The first thing I did today was I wire and install my compass.
MGL came out with a new version of their SP-2 compass. Sport Flying Shop was willing to swap out my old compass for a newer version. The new compass doesn't have any new features but it is much smaller. The old version was approximately 3"x5"x2" in size. The new version is approximately 3"x1.5"x1" in size.
Before I mounted or built a cable for the compass, I needed to find a location that didn't have any magnetic distortion. I used a magnetic compass to measure any magnetic distortion at potential mounting points on the plane. Unfortunately, the locations I had in mind near the floorboard and instrument panel were too close to the steel frame of the plane. The closest location I could find to the instrument pod (to minimize cable length) was above and behind my head, on the Keel Tube.
Once my location was picked out, I used a four conductor wire to make a cable to connect the SP-2 to the Enigma. The cable is hardwired to the Enigma and instrument panel but uses a DB-9 to connect to the SP-2.
Below are some photos of the installed SP-2 and the original cable MGL provided.
