KMA-20 Replacment

[McMooney]

My audio panel seems to be giving up the ghost.  

what is the best replacement for a kma-20 ( read cheapest but awesom)

[KSMooniac]

Cheapest is another KMA-20 from wherever you can scrounge.  If you're keeping your plane for more than a year or two, I'd highly encourage stepping up to a modern PS Engineering unit with a built-in intercom and all the modern goodness.  It will be far nicer, and increase your hull value slightly so you don't have to feel as bad at spending the money for a new installation.  Even a used PSE unit that is tray-compatible with the Garmin GMA340 would be a quantum leap forward, and allow you to later plug-in the newer ones.  I've always been a "buy once cry once" owner, but I plan to keep my plane a long time.  (10.5 years so far)  You can probably get another KMA-20 for a modest sum, but that just kicks the can down the road IMO and I'd rather put that money towards a better option.  YMMV

[carusoam]

Find Marauder...

Find his videos...

Find the various audio panels made by the nonG OEM...

Decide weather you have enough dough for BLue Tooth...

Best regards,

-a-

PS: PS for all the reasons Scott laid out above...

[Andy95W]

KMA-24.  

It's a newer and better KMA-20, still cheap on the used market.  Not sure if it's slide in replacement (probably not) but still the cheapest install, I'm sure.

[Brandontwalker]

I have a KMA 20 on the shelf from a past upgrade. $100 shipped?


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[OR75]

Audio panels are relatively cheap items to buy but relatively expensive to install (and for a good reason since building a harness with the right dimension is time consuming, and the audio panel talks to many other devices in the plane)

So your cheapest option is really to find a used unit as you will not find a modern unit that is a slide in replacement (even the KMA-24 would require rewiring) 

 

[bradp]

KMA 20 to 24 would require repinning the same inputs to a different order on the connector.  

KMA-20 to PS8- series or 450- series would require two labor intensive steps.  First all the gold terminals would need to be changed to Dsub connectors.  Second, the modern Audio panels all have stereo outputs and built in intercoms.  This would require removing the old intercom and rewiring the new - including the back seats.  

If you're a true CB just slot in the replacement. 

If you want Bluetooth you can diy it by having an 3.5mm audio jack wired and using a car radio Bluetooth adapter.  Not pretty but functional and it may be able to be hidden somewat.  The cheapest modern option is an 8000BT but for a couple of hundred more you can skip to the 8000G.  The cost of the panel will be less than the labor by a significant sum - so keep that in mind. 

(Come to think of it I really should have wired stereo for the back seats last time I had the inteior out)...