TKM Avionics announced that it is reintroducing a series of navigation/communications radios that owners can install to replace King, Narco, and Cessna/ARC series radios in their general aviation aircraft.
Ken Beckemeyer, CEO of the Scottsdale, Arizona-based company, said the IFR technical standard order (TSO) nav/coms are built new and "replace legacy radios that are no longer supported. All TKM comm or nav/com radios are built to slide in to precisely fit legacy racks and connectors, virtually eliminating installation costs for most owners."
He said the products fill a niche for aircraft owners who want a value-priced, reliable, IFR nav/com at a significant cost savings and without extensive downtime in the shop.
"The owner pilot who operates a $30,000 to $100,000 value airplane appreciates functionality, and might not be interested in spending 20-30 percent of the aircraft’s value on a new nav/com," he said.
According to the company’s March 27 news release, the TKM nav/coms replace a variety of radios including Narco’s Comm11 series, KX-170/175, and Cessna/ARC RT385 nav/coms including 328, 508, and 528, and they offer "better channel stability and audio quality than the 40-year old units they replace."
TKM’s $2,650 MX170 and Cessna 300/385 series nav/coms, and $1,450 MX-11 com "make it possible for owners to install a new radio in minutes. TKM units replicate the functions of legacy nav/coms and drive existing VOR/ILS heads with the same output," it said.
Beckemeyer addressed "misunderstandings" about the company, which by not advertising in recent years had generated a misperception that TKM no longer existed, he said. He also said any notion that TKM radios were rebuilt versions of other manufacturers’ products was incorrect.
"First, TKM builds radios with all new components and digital flip-flop tuning displays; these aren’t old radios rebuilt to look new. Secondly, TKM has operated continuously since 1965," he said.
The new slide-in replacement radios come with a two-year warranty, he said. TKM Avionics also announced that it is working on innovations including Bluetooth connectivity and 8.33-kHz EASA compliant models.
