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GRT (Grand Rapid Technology) Horz EFIS, What COM and Txpdr Do you USE?

gmcjetpilot

Well Known Member
I ordered a GRT Horizon 10.1 for my latest project. I did not buy radio or transponder yet. GRT (Grand Rapid Technologies) works with Trig well and what sell for both COM and Txpdr. They also sell a VAL COM but it does not have standby monitoring (listen to both active and standby at same time with active being primary). VAL is a great company BTW but really like Stby monitoring.

Q) What radio and Txpdr do you use with your GRT Horizion 10.1 (or other GRT models) and can you tell me about pros, cons, would you choose differently next time?

Q1) I am debating on getting the TRIG COM with the remote panel mounted heads. However the Horz 10.1 EFIS can tune the COM without the remote head. My question can you access all functions of the radio including Standby Freq monitoring?

Q2) My thinking is redundancy. If my EFIS goes away on cross country, I have GRT's EIS head (shows all engine info in small LCD display separate from EFIS) for required engine monitoring, if EFIS dies. I will have a small back up EFIS for basic flight instruments. However having remote tuning heads will give me ability to keep flying in a pinch. Otherwise I lose control of my radio and Txpdr (they will stay at last Freq or squawk). I was told you can't have both panel mounted heads and tune the TRIG COM or Transponder by EFIS, it is one or the other? Talking to Greg I guess someone has done it by installing a switch? Can someone explain. I love the idea of having less clutter on the panel and having EFIS do it all, but again you are then married to that one display for everything. A 2nd display would solve that I guess, but at cost and panel space....

Q3) I really LOVE the ICOM IC-A220. Talking to GRT apparently all they can do is PUSH Freq into standby, no remote tuning. That is fine/ Has anyone used this radio with GRT Horz 10.1? What about OTHER Com radios that work with GRT Horz 10.1

Q4) Any alternatives to the TRIG transponder? I am less concerend about remote tuning the Txpdr except saving panel space (which I have enough of). Do you have a Brand of Txpdr that is remote tuned by the GRT EFIS and is not TRIG?
 
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I have a panel-mounted SL-30 feeding a GRT Hx. IMHO the best nav-com ever made (Is there any other nav that can simultaneously feed both an ILS signal (main deviation needle on the HSI) and a VOR cross fix bearing (RMI needle on the same HSI display)?). I believe there is some capability for the Hx to control the frequency, but I don’t use it. I think my mind works better when I physically touch the device I’m tuning (!). Unfortunately new SL30s are no longer available, and used ones are getting a bit old. Repair may be an issue, if not now, soon, as parts disappear from the market.
I also have a Trig TT-22. It works fine, no complaints, is very light and remote mounts. It also is a mode S-ES device, so with an appropriate GPS can function as an ADSB-out device. Appropriate GPS ranges from GRT’s $500 unit, up to any of the Garmin gps navigators. One suggestion: on the smallish Hx I need to push and hold a button to bring up the xponder menu, with an ident button. Around here I’m frequently asked to ident, so I ran a wire from a stick button to the transponder, for a remote ident button. Works fine.
 
Trig for both transponder and radio. I have the remote heads in the panel, and didn't connect them to the EFIS, mainly because like Bob, I like to touchy-touchy. And I didn't see a strong use case to have the EFIS controlling radio or transponder.

The Trig transponder with the GRT Safe-Fly 2020 gives you a very easy to install and configure, and inexpensive, ADS-B out.

BTW, Trig support is great - I sent both units back for the latest code updates before my first flight, and they turned them around in a day, and at no cost.

The Trig radio's built-in intercom is good enough for a 2-place aircraft, if both are using the same type of headset. I have a Bose A20 and X and they play nice together. Before I had the A20, I tried with the X and a cheapo headset, and it didn't work well. I couldn't get the squelch to work right with both headsets, since it's one setting for both. Two Bose, works fine. I also have GRT audio alerts going to the Trig radio, which works well. If you need more than the basics, you'll need an intercom.
 
Similar to Bob …

I recently put a 10.1 (Touch) in my RV6. Added two Minis to mimick the layout in the RV8 (10.4).

In the RV6, I also have an SL30 as my primary radio. I have the combo intercom/radio (PAREX15 ??) as second radio. I have the Trig TT-22 (with its 2 1/4” remote control head) as well. The “certified” GPS/Navigator is a Garmin GTN 625. This combination works quite well for me. I could have worked the Trig TT-22 to one of the GRT EFIS units but I prefer doing the tuning on the device itself.

The difference between this and the RV8 is that the 8 has GRT 10.4 (NON-touch), a GTN65, the Trig TT-30 panel mount transponder, and the Garmin GTR200 as the second radio.

Feel free to contact me offline for more details regarding operation.
 
Another happy Trig remote comm and xpnder user here.

Controlled by Horizon 10.1.

And, freq flip/flop and Ident on the stick.
 
Thank you for great replies. Keep those coming. Did not think of remote flip/flop and Ident buttons on stick. Great idea.
 
I have a Horizon 10.1 for my RV6 build, just like I did in my RV4. For COM I have the GTR200B (with Bluetooth). It is a panel mount and I can also control it through the 10.1 touch screen. My transponder is a Sandia 165R (remote), which is controlled through the 10.1 also. It pretty much works automatically, and there’s the dedicated ident button on the EFIS screen.
 
In my 7 with the GRT HXr I used the trig T-22 transponder controlled remotely from the screen and never had an issue.

Garmin 650xi comm one

PS engineering PAR100-EX for audio panel and comm 2.

Because the PAR100-Ex also has a remote comm. works great.

I am in the middle of the longest Garmin upgrade ever and I got rid of everything except the Audio / comm panel identified above.
 
Mini-X, HX and Sport EX installed. COMM 1 is a GNS480. Comm 2 is an SL30. Audio is through the PS Engineering PDA360EX. Transponder is Trig TT22 with TC20 control head.

This solution works well. If I run into troubles with the TC20 control head I'll switch the transponder control functions over to the Mini-X since it has the TMAP control lines built into it. I know the Sport EX has them, too, but it's over in front of the co-pilot.
 
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