Garmin 530 WAAS?

Did Garmin finally get 'er done?
"all 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the field can
upgrade to WAAS"



From www.Garmin.com:



November 9, 2006

Garmin® Receives WAAS Certification for GNS 400W/500W series
OLATHE, Kansas/November 9, 2006/PR Newswire - Garmin International, a unit
of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), today announced the achievement of a major
aviation milestone at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Expo
in Palm Springs, CA. The GNS 400/500 series have earned the FAA's TSO C146a
Gamma-3 certification, which enables pilots to fly Lateral-Precision with
Vertical (LPV) guidance approaches and receive GPS navigation via the Wide
Area Augmentation System (WAAS). The FAA also granted AML (approved model
list) STC approval allowing the 400W/500W equipment to be installed on over
980 popular makes and models of aircraft. The GNS 400/500W series joins the
G1000 and GNS 480 in providing WAAS enabled navigation for aircraft. Garmin
currently offers more WAAS solutions than any other avionics provider.

"This is a great day for Garmin and the aviation industry," said Gary
Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing. "Since the FAA commissioned
WAAS in 2003, there has been an enormous demand for WAAS certified equipment
in the marketplace. We are pleased to announce that all 75,000 Garmin GNS
400/500 series products currently in the field can upgrade to WAAS. We
expect the number of WAAS equipped aircraft to increase quickly, and pilots
will be able to operate to and from airports that would otherwise be
unavailable to them in marginal weather."

Thanks to the certification and AML STC approval, owners of Garmin's popular
GNS 400/500 series panel-mount avionics will be able to upgrade their
products to meet the FAA's WAAS standards* without a field approval**. These
upgrades include 5 Hz position updates, faster map redraws, fully coupled
and guided procedure turns and holding patterns, and increased XM weather
content. Pilots will also experience significantly enhanced functionality
because of the WAAS LPV, LNAV/VNAV, LNAV+V, and LNAV approach capabilities.

Garmin's GNS 400W/500W series meets the FAA's highest level of certification
for WAAS navigation. The units utilize satellite-based navaids for precise
lateral and vertical approach guidance - similar to Instrument Landing
System (ILS) operations - without the need for ground-based navaids of any
kind. The Gamma-3 level of certification lets pilots fly the FAA's new LPV
approaches. The FAA has already published over 600 LPV and 5,500 WAAS
approach procedures.

The WAAS system improves the accuracy, reliability and integrity of the GPS
signal. GPS-WAAS navigators that meet FAA's WAAS regulations may be used for
sole means of navigation* for all phases of flight, including en route
through precision approach at airports. With WAAS LPV approaches, pilots
will have stabilized lateral and vertical navigation and will be able to
navigate as low as 200 feet above the runway end under instrument flight
rules.

Garmin's panel mount avionics have been installed on nearly three-fourths of
all U.S. single and twin-engine piston and turbine aircraft retrofitted
since 2000. The company strives continually to raise-the-bar in the avionics
industry, and two years ago at the 2004 AOPA Expo Garmin's GNS 480T was the
first GPS navigator in the industry to earn a TSO C146a Gamma-3
certification.

Garmin expects deliveries of the new GNS 430WT and GNS 530WT to begin in
about 30 days with upgrades beginning in January 2007. Upgrades are
available for a suggested retail price of $1,500. Pilots who do not
currently own Garmin 400/500 series equipment and are in the process of
upgrading their avionics, will be able to purchase new GNS 430W and GNS 530W
units for $10,750 and $16,495, respectively. Visit www.garmin.com for
additional information or a complete list of authorized Garmin dealers.

*Due to the TSO limitation in conjunction with the AFMS limitation, Garmin's
GNS 400/500 series navigators will not be certified as a "primary means" of
GPS navigation until after customers install a new software version. Garmin
expects to issue a Service Bulletin in the first quarter of 2007 issuing the
software. The software will be updated via the 400/500W data loader card.
This required software update is expected to be available in the first
quarter of 2007.

**The AML STC data is intended to provide complete FAA approved data for a
large subset of CAR3/FAR23 aircraft; however, if the aircraft does not
pre-qualify for the AML STC standards, additional means of airworthiness
approval will be required.

Notice on forward-looking statements:
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and
its business...

Al G wrote:
Did Garmin finally get 'er done?
"all 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the field can
upgrade to WAAS"


Those 400/500s will be a whole lot more powerful and have some great new
features.

Yes, Garmin got it done.

Are there really 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the
field?

Jon Woellhaf wrote:
Are there really 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the
field?



Something like that.

Al G wrote:

Did Garmin finally get 'er done?
"all 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the field can
upgrade to WAAS"

Thanks for posting this announcement.

As a GNS430 owner who has been on the list since its inception, I will be
calling my avionics shop tomorrow to be sure they are aware of this.

--
Peter

"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Al G wrote:

Did Garmin finally get 'er done?
"all 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the field can
upgrade to WAAS"

Thanks for posting this announcement.

As a GNS430 owner who has been on the list since its inception, I will be
calling my avionics shop tomorrow to be sure they are aware of this.

--
Peter

Word from AOPA Expo was starting January 1 ...

Jay B

Jay Beckman wrote:

Word from AOPA Expo was starting January 1 ...

Hey, welcome back, Jay! I trust you had a great time?

This WAAS upgrade appears to be a two step upgrade. The first step
involves sending in the unit for a hardware update, which will be available
January, and the second step involves a software update that can be done
with a data card. This second step will not be available until March or
April.

If that is how it works, I may not bother to send my unit in until Spring
or early Summer. I am still using my aircraft to commute twice per week
and could not afford to be without the GPS unit (keeping in mind it is also
my primary comm and nav radio) for the two weeks it will probably take in
turn-around to get the hardware updated.

In the past, Garmin was good about offering loaners to those of us who had
to send in the units but I suspect with such a strong, pent-up demand
waiting to unleash, there will be no loaner program for this upgrade.

--
Peter

"Peter R." wrote in message
...
Jay Beckman wrote:

Word from AOPA Expo was starting January 1 ...

Hey, welcome back, Jay! I trust you had a great time?


Certainly did, thanks...

If I can figure out a way to distil the week into less of a whirlwind in
print than it was in person, I'll give some form of ConRep but it may end up
being one of those "you had to be there." There will be photos (lots of
photos!) posted at a later date. Didn't get to Palm Springs in time for the
inbound Parade Of Planes but I was there for the outbound and THAT was way
cool.

Of course, it was fun to meet some of the movers & shakers and some of the
flying "gurus" (Schiff, Machado, JM King, etc...)

Hartford in October of 2007...!

This WAAS upgrade appears to be a two step upgrade. The first step
involves sending in the unit for a hardware update, which will be available
January, and the second step involves a software update that can be done
with a data card. This second step will not be available until March or
April.

IIRC, that's exactly how the Garmin rep explained it to Jack Allison when we
stopped by the Garmin display.

If that is how it works, I may not bother to send my unit in until Spring
or early Summer. I am still using my aircraft to commute twice per week
and could not afford to be without the GPS unit (keeping in mind it is
also my primary comm and nav radio) for the two weeks it will probably take
in turn-around to get the hardware updated.

You raise an interesting logistical issue.

In the past, Garmin was good about offering loaners to those of us who had
to send in the units but I suspect with such a strong, pent-up demand
waiting to unleash, there will be no loaner program for this upgrade.

You're probably right...

Good luck and I look forward to hearing how this works out for the people
affected/involved.

Jay B

Jay Beckman wrote:

Hartford in October of 2007...!

One on this side of the US I may attend.

Good luck and I look forward to hearing how this works out for the people
affected/involved.

When I make the upgrade I will post about the experience, including the
learning curve to pick up the new features, here.

--
Peter

Al G wrote:
Did Garmin finally get 'er done?
"all 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the field can
upgrade to WAAS"

And to think...the 480 has apparently been downgraded to a TSO 129 box...

http://www.avionicswest.com/software...n0621.htm#1115

Oh, the irony.

-Doug

--------------------
Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI

http://www.dvatp.com
--------------------