Installation Costs

[thomas1142]

I’m considering installing a GMA 340, GTX 345 and a vertical compass card in my 1997 M20J. Current equipment includes a 530W, KT76A, KMA 24 and a whiskey compass. I have been quoted around $4k for install.

Is this a fair price? New to the ownership game so I have no idea. Pic of panel to get an idea of what I currently have and what I’m trying to do.

 

[MIm20c]

I think the kma24 has a slide in retrofit from PS that might reduce the install slightly?  Personally I’d forgo the compass card. 

[Bryan]

Yes, the audio panel is a beast to wire - I hear.  I bet my avionics shop would quote close to that at $100/hr.

[Warren]

Yes, fair price.  The audio panel is connected to everything = lots of wiring.  40 hours @ $100=$4k.  By the time you factor all the wiring connections and debugging the inevitable problems that come up playing with older wiring this looks like a reasonable price.  It is hard to imagine doing it for much less than 40 hours and it could take  longer if there are any debugging issues.

One option that may significantly reduce install time is PS Engineering 7000 series.  They advertise as pin-compatible with the KMA 24.  You may want to ask the shop to quote this as an option too.  I have no personal experience with this specific product but I am very happy with my 8000 series.  Just offering another potential option.

[LANCECASPER]

3 hours ago, Warren said:

One option that may significantly reduce install time is PS Engineering 7000 series.  They advertise as pin-compatible with the KMA 24.  You may want to ask the shop to quote this as an option too.  I have no personal experience with this specific product but I am very happy with my 8000 series.  Just offering another potential option.

I had the PMA 7000BT installed to replace a KMA24 and the install quote was considerably less than the 8000 quote which is the same wiring as the GMA 340. The 7000BT has bluetooth which is nice to have  and the Garmin 340 doesn't have it.

[Mscheuer]

Hi Thomas:

What saves a significant amount of installation time when upgrading from the KMA24 to the PMA7000B or BT is that the existing Molex connector is reinstalled into the PMA7000 tray. Only the intercom harness has to be made which is what the second Molex connector is for. And if the Copilot want to transmit, the Copilot PTT has to be wired to the top connector (this also provides our Split Mode (pilot on Com 1and Copilot on Com 2)).

If the shop is a PS Engineering, dealer they should already know this and the quote will reflect this reduction of installation time.

If you want advanced features, even though the time for install increases, the PMA8000B sells for $1295, so you do get a lot more capability with the actual hardware being relatively inexpensive.

Here is a comparison that compares the two

Hope this helps.

Mark Scheuer

PS engineering

Edited May 10, 2018 by Mscheuer
Included the PMA8000B into the discussion