Thu, May 28, 2009
While there is no end of news concerning the major companies
that populate the GA world, sometimes, its the quiet little
companies that really deserve more of the attention. A case in
point in PS Engineering... a little company that decided it could
specialize in one aspect of avionics and try to be th best in the
field... and to many, that's just what they've done.
One of their latest efforts is the PMA8000B -- a new audio panel
coming that should go a long way towards making those long
cross-country flights speed by a little quicker. PS Engineering has
added a new player to its product line, the PMA8000B-MP3. This
Audio Control Panel incorporates all of the capability of the
popular PMA8000B, but adds an internal MP3 player that stores up to
one gigabyte of music... which means pilots can leave their iPods
secure in their flight bags.
Pilots may upload files to the panel using a portable USB Thumb
drive. Once the Thumb Drive is connected to the audio panel by the
supplied USB cable, pressing the Function and Transfer Keys
automatically starts the transfer process. The PMA8000B-MP3
provides audio annunciations to keep the pilot advised of the
status and the completion of the transfer. Front panel buttons
accomplishes MP3 On/Off, Skip Forward, Pause, Random, Sequential,
and Volume Up/Down. The music is distributed to the crew and
passengers according the pilot controlled configurations, also
easily changed 'on-the-fly.'
The user interface is accomplished with secondary functions on
the standard audio panel keys, with a female voice feedback that
announces the modes. This is the same method introduced by the
PMA8000-SR in 2005, which proved to be a very successful way to add
functions, without making the everyday controls more
complicated.
The PMA8000B MP3 is a slide-in replacement for the existing
PMA8000, PMA8000B, and Garmin GMA340 audio control panels. The
PMA8000B with internal MP3 will add about $150 to the cost of a
standard PMA8000B, with a Minimum Advertised Price of $1849. The
Standard PMA8000B MAP is $1695, while the SIRIUS Satellite
Radio-equipped PMA8000SR carries a MAP of $2190.
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