Currently flying a C172L, but found that my AWARE lighter→USB adapter will not fit – seems slightly too large for the socket. It’s not actually the ‘AWARE’ adapter, but an automotive one rated to 28 volts.
Does anybody have any suggestions as to lighter→lighter adapters, or alternative lighter→usb adapters that may work? I understand the electrical system is 14 volt, though I would prefer to buy an adapter that is good for 28 in case I move to something else.
Many of these adapters produce interference which can be heard in the headsets but these two work very well:
http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B008CPO8KS/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1/276-8272633-3825620?pf_rd_m=A3JWKAKR8XB7XF&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_r=0JJHC0YHE9DSHFZ56E0X&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=479289147&pf_rd_i=B002P4VAE4
http://www.conrad.de/ce/de/product/374199/Cabstone-DUAL-USB-High-Power-Ladeadapter/?ref=detview1&rt=detview1&rb=1
It sounds like it is a really crap cigar lighter adapter.
A lot of car stuff is no good for aircraft. I had one car holder for a Thuraya satphone (made by Sattrans in Turkey) which radiated so much RF crap that VHF comms was impossible. I find it hard to believe it would have been possible to listen to a VHF (FM) radio in a vehicle with this! I spent a lot of time building a supply line filter for it but eventually gave up because the crap was being radiated directly, not conducted along the wires.
And you never know which VHF frequency is going to get hit, until you fly somewhere and find noise all over some ATC frequency.
Thanks for your suggestions. The initial problem is now solved! With a little more time yesterday, I had a look inside the socket and found the remains of somebody else’s GPS adapter inside. There were a knurled collar and springy contact pin rattling about. It wasn’t a nice find – they could easily have shorted something. Happily I can’t see any evidence for this.
It still doesn’t work, bit this time because there’s no power going to the adapter – the circuit breaker hasn’t tripped; there is an empty holder in the panel that says ‘GPS switch’, but then I think it was always thus.
The joys of renting!
