Replacing my KX 155

[andy]

My 24 year old KX 155 NAV/COM is heading into the sunset. The squelch doesn't work and it sometimes produces loud static. I've relegated it to mute unless I need to listen to an AWOS or ATIS. I tried to get it repaired but parts are not available anymore. My avionics shop encouraged me to replace it with a Garmin GNC 215 with a GI 275 CDI. The combination of the two would have cost around $9,000 with installation and I didn't want to spend that much money on a backup NAV/COM. They offered the possibility of replacing the KX 155 with a new Bendix King KX 200 which was supposed to be available in January 2024. However, as of July 2024, the 14-volt version that I need is still not available and will probably be shipped in October. I didn't want to replace the Bendix King KI 209 CDI that was connected to the KX 155 unless absolutely necessary. The GI 275 is a very cool device but it doesn't give me anything that I don't already have with Foreflight on my iPad Mini 5. It also requires a separate data subscription since it has its own databases. I already have a data subscription for my Garmin GTN 650 GPS/NAV/COM and I don't want another subscription because each of them costs over $500 per year.

My avionics shop looked into the wiring of the Garmin GNC 215 NAV/COM and found that it will work with the Bendix King KI 209 CDI so that's what I'm going to do.

[andy]

I replaced my old KX 155 with a Garmin GNC 215 connected to my existing Bendix King KI 209 CDI and it works fine. The GNC 215 has a much better, brighter display and more features than the KX 155. However, it requires a separate database from the GTN 650, so it increased my subscription costs by about $200 per year. Garmin has a package subscription deal that reduces the price of the GNC 215 subscription. I'm happy to be able to monitor COM2 now without constantly enabling and disabling the audio panel button.