As Dad and I flew over top of Memphis International Airport we realized, too late, it had gotten very quiet on the radio. Turns out we — Dad actually — had keyed the mic in the Baron and hadn’t realized. It turns out the mic had slipped from the holder and was wedged between the fuel selector panel and Dad’s leg.
I don’t recall our conversation, but I can only imagine what the controllers were thinking.
Thankfully it wasn’t FedEx showtime, so radio chatter was minimal anyway.
But it produced a sinking feeling I recall to this day, nearly two decades later.
When I heard Angus McCamant’s explanation of what the TransInd does, the memory of our flight came flooding back.
The Trans-Ind, short for Transmit Indicator, sits innocently atop your glare shield and confirms when the transmit button has been pressed AND if your voice is outputting radio waves.
If we’d had a Trans-Ind on the glare shield, we would’ve seen, via the unit’s yellow light, that our mic was keyed. Further, each time either of us spoke, the unit’s blue light would have illuminated as well.
The 9-volt battery-powered device attaches to the glare shield with Velcro strips, which prevents the need for certification. Users can expect about 100 hours per battery.
The unit is price at $189.95, which includes shipping in the U.S.
You can learn more, and see a video of Trans-Ind working, at eesys.co or speak with Angus directly at 503-490-5852.
This is a thinly disguised commercial! Aircraft radio transmitters have a “transmit” light that illuminates when transmitting.