GX50 datacard

I have an Apollo (now Garmin AT) GX50 GPS. The data card failed last
week. It will not take a program. I use Jeppesen's skybbound service
for updates.

Now, the card is a Linear 4 Mb Flash Disk.

Garmin wants $153 for a replacement card but these cards can be bought
anywhere for $60.

Does anyone know if there is anything special about the card? I'm
assuming that it is a stock card, but maybe Garmin writes a special file
to it. Maybe like a format system?

Has anyone tried inserting a generic flash card into the skywriter box
and attempting a program? Will it accept the card?

(My cynical nature leads me to believe that Garmin writes a file to the
card and that Jeppesen's skywriter looks for this file so that Garmin
can overcharge for replacement cards.)

Jimmy B. wrote:
I have an Apollo (now Garmin AT) GX50 GPS. The data card failed last
week. It will not take a program. I use Jeppesen's skybbound service
for updates.

Now, the card is a Linear 4 Mb Flash Disk.

Garmin wants $153 for a replacement card but these cards can be bought
anywhere for $60.

Does anyone know if there is anything special about the card? I'm
assuming that it is a stock card, but maybe Garmin writes a special file
to it. Maybe like a format system?

Has anyone tried inserting a generic flash card into the skywriter box
and attempting a program? Will it accept the card?

(My cynical nature leads me to believe that Garmin writes a file to the
card and that Jeppesen's skywriter looks for this file so that Garmin
can overcharge for replacement cards.)

Nawwwww

Go for it.
It's just a generic memory card.

Rich

You can try it but my guess is that there is some proprietary software
on it that will know if you are trying to get over on it.... Just a
guess though... Let us know if you get it to work though... We have the
same set up...

Jon Kraus
'79 Mooney 201

Jimmy B. wrote:

I have an Apollo (now Garmin AT) GX50 GPS. The data card failed last
week. It will not take a program. I use Jeppesen's skybbound service
for updates.

Now, the card is a Linear 4 Mb Flash Disk.

Garmin wants $153 for a replacement card but these cards can be bought
anywhere for $60.

Does anyone know if there is anything special about the card? I'm
assuming that it is a stock card, but maybe Garmin writes a special file
to it. Maybe like a format system?

Has anyone tried inserting a generic flash card into the skywriter box
and attempting a program? Will it accept the card?

(My cynical nature leads me to believe that Garmin writes a file to the
card and that Jeppesen's skywriter looks for this file so that Garmin
can overcharge for replacement cards.)

Just a matter of finding the right replacement. The formatting is
"strange" on the GX-50 (don't expect your friendly neighborhood Windows
machine to recognize it) but the Jepp writer should format it okay.
FWIW, I've gotten several different brands of cards from Garmin (for my
GX-60). If you do dig up the exact spec for the thing, please let us
know.

Now if Garmin would just let us have a download subscription that
didn't have to be used in precisely 13 months. {:(

Rich wrote:
Jimmy B. wrote:

I have an Apollo (now Garmin AT) GX50 GPS. The data card failed last
week. It will not take a program. I use Jeppesen's skybbound service
for updates.

Now, the card is a Linear 4 Mb Flash Disk.

Garmin wants $153 for a replacement card but these cards can be bought
anywhere for $60.

Does anyone know if there is anything special about the card? I'm
assuming that it is a stock card, but maybe Garmin writes a special
file to it. Maybe like a format system?

Has anyone tried inserting a generic flash card into the skywriter box
and attempting a program? Will it accept the card?

(My cynical nature leads me to believe that Garmin writes a file to
the card and that Jeppesen's skywriter looks for this file so that
Garmin can overcharge for replacement cards.)


Nawwwww

Go for it.
It's just a generic memory card.

Rich

Okay in researching this, I find that there are several types of flash
disk. There are 5 Intel types and 1 AMD type. Do you know which one it is?

Jimmy B. wrote:
Rich wrote:

Jimmy B. wrote:

I have an Apollo (now Garmin AT) GX50 GPS. The data card failed last
week. It will not take a program. I use Jeppesen's skybbound service
for updates.

Now, the card is a Linear 4 Mb Flash Disk.

Garmin wants $153 for a replacement card but these cards can be
bought anywhere for $60.

Does anyone know if there is anything special about the card? I'm
assuming that it is a stock card, but maybe Garmin writes a special
file to it. Maybe like a format system?

Has anyone tried inserting a generic flash card into the skywriter
box and attempting a program? Will it accept the card?

(My cynical nature leads me to believe that Garmin writes a file to
the card and that Jeppesen's skywriter looks for this file so that
Garmin can overcharge for replacement cards.)



Nawwwww

Go for it.
It's just a generic memory card.

Rich

Okay in researching this, I find that there are several types of flash
disk. There are 5 Intel types and 1 AMD type. Do you know which one it
is?

I've got several. One is an AMD, but that's in the plane right now. The
one I have at hand carries the identification:
www.simpletech.com
011205-FL2-004
94000-00702-201

Rich

Then pigs will have to get a Sport Pilot License

--

Thx, {|;-)

Victor J. (Jim) Osborne, Jr.

"jmk" wrote in message
oups.com...

Now if Garmin would just let us have a download subscription that
didn't have to be used in precisely 13 months. {:(