NARCO gone bust
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IO540
I would have said the products were vairiable, the NAV/COMS were reliable, the KNS80 look alike was very reliable, I own two AT150 transponders that that had very few problems. The ADF was as IO540 says.....Crap!
Narco in some areas failed to look forward, I just cant understand why they failed to produce a Mode S slide in replacement for the AT150 transponder.
In other areas they were so far ahead of the game that the GA community failed to understand how advanced the kit was, the STARNAV was the first and I think the only multi-sensor navigation unit that has ever been produced for the GA market, the STARNAV used VOR, DME, GPS to locate the aircraft position (with optional LORAN input) and provide area nav.
The STARNAV was more akin to an airliner FMS but very few in GA could grasp the concept.
Narco in some areas failed to look forward, I just cant understand why they failed to produce a Mode S slide in replacement for the AT150 transponder.
In other areas they were so far ahead of the game that the GA community failed to understand how advanced the kit was, the STARNAV was the first and I think the only multi-sensor navigation unit that has ever been produced for the GA market, the STARNAV used VOR, DME, GPS to locate the aircraft position (with optional LORAN input) and provide area nav.
The STARNAV was more akin to an airliner FMS but very few in GA could grasp the concept.
Last edited by A and C; 4th Apr 2011 at 07:49.
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I vaguely recall reading that Collins did something similar, just before GPS came along, and then the bottom dropped out of the market for any king of multi-sensor nav for GA, so they dropped it.
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IO540
The Narco STARNAV used GPS, VOR & DME, it was a bit like a GNS430 except that you still had RNAV if the GPS dropped off line as long as you had VOR/DME, to this you could also feed Loran data (overkill perhaps). The only Collins RNAV that I remember was a unit that was KNS80 like in function but a lot less intuative to use.
Silvaire1
Correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that the ADS-B had to data link via a mode S transponder, if this is so the mode S would hardly be Ancient history + an evolutionary dead end.
Fit the master switch.............. you wont regret it!
The Narco STARNAV used GPS, VOR & DME, it was a bit like a GNS430 except that you still had RNAV if the GPS dropped off line as long as you had VOR/DME, to this you could also feed Loran data (overkill perhaps). The only Collins RNAV that I remember was a unit that was KNS80 like in function but a lot less intuative to use.
Silvaire1
Correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that the ADS-B had to data link via a mode S transponder, if this is so the mode S would hardly be Ancient history + an evolutionary dead end.
Fit the master switch.............. you wont regret it!
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You should have an avionics master to disconnect the avionics during engine start, because the starter motor puts a lot of crap onto the positive supply line.
The Collins product was never marketed.
I would not have thought that the Americans would have the UK-style "civil liberties" issues with Mode S. After all, unless you fly in the "wild west" and under the radar, you will be tracked everywhere you go.
I can see Narco did not bother to do a Mode S transponder because Garmin owned the avionics business by then. The only openings were for "cheap" Mode S transponders but (hey what a suprise; you'd never think this is aviation would you) all those which came out were (basically) at Garmin prices minus 0.0001%
It only costs about £100 to make a Mode S transponder, in 1k batches, but nobody is going to bomb the price and anyway most of the installs are done by avionics shops and they will always sell the product with the biggest trade discount.
The Collins product was never marketed.
I would not have thought that the Americans would have the UK-style "civil liberties" issues with Mode S. After all, unless you fly in the "wild west" and under the radar, you will be tracked everywhere you go.
I can see Narco did not bother to do a Mode S transponder because Garmin owned the avionics business by then. The only openings were for "cheap" Mode S transponders but (hey what a suprise; you'd never think this is aviation would you) all those which came out were (basically) at Garmin prices minus 0.0001%
It only costs about £100 to make a Mode S transponder, in 1k batches, but nobody is going to bomb the price and anyway most of the installs are done by avionics shops and they will always sell the product with the biggest trade discount.
