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Garmin SL30 alternatives?

jbagley

Well Known Member
Looking to replace one of my two Icom A200's with a nav/com sometime in the next 6 months. The Garmin SL30 is obviously the industry standard in that size, but what other options are there? Any?

New SL30's are about $3700 and used ones seem to sell for ~$3000; so it doesn't make any sense at all to buy a used unit. I'm just wondering if there are any other cheaper or better units out there that I should be looking at?

Thanks!
 
Why not install a 430w and sell one A200?

That way you get even more capability in you panel.
 
Lets see, $3700 for the SL 30 and $7500 for a 430, that wasn't much help for a cheaper option was it!

No, but if I were to do it again, I would save my pennies and install a second 430W. I currently have a 430W and a SL30.

My setup works great, I just see added benefits in two 430Ws for IFR.
 
430w

The 430W is a great unit! Some of the rentals I did primary flight training in had them. It's just a bit outside my budget, both initially and continually (database and software updates).

Primarily, I want a nav/com to do IFR training in my rv6a. I couldn't find any nav/com, other than the garmin sl30, in the same form factor as my existing Icom A200.
 
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Mgl

Mgl has been threatening to release a nav radio for quite a while that should be comparable to an sl30. Knowing mgl, it will be a good price. With any luck, we might see it at oshkosh.
 
MGL

Sounds like the MGL nav radio will be a nav-only remote radio. From the vague description on the website, that sounds like it will plug into your MGL EFIS and be controlled/operated solely by the EFIS. That's not necessarily a bad thing and would be worth waiting for *if* it would work with the Mini-Extreme and be priced under $1k.

Then I could get an EFIS, nav radio and CDI for less than the cost of the Garmin SL30 alone. That would be pretty nice.
 
MGL Radio...

I think it is already available:

www.mglavionics.com/html/radios.html

This web site is the MGL site from SportFlyingShop.com. I purchased my MGL instruments from them for my last Experimental, and cannot recommend SportFlyingShop.com enough. Matt is the best at support.
 
The V10 comm doesn't have the NAV functionality of the SL30, but it does use the SL30 remote protocol for frequency setting.

The V15 (I think) NAV radio was supposed to do the other half, but it's not available yet. Not sure where they are on this one. I was going to put a V10 in my -7, but I wound up getting a 430w instead.
 
No, but if I were to do it again, I would save my pennies and install a second 430W. I currently have a 430W and a SL30.

My setup works great, I just see added benefits in two 430Ws for IFR.

Well, instead of offering James an opinion on what one might think is best for him, and his BUDGET, I'll try to be helpful.

http://www.sarasotaavionics.com/usedavionics.aspx

A link to Sarasota used avionics

KX 125 used Nav/com $1889
 
We had a Michael's MX-12(?) Nav/Com as a slide in replacement for an ARC RT-328 in our 182. The radio is now going on 25 years old and still working fine, as far as I know. In that time we had to send it to the factory in AZ once for repair, cost us $80 if I remember correctly. I would buy one again. (But note, this model did not have a GS receiver, it was designed to interface to an external one, same as the original ARC.)

Edit: correction, I had the MX-300 model.
 
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James, have you looked at the Val Com web site? You can get brand new separate com and nav slimline radios for under $2000. I don't have first hand info, but I called and talked to them, and the gentleman was quite helpful...

John
 
VAL has a new series of COM & NAV radios, each with a serial interface using the SL-30/40 command set (IIMorrow commend set), expanded a little. There is both a faceplate version and a remote version of both COM2000 and the NAV2000. The two can be wired so that they use a single serial port and act as an SL-30 would.

I've tested both in the hangar for both COM and NAV using a VOR test set with my EFIS.

PROS:
-about 1/2 cost of SL-30
-much lower maintenance costs

CONS:
-Firmware not field programmable
-Display LEDs are fairly dim (not sunlight readable).

GH
 
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val

Why should I not relate my Val experience? They are junk.
I bought a new com that got so hot you couldn't touch it, would pop cb when transmitting. Gave it away for a base station.
Bought another one used (giving them another chance) and it was the same. Gave that away to another airport.
Two strikes and they're out.
 
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Nav/ com

Hi

I have a new never been used KX125 Nav/com which I purchased for my 6a but due to slow build and change in European regulations I now cannot fit it.i will be state side first week in aug and would sell if your interested.i would like to get some where close to the cost of a 8.33khz com.
 
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