Radio Interference from Stratux Unit - iFly General Discussions

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Radio Interference from Stratux Unit

6/10/2018 8:45 PM

Sam Washington

Joined: 3/15/2011

Posts: 112

Radio Interference from Stratux Unit

Hello,

Is anyone having any issue with the Stratux unit causing interference with the radios in the aircraft? I had been mounting my Stratux on the dash of my Cherokee but lately it seems to cause very loud static with my VHF radios in the aircraft. I recently moved it to the back seat on my overnight bag and that solved the problem with the static. Is there something that I need to do to prevent the static in the radios when I set the unit on the dash or is that a common occurrence? Thanks all!

Sam Washington

6/10/2018 9:58 PM

ErgonomicMike

Joined: 9/3/2014

Posts: 2102

Re: Radio Interference from Stratux Unit

Yes. It's a known problem, as documented in the Stratux github. The best solution is to upgrade to the B+ version of the Pi. The second best solution is lots of shielding. I've got my RFI manageable in our Glasair. (Meaning that the RFI rarely breaks the squelch anymore. Depends on channels.,125.0 MHz is among the worst.) But I'm still waiting for B+ 's to come back in stock.

6/11/2018 8:23 PM

desert flyer

Joined: 3/25/2010

Posts: 206

Re: Radio Interference from Stratux Unit Modified By desert flyer on 6/11/2018 8:24:12 PM

I have the first genration Pi in my Stratux, and it sits on the glareshield of the Cessna 340 right on top of the audio panel, a PSE 8000. I have over 250 hours on the Stratux with no RFI problems on any radio. It could be that the planes having problems have ground loops built into the plane because of bad grounding of the mic and audio jacks. All jacks should have a separate ground wire from each ground pin on a jack that goes back to the ground stud on the back of the audio panel. Grounding to the airframe for convenience is a no-no.

Dick Welsh

6/12/2018 7:13 AM

ErgonomicMike

Joined: 9/3/2014

Posts: 2102

Re: Radio Interference from Stratux Unit Modified By ErgonomicMike on 6/12/2018 9:40:14 AM

A buddy of mine who has a spectrum analyzer has done a survey of the Stratux, and it radiates. Some users get it worse than others, depending on location of the Stratux in relation to radios, coax, etc.

It's not just the Pi that radiates (again, 125.0 MHz is a big one, from the WiFi chip - also occurs in your house if you have Wi-Fi Routers). The SDR's radiate too.

If you pull the squelch on your COM (or if you turn up the volume on your NAV) I bet you pick up Stratux noise in the background as a minimum.

(It's subtle. At first I couldn't figure out why our squelch kept breaking. It was only on certain frequencies. I thought that maybe someone was keying far away on a CTAF. But then, after a few weeks, I had the thought to force a reboot of the Stratux from the WebUI. Noise stopped instantly during the reboot process.)

As is often said, YMMV.

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