Transponder Woes

During the last Dog rescue flight to Hanover, VA and back Mike and I encountered a problem with the transponder. The problem showed up again on the flight home just north of Easton, MD heading back into Wilmington.  I placed a call to Red Eagle Avionics with the very slim hope they were open on New Years Eve.  At worst I would leave a message to fit me in on Monday, best case they were open and I could get the plane in the shop, sorry the Christmas holiday has passed, no gifts, they were closed.

My transponder is a Collins Mode C TDR-950 that came with the plane.  My wish list, owners always have a wish list, is to replace it with the Garmin 327 but that's not in the cards right now. 08Romeo is going in the shop this morning and I hope its something very simple, read easy on the flying account to fix.

I have been checking out other transponders but a major upgrade right now is out of the question, besides with ADS-B coming out I don't want to invest big bucks on equipment that will be worthless in the near future. An alternative is the Garmin 320, a good unit, cost is reasonable (used would be better) and it will allow my PCAS traffic system to function correctly without seeing myself as a traffic threat. 

Updates to follow....