Garmin updates

[Dico]

Hello...

If you have a 530 or 430, does it accept the same updates? Or are the
updates specific to each machine. Also, if you have both in your
plane (one of each), do you have to purchase 2 updates?

I notice that some 530s come with 'terrain'... is this an option from
garmin? Can it be added later or do you have to upgrade the whole
unit?

Lastly, when waas becomes available... is it a simple software upgrade?
and any word on the charge of this upgrade?

Thanks,

-dr

[Doc]

The updated data card will work in either box but you need to purchase 2
updates. Both data cards must be the same cycle for the boxes to work.
Jeppesen does give you a bit of a break for the multi unit updates. Don

"Dico" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello...
>
> If you have a 530 or 430, does it accept the same updates? Or are the
> updates specific to each machine. Also, if you have both in your
> plane (one of each), do you have to purchase 2 updates?
>
> I notice that some 530s come with 'terrain'... is this an option from
> garmin? Can it be added later or do you have to upgrade the whole
> unit?
>
> Lastly, when waas becomes available... is it a simple software upgrade?
> and any word on the charge of this upgrade?
>
> Thanks,
>
> -dr
>

[Peter Clark]

On 6 May 2006 16:01:49 -0700, "Dico" > wrote:

>Hello...
>
>If you have a 530 or 430, does it accept the same updates? Or are the
>updates specific to each machine. Also, if you have both in your
>plane (one of each), do you have to purchase 2 updates?

Jepp sells a discounted "two unit in same aircraft" package for the
GNS400 and 500 series. I'd expect that package ($480/yr instead of
$365 each US for the americas coverage) would cover both units in the
same aircraft regardless of what combination of 400 and 500 series
units are installed.

You need to purchase the special Jepp programmer - unlike the G1000 it
won't work in a normal card reader.

[Dico]

Can you keep one box current and the 2nd box not current and still be
legal?

-dr

[BillJ]

Dico wrote:
> Can you keep one box current and the 2nd box not current and still be
> legal?
>
> -dr
>
Yes, but you can't crossfill flight plans from one to the other, unless
they are both updated. Otherwise they work fine.

[Dico]

Do the 430/530 cross fill to the 480 as well?

Also, I read somewhere that the 480 doesn't have to be updated
regularly to be current -- as long as the airports you've filed for are
up to date in your 480. Is that correct?

-dr

[Dave Butler]

Dico wrote:
> Do the 430/530 cross fill to the 480 as well?

Don't know from personal experience, but I don't think so.

>
> Also, I read somewhere that the 480 doesn't have to be updated
> regularly to be current -- as long as the airports you've filed for are
> up to date in your 480. Is that correct?

The answer is specific to the aircraft in which it's installed. The requirement
for a current database is spelled out in the Approved Flight Manual Supplement
that gets added to your POH when you do the install. The AFMS boilerplate that
comes with the 480, which is what gets sent to OK City for the approval, has
words to the effect that the database entries for the approaches in use have to
be verified current by the pilot. That's probably what you meant. Has nothing to
do with filing.

[Peter R.]

Dico > wrote:

<snip>
> Lastly, when waas becomes available... is it a simple software upgrade?
> and any word on the charge of this upgrade?

My understanding (based on the fact that I am on the list for the 430
upgrade) is that there are both hardware and software changes that will
need to be made to the unit. Therefore, the unit will need to be sent back
to Garmin for an as-yet unspecified amount of time.

One pilot in another newsgroup made the humorous comment that for the
upgrade, Garmin is going to rip off the face place of your current unit and
glue it onto a completely new unit. :)

--
Peter

[Dico]

Haha! Wouldn't surprise me... probably cheaper to do that than
actually do any amount of hardware/software upgrades.

If Dell can deliver an entire computer system to my door for $299
Canadian, I'm guessing that it costs less to put together one of these
boxes.... the upgrade will probably run us 2 or 3 Dell systems!

-dr

[[email protected]]

On 8-May-2006, "Dico" > wrote:

> If Dell can deliver an entire computer system to my door for $299
> Canadian, I'm guessing that it costs less to put together one of these
> boxes.... the upgrade will probably run us 2 or 3 Dell systems!


If panel-mounted, IFR-certified GPS/NAV/COM units were bought in the volumes
that personal computers are, the GNS-430 would probably cost a few hundred
dollars. They would be manufactured in China, and there would be a dozen
companies competing for the business. Send one to the manufacturer for a
hardware upgrade? No way -- you would just buy a new one.

Bottom line: in electronics, cost of the product is far more sensitive to
manufacturing volume than it is to its functional sophistication or
complexity.

-Elliott Drucker

[Roger]

On Fri, 12 May 2006 05:08:21 GMT,
wrote:

>
>On 8-May-2006, "Dico" > wrote:
>
>> If Dell can deliver an entire computer system to my door for $299
>> Canadian, I'm guessing that it costs less to put together one of these
>> boxes.... the upgrade will probably run us 2 or 3 Dell systems!
>
>
>If panel-mounted, IFR-certified GPS/NAV/COM units were bought in the volumes
>that personal computers are, the GNS-430 would probably cost a few hundred
>dollars. They would be manufactured in China, and there would be a dozen
>companies competing for the business. Send one to the manufacturer for a
>hardware upgrade? No way -- you would just buy a new one.
>
>Bottom line: in electronics, cost of the product is far more sensitive to
>manufacturing volume than it is to its functional sophistication or
>complexity.
When you sell hundreds of thousands of units, or even millions the
engineering costs per unit are trivial over the prduction run. When
you sell in the quantities used in general aviation the engineering
costs are a substantial part of the selling price for each unit.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
>-Elliott Drucker

[Mike Spera]

>
> If panel-mounted, IFR-certified GPS/NAV/COM units were bought in the volumes
> that personal computers are, the GNS-430 would probably cost a few hundred
> dollars. They would be manufactured in China, and there would be a dozen
> companies competing for the business.

But, if personal computers were:
* highly regulated by governments;
* had the requirement to only be touched by certified technicians (who
took years to get their ticket);
* had the insurance albatross around their necks;
* had all the other "drag" associated with aviation;
I'll bet their price would be nowhere near the couple of hundred bucks
they are now.

Even at higher volumes than aviation, medical equipment has
astronomically high prices because of the liability and government
tinkering.

So, I believe there are 2 components necessary for prices to fall out of
the stratosphere, volume and truly "free" trade. The rules for light
airplanes need to be significantly changed or removed. This includes the
legal lottery mentality of the public.

Once done, MAYBE prices would fall enough to encourage more folks to buy
in, thereby driving volume a bit (thus lowering prices and so on).
Garmin is only going to sell a very limited number of $10,000
(installed) IFR cert. GPS units to the potential aviation community. If
the installed price were $3000 (more volume, less government, less legal
drag), I'll bet they would sell quite a bit more. Maybe enough to make
the number more attractive to them as a manufacturer (I'm not an
economist, and I don't play one on Usenet).

Yes, even if everyone with a plane bought one, the volume would not be
impressive. But, I would bet their current sales amounts to only a
single digit percentage of the airplane community eligible, maybe only a
fraction of 1%. Who the hell can afford these things in a $30k airplane?

It might be interesting to run some scenarios to see where the break
even and profit points would shift if the rules and volumes were changed.

Mike