Want to educate myself about Garmin Avionics

[RV-Ogler]

I don’t know much besides I want a G3X or two, 750xi, and auto pilot etc… is there a “Garmin for dummies” webinar or something to get me started?

[mfleming]

I remember being totally in the dark on all the confusing names and acronyms. But slowly I learned all the lingo and eventually wired my own all Garmin panel.

Unfortunately, as far as I know, there's no primer for getting started.

I could start listing off what all the terms mean but that would be a long list.

BUT just to get you started the G3X is a EFIS and the 750xi is a navigation radio/GPS...so you would have one of each, not one or the other.

EDIT: Just noticed this thread. If at all interested in doing your own wiring...go to this course.

[BobTurner]

Originally Posted by RV-Ogler

I don’t know much besides I want…..?

Seriously, you’re talking about a lot of money. If you don’t know much then you really don’t know what you want, either. Take some time (hours, not minutes) to educate yourself. There are several fine choices for each avionics item. You owe it to yourself to figure out what you to buy because you’ve made an educated decision, beyond just ‘,,,I want..’.

[RV8JD]

If you haven't already, check out the embedded links in this Garmin Experimental webpage for some basic info. Start with the "Experimental Brochure" and the "Experimental Systems Pricing Guide".

https://www.garmin.com/en-MT/c/aviation/experimental/

[keitht]

Originally Posted by RV-Ogler

I don’t know much besides I want a G3X or two, 750xi, and auto pilot etc… is there a “Garmin for dummies” webinar or something to get me started?

The most important step is to figure out the mission - how are you going to use the airplane and what do you want it to do. VFR daytime only for local fun flying through to nightime IFR cross country. Will it be glass displays with standby steam gages or all glass with dual battery/electrical generation or something in between. There are a wide range of choices, capabilities, prices, architectures and panel layouts. The higher the level of system functionality needed as you go towards all weather IFR the more important redundancy and system availability become and the greater necessity to do the homework and compare possible options. The selection of avionics and panel layout and design is something that can be started at any point in the airframe build process - better sooner rather than later. If you ask 10 RV builders you are likely to get 20 answers - but it is a starting point.

KT

[ronrapp]

Originally Posted by RV-Ogler

I don’t know much besides I want a G3X or two, 750xi, and auto pilot etc… is there a “Garmin for dummies” webinar or something to get me started?

I would second the notion of figuring out your mission first. Avionics can cost as much as the airframe by the time you're done, and so much of it is completely superfluous for day VFR flying.

I'd also suggest considering your future with this airplane. If you're going to be a day VFR guy for a few years but will eventually get an instrument rating, for example, you can equip for the flying you're doing now while still being set for future expansion. My Rv-6 is like this; it's a single screen G3X with a G5 standby and an iPad dock for the right seat. The center stack is pre-set for a GTN navigator ($$$) when the time is right. I don't have sat-based IFR capability currently but can add it fairly easily.

Having said that, if you're interested in learning more about Garmin's offerings for the E-AB owner, their web site has some decent descriptions of the system, it's capabilities and components.

You might want to check with SteinAir, Pacific Coast, and others that build these panels for the Rv community, as they'll have some invaluable insights and could probably give you a better feel for the cost as well.

I fly a G650 and G600 for my day job, and even the guys I fly with at work are impressed by some of the capability (and ever lower cost, although I suppose that's relative...) of this technology.

--Ron

[rv8or]

On this side of the pond Harry Mendelssohn is similar to Stein and on his web site he lays it out nicely on selection of components.

See link
https://www.gps.co.uk/product-catego...fis-system-2a/

Would be a good place to start.

Harry’s wiring loom are excellent quality.

I have no stake in this apart from being a very satisfied customer

Rob

[mturnerb]

Couple of YouTube videos you may find helpful:

https://youtu.be/b3V4ZeCi4Oo

https://youtu.be/m1ylNkG1x1A

[rlmccarter]

The most helpful for me to understand the purpose of each unit how it fits together was Chapter 2 of the Installation Manual, G3X/G3X Touch available at https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?pa...00&tab=manuals.

Bob

[MacCool]

Originally Posted by keitht

The most important step is to figure out the mission -

The next most important step IMHO is to figure out what your mission is going to be in 2+ years. Doing a panel is hard....RE-doing a panel is even harder. If it was me, I would certainly be looking at designing a panel with upgradeability in mind...either how I might be replacing existing instruments/avionics as they become obsolete/outmoded, or adding new avionics to meet new mission parameters as your flying experience evolves. Also, resale value, if it ever comes to that, will be significantly enhanced if the new buyer isn't faced with starting a whole new panel in order for the plane to meet his/her mission. In that regard, if it was me, I'd be looking hard at a Advanced Panel from Advanced Flight. Really brilliant concept IMHO. It doesn't take much time on your back under the panel to realize the value of the plug-and-play concept.

The big panel builders that I know of are Advanced Flight, SteinAir, or Aerotronics. Any of those guys will be happy to chat and give you some ideas.

https://www.advancedflightsystems.co...ced-panels.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tNAdWJWIvY