A weird static issue on a King Air in Billings last spring

I was doing a post-install check on a new comm radio in a King Air 200. Everything tested fine on the ground, but during the first flight check, the pilot reported heavy static bursts on one specific frequency, 122.85. It was clean on all the others. We pulled the radio and checked all the connections, which looked good. The fix ended up being a tiny bit of anti-seize compound on the antenna base threads that had gotten on the center pin. Cleaned it with a swab and some contact cleaner, and the static was gone. Has anyone else run into something like that where the issue only shows up in the air?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_michael2mo ago

We had a Cessna 172 with a similar gremlin that only showed up above 5,000 feet. The VOR would cut in and out. Turns out a coax cable was routed right next to a static wick wire bundle. The vibration in cruise was just enough to let them touch.

margaretk892mo ago

Classic. Seen that exact thing. Always check wire routing near any moving parts or bundles. Vibration finds the weak spot every time. Zip ties are your friend, but use the good ones. The cheap ones crack and let things shift. A little extra separation fixes so many weird problems.