Chose a used Avidyne IFD440 over a brand new Garmin GPS 175 for my Cessna 172 last fall

I had to make a call between two GPS navigators for my panel upgrade in Tulsa. The Garmin GPS 175 was $3,200 new but the used IFD440 popped up on a forum for $2,800 with 200 hours on it. I went with the Avidyne because it had the touch screen and the built-in VHF comm radio which saved me from buying a separate radio unit. Installation took me about 6 hours total since the wiring harness matched my old Garmin 430 pretty close. The first flight was a mess though, the unit kept losing satellite lock over the first 30 minutes near downtown. I had to swap the antenna cable after a buddy pointed out corrosion on the connector. Works fine now three months later but that initial hiccup made me nervous. Has anyone else run into compatibility issues with used avionics from online forums?

2 comments

2 Comments

james921mo ago

Thought the IFD440 needed a separate nav radio though.

jake_martin161mo ago

@james92 I think the separate nav radio question is splitting hairs a bit, does it really matter that much in practice?