Upgrade Advice from the Installer's POV

Ventucky Red

Ventucky Red

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Jon
Considering upgrading the avionics and want to get some feedback from the group here... as they say a second set of eyes are always good.

Currently I have the following:

Audio Panel - PS Engineering PMA 7000 M - recently installed by previous owner.
Comm #1 NARCO MK 12 D w/GS
Comm #2 - King KX 155
Transponder King KT 76A
ADS-B uAvionix tailBeacon
CDI w/GS - NARCO ID 825
CDI King KI 208

Plan 1 - Dump the King 208, keep the NARCO 825, add a Garmin GI 106B and the Garmin GPS 175 and keeping the two COMM's and Transponder.

Plan 2 - Dump the NACRO 825, tailBeacon, and King KT76A and replace with a Garmin GI 106B and a Garmin GNX 375.

Plan 3 - Dump the NARCO MK 12 and 825, and replace with the Garmin GPS 355 and 106B.

What have you done with your upgrades... appreciate all the advice.

Oh! This is for a Cessna 152II

Thanks
 
Plane 3 sounds better to me. Those King units, while old, will continue to work another decade. The Narco, maybe not.
 
Does the KX155 have GS? If not, then I'd keep the Narco gear if everything is still working. Otherwise, Plan 2 and Plan 3 would mean you can't fly an ILS. If the KX155 does have GS, then I'd budget for replacing the KI208 with a KI204 or KI209.
 
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Given it's a 152, I would have to ask the questions...
What is your goal for the plane? What functionality are you looking to add? What will the plane be used for?
 
FORANE said:
Given it's a 152, I would have to ask the questions...
What is your goal for the plane? What functionality are you looking to add? What will the plane be used for?
Click to expand...

Where I am we get a marine layer that can start in late April and go to late July. Looking to have the ability to get back in. Also, my home airport KCMA does not have an ILS, we do have RNAV Zulu and Yankee, otherwise, it is a VOR approach with a floor of 1,100'. The marine layer can hang around with a ceiling of 600' all day long.

Other than that, this plane is going to used for short hops and keeping my IFR current while not breaking the bank in operating costs.

asicer said:
Does the KX155 have GS? If not, then I'd keep the Narco gear if everything is still working. Otherwise, Plan 2 and Plan 3 would mean you can't fly an ILS. If the KX155 does have GS, then I'd budget for replacing the KI208 with a KI204 or KI209.
Click to expand...

No, the 155 does not, but that can be remedied pretty quickly as there are plenty of 8130 units out there. The KI209 option has been presented as an alternative to the Garmin 106B. The shop told me that they can quickly wire up the Garmin units, that is what I spend on new equipment will help save on labor.

As for flying the ILS, there are not too many airports that I go to that have an ILS that don't have an RNAV-Z approach. I know, there is a trap to that too....

Thanks for the advice everyone - appreciate it.
 
Take a look at the price of a Garmin GI 275 compared to the 106. I think it’s worth the difference, whether you pick the HSI or CDI version, though I think the HSI is better (technically, I think some can be either but because mine is a backup for the AI version of the 275, it doesn’t have the CDI as a screen)

And although it would definitely be nice to have ILS capabilities, it seems most ILS approaches now have an LPV overlay, which is almost identical functionally in most cases. So, losing glide slope isn’t such a disaster after all, if it’s your best course.

And install an Aera 660 either in the panel or on the yoke and have it get the flight plan from whichever Garmin GPS you pick, then add a GDL 50 (maybe even remotely) and you get traffic, weather, and an AHARS.

All it takes is money…
 
Have you talked to any local installers yet? I'm still at Oxnard and about to get on the waitlist at CMA but am also considering a few upgrades so I'm interested in any local installer feedback you may have.
 
Will Kumley said:
Have you talked to any local installers yet? I'm still at Oxnard and about to get on the waitlist at CMA but am also considering a few upgrades so I'm interested in any local installer feedback you may have.
Click to expand...


Doing that now... Talked to a few so far, one at KOXR - STC Group and Ray's at Santa Paula... Ray's told me they are a year out on installations. :(

Lots of folks told me to look at High Desert Avionics who I will be calling next week.
 
Llewtrah381 said:
Take a look at the price of a Garmin GI 275 compared to the 106. I think it’s worth the difference, whether you pick the HSI or CDI version, though I think the HSI is better (technically, I think some can be either but because mine is a backup for the AI version of the 275, it doesn’t have the CDI as a screen)

And although it would definitely be nice to have ILS capabilities, it seems most ILS approaches now have an LPV overlay, which is almost identical functionally in most cases. So, losing glide slope isn’t such a disaster after all, if it’s your best course.

And install an Aera 660 either in the panel or on the yoke and have it get the flight plan from whichever Garmin GPS you pick, then add a GDL 50 (maybe even remotely) and you get traffic, weather, and an AHARS.

All it takes is money…
Click to expand...

Yeuppp and it grows on trees.... thank you for the advice.
 
Ventucky Red said:
Doing that now... Talked to a few so far, one at KOXR - STC Group and Ray's at Santa Paula... Ray's told me they are a year out on installations. :(

Lots of folks told me to look at High Desert Avionics who I will be calling next week.
Click to expand...
Dang!! I knew Rays was busy but wasn't expecting there to be a year backlog. But that also might explain why some shops I've contacted haven't responded back as it seems like most of them are slammed.
 
Ventucky Red said:
No, the 155 does not, but that can be remedied pretty quickly as there are plenty of 8130 units out there. The KI209 option has been presented as an alternative to the Garmin 106B. The shop told me that they can quickly wire up the Garmin units, that is what I spend on new equipment will help save on labor.
Click to expand...
If you're going to pull the non-GS KX155 anyway, I'd want to put something else in besides a KX155 w/GS. They aren't particularly lightweight and in a 152 you'd want every pound you can get. Connecting a KI209 to a Garmin GPS is doable, but the OBS dial doesn't provide feedback to the GPS like a GI106 does. A brand new GI106B isn't particularly inexpensive. The CDI version of a brand new GI275 is only a couple hundred or so more. Trig also makes a GI106B clone that's slightly cheaper. A used GI106A is even more so.
Ventucky Red said:
As for flying the ILS, there are not too many airports that I go to that have an ILS that don't have an RNAV-Z approach. I know, there is a trap to that too....
Click to expand...
Time to dust off my TPP scraping tool...
Airports with procedures: 2968 ( 130 military)
Airports with VOR: 953
Approaches with VOR OR GPS: 34
Airports with NDB (excluding OR GPS): 162
Airports with NDB and not RNAV: MNI (KMNI)
Airports with ILS: 857
Airports with ILS and not GPS (excluding RNP AR and military): KEAT KMCC KVNY

Of course, the classic argument is what to do if there's a GPS outage. I suppose where you're at, you could MON-VOR your way to VFR inland. I guess it depends on how bad you want to get in to your home airport versus waiting out the coastal stratus.
 
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Plan 4: Dump the 12D/825 or 155/208, whichever is heavier or returns you the most resale value. Install a Garmin GNC355 connected to a VAL INS429.

2 COM, 1 LPV, 2 VOR/LOC, 1 or 2 ILS.
 
Dump the 12D for sure. I have unkind things to say about the 12D+ when we had a pair of them in the club plane.
 
So many GPS or Comm interreference cases have involved existing narco equipment I would dump them anyway.
 
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