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Avidyne IFD440 / IFD540

From here

both because of the box

@timothy, what is actually wrong with the IFD440?

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

hmmm…I just wrote a long answer and it disappeared. Forgive me if it appears somewhere else. I’ll try to reproduce it.

I have much less time on the IFD than on GNS and GTN, so have not had time to get as familiar as I have on Garmin boxes, but I have used it for maybe 15-20 hours.

There are obvious things that are just missing, such as VNAV and Visual Approaches, but also I find the whole menu structure and FPL paradigm confusing and annoying. I find the UI poorly thought out, Mickey Mouse and unintuitive.

I also have experience of an IFD failing repeatedly in overheat. I don’t know whether that was poor installation or poor design.

But 10% of my objection to the IFD is the box. 90% of it is to Avidyne’s business ethics, poor treatment of customers, poor service and poor communications.

EGKB Biggin Hill

I have an IFD540 and there’s nothing to complain about so far. I also kept an old GNS430 so I can objectively say the IFDs are way better. I would have swapped the GNS with a newer GTN, to make the comparison even more interesting, as I am not any company’s fan boy, only if Garmin didn’t make the GTN units work with their equipment only.

Avidyne’s customer support was never an issue, NavData is more expensive than Garmin’s, screen and software are comparable. Connectivity is much better on IFDs, included BT and Wi-Fi and able to connect with various other boxes without doubling the price of the unit, as it always happens with Garmin.

Competition was always a good thing, always drove down the prices and forced companies to innovate.

Garmin’s strategy to force you to buy their other equipments just by software locking the interconnectivity will be their grave. Cash milking their way up through the customers base using guerilla tactics have lost me, for sure. I will buy anything Aspen or Dynon throws at me instead of any TXi, for this reason alone.

Last Edited by AlexTB20 at 13 Sep 15:46
LRIA, Romania

I am an Aspen fan, but the way they are trying to milk me by stopping development on my boxes and trying to get me to buy new ones makes me wish I’d bought G600.

Nothing is perfect, so it’s good to have choices.

On the Avidyne support thing, it’s fine until it isn’t, but when it isn’t, it spectacularly isn’t.

EGKB Biggin Hill

An alternate point of view on the Avidyne, I’ve found both the 540 and 440 to be excellent and connect fine with my GTX345 and my G5s. The responsiveness from the company on new feature requests and installation support was far better than Garmin.

I know they had an issue with delivery of one product that means Timothy has now committed to punish them by trying to stop anyone buying their products, so bear that in mind when reading feedback there…

Kent, UK

…which is why I say that the bulk of my issue is with the company, who are willing to lie to and cheat their customers, rather than with the product, which is OK but I don’t much like.

EGKB Biggin Hill

Sorry for reviving an old thread but I am possibly coming into a situation, where a IFD440 may be one option.

My GNS430W has developed a squawk with a constantly opening squelch, which is extremely disturbing but only happens on .833 frequencies and so far only at ZRH. We have tried several debugging tactics including taking it to the bench several times, where finally a fault materialized in as so far the squelch preset can’t be set anymore properly. However, we are not sure that this actually IS the fault or that the unit is defective, as today i learnt that other GNS430 owners have the same problems with the ZRH frequencies.

I am now told that the unit would have to go to Garmin for repair for some xxx thousands even if Garmin finds there is nothing wrong with it. It works fine otherwise, but we can’t continue flying like this, as it’s the only “legal” Com right now.

So the question is, to send this unit to Garmin for the said flat rate repair, which I understand outprices the value of the unit, or to swap it for something else. With all the installation in place, the IFD440 would be the closest thing short of taking the risk and buying a used 430W somewhere else, which imho makes no sense. Or to add a 2nd unit and leave the one which does the job other than the COM part right, but they also are expensive. I am hesitant to go the GTN way because of further cost in installation, which I would avoid going the Avidyne way.

So what is the opinion of those who have done it? Is the price up worth it? I know that the GNS430W has an approximate resale value of around 5k Euros, whereas the Avidyne sells for something like 10k. Repair (without guarantee that something will change) would be in the 2-3 k size I understand.

Or has anyone got an idea what might be causing this interference?

Last Edited by Mooney_Driver at 24 Mar 13:03
LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Isn’t there a flat rate repair of $1500 regardless of the problem? I have a problem with the memory battery of my 430 (non W) and I’m considering going for a W and flightstream or a 440 myself.

Last Edited by zuutroy at 24 Mar 13:11
EIMH, Ireland

It doesn’t make any sense in 2021 to repair an old piece of equipment such as GNS430.

Just swap it with an IFD440, most companies offer a buy back for the 430, even if it’s not working anymore. I’ve replaced a GNS530 witn an IFD540, simply plug and play and a 30 years jump into the future.

Avionics Source should be able to give you a good deal.

LRIA, Romania

Well, just swapping it will mean a massive investment of 10k or more with a trade in of some 4k, so 6.5k all about.

If the repair is really in the 1.5 k $ range, it may well be worth it, particularly as I am still looking to replace the KY155 with possibly a 2nd unit or something else. I got a possibility coming up next year that a Cirrus owner wants to part with 2 430W’s as he’s upgrading to a new flight deck, so I am wondering if one of those may become available.

How do the GNS series navigators work together with the IFD440 or GTN series? If at all?

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland
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