My lead tech told me old radios are better than software defined and I'm not sure anymore

He said SDRs fail in the field way more than analog Collins gear from the 70s, and after watching two FlexRadio units brick on a King Air install last month, I'm starting to wonder if reliability matters more than features for GA flying, has anyone else gone back to older equipment and regretted it or found it actually works better?

2 comments

2 Comments

quinn_nguyen19d ago

Two out of two bricks on a King Air install sounds like FlexRadio owes someone a refund and a box of tissues. Old Collins gear might be built like a tank, but it's also heavy and costs more than my first car to fix when it goes tango uniform. If you're flying GA, maybe split the difference and keep a backup analog rig in the glovebox.

the_henry18d ago

Is it just me or does it feel like the whole "software defined radio" promise is starting to crack under real world heat? I've been hesitant to fully ditch my old Bendix/King gear for exactly this reason. When you're in the middle of a trip and the magic box decides it's having a bad day, there's no backup but the handheld on your belt. I guess that's the trade off people keep talking about. Still, two failures in a row on a fresh install is rough, no two ways about it.