how is the deal for non-WAAS devices, i.e. a GNS530 no W.
Any good ? Anyone any experience to share ?
EuroFlyer wrote:
how is the deal for non-WAAS devices, i.e. a GNS530 no W.
Any good ? Anyone any experience to share ?
Well – how good can the deal be ?
Avidyne apparently has excess stock of refurbished units,
which they are flogging by offering at/below market rates for the Garmin trade-ins
Am I missing something ?
;-)
Last time I looked there was a significant gap between the Garmin GNS upgrade and the 540 so that it didn’t make sense (for me). If I understand you correctly that’s different now ;)
ch.ess wrote:
EuroFlyer wrote:
how is the deal for non-WAAS devices, i.e. a GNS530 no W.
Any good ? Anyone any experience to share ?
Well – how good can the deal be ?Avidyne apparently has excess stock of refurbished units,
which they are flogging by offering at/below market rates for the Garmin trade-insAm I missing something ?
;-)
I have had clarification from Avidyne that the European trade-in deal for GNS530 and GNS530W are towards new and not refurbished units. Apparently, the advert suggesting refurb units will be used is a mistake. But the actual value attached to your 530 or 530W might not be so clear as it sounds as though it gets buried in the dealer discount that the installer offers.
AdamFrisch wrote:
Despite Timothy’s feelings regarding Avidyne, they’re excellent units with a very satisfied user base. I think it’s important to show that viewpoint here sometimes – it has become decidedly anti-Avidyne around this board and Timothy’s bad experience has now probably got a lot of people scared and thinking about Garmin as the only option. But there is more than one option – Avdiyne makes good products that have happy customers.
I think I need to be clear. There are four issues “out there”.
Adam is saying that (1) is good – I agree wholeheartedly. It’s a matter of taste how you compare its features with the GTN (and indeed the GNS) but it’s comparable – better in some ways, worse in others.
He is suggesting from users’ experience that (2) and (3) are OK. I can only go from anecdotal experience of sitting in other people’s aircraft to say that I have seen many more overheating issues in IFDs than I have seen problems in GNSs or GTNs, and have seen other Avidyne equipment with some really odd faults, but there is no rigour to my data. However, I do sit in a lot of IFR aircraft.
My principal objection is to point (4), which Adam isn’t really addressing.
If you are sufficiently satisfied by (1) and are attracted by the price, and are happy to accept Adam’s view on (2) & (3) and are willing to take the chance that you won’t be one of the unlucky ones fleeced by Avidyne, that’s your decision. I only think it’s fair that the warning of experience is out there.
it has become decidedly anti-Avidyne around this board
What you get here on EuroGA is frank posts about products – possible because we don’t carry advertising and thus don’t need to operate a hidden “no bashing” policy which the big US sites have to run, due to fear of losing advertisers. Not everybody likes this but the overall feedback I get is that most do.
FWIW I think the IFD540 is a nicer box to use than the GTN750, but I can say that because I have no horse in that race – not for another year, anyway.
For my part, I am thinking about 4 solutions:
(1) upgrading the current GNS530 into a 530W, which essentially leaves me with an old, but proven and well known device;
(2) getting an IFD540 instead of the 530 using any discount I can get. The device costs lower and has more options and features compared to
(3) getting a Garmin GTN750, at a higher price, with less options.
(4) wait because I don’t need WAAS right now as Germany doesn’t really make any headway in publishing LPV approaches (hope I am correct here)…
Re the avidyne, I never really heard anything bad about them except here in the Forum. I know some people who have IFD540s and are quite happy, because they seem to offer more features for less money than Garmin.
There are quite a lot of LPVs in Germany and in future they will be the norm, especially at smaller places without Cat III.
EuroFlyer wrote:
(1) upgrading the current GNS530 into a 530W, which essentially leaves me with an old, but proven and well known deviceOn the 430, the switch to WAAS means most everything inside is changed, except the box and the knobs. If it is the same on the 530, the box might not be quite as old as it looks.
As an aside, if anyone has a WAAS upgrade planned sometime in the future but an annual imminent it is possible to do the antenna and coax upgrade whilst the aircraft interior is out for the inspection.
This enables you to refit the original non-WAAS units until you are ready for the WAAS receivers to be installed. This could be quite useful prep for the upgrade to 530W or IFD540 where no panel work is required.
The only point is that a GA35 WAAS antenna has a higher gain so a -11dB attenuator is required to restore the correct RF level into the non-WAAS receiver. This is advice straight from Garmin who were really fast answering my question about this.
