Why does nobody talk about how hard it is to find aviation connectors locally?

Last month I needed a D-sub connector for a Garmin G5 install at my shop in Nashville. Spent 45 minutes calling around to every electronics supplier in town and nobody stocks anything for aviation. Ended up ordering from Spruce and paid $16 for a connector and $12 for shipping. How do you guys handle last-minute connector needs without blowing the budget on overnight freight?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.abby14d ago

Why not just keep a couple common connectors in stock to avoid the rush? If you do enough Garmin installs a few D-subs on the shelf seems like a pretty basic business expense.

beth_reed14d ago

Wait, are you running a full-time electronics warehouse out of your garage now? Honestly, most of us are just trying to finish one install without losing a screw in the carpet. Tbh, I've got a drawer full of random connectors from old jobs and I still can't find the right D-sub when I need one. Ngl, I'd rather spend 20 minutes driving to the shop than admit defeat and dig through that mess. Plus, the "rush" is just part of the fun, right? Keeps things exciting.

torres.grant13d ago

Honestly, @murphy.abby, you're talking like my garage has a "system" instead of a black hole where D-subs go to die. Tbh, I'd rather admit I lost the screw in the carpet than face the shame of finding six of the same connector buried under a roll of old speaker wire from 2019. Ngl, the "rush" is just the panic of realizing I'm about to have to drive 20 minutes anyway.