Hi all,
My 66’ 182 still has the original 6 in 1 engine gauge, and other than backlight works fine. I also have a FS-450 fuel flow gauge and an uninstalled used UBG-16. I was planning on installing a Cgr-30 basic as an upgrade to the ubg and the FS-450. In talking to EI I found out they are offering $1500.00 trading on the UBG!
So now I’m thinking chunk it all and get the combo. I love the old Cessna gauge, has always worked in its charming old way, so I’m down to this. Keep old rpm, manifold psi, and 6 in 1 Cessna and and Cgr basic or go with the combo and ditch all old stuff.
I am very interested in hearing any comments, pro or con, personal experiences, something I’m missing.
Thanks in advance

I like some of the new stuff, it has good functionality, easy to read however I don't fully trust "free electrons". I have a EDM350, some very nice EI gauges and two "standby" mechanical gauges for oil pressure and engine RPM.

SOOOOOO. I am 68 years old and you are asking about stuff that is 58 years old. First thing I would say is ya I am still good to go but I got one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. Sounds like what is on your panel that stuff is just waiting to die. A single CHT/EGT gauge is as useful as tits on a boar hog. So just pull your ass into the world of knowing what is really going on with the engine and do the upgrade all in one upgrade. No right or wrong just my 2 cents.
DENNY

Real world if you have CHT/EGT per jug, CHT being the most important, and have a $2 wooden dowel calibrated for sticking tanks and something that keeps time that’s all you need.

If you’re going to get pretty / simple / fancy I’d get a GI275 for the engine, or 3 of em

DENNY wrote:SOOOOOO. I am 68 years old and you are asking about stuff that is 58 years old. First thing I would say is ya I am still good to go but I got one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. Sounds like what is on your panel that stuff is just waiting to die. A single CHT/EGT gauge is as useful as tits on a boar hog. So just pull your ass into the world of knowing what is really going on with the engine and do the upgrade all in one upgrade. No right or wrong just my 2 cents.
DENNY

lol, I’m right behind you at 60, all kidding aside I feel like this is sound advice and yes I want to see all six egt/cht.

NineThreeKilo wrote:Real world if you have CHT/EGT per jug, CHT being the most important, and have a $2 wooden dowel calibrated for sticking tanks and something that keeps time that’s all you need.

If you’re going to get pretty / simple / fancy I’d get a GI275 for the engine, or 3 of em

I’m going with the cgr-30 combo. But I still only fully believe my clear plastic tube marked to my tanks

JPI EDM display is hard to beat. Front and center.

I prefer the JPI900/930. The 930 has a bigger screen which may have been the better route for me as I get older - but I bought the 900. I like having all of the information on one page. You can also customize some of the stuff.




Josh

It kind of depends on how much real estate you can afford for your engine gauge. The nice thing about the CGR-30 is that it gives you serious functionality in a standard 3-1/8” hole. Some panels don’t have the room for those larger screens. At least the CGR is an option for some.

If you want accurate readings, get the CGR and don't look back. The Cessna gauges are very nice to look at, but garbage for accurate readings, especially after 60-80 years.

Outside of full capacitive indicators they are all trash compared to a properly Dremeled $2 Home Depot fuel dowel & watch

I prefer Home Depot pine dowel and a F94W (as it’s the most dangerous watch on earth)

On a date I’ll bust out the fur dowel and speedy

I did this upgrade on my Skywagon back in the day and the thing I was really not prepared for was how much time/effort the install cost of the CGR30 was. The labor cost of the job makes the cost of the gauges look pretty insignificant.

A engine monitor is essential in todays engines.
What is also very important is a real fuel flow gauge like a calibrated JPI 450 which can be had for around $500.
I am not sure how you can accurately calculate fuel used with a dowl and a Casio watch.

a3holerman wrote:A engine monitor is essential in todays engines.
What is also very important is a real fuel flow gauge like a calibrated JPI 450 which can be had for around $500.
I am not sure how you can accurately calculate fuel used with a dowl and a Casio watch.

?

Very accurately

With the ones you manually enter fuel and it subtracts fuel flow, garbage in and garbage out is a factor as these poor folks learned



My last student, prior to his PPL ride, was able to consistently calculate his planned and evidence his used fuel for a few hr long flight to within a couple tenths based on the stick I had him make, known fuel burn and time.


With most of the high wing back country popular planes the fuel stick is about as bullet proof as anything for knowing whatcha got in the tanks

Outside of absolute full max range, stick and watch works really really well

I shall only address the fuel quantity side of this discussion as IMO there are some misleading posts ref this topic in this thread.
Barring the technology to accurately measure the liquid in a large planform flat tank while in motion from a state of full capacity to empty and all quantities in between (a tall order in a legacy GA aircraft), another quantity remaining solution is to accurately measure what is being taken out (burned) from a known starting point. This is the path I chose and installed the Electronics International FP-5L. This system is dead-on accurate. My total fuel is 110 gallons in my 180H, and my mission requires 7 hours non-stop at times. I need to know fuel remaining. My typical upload is in the low 90-gallon range and the FP-5L is within a few tenths of the calibrated bulk tank meter. I used to track the delta, (a few tenths at most), however, I now have over 3500 hours on this bullet proof FP-5L, and it has earned my confidence long ago. I absolutely still hack the clock at startup and note takeoff time, there is no greater backup. The stick, however, is good for fire starter with a Wagon on ABW's. Once the tanks get low, you are pretty much looking at dry rubber on those long-range tanks. Thats if you even have that luxury of a place to set down to check. Typically, not an option for me.
For my mission, the FP-5L is an indispensable tool that allows me to take full advantage of my fuel supply thus making my 180 more effective at its job.

TR

Depends on the plane for the stick of course, but in the planes where they work, hard to argue with the simplicity and accuracy

Some they are accurate for a bigger range, others a smaller range and others they are not a good option

TR +1

Best thing these all-in-one units provide is alerting. Nice light(s) on the panel to alert you to something bad is about to happen. Worst thing is the 40-80 labor hours required to install, so plan on keeping this airplane for a long, long time. Resale price doesn't reward you for this time and cost.

I say fill'er up to the brim, hack the clock and have a time that you need to be at the next gas stop. The only time you have to much fuel in the tanks is when your "on fire" :wink

Full disclosure I also have an EI FP-5L, its great

We did this with a CGR30P because about half of ours were inop. While there are some downsides the 1 plus that has not been mentioned is the data recording capability. The arguments either way certainly apply during normal ops, but the recorded data makes troubleshooting so much faster.
I recently had a low oil pressure indication. A Quick Look at the logs showed a time matched amperage issue. Traced it to a loose ground on the alternator. True a mechanical oil pressure gauge would not have been affected by electrical, but the troubleshooting using recorded data is so much better.
One thing I learned going this route to watch on install, I kept having connector issues. After the latest ones I stepped back to try to see why the connectors, in a specific area keep failing. Installer tye wrapped them to the engine mount. Right where a mechanic changing the oil filter lays their arm.