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Humming, buzzing or rattling noise heard from product | ProFlight Series 2 Aviation Headset
If you hear an unexpected noise from your product:
Try the following:
Determine if any recent changes have been made to the headset or aircraft.
If any changes or modifications have been made to either the headset or the aircraft, look into whether or not those changes could have unexpectedly caused this issue.
Check if the noise is affected by the volume control on the aircraft panel volume control.
Without adjusting your headset volume, turn up or down the volume control on the aircraft panel. If the noise level changes as well, the noise is related to the signal being received from the panel.
If the aircraft panel has a squelch control, check if the noise is present when squelch is turned down.
If the aircraft communication system has a squelch adjustment, set it to the lowest setting. (Tip: Some systems might have automatic and manual squelch modes. You’ll need to switch to manual mode to try this.) If the issue is resolved by lowering the squelch adjustment, the issue is related to the sound being picked up by the microphone or to the aircraft panel noise floor.
Check if the noise is present when disconnected from the aircraft and using only battery power.
While sitting in the aircraft, disconnect your headset from the aircraft panel and then power on the headset. (Tip: If you have an aircraft-powered model, you’ll need to insert batteries in the control module to power it on.) If the noise is only present while connected to the panel, it is related to the panel connection. However, if it’s noticeable while disconnected from the panel, it could be related to the headset or nearby interference.
Determine if the issue occurs when your headset is powered off.
Your headset works in passive mode (powered off with no noise cancellation). If the issue still occurs while the headset is powered off, the issue is related to signal coming being received by the headset from the aircraft panel (i.e. the connections, wiring, or interference).
Check for interference that could be causing unwanted noise.
While the noise is present, slowly move or turn your head away from sources of interference — like window heat, antennae, power cords, etc. If the noise is more noticeable as you get closer to a device or area in the aircraft, it is related to interference from that device or area. In some cases, repositioning even just a few inches can help. (Tip: If necessary, the headset can be used in passive mode — powered off with no noise cancellation — to avoid interference).
Determine if the tone of the noise changes when the avionics panel is touched.
If the tone changes when the avionics panel or any other area of the plane is touched, there may be a grounding issue with the aircraft or the intercom connections and associated wiring.
Plug in a different headset.
If available, connect a different headset to the aircraft to determine if the issue is related to the aircraft panel or its settings.
Connect the headset to a different panel jack or, if possible, to another aircraft.
Non-TSO equipment, worn jacks/loose connections, or incorrectly wired jacks (i.e. reversed stereo or mic / ground wires) in the aircraft can cause issues. If available, try connecting the headset to another jack in the aircraft or to jacks in a separate aircraft. If the headset works fine when connected elsewhere, the panel jack or wiring to the jack is the issue.
For 6-pin aircraft-powered installed connections, check the condition of the plug on the headset and the jack on the aircraft.
Check for any debris in the connector on the aircraft and check if any of the six pins are missing inside the headset plug.
Note: If the aircraft has a jack for an older model Bose AHX headset that was wired to provide mono audio to the right earcup, the jack will need to be rewired since the electronics in the newer A20 cable differ.
Note: If the aircraft has a jack for an older model Bose AHX headset that was wired to provide mono audio to the right earcup, the jack will need to be rewired since the electronics in the newer A20 cable differ.
