I’m involved in forming a group around an aircraft and having found an interesting subject we are now discussing the avionics fit.
It’s pretty much taken out of 1974 when it was built with a few modifications pre GPS era.
We’re on a tight budget and there are basically two things that we need to accomplish.
1. GPS
2. 8,33 kHz compliance
If this were you, what gear would you select on today’s market? New or used, so long as it works and can be installed and certified (B-RNAV) it doesn’t really matter to us.
I would try to find a good used GNS430
Myself opted for a Trig radio, not so long ago, and am quite happy with it as yet. The dealer support was perfect and that is a rare thing today.
It seems to me you’ll not find much 8,33 radio’s available secondhand, when everybody and their dog are offering their old radio’s, just replaced with 8,33’s.
I’ve no experience or ideas about the world of certified GPS, so no comments there.
So for a basic VFR plane I’d just get a good radio (Becker or Trig), a good transponder and perhaps a mount for a tablet. Run Skydemon if you like and you have all you need. If you have money to spare, think about a PowerFlarm or similar.
You will be able to install any certified radio in a basic VFR plane, soon, thanks to NPA 2014-24.
Sorry, I should have mentioned that we want it to be IFR on a basic level.
GNS 430 and 530 are on the short list for sure.
Oh. Okay, that changes a lot in terms of requirements :-)
Perhaps it’s easier if you tell what is installed already?
Don’t get 530/430. Get 530W or 430W. The W gives you GPS approaches.
Yes, I would look for the W versions of the Garmin.
Well, the aircraft avionics list reads like an electronics store from WW2. There’s a KX175B Com/Nav, MX170B Com/Nav, KT76 xpdr, KN6x DME and an ADF that I have no clue about. Never seen before but it takes up as much space as a GNS530.
Of course the normal 430 has GPS approaches, but not the virtual glideslope. Depending on your profile and needs a non-W 430 can do a lot: ILS, VOR, LNAV approaches. Many pilots don’t need more than that. And for W to really make sense you’d need a good autopilot etc.
Nothing wrong with that lot. Just pull one of the nav/com and put a 430w in.
