Technisonics TDFM 136 CAP Radio Problem

[SoCalCAPOfficer]

Has anybody else had any problems with this CAP radio.   Yesterday we had to scrub a mission because we kept getting an error message and then the radio did not transmit or receive even after clearing the error message.   I guess its time to take it to the avionics shop.   This is strange since the radio is only a few months old.

[genejackson]

I just had 3 of the TDFM-136's in my Group reprogrammed.   Two of them developed the same exact problem:  continous open squelch on Guard CH-4.  Both radios were "on" during shutdown of the aircraft by somebody who failed to turn the AVIONICS master switch off prior to pulling mixture.  (We've reinforced the checklist policy again)

Get your COMMO guys to upload your Wing's channel load to it again and see if reprogramming the radio helps.   In my case, it worked - on all 3 radios.

Gene Jackson
Group I CC
VAWG

[SoCalCAPOfficer]

Thank you for the information.  We will give it a try.

[SarDragon]

CAP VHF radios (EFJ Stealth, and the two A/C types) should ALWAYS be turned off with the power switch on the radio. This is an ongoing problem that burps the programming. Usually, reprogramming them will fix the problem, but occasionally will not, in which case the radio needs to go back to NTC.

[wingnut]

Yes we have had the same problem with the squelch, it just goes nuts and I have tried turning the radio off and on, but sometimes to no avail

[genejackson]

We've now had a 4th radio needing to be reprogrammed, and it fixed the problem of being unable to use the MAIN side of the radio.  Here is something else we've noticed in VAWG,  having too many channels programmed into the MAIN side and there is a firmware problem it seems.   We cut back to 23 channels for MAIN and of course Ch-3 and Ch-4 on GUARD.  Fixed the problem of not being able to change channels and transmit on many of the MAIN frequencies.

This may not resolve your Wing's problems, but it did fix ours in VAWG.  And again, it is imperative that aircrews turn off the TDFM-136 at the AVIONICS bus before either shutdown or startup.  That little misstep has caused us to have to reprogram several radios - but it did fix the open squelch problem on 3 of our radios. 
Gene