20 months to go ADS-B cheapest options

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Piper18O

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Piper18O
With 20 months to go, I am looking at needing a new transponder and probably mode c encoder. I am not ADS-B compliant. I also do not have waas gps. Including install costs, what is my cheapest option? Is it the Appareo Stratus ESG or the Garmin GTX 335, or is there a less costly install and transponder option?

Also, how much should I expect to spend after installation?

Thanks in advance!
 
Piper18O said:
Is it the Appareo Stratus ESG or the Garmin GTX 335, or is there a less costly install and transponder option?
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The GDL-82 is the cheapest compliance route. I went with GTX-335 because I am concerned about the resell value and international flying, in a vague perspective. You should keep the old encoder in either case. Both of these options include own GPS receivers, so you'll have to add an antenna. There's no way around it.
 
The problem with the GDL-82 is that I am concerned about my old transponder. It needs to be replaced. By the way, on my Piper Cherokee 180, is the install going to be expensive if I went with the Garmin or the Appareo?
 
I put in the stratus esg in my 180. Love it. I paid around 4k but had a few other things done as well. And I already owned a stratus 2 unit.
 
If you're saying your current transponder is tango uniform and you don't have a pre-existing waas position source, then you re looking at an all in one box anyways with the added labor of a dedicated waas antenna. If your xponder is still alive then the gdl 82 is an option. It won't be cheaper to install, but the product price is cheaper than the 335 so that's the extent of the savings. You're not getting out of this FAA Kabuki for less than 4.5 amus for the most basic out only solution. Sux.

Now to what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna sit on my @ss until the last second waiting for the uavionix skybeacon to get certified. If it does, bueno, and I'm adsb out compliant as quickly as I can replace my left position light. If it doesn't happen I'll begrudglingly grab one of those gdl 82 boxes and mate it to my 430w and save a little labor since I wouldn't have to punch a hole in my airplane for a dedicated adsb waas source antenna at that point. I have a 327 so it's guranteed to play nice with the gdl. I still figure that stunt would set me back 4 amu because no avionics shop ever found a reason not to upcharge you plus I'd be a captive audience come deadline time anyways. Resale would probably suck since people would still see a 327 in the panel and turn their nose, but i dont care about that.

So far shameless procrastination has served me well in this hobby (Cherokee fuel placard AD was the last example where dragging my feet saved me money). Ymmv. good luck.
 
I am in a similar boat as you, I have a working transponder, but it’s not being repaired anymore. So when it stops working I got to get a new one, so anything I put in now that tachs on the transponder is not saving much money if u calculate the cost of a new transponder. Garmin 345 has both in and out , and will integrate with panel mounted stuff, I will be going with that .... sometime after Jan 2020
 
I have a Cessna 172L model with no gps. Decided to go with the Garmin 335 and cost was around $4500. I have a Stratux and iPad mini for the ADSB in and everything is good. For my mission it works very well.
 
I have a Garmin 327 and plan to go with an 82 as the least expensive compliance. I may choose to let the deadline pass and opt to comply later if the prices drop.

I fly about 100 hours a year and never have to fly into class C airspace. I do enter class C about a dozen times just for practice or passing through on a long flight.

Avoiding class C is cool with me. Besides, I fly for fun and what fun is it being told what to do? ;).
 
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I like the flexibility of being able to go into a Class C. Knoxville and Chattanooga are two nearby. I rarely fly into them, but again it’s nice having the option if they’re the most convenient.

Personally, I’m still patiently waiting and watching the shifting landscape, hoping that options increase while prices decrease. Probably start getting serious mid-2019 - if I miss the deadline it will not put a serious crimp in my day-to-day operations anyway.
 
Good luck. I had little luck getting any avionics installers to return my calls, and that was 6 months ago.
 
I guess I have been leaning towards the Appareo for a year and a half, but was hoping that cheaper options would present themselves. At this point, I wish I would have bitten the bullet and done it when the 500 dollar rebate was still up for grabs, since the cost has not come down any. I really thought it would. Non compliance isn't a very good option. Trips to Houston would require it, and I very much prefer having the option of IFR flights. I like the uavionix skybeacon option, should that avail itself, the problem is my 40 year old transponder. I am going to guess that in the long run the cheapest option is probably going to be a 1090es transponder option. I only wish I didn't have a high time engine. I am assuming that their isn't much of a difference between the esg and the 335 in quality, cost or installation? If anyone knows differently, I would appreciate the enlightenment.
 
I went with the 330 es from Garmin ,just before the 345 came out. The 330 es is not a cheap solution. I had the 327,so in hindsight I should have gone with the 82 gdl. I would have gone with the 345 had it been available.
 
I got a quote for both, the installed estimate for the Appareo was $300 less than the 335. The price difference was for 2 hours more install time and $120 higher cost on the 335.
 
I went with a Stratus ESGi and so far have been pleased with it. Seemed like the biggest bang for the buck in my circumstances, state of the art 1993 IFR equipment and no plans to upgrade the panel with a GPS navigator. My only concern was the long term stability of the company. One plus is that Stratus recently increased the warranty from two years to five years and grandfathered existing ESG customers.
 
That and my little antenna doodle that I already had now gets ship's power and plugs right into the transponder, so I have ADSB in and out fro not much more than the in. That's a lot of bang for the buck.
 
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