Stores Up To 1GB Of Music
There's 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.
"We saw the popularity of the MP3 player in our PMA9000EX and
designed a way to add this functionality into the certified
PMA8000B," said company founder Mark Scheuer, "Not only is the MP3
electronics carefully integrated, but the user interface is as
simple and easy to use, which was our number one consideration when
implementing the player."
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.'
According to PS Engineering's VP of Engineering Steve Hudson,
"Data transfer was designed to be as exceedingly simple. Just plug
in the USB drive, and push the buttons, and the audio panel takes
care of the rest. Once the tunes are loaded, there are no more
cables running around the cockpit, and there is no risk of damaging
personal electronics."
"In these days of ever-increasing expenses, PS Engineering works
tirelessly to hold the line on costs," added Scheuer. "Not only
does our price/performance of our products provide great value, but
after sales care is the best in the industry. Our warranty program
is known as ProSupport, which provide the owner of the PMA8000
Series a 3-Year Guaranteed Warranty Exchange Program. And once the
warranty has expired, a flat repair fee of $149.95 covers the cost
of repair.
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.
Slated to be available in August 2008, the PMA8000B MP3 is a
slide-in replacement for the exiting 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.