Economical Upgrades that (in most cases), don’t require a shop!
From Pipers and Cessna Owners magazines February 2018
Upgrading, updating avionics in a Legacy aircraft can get expensive in a hurry. You start with a wish-list of the avionics you would like to add to your aircraft and then, with the help of a consultant like myself or with your own calculator, find yourself choosing between the things you want and the things you need. As I have mentioned before, it almost always requires compromise!
It’s safe to say that the money you spend on updated equipment, whether it be an Audio Panel/Intercom, Integrated Navigator, Navcom and Transponder will go “directly” into enhancing the capability of your aircraft. That of course, depends on the choices you make. The labor, to install this equipment, the money you spend to get it installed, benefits the avionics shop and while necessary, doesn’t add to the capability of the aircraft, it only adds to the bill! Therefore, putting more into equipment and less into the labor cost just makes sense … when possible. The way you can do this is by looking at slide-in solutions!
Manufacturer Blunders!
Before we look at manufacturers that recognize the benefits of creating slide-in options for their customers, let me point out the companies that I think “blew it”. Over the years, I’ve seen manufacturers come to market with upgrades to their own products that required a whole new install? What were they thinking? Maybe they wanted to make their install shops happy. Unfortunately, they made their own customers unhappy in the process. Here’s a few that missed the mark in my opinion:
Bendix King: The KX-155 was introduced around 1984 and went on to be the dominant navcom through the 80’s and 90’s and frankly there are still thousands of KX-155’s in GA aircraft today. The radio in 1984 was basic by today’s standards and is showing its age today. In 1998, Bendix King introduced The KX-155A which was an improved navcom with a better display (a major issue for KX-155’s today) and enhanced features like memory storage and digital RMI. However, BK introduced the radio in 28 volt only versions and required a complete new install. They never came to market with a 14 volt version (which represents the bulk of the GA fleet) and as a result, BK sold very few. At that time, Garmin had just come to market with the GNS-430 making the KX-155A an “also ran” and the beginning of the end of BK’s dominance in the industry. Shortly after, UPS-AT came out with the SL-30 “Digital” Navcom and the KX-155 was dead in my opinion.
Bendix King was not done making bad decisions. In 2007, way before the Avidyne expansion, BK introduced their “Garmin GNS Alternative”, the KN-770 Integrated Navigator. We (Eastern Avionics) had our booth at Oshkosh directly opposite Bendix King. They showed us the KN-770 which frankly offered some enhanced features vs. the Garmin 530. The screen quality alone (vs. Garmin’s) was a big deal for me. So, I suggested to the BK people that they should make it rack and pin compatible as a direct replacement for the 530. “What a Great Idea” was the response from the BK staff! Well, as you probably know, that message never made it to engineering and what could have been a big deal for Bendix King went nowhere!
Garmin: The story repeats itself and it’s hard to understand why the Garmin GTN series, the GTN-650 and GTN-750 were not designed as a direct slide-in for the 430/530? Again, was it their dealers that they were trying to please? Requiring a new installation for a GNS-430/530 owner to upgrade to a GTN-650/750 adds about $3700 installation cost (40 hours) to the equation. As we know, another manufacturer figured it out and has been using that benefit to lure away Garmin customers ever since.
Slide-In Solutions
Four companies are offering slide-in upgrade solutions for the GA Legacy aircraft owner. TKM Avionics has made a “living” of it. PS Engineering, always the “innovator” offers slide-in upgrade paths for some early audio panel models, Trig Avionics offers a slide–in ADS-B solution and Avidyne, well … their decision to offer a slide-in option to Garmin customers has proven to be a winner. Let’s take a look (in alphabetical order):
Avidyne: To jump into the fray vs. Garmin for the lucrative Integrated Navigator market and compete against the likes of the GTN-650 and 750, Avidyne needed an “angle” and I can’t think of a better one than making their new IFD440, 540 and 550 (with AHRS) tray and pin compatible with Garmin’s previous GNS-430 and 530 models. Since that average install on one of these is 40 hours, sliding an IFD440 or 540 into a previous Garmin installation saves the aircraft owner about $4000 (at $92 per hour average rate) plus the usual miscellaneous parts. If that’s not a reason to take a serious look at Avidyne, consider that’s about what you need to add a Mode S ES transponder and meet the ADS-B mandate. Here’s link to Avidyne’s IFD440 to GTN-650 Comparison:
https://www.avidyne.com/landing/ifd540/440-650-compare.asp
PS Engineering: If you’ve followed my articles, you know that PS Eng. is responsible for most of the technology that we see in today’s sophisticated audio panels. You also know I’m a big Fan!
They were the company that first introduced the integrated audio panel with intercom and their responsible for most of the innovations that came later.
In the last couple of years, PS Engineering has also been developing a line of slide-in units that allow you to upgrade your earlier model audio panel to include these new features without the expense of a full, new installation. For prospective, adding a new audio panel requires about 16-24 hours ($1500-$2300) of install time depending on the sophistication of your avionics panel. The labor cost on a new audio panel frequently exceeds the cost of the unit! Consider these slide-in upgrade paths available from PS Engineering:
If you have a … You can slide-in a …
PS Eng PMA-6000 or PMA7000M with Bluetooth
UPS-AT SL-10* and you get …
- 6 Place IntelliVox Auto Squelch
- 4 Unswitched inputs for Alerts
- Mono Music & Wireless Tele
PS Eng PMA-7000M-S or PMA-7000B or 7000BT w/Bluetooth
Bendix King KMA-28* and you get …
UPS-AT SL-15*
- 6-Place IntelliVox in Stereo
- Split Mode Transmit
- 4-Unswitched inputs for Alerts
- Wireless phone with Bluetooth
*The UPS-AT SL-10, SL-15 and Bendix King KMA-28 were made for these manufacturers by PS Engineering. They also make the AMX240 for Avidyne and
the TMA44/45 for Trig. Even these companies think PS Engineering is the Best!
Garmin GMA-340 (from 1998!) PS Engineering gives you 3 Choices!
that gets you …
PMA8000G
- PS Eng’s Exclusive “Flightmate”
- IntelliAudio Dimensional Sound
- 4-Inputs for Alerts
- 6-Place Stereo w/”IntelliVox”
- 10Watt USB Charging Port!
PMA8000BT
- BT adds Bluetooth Connectivity
PMA450B PS Eng’s “Top of the Line” Audio Panel!
You can go from Garmin’s 1998 technology to PS ENG’s Best …
Including every Modern Feature you’ll find in the latest audio panel.
Note: the PMA450B is a slide-in for the GMA-340 but your avionics shop
will need to add a few wires to access all this technology!
It would be impossible to explain all the PS Engineering features you will find in these audio panels so here’s the Link: http://www.ps-engineering.com/index.shtml
TKM Avionics: As I mentioned earlier, TKM has made a living saving Legacy Aircraft Owners money on their navcom upgrades. TKM offers six models, all TSO’d that allow you as aircraft owner to upgrade your radios, some as old as 50 years to modern technology and all without an avionics shop. The latest addition
Being their new MX155, slide-in replacement for the venerable but aging KX-155.
The MX155, like the earlier UPSAT SL-30 and Garmin’s current GNC-255A is a digital Navcom with “state of the Art” features! Here’s a link to all the TKM “Slide-In” options: http://tkmavionics.com/
NOTE: While you’re visiting the TKM Website, check out the article I wrote about TKM back in 2015 or check the archives for “Evolution of the Navcom”.
Trig Avionics: Mode S ES Transponders aregetting a lot of discussion these days with the ADS-B mandate approaching. With all the players vying for your ADS-B dollars, it would be easy to forget that Trig Avionics in Scotland was the first manufacturer to offer a certified ADS-B compliant Mode S/ES transponder, first in Europe and later in the US. It’s safe to say that Bendix King’s KT-76A used to be the most popular “standard” transponder and like the KX-155 navcom, there are still thousands in legacy aircraft. Wouldn’t it therefore, be smart to offer a slide-in solution for the KT-76A? Wouldn’t it be even smarter to make it ADS-B compliant? That’s the genius in the thinking behind Trig’s TT31 Mode S/ES transponder that is a direct slide-in solution for your old KT-76A and at the same time, if you already or plan to add WAAS capability to your aircraft, meet the ADS-B Out mandate. The sweeten the deal, the Trig TT31 is the lowest priced Mode S, ADS-B compatible transponder on the market at under $2200! You may notice that Bendix King’s KT-74 does the same and at about the same price? That’s because the KT-74 is manufactured for King by Trig.
Here’s the link to Trig Avionics:
Conclusion: If you agree that you maximize your avionics budget when you minimize labor costs, then you too must become a fan of these manufacturers that have your goal in mind. When I discuss manufacturers like these, you might think I have an issue with Garmin … I don’t! Garmin makes great products and if you have the inclination, the budget and the mission that fits Garmin, I say go for it. If like many legacy aircraft owners, your budget doesn’t allow for new Garmin than take a serious look at the four manufacturers above that understand your situation and are ready to help!