Ignoring used v/s new costs for the moment... Consider the VAL INS-422...
entire VOR/LOC/GS/MB radio in one small hole in the panel... No moving
parts... Should last a long time..

My #2 VOR/LOC/GS is an MX-300A and it has the LED needles built into the
face of the radio... Not legal for approaches I suspect, but it is dead nuts
on when compared to the KI-214... A great comfort to me when I get carried
away and shoot ILS approaches in actual...

I agree on the utility of the 2nd GS... I had a GS fail during an approach -
in actual - a few years back... The &*^%($# piece of lethal crap failed
with the GS needle centered and no warning flag... Only when I noted that
my VSI showed that I was flattening out at ~300 fpm and there was not a
corresponding GS needle deviation, did I begin to question things (up to
that instant I thought I was an ATP)... The ceiling was 100 feet below legal
for a localizer approach, but knowing the airport very well, and knowing
that I was descending into a flat area, free of obstructions, I opted to
keep the localizer needle centered and and the VSI on 380 fpm as called for
on the approach plate... I broke out on center line, and on glide slope
according to the VASI... The MX-300A was ordered the very next day while I
was shopping for a complete #2 nav/com radio package and I stumbled across
it whilest talking to Eastern Avionics owner... It slid into an existing
tray on the panel saving me installation cost... A $35 used splitter for the
GS antenna and I was in business....

Denny
"Snowbird" wrote in message
om...
wrote in message
...
On 15-Aug-2003, (Snowbird) wrote:
Leave out the #2 OBS altogether and fill the hole with an electric
horizen gyro?