New Garmin 400/500

[S mahoney]

I was at the Northwest EAA fly In this weekend and attended the Garmin
forum.
The Garmin Rep.... if I understood him correctly? stated the New
400/500 unit would contain a new 12 channel GPS reciever, refurred to
as the "GPS engine" (faster for WAS) and new faster processor too. I
thought? I heard him say that It would be available sometime around
the end of the year (I was in the back and it was hard to hear)... Not
sure, but I think that the new GPS engine they where talking about is
the same one that is now in GX 80, acquired when they purchased UPS
aviation.
Older units can be factory upgraded for $1500

[Dave Butler]

S mahoney wrote:
> I was at the Northwest EAA fly In this weekend and attended the Garmin
> forum.
> The Garmin Rep.... if I understood him correctly? stated the New
> 400/500 unit would contain a new 12 channel GPS reciever, refurred to
> as the "GPS engine" (faster for WAS) and new faster processor too. I
> thought? I heard him say that It would be available sometime around
> the end of the year (I was in the back and it was hard to hear)... Not
> sure, but I think that the new GPS engine they where talking about is
> the same one that is now in GX 80, acquired when they purchased UPS
> aviation.
> Older units can be factory upgraded for $1500

Sounds prety much like the same stuff they were saying a year ago, WAAS, $1500,
factory upgrade, 4th quarter 2004. At least thry're consistent:

http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/aviation/060403.html

[Frank Stutzman]

S mahoney > wrote:
> I was at the Northwest EAA fly In this weekend and attended the Garmin
> forum.

I was at the same seminar, although most likely a different day.

> The Garmin Rep.... if I understood him correctly? stated the New
> 400/500 unit would contain a new 12 channel GPS reciever, refurred to
> as the "GPS engine" (faster for WAS) and new faster processor too.

Actually the 430 (and I assume the 530) is already a 12 channel reciever
(see http://www.garmin.com/products/gns430/spec.html). The upgrade gives
it 15 channels and a faster processor. I think the extra 3 channels are
for some new geo-sync satellites that cover only North America. I don't
think WAAS needs extra channels, but could be wrong. WAAS does need a
faster processor though.

> I
> thought? I heard him say that It would be available sometime around
> the end of the year (I was in the back and it was hard to hear).

Could be, but I'm starting to thing that Garmin is only exceeded by
Microsoft when it come to vaporware.

> Older units can be factory upgraded for $1500

Gotta be careful about that. $1500 is only for the unit upgrade.
Depending upon your installation, you may have to go back for
re-certification which may require an addionional external annunciator
that isn't needed on the current installs.

Also there are issues about just how Garmin is going to handle upgrades to
something like 20,000 units world wide. The reps first comment was that
they would just exchange your unit. That would probably work for most
people, but woe is you if you have done lots of customization of your unit
(lots of stored flight plans and user waypoints). There is no reasonable
why for a single unit installation to be backed up.

--
Frank Stutzman
Bonanza N494B "Hula Girl"
Hood River, OR