Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I know $20k doesn’t necessarily go too far. I suppose I’m looking for suggestions on what are absolute must change items. The nav seems like a no-brainer. I’ve looked at the 650 and the IFDs, but I personally have no brand loyalty so I think one would work for me as well as anything else. I want to be in 2020 compliance so I’m looking for the most bang for the buck.
Realistically, a few years unless something comes along that I can’t pass up. Unless the bottom falls out of GA, I think I’ve purchased the plane at the right level to where I can sink some money in the avionics without burying myself on it.
The rule of thumb is that you'll get back half of what you spent on avionics when you sell the plane. So, if you buy a $40K Archer and put $20K of avionics into it, it'll sell for $50K. Now, the market tends to like the Garmin gear so you may get more back on that, and less on something else.
You’re absolutely right. I figure 3-4 years maximum before I’ll need to upgrade based on this fact alone.
That was going to be my first question. With that in mind, you don't want to go overboard, because you will almost certainly be selling the plane for less than you spent on the plane plus avionics. Instead of stretching the avionics budget now, keep that money for the next plane, which hopefully you'll keep for longer.
BTW, an Archer is a great first plane to own. Simple and easy to maintain, not too many systems, easy to sell when the time comes. Updating the avionics will make it an even easier sell.
I upgraded my Archer a year ago. For the 20 AMUs you could get a GTN-650 plus a GTX-345 installed.
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That's a good baseline. If you can get an avionics shop to put in a GTN-650 and GTX-345, you'll have a WAAS GPS/Nav/Com radio and full ADS-B In and Out capability that will give you ADS-B on your iPad/iPhone in ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot. If you go this route, I would recommend the FlightStream 510 to make updating the databases a piece of cake too.
It was me, I'd want to get into a solid WAAS GPS box right away, because you want to have it in place when you start your IFR training. GPS approaches are going to be the new standard going forward. I would not spend the money for a used one (like the ubiquitous and much-loved GNS430W), because they are already on the cusp of obsolescence and install cost is a huge burden, same for new or used.
This. If you already had a GNS 430 in the plane, it might be worth updating to WAAS or sliding in an Avidyne. But, used 430Ws are going for almost as much as new GTN 650s are, and as Spike notes, the install cost is going to be roughly the same, so you might as well buy the new gear.
GPS/COM: Avidyne IFD440
ADS-B: L3 NGT9000 Lynx (Transponder, ADS-B in and out and a damn nice screen showing traffic, besides).
Avidyne is doing a humdinger deal if you buy both:
https://lz314-0ddf28.pages.infusionsoft.net/
Wow. That should be your other contender (along with the Garmin 650/345 combo). I would recommend getting a quote for each of those two setups.
Thank you, Flyer770! Good idea on doing the prep work for the second G5. I was also surprised to see that there was still some value in what I currently have. Great feedback!
It might be hard to even get the first G5 installed with the other things and stay in budget... It's a nice unit, but not necessary. For getting started with GA travel and taking your family places, the WAAS GPS is very important, the ADS-B is also important (traffic and weather are excellent things to have on long trips) and the G5 is just a nice-to-have. I certainly wouldn't recommend against it from anything other than a budgetary standpoint, but again, I would save that money for your next airplane.
Now, with all of that lined up, here's what I would do on a piece-by-piece basis:
Horizon Instruments P-1000 Digital Engine Tachometer
This, I would keep. The main knock against it is that, unlike traditional tachometers, this one counts time on a 1:1 basis beginning at 800 RPM so if your plane's total and engine time are based on tach time, this tach will increment time faster than a traditional mechanical tach. If your plane's TT and engine time are based on a maintenance Hobbs like mine, no biggie.
S-TEC System 30 Altitude Hold Autopilot With Directional Gyro
This is a good entry-level autopilot. No need to do anything with this. You'll have altitude hold and be able to follow navigation signals.
One thing you might want to add to it is the ST-901 GPSS (GPS Steering) converter. This will allow it to track a flight plan from your GPS to an astounding level of accuracy. Someone here is selling one right now I think - Check the classifieds, otherwise consider making this part of your upgrade.
PS Engineering PMA6000M Audio Selector Panel With 4-Place Intercom
PS Engineering makes a damn good audio panel. I would leave this as is too.
3-Light Marker Beacon Receiver
Two Mono Music Inputs
Yoke Mounted Push To Talk Switches
This stuff is pretty much all tied to the audio panel too. Leave it alone.
Garmin GPS 150XL Receiver With Jeppesen Datacard (VFR)
For working on your instrument rating as well as traveling in the real world, you'll want an IFR WAAS GPS. In your situation, I would recommend the Garmin GTN-650 or Avidyne IFD440 if you can get that rebate Spike linked to above.
King KX-155 TSO 720 Channel NAV/COM With Internal Glideslope Receiver
This is a good radio, and was the state-of-the-art Nav/Com radio until Garmin started putting radios in their GPS units. I would keep this as your #2 Nav/Com.
TKM MX-11 COM Transceiver
Either the GTN650 or IFD440 will have built-in Nav/Com capabilities, and you should keep the KX-155 as the #2, so this radio can go. You might be able to sell it - If you want an idea of what you'll get for it, go to eBay, search for TKM MX-11, and then check the box on the left to show "Sold listings only" to see what the final prices have been recently.
Narco AT50A TSO Transponder With Encoding Altimeter
Some ADS-B solutions allow you to keep your current transponder. I would not do that in your case. Narco is out of business, and honestly they've been effectively dead for much longer. You'll probably gain a couple pounds of useful load pulling out such an old transponder anyway. If you decide to get the Garmin GTN650 as your GPS, I would get the Garmin GTX345 transponder. If you decide on the Avidyne GPS, then get the Lynx NGT-9000 transponder. Both of them have ADS-B In and Out functionality as well.
LORAN was turned off several years ago. This is nothing more than a boat anchor at this point, and a waste of useful load. Pull it.
Bottom line, I would take a look at the Garmin setup (GTN 650, GTX 345, FlightStream 510) and the non-Garmin setup (Avidyne IFD440, L-3 Lynx NGT-9000). With that rebate from Avidyne, I would expect the latter option to be somewhat cheaper, but I would expect that you'll probably also get back at least part of not all of the difference between them when you sell the plane because the market loves Garmin.
Hope this helps!
