Club Homepage Forums Classified Ads Buy & Sell - Everything But Airplanes Finding the right one seems overwelming

Hi Rusty!

My own (limited) experience makes me lean (if not fall), toward at least one nav-com and a VOR indicator. You don't need a glideslope unless you intend to use the aircraft for instrument flight, which in your case, isn't in the immediate future.

So, what to do?

Well, you've got the ELT taken care of. That's a GOOD thing. It's taken care of for 24 months. The transponder is in good shape too. Make sure the Mode C altitude reporting feature and the altitude encoder are ok. What the transponder does, is to distinguish you on the radar screen in Air Traffic Control as well as show your altitude to the controller.


As far as a radio goes however, there will be times that you'll want to fly, check the weather with the Flight Service Station, and find that the wind is say, 15 to 25 knots at your altitude, or the visibility is say, 6 to 10 miles. Well, you fly along, and find out that the wind is at the upper range or maybe a bit over what was forecast, or the weather may deteriorate a bit. So, you want to get either current conditions or want to land for fuel, or have to tend to other human needs. Hmmmm... we need a radio. Now, unless you REALLY know the area that you're flying over and feel that you will NEVER need any help whatsoever from the ground - and not necessarily ATC help, but rather need to contact a controlled field's tower, well, no radio is needed. However, we have to face it - if you're going to do anything much over touch and goes at an uncontrolled field, you need to communicate, even if just to let other aircraft know where you are on the CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency). Now, a VOR receiver is very useful, and that I believe you said is in good shape. But get it verified. There will be times you'll want to cross check your position from a VOR station, therefore, you need a NAV radio. So, what you can do is to perhaps look on EBAY for radios, although you have to know what you're getting. Alternatively, you can go to one of the avionics shops the advertise in Trade A Plane, such as Gulf Coast Avionics, Pacific Coast Avionics, Sarasota Avionics, et al. (No, I'm not endorsing or getting paid!) Look at the used and reconditioned radios. You can really find some EXCELLENT units for sale and at reasonable prices! Don't be afraid to ask questions of the salesperson, either. Remember, their reputation is on the line, and there is a LOT of competition out there. Another alternative would be the avionics shop at your local airport or thereabouts. These places are doing panel upgrades constantly, and frequently have very nice units at reasonable prices also. Expect to spend say, $400 on up for a radio - about $800 to $1200 or so plus installation. Installation will run you from $45-$65/hr - figure about 5 to 10 hours on that, say, if you don't get a slide-in replacement.

A KX-170 nav/com, or a used KX-125 would be nice - about $900. Also, an MX-300 or MX-385 (both new) would run about $1500 plus or minus- but you get the warranty and the VOR indicator in the airplane will most likely interface with it unless it is TOTALLY blown.

Bottom line - CHECK AROUND. Ask questions. Read everything you can, and go to the websites. Think about what you'll be using the plane for, and work from there. You don't need a full glass panel, but you WILL need reliability.

Good luck in the search! The searching and window shopping, so to speak is half the fun!