DME died - do NOT recommend GPS

murphey

murphey

Touchdown! Greaser!
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murphey
Narco DME. Finally, after 50 years, gave up. Display works, but none of the stuff I need. No Distance to wherever, no speed either. The shop that fixed it 10-12 years ago closed when the two owners/electronics experts retired. Is there anyone left who can fix this thing?

I repeat - do NOT go the GPS route. I don't have an extra $15K at the moment (or in near future) to do it right.
 
Call bevan I guess? Or wait till I pull mine out. I've got it built into the cdi. Really a cool unit.

Sent from my SM-G960U1 using Tapatalk
 
murphey said:
Narco DME. Finally, after 50 years, gave up. Display works, but none of the stuff I need. No Distance to wherever, no speed either. The shop that fixed it 10-12 years ago closed when the two owners/electronics experts retired. Is there anyone left who can fix this thing?

I repeat - do NOT go the GPS route. I don't have an extra $15K at the moment (or in near future) to do it right.
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Give Jeff at Sandhill Avionics in Carthage, NC a try. http://sandhillsavionics.com/.
He does legacy avionics work. Honest gentlemen.If he can’t fix it , he will tell you.
 
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Clip4 said:
When was the last time you cleaned the oil from the bottom of your plane? This could be an antenna problem.
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Hm....I did an oil change a couple weeks ago, and today was the first chance to run the engine and check everything, then went flying. Never considered the antenna. Good reason to go back tomorrow, clean the antenna to make sure, then go fly again.
 
murphey said:
Hm....I did an oil change a couple weeks ago, and today was the first chance to run the engine and check everything, then went flying. Never considered the antenna. Good reason to go back tomorrow, clean the antenna to make sure, then go fly again.
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You can also remove fasteners and clean under antenna. There is also possibility of bad cable.
 
Clip4 said:
You can also remove fasteners and clean under antenna. There is also possibility of bad cable.
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I still have a can of Radio Shack electronics cleaner!

Update: There’s still one Radio Shack in Colorado. Strasburg, which is almost 50 miles away, no airport tho.
 
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murphey said:
Hm....I did an oil change a couple weeks ago, and today was the first chance to run the engine and check everything, then went flying. Never considered the antenna. Good reason to go back tomorrow, clean the antenna to make sure, then go fly again.
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Does this slide into a tray? If so, have you cleaned the connectors in the tray. Seems a long shot given your description, but it is cheap to try if it has a tray.
 
Know anyone with the same unit? Maybe try theirs in your plane and vice versa.
 
What about TriCounty in Lafayette, on Gough Rd? It’s either tri-County Avionics or Instruments or Electronics, but I’ve heard good things about them in the past. They are not at an airport, but about 3-4 miles from Erie KEIK and across the street from one of the very best breweries in the hemisphere - Odd 13.
 
If it’s not antenna related, get a KN-62 DME for cheap. Nobody wants ‘em......
 
bflynn said:
Am I the only one who initially read this as a DPE died?
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No. When I read it again I saw DME but thought the exam for the A&P was going to be delayed. The I opened the thread and finally gat it sorted out.

I agree on calling the guy in NC. His shop has a good reputation.
 
murphey said:
Narco DME. Finally, after 50 years, gave up. Display works, but none of the stuff I need. No Distance to wherever, no speed either. The shop that fixed it 10-12 years ago closed when the two owners/electronics experts retired. Is there anyone left who can fix this thing?

I repeat - do NOT go the GPS route. I don't have an extra $15K at the moment (or in near future) to do it right.
Click to expand...

https://mikesavionics.com/ I think this is the guy who used to work for Narco
 
You should really get a GPS ;-)



Cleaning the lead crud off the various antennas has fixed our ailing DME before. With everyone pulling and tossing DMEs, it would probably be easier to find a DME than to get the existing one fixed.

A neat piece of equipment.
 
weilke said:
You should really get a GPS ;-)



Cleaning the lead crud off the various antennas has fixed our ailing DME before. With everyone pulling and tossing DMEs, it would probably be easier to find a DME than to get the existing one fixed.

A neat piece of equipment.
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Never got out to the hangar on Sunday...maybe Wednesday. Got my Radio Shack contact cleaner and ready to go!

Wouldn't mind a replacement but it would have to be a slide-in, to avoid more wiring/avionics work/$$$.
 
Depending on which Narco unit you have, @Timbeck2 might be able to make you a good deal on the Narco DME 890 I pulled from his panel when I put in the 430W. I think it's just sitting on a shelf in his hangar.
 
DME will be around for awhile. I see some DME transmitters by themselves on the charts. It’s the only ground based backup to GPS and the FAA has been looking into using it that way, kinda like the original RNAV systems but without VORs.
 
steingar said:
Doesn't take $15K to install an IFR capable GPS.
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Bingo. The devil is in the details, but something like a GPS400W can be acquired and installed for probably 1/3 of that, especially if you're somewhat handy.
 
I LOVE the KNS-80 ... the first time I ever actually felt comfortable knowing exactly where I was on a long cross country as a 100 hour pilot (back in the 90s). I also remember when I lost both my KLN-94 and hand held GPS at around 300 hrs of experience over the Everglades and didn't have the KNS-80. I love my non-GPS RNAV.
 
I bought a brand-new Garmin GPS-175 for about $4,300. But that's an order of magnitude higher than swapping out a used DME...

V/r,
 
thomasdr72 said:
I bought a brand-new Garmin GPS-175 for about $4,300. But that's an order of magnitude higher than swapping out a used DME...

V/r,
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But that $4300 doesn't include installation and all the additional parts for the GPS, database and avionics test.
 
steingar said:
Doesn't take $15K to install an IFR capable GPS.
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To do it right it does. Mom-the-real-estate-broker "If you're going to do upgrades in the house, do them right, because you [or your cousin the executor of your estate] will sell the house eventually".
Don't put in crap appliances, don't put in crap flooring, don't cheap out on the roof or replacement windows, etc. Same philosophy with the airplane.

$15K for G5-HSI, GNC-355, GMU11 magnetometer, GAD29B adapter, all the install kits, wiring, paperwork, etc.
Hardware about $9K, labor about $6K.

I need the radio, only have the SL30 (which is great!) for nav/com. Could I get along with the 175 and save a couple grand? Yup, but again, I still have a single radio.

Once again, I'm not looking for GPS as a replacement, looking for options on the DME.
 
murphey said:
To do it right it does.
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You know nothing @murphey. I had a KLN94 and an Appareo Stratus ADSB transponder installed for way less than that. Moreover, I needed a Number 2 comm and had to replace my Number 1 comm which decided to exit stage left. And I was still quite a bit less than the number you quote. It doesn't even cost that for the latest and greatest. You can be doing WAAS approaches for far less than what you quote.

Your airplane, do what you want. Be a Luddite, it's no skin off my nose.
 
steingar said:
You know nothing @murphey. I had a KLN94 and an Appareo Stratus ADSB transponder installed for way less than that. Moreover, I needed a Number 2 comm and had to replace my Number 1 comm which decided to exit stage left. And I was still quite a bit less than the number you quote. It doesn't even cost that for the latest and greatest. You can be doing WAAS approaches for far less than what you quote.

Your airplane, do what you want. Be a Luddite, it's no skin off my nose.
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Interesting...
Luddite: (defn) a person opposed to new technology or ways of working.

Here I thought I was definitely in favor of new technology.
I don't need the transponder, got the ADS-B back in 2018 before the mad rush began.

As for the KLN94, here's the quote from Bennett Avionics
"The factory has run out of replacement displays for the KLN-94 GPS Receiver, so the display is not repairable or replaceable."
 
Shop around for a used DME ,if the De makes you comfortable go for it.some posters like to spend other pilots money.
 
murphey said:
But that $4300 doesn't include installation and all the additional parts for the GPS, database and avionics test.
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Very true, I paid $800 for the indicator, probably another $200 for miscellaneous install supplies. Labor cost in my case was zero.

Initial database updates come with the unit (free one time update). Avionics testing was also free for me, but that doesn't apply to your average guy.

Regardless, I would be surprised for the cost to exceed $8k for your average owner, possibly less if you already have a compatible CDI.

Probably add another $2500 if you went with the Garmin GNC 355 which gets you that second comm radio (in the same panel space too!).

Of course, it's always easier to make recommendations than it is to pay for them ;-) There should be plenty of used DMEs out there on the market, and that should be less than $1.5k :)

V/r,

-Dana
 
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