development (looking very good BTW), new engine monitoring systems (RDAC units), the XTreme system (which is getting more interesting every day) and about a dozen other, smaller developments.
But - we will get there...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Rainier,

Any update on the V6 and V15, as I have to get my radios soon.

As the v10 can now get the NAV freq, will I be able to upgrade a v10 to a v15 ( NAV/Com ) ?

Jamie Aust said:

Rainier,

Any update on the V6 and V15, as I have to get my radios soon.

As the v10 can now get the NAV freq, will I be able to upgrade a v10 to a v15 ( NAV/Com ) ?

Click to expand...

Both are looking good and I have been given indications that we could be looking at certification middle of 2010 but as with all RF products - it's ready when it's ready. RF systems are 50% design, 40% black magic and 10% luck.
Example:
Often you have a working system that just has one or two minor issues with a filter or such and then you fix the filters and make a new PCB - slight layout changes then cause issues somewhere else. Yes, we use all the usual simulation beforehand - but that only goes so far...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Web url?

What's the web address for the MGL yahoo group?

Thanks Dave

Yahoo Group

Try this -

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stratomaster_users_group/

v10

Still wondering why there is virtually no feedback from any users. Apparently over a thousand of these comms have been sold, the literature sounds great but not a single vaf user has answered several different builders requests for Pireps?

With the built in intercom, the weight and saved panel space...and many here not happy with the latest icom, seems like this should be more popular than it is????

Anyone?

I've seen quite a few panel plans which included the v10. The pictures of the new sonex jet show a v10 in the panel.

I powered mine up on the table and wired up a headphone jack. The menus are pretty easy to navigate. I tuned in the kffo atis and it came through ok with just a small antenna from my handheld receiver. It would be nice if there was a clear cover over the radio's face though to make it easier to keep clean with the recessed screen. I've also thought about mounting it so that the face is flush with the back of the panel, as it does stick out a little bit farther than I was hoping, and the octagon shape looks someout out of place when mixed with other round instruments.

Not exactly a full pirep, but those are my first impressions. Maybe someone else has one up and running?

I can confirm the numbers.
It's been going well. We have encountered two problems so far:
The first was early on with the first batch. We had some 45 Mhz crystals cut in Germany but some of them where badly out of spec - correct frequency but with a Q that was too low and this prevented the oscillator from starting up in cold temperatures. Luckily we noticed this quite early so not too many "escaped", those that did were replaced.
The second problem we found is less of an issue. We found that FM broadcasts could break through depending on the exact relationship between tuned frequency and offending FM station. Of course, for this to happen you needed to fly very close to the FM station to get a real strong signal. Anyway, that has also been fixed with a filter upgrade adding an additional 24dB of FM band suppression.
That's been pretty much it.

Yes, I agree the looks are somewhat "non compatible". We used our "Maxi single" housing as it proved to be a good size. It is likely that we will bring out a "round" 3.5" like we now use with the Velocity singles once we have the V6 and V15 out.
There is however some discussion to leave the V10 as is (as it is just fine for its intended purpose) and rather make another radio in a traditional format (like the ICOMs) just with very shallow monting depth as we don't need all that space anymore - we will see what transpires...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

RickWoodall said:

Still wondering why there is virtually no feedback from any users. Apparently over a thousand of these comms have been sold, the literature sounds great but not a single vaf user has answered several different builders requests for Pireps?

With the built in intercom, the weight and saved panel space...and many here not happy with the latest icom, seems like this should be more popular than it is????

Anyone?

Click to expand...

EASA Certification?

Hi Rainier,

Any chance you enter into an EASA certification process for this radio? We Europeans would certainly like to use it as well.

Best regards

I understand but I have bad news.
From what we could so far gather (and even that is not easy), we can't even find out exactly what would be required to allow operation of the radios in Europe.
So, unfortunately for now we will make do with the FAA procedures as they are at least sensible and understandable and are accepted in pretty much the rest of the World.
Perhaps one day EASA will come to their senses.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

FlyingArcher said:

Hi Rainier,

Any chance you enter into an EASA certification process for this radio? We Europeans would certainly like to use it as well.

Best regards

Click to expand...

Rainier, is there a way to tell if mine has the fixes? It's serial number's last four are 1291.

There are some massive broadcast towers near my airport and I'd like to avoid any problems.

Love my radio

I am flying off my 25 hours and am working out bugs. The V10 has worked flawlessly since I installed it. My 430 on the other hand is having some reception/transmission problems. I think it's the antenna.

Lionclaw said:

Rainier, is there a way to tell if mine has the fixes? It's serial number's last four are 1291.

There are some massive broadcast towers near my airport and I'd like to avoid any problems.

Click to expand...

The xtal issue is not applicable to your unit.
We have started installing the upgraded filters about 3 months ago into all production units and have made upgrade kits available to our distributors for fitting into any radio where the owner has a complaint.
We are only aware of two cases, one in the U.S. and one in Israel where the combination of local airport frequency coincided with a strong FM broadcast signal at the right frequency. The FM transmitter needs to be very close to the V10 to ensure a large enough signal to interfere. I gather there are not too many places where this happens...

The upgraded filter is partly a development for our NAV receiver as we need a much better filter there due to the proximity of the NAV frequencies to the FM band.

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Speaking of that Nav receiver, Rainier... Any news on its development and time to market? I currently have no nav receiver in my airplane and frankly don't want to install one until I see the MGL receiver. I've already been recommending to friends to give the V10 serious consideration and so far at least one fellow seems to have picked it for its superior features. I'm sure the Nav receiver will, likewise, be an easy choice based on its feature set and price.

BTW, if you haven't had a chance to hear the VOGAD intercom in the V10, it's fantastic. One of Rainier's crew demonstrated it to me at OSH 2009 in the very high noise environment of the vendor area (it was just wild that day, could hardly hear yourself think). I've flown in a lot of different airplanes, mostly heavy iron and helicopters, and I've never seen anything that can compare. If my panel had sufficient space I would have opted for a V10 instead of the Icom A210 when I upgraded from the A200.

MGL V10 feedback

I have now flown about 30 hours with the V10 in my RV-7. Everything has worked perfectly. Very happy.

The NAV receiver will be the last item we are doing (after the V6 and V15) but before the transponder. It is a fully digital receiver but as anybody that knows the principles and realities of life, compined with the new, very tough specifications that a NAV receiver has to comply with (European stuff mainly) - this is anything but easy (not even if you stick to old fashioned analog design). But we think we can do it by reaching deep into the bag of tricks...
I can't tell whe it will be ready - I have learned the hard way that it is impossible to predict how long a RF development will take - it's unpredictable. I took me seven years !!! to get the V10 from first prototype to certification (OK, on an on and off bases, but still...).

Regarding the VOGAD - an exibition hall is not really a good place to test it - it's way to easy, even if you think it is noisy.
The background behind the VOGAD was the start of my flying career - I learned to fly microlight, open cockpit trikes. As we need to fly with radios here you can imagine that there are one or two problems. The first is a huge amount of background noise, the second the fact that you often have to wear gloves and operating a radio is near impossible.

So, given the above you can see why the V10 is what it is. An intercom with an unusual (but very effective) noise suppression system and something you can operate with gloves on...

The VOGAD system needs to be adjusted to the noise environment which varies between aircraft types in both spectrum and intensity. For this you can select between three types of Vogad system (roughly choosing from "Boeing cockpit", "RV", "Tiger moth") and then you adjust the choosen setting in flight (usualy once) - tweak a setting until the background noise goes away (and surprisingly, your voice doesn't). VOGAD has the effect of making your microphone extremely directional so the mic has to be right in front of your mouth - move the mic to the side and your voice will be suppressed as "noise".

BTW, the VOGAD system should be used with ordinary PNR headsets, we find if you use an expensive ANR the result tends to be "muffled" - just too much of a good thing...
Overall it can be stated with some conviction that the VOGAD, when correctly adjusted will make a PNR headset perform like an expensive ANR - and in many cases much better (mainly if there is a lot of high frequency content in the noise - the ANR is quite useless there).
If you do want to operate a ANR with the V10 - no problem, just select the normal VOX intercom mode...

As an aside the VOGAD system has been available for years as analog system built into some microphone amplifier chips and we used these as part of our wireless headset development (which we sold off to another company and it is now used, sadly, in armoured vehicles and tanks).
Anyway, the VOGAD in these chips works but is not quite satisfying. When I did the V10 and the audio was all digital (and routed through the microprocessor), things got much more interesting as I could do whatever I liked with the audio signal and could do so quite easily. So now I could do a rough equivalent of a traditional VOGAD but fix all the bad bits by making it smart...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics

Canadian_JOY said:

Speaking of that Nav receiver, Rainier... Any news on its development and time to market? I currently have no nav receiver in my airplane and frankly don't want to install one until I see the MGL receiver. I've already been recommending to friends to give the V10 serious consideration and so far at least one fellow seems to have picked it for its superior features. I'm sure the Nav receiver will, likewise, be an easy choice based on its feature set and price.

BTW, if you haven't had a chance to hear the VOGAD intercom in the V10, it's fantastic. One of Rainier's crew demonstrated it to me at OSH 2009 in the very high noise environment of the vendor area (it was just wild that day, could hardly hear yourself think). I've flown in a lot of different airplanes, mostly heavy iron and helicopters, and I've never seen anything that can compare. If my panel had sufficient space I would have opted for a V10 instead of the Icom A210 when I upgraded from the A200.

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