Don
Well Known Member
I finally got my KMD-150 working correctly and I like the unit. I know its VFR only and it's somewhat dated but it has a large screen, is intuitive to use, and is sunlight readable. I went to update the database and suffered sticker shock. Bendix King wants $265 for a one time update. Compare that to the $40 I usually pay to Garmin for a single update for an Aera 510 and I was dumbfounded.
After having a couple of e-mails go essentially unanswered, I wrote the company a note to tell them I no longer needed an answer to why their databases cost many times what comparable databases cost because I wouldn't deal with a company with such poor customer service. To my surprise, I got a call from the company (and I had not given them my phone number).
They stated since the KMD 150 is a certified unit Jeppesen gouges them for the data. Apparently Jeppesen's pricing varies with the GPS. It was a friendly enough discussion and the guy actually said his recommendation (and what he did) was use an iPad and databases cost $100/year or less. When I asked what kind of certification the KMD150 had, he didn't have an answer. I indicated it wasn't IFR capable, it wasn't really even a substitute for charts and it seemed like a low end GPS. No answer beyond use an iPad.
I've considered this response for a couple of days now. On one level, I'm dumbfounded by the response when considered in light of his claim that Bendix King is planning to come back as the premier avionics company they once were. While I'm not a Garmin fanboy, I can afford their updates which seem somewhat over-priced but I'll not even consider a B-K product as I upgrade.
So, I've decided on a personal level to find out if there is a *legal* way to update the KMD-150 database without going through Bendix King's upgrade service? I figured someone here might know of a way to buy a Garmin database, load it on the KMD-150 card in such a way that the KMD-150 will read it. I'm guessing the data is pretty much all the same, maybe formatted differently.
If not, my only options are to pay the $265 per update, or sell the unit and install a Garmin product. I figure in a year I should be ahead cost wise. So, is there any alternative to affordably update my KMD-150 database?
After having a couple of e-mails go essentially unanswered, I wrote the company a note to tell them I no longer needed an answer to why their databases cost many times what comparable databases cost because I wouldn't deal with a company with such poor customer service. To my surprise, I got a call from the company (and I had not given them my phone number).
They stated since the KMD 150 is a certified unit Jeppesen gouges them for the data. Apparently Jeppesen's pricing varies with the GPS. It was a friendly enough discussion and the guy actually said his recommendation (and what he did) was use an iPad and databases cost $100/year or less. When I asked what kind of certification the KMD150 had, he didn't have an answer. I indicated it wasn't IFR capable, it wasn't really even a substitute for charts and it seemed like a low end GPS. No answer beyond use an iPad.
I've considered this response for a couple of days now. On one level, I'm dumbfounded by the response when considered in light of his claim that Bendix King is planning to come back as the premier avionics company they once were. While I'm not a Garmin fanboy, I can afford their updates which seem somewhat over-priced but I'll not even consider a B-K product as I upgrade.
So, I've decided on a personal level to find out if there is a *legal* way to update the KMD-150 database without going through Bendix King's upgrade service? I figured someone here might know of a way to buy a Garmin database, load it on the KMD-150 card in such a way that the KMD-150 will read it. I'm guessing the data is pretty much all the same, maybe formatted differently.
If not, my only options are to pay the $265 per update, or sell the unit and install a Garmin product. I figure in a year I should be ahead cost wise. So, is there any alternative to affordably update my KMD-150 database?