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What this all means to you as a pilot or builder is that your radio/communications and headset installation has become very simple.
The ability to move in and out of the cockpit without catching wires on controls or projections has been solved completely.
Your comfort level has improved and the quality of your reception and transmissions is now outstandingly clear.
Wireless ?? Blue tooth I hear you say. This my friends simply does not work, we had discarded that technology very early in the piece and had to invent a new technology that would enable the quality digital transmissions required for multiple users in a noisy aviation environment EQ1 technology was born.
Let me explain a few details that seem to be shrouded in mystery. It is essential that you understand that your aircrafts radio, aerial, communications and headsets are individual components that are connected to each other, they therefore need to be both compatible and correctly installed.
Simply put all of these components work individually and must be treated with the correct method for each component. The classic example is a perfectly operational headset and comms and a faulty radio, people tend to 'shoot the messenger' and the headset gets the blame, or on the other hand a bad connection on the headset plug and the radio is blamed for poor transmission quality.
Any one of these components can fail and finding the correct culprit can be exasperating at the best of times especially with intermittent faults or non-compatible equipment. Some manufacturers recognise this 'marriage problem' and have incorporated comms as part of the VHF radio 'Microair' is a good example and you will find this radio fitted in many aircraft.
Another thing to remember is that you may think that you sound ok due to the side-tone in your headsets but your flying buddies are cringing each time you transmit. It is not a crime to let someone know in a polite way that their transmission is bad; please tell them otherwise they will probably never know. (top)
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
 To be able to maximise the system that you are installing, be it an EQ1 or any one of a variety of other wired systems some basic knowledge is required and rules need to be followed---
1. Good CLEAN power supply to your comms AND radio is essential, your battery is the cleanest source of power. ALL your connections must be made via direct paths to this source.
2. Good negative is also essential DO NOT connect it just anywhere on the airframe, connect it to the common negative terminal of the aircraft, these two rules alone will account for most of that crackle in your head (or the receivers head)
3. Good quality connectors on EVERY connection.
4. Correct aerial and matched impedance cable, use 50ohm cable for a 50 ohm aerial-- simple! Correct co-ax cable length is a myth, use what length you need for a tidy installation.
5. A good ground plane for your aerial with the aerial positioned as close to vertical (up or down) as possible and not obscured by struts or a kingpost.
6. Ensure the antenna is tuned for you installation for optimum performance.
7. Give your wiring room to move, no stretched connections, leave a small loop or sag to take up any vibration or movement then cable tie the rest securely.
8. Keep your headset connectors clean, a quick wipe of the connectors with a rag and a 'hint' of 'Brasso' works wonders in removing the oxides that build up on those old style connectors.
9. Match the headsets with the comms, match the comms with the radio and match the radio with the aerial. The only way to do this is to speak with the relevant manufacturers and ask the question of which components have been tested and are shown to be compatible to theirs.
This last point is the most difficult to achieve if you try using non recommended components. Each manufacturer has their own quirks that seem to befuddle the most experienced avionics expert when faced with the task of marrying equipment.
A high noise environment will tend to aggravate the problems so the attention to the above rules is a must for best system operation. (top)
EQ-1 DESIGN BRIEF
 EQI We have a simple design brief. The product must:
- be wireless
- be easy to install
- provide quiet listening in a noisy open cockpit environment
- provide quality transmissions from a noisy environment
- be comfortable
- provide simple, intuitive operation. Put them on, turn them on and fly.
As you can see, high on the EQ1 design criteria was that installation be as simple as is possible and that all of the complex compatibility needed to be handled by one component that could be factory tuned to achieve optimum results for each radio and aircraft interface, this will take all of the headaches away from builders and pilots faced with installing their radio comms system and make their life easier. (top)
EQ-1 INSTALLATION
The EQ1 installation is relatively simple.
- The base unit (comms box) is lightweight and can be positioned anywhere under the dash using Velcro.
- Three of the wires from the supplied wiring loom are then connected to”power, negative and master switch.
- The remaining plug is plugged into the radio (and will supply clean power to the radio) -- THAT'S IT three wires and plug it in: its now installed.
The PTT is wireless and one or multiple PTT's can be positioned anywhere convenient.
Microlight pilots will Velcro one on the control bar and instructors will want one on the training bars as well. (top)
EQ-1 FEATURES
 For the more inquisitive and technical of you here are some of the extra features that are built in. Most of which are at work in the background making life easier for the user.
- The EQ1 is a full duplex digital wireless system designed from the ground up using over 20 years military RF design technology experience.
- High quality microphone using digital processing to reduce background noise.
- System is designed to interface correctly for each radio manufacturers idiosyncrasies.
- Incorporates 4 microphones and uses active noise reduction (ANR) technology for extreme noise aircraft.
- Complete wiring loom supplied with various plug in options to suit various interface requirements 1.e.; handheld radios.
- Adaptive frequency hopping technology at 2.4GHz. (NOT blue tooth)
- Voice is digitized and compressed before being sent across the RF interface.
- The system uses TDMA protocol like GSM phones to achieve multi-channel full duplex operation.
- VOX system is adjustable by user to adapt to personal environment (no clipped words)
- 'SOFTVOX' enabled to allow for short gaps in voice data.
- 'VOX MIC' protocol used to remove non speaking party from radio transmissions
- PTT overrides headset VOX for instantaneous radio transmission
- The Base Station (small lightweight unit 125mm x 80mm x 23mm) receives and transmits information to headsets, this is the heart of the system and can be located anywhere out of sight attached with Velcro.
- The system also has full voice synthesis capability and can 'speak' many different messages and control information; all configurations are done this way (voice prompting). This can be expandable to a choice of languages.
- Audio personalised aircraft identification.
- Advanced features include, multiple wireless PTT adaptor and automatic audio routing for various situations, 1.e. passenger mic lock outs, MP3 input muting etc.
- The external base interface (audio) is full programmable as far as level goes and can hence interface into multiple systems, it also has some expansion and control capability (RS232 and switching). including interface for SkyDat glass cockpit instrumentation for audio warnings on engine parameters being exceeded.
- Long life (23hr) NiMh rechargeable battery including voice announced capacity and several low battery warnings.
- Auto off function-- headsets will turn off automatically after end of flight.
- VHF and UHF (VHF override) operation
- No wires to tangle or break. Simple & easy to install
- Emergency power back up for 'fail safe' operation
- Built in battery charger or 240v mains and 12v car chargers with voice announced percentage of charge
- Can be charged from the aircraft with auto off when charged.
- Wall charger will charge to full then trickle charge indefinitely- this means never having a flat battery after a long break from flying.
- Software upgrades via internet.
- Headsets can be used independently from the base unit and can operate 'peer to peer' (top)
For frequently asked questions about the EQ-1 system, click here
TO PURCHASE EQ-1
 The EQ1 communications package includes-
2 x headsets with carry cases
1 x two place 240v wall charger,
1 x communications base station,
1 x wireless Press-to-Talk (PTT),
1 x wiring loom to suit Microair M760 VHF radio.
Total cost of $2790.00 incl GST (P&H extra)
Click Here to purchase the complete EQ-1 system
through our secure online shop.
Click Here to view entire Accessories Catalogue
Please be sure to advise us of the radio that you intend to use at time of purchase so that we can ascertain if a loom adaptor is required.
A wireless PTT is supplied as standard. However if you have a yoke mounted PTT the wiring loom supplied has a wire that will hardwire the PTT back to the base unit.
Training facilities (flight schools)Â should contact Gordon at Sky Sports Innovations for a chat about our introductory deal that is on offer for all flight schools that feel that they can support the EQ1 systems, installation and after sales service.
info@skysportsinovations.com.au
ph Gordon Marshall 0419942645 (top)
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