Updated Panel Mount Product Adds Bluetooth Interface

XCOM Avionics, whose flagship product is its panel-mount VHF aircraft COM transceiver, tells ANN that it will be at Oshkosh to show an updated version of the radio which adds a bluetooth interface.

In his e-mail, Coates told us, "This means the XCOM VHF radio can now talk with your favourite Garmin device, it can communicate with iPads, Androids and just about anything else operating with Bluetooth or USB and is the ideal compliment for many of the iPad and Android flightbags being introduced. This is a huge leap forward in cockpit technology and I invite you to our Booth in Hanger B which is against the wall closest to the runway for a full demonstration of the technology."

There was no indication of whether a price change will accompany the upgrade. The street price of the XCOM transceiver is about $1,500 (USD). There will, however, be special pricing on XCOM's aviation headset as a show special at Oshkosh.

The exhibit as Oshkosh may also serve to dispel rumors that the recent end of operations of XCOM's US radio manufacturing partner, Narco Avionics, has interrupted availability of XCOM transceivers, a shift he credits for a dramatic reduction in failure rates. In response to an ANN inquiry in April regarding the Narco shutdown and its effect on XCOM, Coates responded with an e-mail which says, in part, "It is business as usual at XCOM Avionics because we have known about Narco's problems since the beginning of January and have implemented plans from that date...

"Narco didn't actually put the parts onto the circuit boards. This was done by a contract manufacturer and the same company continues to make XCOM Radios to this day. Narco assembled and tested the XCOM Radio and many of the people that were working for Narco have committed to continuing the building of XCOM Radios under their own company."

FMI: www.xcom760.com