So I went to the dentist this week......

Well, not really, although some of my neighbors certainly need to - or possibly it's just too late for them. I'm wondering how many of you backcountry types have a bluetooth option in your plane? I have been really thinking about it, mostly since I need an audio panel anyway. Plus one of my friends has one and it is super cool. I have a ps1000 intercom now but plan to sell it as well. Here is where I'm at with this:

I could use a PS8000bt audio panel.

I could get one of those fancy par200a audio panel/com units and sell my like brand-new sl-40 com. This option would give me one less
item in the stack (lighter). I have the space for either option, but barely. I figure cost would be about the same with selling the sl-40.
The only difference is no marker beacon with this option. I would like to use my plane for my ifr ticket, but does one even need a marker
beacon anymore? All of this is so I have a backup com to my 430.


Is there an option "c" that I am missing here?

What do you want to do with the Bluetooth? Do you have a Bluetooth headset? I usually link my headset to an iPad to get alerts, and use my aux jack with my phone for music. You can get a cheap Bluetooth adapter so music into aux is wireless. Cheaper than a $1500 audio panel, and doesn’t give up much.

Bluetooth my and my wife's cell phone into the system for audio streaming and cell phone usage. I do have audio in (1/8 input jack) so I wonder if I could just find a bluetooth adapter that would pair both phones to the system....but having everything wireless would be nice. If you could do phones and headsets that would be supreme......but more stuff to buy. Wasn't planning on buying any headsets for now.

If you absolutely need a new audio panel anyways them I would go the PAR200A route. If you can make do with what you have then I would just buy a new headset.

A1Skinner wrote:If you absolutely need a new audio panel anyways them I would go the PAR200A route. If you can make do with what you have then I would just buy a new headset.

Yep, do need an audio panel. I'm installing a 430w and wanting a backup com, so leaning towar the par200. Plus, my initials are PAR, so maybe it's meant to be

I’d be careful getting too much stuff going on through an audio panel, and having passengers access to the audio panel via cell phone is a uniquely bad idea in my opinion. And, adding IFR to that mix.... .

If you want your wife to be able to access her phone, get her a blue tooth capable headset. If she answers the phone in the middle of an ILS to mins, unplug her......she can chat and not in your ear, while you’re trying to communicate/focus.

Speaking of which, just how many distractions do you need while you’re operating a piece of equipment that can quite handily kill you and your whole family? Perhaps you should consider the question: Why do the airlines have the “sterile cockpit rule” at all times when below 10,000 feet? You think that’s so they can’t order pizza delivered to the gate? Something to consider, at least.

You’ll also find that cell phones ring at the most inopportune time, and “friends” often don’t understand while you’re a bit terse.

Finally, is it REALLY necessary to be connected every moment of every day? This forum is named BACKCOUNTRY PILOT after all....... Cell phones don’t work in a lot of the country where this herd likes to play. You’ll also find that cell phones don’t always work when you’re a ways above ground.

Now, I’ll admit I use a Lightspeed headset, and is capable of talking to my phone, but that only happens in very unique and compelling circumstances. If the phone rings while I’m in flight, it goes to voice mail. I don’t need any distractions while flying, including someone saying “wow! So you can chat on the phone while you’re flying? “

Sorry for the wet blanket on your program, but too much connectivity can cause a lot of issues. And there are lots of relatively easy ways to pipe music into your audio.

Curmudgeon One out. Back to Sterile Cockpit mode.

MTV

mtv wrote:I’d be careful getting too much stuff going on through an audio panel, and having passengers access to the audio panel via cell phone is a uniquely bad idea in my opinion. And, adding IFR to that mix.... .

If you want your wife to be able to access her phone, get her a blue tooth capable headset. If she answers the phone in the middle of an ILS to mins, unplug her......she can chat and not in your ear, while you’re trying to communicate/focus.

Speaking of which, just how many distractions do you need while you’re operating a piece of equipment that can quite handily kill you and your whole family? Perhaps you should consider the question: Why do the airlines have the “sterile cockpit rule” at all times when below 10,000 feet? You think that’s so they can’t order pizza delivered to the gate? Something to consider, at least.

You’ll also find that cell phones ring at the most inopportune time, and “friends” often don’t understand while you’re a bit terse.

Finally, is it REALLY necessary to be connected every moment of every day? This forum is named BACKCOUNTRY PILOT after all....... Cell phones don’t work in a lot of the country where this herd likes to play. You’ll also find that cell phones don’t always work when you’re a ways above ground.

Now, I’ll admit I use a Lightspeed headset, and is capable of talking to my phone, but that only happens in very unique and compelling circumstances. If the phone rings while I’m in flight, it goes to voice mail. I don’t need any distractions while flying, including someone saying “wow! So you can chat on the phone while you’re flying? “

Sorry for the wet blanket on your program, but too much connectivity can cause a lot of issues. And there are lots of relatively easy ways to pipe music into your audio.

Curmudgeon One out. Back to Sterile Cockpit mode.

MTV

Agreed: I keep my "Head" in the cockpit when flying, no music or other distractions. If I have a spare few minutes, I will review the ever increasing complex avionics we are presented with and frequent updates. Oh.....once in awhile I enjoy the view outside of the beautiful Colorado mtns I am so fortunate to fly. Flying in a couple hours........Dave B.

pilot wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:If you absolutely need a new audio panel anyways them I would go the PAR200A route. If you can make do with what you have then I would just buy a new headset.

Yep, do need an audio panel. I'm installing a 430w and wanting a backup com, so leaning towar the par200. Plus, my initials are PAR, so maybe it's meant to be

That's a sweet little audio/com panel!

Since it uses a Trig radio, can you set it up to accept frequencies like the SL-30 and other Garmin radios?
Trig says you can do this with their radios (send frequencies to standby from a handheld GPS for example) but, does this feature also exist with the PAR200?

Maybe I'm just too reckless for my own good but, I'd go nuts on long flights without being able to pipe music into my headphones. Love the sounds of a good running motor but not for hours on end. Yes, of course, it gets turned off when I'm working the radio or in busy airspace so, maybe I'm not so reckless after all.

It's also nice that you can flip a switch to control phone calls.

I was going to use a bluetooth adapter in the aux port of my intercom. The my intercom died so I'm going to install a Garmin GMA245.

The PAR200A would be a nice way to save some space but I don't like how it looks. It looks like it was designed in about 1995.

Bagarre wrote:

pilot wrote:

A1Skinner wrote:If you absolutely need a new audio panel anyways them I would go the PAR200A route. If you can make do with what you have then I would just buy a new headset.

Yep, do need an audio panel. I'm installing a 430w and wanting a backup com, so leaning towar the par200. Plus, my initials are PAR, so maybe it's meant to be [emoji38]

That's a sweet little audio/com panel!

Since it uses a Trig radio, can you set it up to accept frequencies like the SL-30 and other Garmin radios?
Trig says you can do this with their radios (send frequencies to standby from a handheld GPS for example) but, does this feature also exist with the PAR200?

Maybe I'm just too reckless for my own good but, I'd go nuts on long flights without being able to pipe music into my headphones. Love the sounds of a good running motor but not for hours on end. Yes, of course, it gets turned off when I'm working the radio or in busy airspace so, maybe I'm not so reckless after all.

It's also nice that you can flip a switch to control phone calls.

I'm not sure, but I would think you can. Most comms allow that now a days.
Anither thing I really like about it 8s that you can have 2 aux inputs. This will be great for when the kids wants to watch something while travelling. They can plug whatever they want in and listen to it through there head sets and the adults can listen to our own thing...
I agree. I really enjoy my Sirius xmas when flying. As relaxing as flying is, some good music makes it even better.

mtv wrote:I’d be careful getting too much stuff going on through an audio panel, and having passengers access to the audio panel via cell phone is a uniquely bad idea in my opinion. And, adding IFR to that mix.... …….
Speaking of which, just how many distractions do you need while you’re operating a piece of equipment that can quite handily kill you and your whole family? ….
Finally, is it REALLY necessary to be connected every moment of every day? ....

X 2 , from another curmugeon.

I thought that having an audio panel with Bluetooth would be the coolest thing ever, but since I have been flying with Bluetooth A20s its really turned into sort of a gimmick. I feel that the $300 dollar difference between the GMA35 and the GMA35c might have been better spent on some 100LL than adding Bluetooth to an already highly connected cockpit. One thing to mention is that incoming phone calls really have a way of popping up when you are about to receive important clearances

That being said, if you want to overlay cockpit audio onto your Garmin VIRB videos, the GMA350c is a pretty cool piece of hardware. For me, I like to use Premier and add the cockpit recordings in post.

I dunno if it's OCD or just what, but I have a hard time not answering the phone at home and just letting it go to voicemail or whatever.
I sure don't need the darn phone ringing while I'm working a challenging landing or similar.
Darn people asking a question on the CTAF then is bad enough.

hotrod180 wrote:I dunno if it's OCD or just what, but I have a hard time not answering the phone at home and just letting it go to voicemail or whatever.
I sure don't need the darn phone ringing while I'm working a challenging landing or similar.
Darn people asking a question on the CTAF then is bad enough.

OMG this sounds like my father-in-law arguing a speeding ticket trying to say it's not safe to take his eyes off the road just to read a traffic sign

You know, it's possible to turn off bluetooth if you don't want it on it and enable it when it is appropriate and safe to use. There are PLENTY of times that a quick phone call in flight is a valuable and useful thing.

Better get rid of that noise canceling headset while you're at it 'cuz you wont be able to hear something wrong with the motor ...or any other technology that has come out since you first started flying.

Hey, you can talk on your bluetooth til the cows come home, as far as I'm concerned.
I was just saying what works (or doesn't) for me.
No need to fire off a smartass salvo at me.

I thought I was pretty cool a few years ago when I figured out how to link my phone to my headset. I was on my commute home from work and thought, "surely I can land this plane which I've been flying for 20 years on the same runway I've landed on thousands of times while talking on my phone through my headset". I made it down without bending anything except my ego in front of my passengers, but I wouldn't try it again!

Bagarre wrote:

hotrod180 wrote:I dunno if it's OCD or just what, but I have a hard time not answering the phone at home and just letting it go to voicemail or whatever.
I sure don't need the darn phone ringing while I'm working a challenging landing or similar.
Darn people asking a question on the CTAF then is bad enough.

OMG this sounds like my father-in-law arguing a speeding ticket trying to say it's not safe to take his eyes off the road just to read a traffic sign

You know, it's possible to turn off bluetooth if you don't want it on it and enable it when it is appropriate and safe to use. There are PLENTY of times that a quick phone call in flight is a valuable and useful thing.

Better get rid of that noise canceling headset while you're at it 'cuz you wont be able to hear something wrong with the motor ...or any other technology that has come out since you first started flying.

Well, this may sound like your father n law, but you might want to consider that your father in law just MIGHT be right. I’ve flown with a few hot running dudes who thought they could handle anything, only to find out they got buried when things got busy and there was one more distraction than they could handle. Try a wasp in the cockpit......not attacking anyone....just buzzing around. Fantastic test of focus, and many will go for the kill......wasp kill, of course. And totally forget about flying the plane.

I had a doctor training for the initial Instument once. We’re on half mile final, in the goo, and the doc starts talking on the cell.......I about shit, and took the controls. We had a chat, and the doc’s arguement was that I’d fly. We landed and had a “Come to Jesus” discussion. Henceforth, that doc surrendered ALL devices prior to a lesson.

Sorry, but most young folks have the notion that they can multi task like crazy, and handle most anything. In my experience, the only difference between these youngsters and us old farts is that the old farts recognize and ADMIT they don’t multitask as well as they might.

I’ll guarantee you that most of us can’t handle a really busy radio deal when distracted.

And, in this world, a moments distraction can KILL you and your entire young family.

Don’t ever forget that.

MTV

When the hell is Gump? He’s been listening to xm radio in his plane for decades probably. I don’t have any interest in talking on my phone while flying, or any other time really, but boring holes in the sky can get boring so sometimes music is nice.

I’ll readily admit to not being a great multitasker but I do know where the off button is on my phone. [emoji6] The GMA245 also has an off button for the Bluetooth.

whee wrote:When the hell is Gump? He’s been listening to xm radio in his plane for decades probably. I don’t have any interest in talking on my phone while flying, or any other time really, but boring holes in the sky can get boring so sometimes music is nice.

I’ll readily admit to not being a great multitasker but I do know where the off button is on my phone. [emoji6] The GMA245 also has an off button for the Bluetooth.

Music is difference from phones. Music is usually automatically muted by audio panel. Phones, maybe muted by audio, maybe not, and ALWAYS more distracting than music.

But, hey, I’ve just seen too many who couldn’t deal with it.....it being phones.

MTV

I think you’re all missing the oh so important point that the phone can be TURNED OFF when you don’t want the distraction and TURNED ON when a call might be appropriate.
But I agree that if you can’t figure out how to manage something as simple as that, you should have a phone and probably shouldnt be in the left seat.