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Comm Radio Upgrade

Piper J3

Well Known Member
Has anyone upgraded the Garmin SL40 to GTR200 in an early SN RV-12? My SL40 is becoming intermittent and I either need to get it repaired, buy a used SL40, or possibly upgrade to newer GTR200.

Any advice on repair shop?

Anybody have a SL40 for sale?
 
Just replaced a SL-40 with the GTR200 in my other airplane. Fantastic radio. Built in intercom like the SL-40 however, wired for stereo "3D" sound. Receiver sensitivity is great, I can hear ATIS at local airport 16 miles away from my home strip.
 
Comm Radio Upgrage

Can you give us some details on the change? Same size hole it panel or different? What about the wiring? Is it just plugging in new cables or more difficult?

Thanks.
 
New tray and I rewired the entire com system including new phone jacks (stereo) and mic jacks. Everything is shielded and grounded to a central point. Same antenna and coax. GTR200 is solid and clear. I am using LightSpeed Zulu 3 headsets. The panel opening size is close. The GTR200 may be a little thinner. Both standard width. I would look at install manuals to confirm exact dimensions.

Another side note: final deciding factor at the time for buying the Garmin over the Icom (they make good radios as well) was the feel of the detents on the knobs. Sounds minor but the Garmin knobs have a crisper more defined detent.
 
I do have a couple of more questions as I am thinking about this same upgrade. I thank you in advance for your help.

Is the old, SL-40 and external intercom stereo? Did you have to manually make the cables for rewiring the comm or were you able to buy them from Van's or elsewhere? And last, it sounds like you were able to use the same hole in the panel for the GTR-200 and tray. Is that right?

John
 
The process required R/R of the instrument stack angles and also the rear tray supports. I remember doing a bit of filing on the front opening.


I replaced my sl40 while building. I was fortunate to sell the unused sl40 and the intercom for more than what I paid for the replacement kit. The kit was designed for Skyview wiring. 12 GTR-200 RETROFIT
 
I just replaced our SL40 and Flightcom 403 intercom with a GTR 200B. The panel opening could stand a few passes with a Swiss file to make it just a smidge taller. I removed the old intercom and covered the holes with a stick-on CO indicator for now -- we'll do something a little less "ghetto" later. It is not a simple plug-and-play installation, nor do I think there's a wiring harness you can buy to do it, unless you want to pay someone $$$ to build you one. I made a spreadsheet detailing all of the wiring changes and worked through them with a handful of D-sub pins (almost all of which came with the GTR 200B) and a good crimper and stripper. Took me a couple of evenings to get it all done, and it was well worth the time and effort.

The new radio's design is 20 or more years newer than the SL40, and it shows. SO MANY more features, all of which are easier to use. Better audio, better intercom, better display, better everything. It's WELL worth what you'll pay for it, especially if you remove and sell your SL40.
 
Scott -

Kit is for converting from SL40 to GRT200?

Wiring conversion is for early SN (120058) with D-180, GTX327, SL40?

I tried searching Van's parts for 12 GTR-200 RETROFIT with no luck. Can someone point me in right direction?
 
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I could be wrong but I think the retrofit kit comes with everything (including harness) that you need to get it installed.
Maybe for Skyview. Don't think so for a D180 equipped RV-12. Even if there was one, I'd have needed to modify it to accommodate the new GPS as well.
 
I could be wrong but I think the retrofit kit comes with everything (including harness) that you need to get it installed.

Scott, would it just be best to call Van's about part number WH-00100, availability and price?

Is it just a wiring harness for the head phone jacks, or D plugs for attaching to the Van's RV-12 Skyview box?

Edit: I called this morning, and it's a GTR-200B with harness, for about $1400, from Van's. They will need your serial number before the harness is built. Earlier versions, the harness needs an extra wire of some sort.
 
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I had GTR200 and upgraded to GTR200B ($200 more) which has Bluetooth. Makes every flight more interesting as I (and passenger) can hear music from my phone
 
If you have the GTR200 and you put the plug in the front center of the seats when the plane was built all you have to do is get the plug in-cord that will fit your player or phone and it will work great.
 
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