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Three hour fight with a stubborn ground loop in a King Air
Spent all afternoon yesterday tracing a ground loop that turned out to be one corroded connector pin on the audio panel. Should have been a 20 minute swap but I chased it through half the avionics bay first. Has anyone else wasted a shift on something that tiny?
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jamies451mo ago
That 20 minute swap turning into hours thing hits close to home. I once spent a whole Saturday chasing a radio noise issue in a Cessna 172 that ended up being a single loose screw on the antenna coax connector. I mean, I pulled half the interior apart, checked every ground strap, even swapped the alternator (which was a real bear to get out, let me tell you). Worst part is I had the right tool for the connector in my hand but just assumed it was tight because it looked fine from the outside. Now I check every connector with the proper tool first (even if it feels silly) before I start pulling panels.
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wilson.emma1mo ago
@jamies45 that loose screw story is painfully relatable. I once spent 3 hours chasing a static in a radio that turned out to be a bad ground wire I'd already checked twice. Now I keep a torque wrench just for coax connectors, saves my sanity every time. It's wild how the simplest thing can trick you like that.
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