GNC 300

I have one, and am pretty pleased with it. Though, currently I am only an instrument student. It would be -nice- to have a larger, color screen but for 2/3 the price of a Garmin 430, you can have the GNC 300 and a 396.

I've never experienced any problems with its operation.

I flew a 300 for a few years in a Cardinal and thought it was an excellent IFR GPS/COM. An awful lot of capability for a small price.

Jerry,

I also plan on using a GNC 300XL Garmin GPS/COM. I think that this is the biggest bang for your buck when used with a SL30. With these two units you get two independent COMs and two independent navigational units. Also, I recommend that you call Todd or Greg at GRT avionics. They have a new EFIS that has recently been introduced called the "sport" version.

I'm just doing my IFR ground school, but I always thought that it would be good to have text-based nav heads like the GNC300 and SL30 and couple those to a MX20 / GMX 200 type moving map with a much larger display that can use NAV data from multiple sources (i.e., MX20 will show GPS position and also draw your current VOR radial, etc.) The MX20 also can be quickly flipped from sectional to en-route IFR to approach plate as the background.

GNC 300XL

I have a three screen GRT EFIS (one is the sport) along with an SL-30 and a GNC300XL. The GRT Sport and one of the GRT duel screen systems have the GRT built in WASS GPS units. This gives me three GPS units but the main reason for going with the GNC300XL GPS/Comm was to have a second Comm unit and have a legal IFR GPS.

The displays on the GRT displays all show the GRT WASS GPS moving maps so when I want to shot an IFR GPS approach I can set it on both the GNC300XL and one of the GRT displays using the WASS GPS and be legal but see the approach with the runway displayed on the GRT screen as well as terrain.

Displaying a feed from the GNC300XL on an MX-20 would give you a little more info but I don't believe they would give you the runway overlay nor would they give you the terrian feature. You really have to fly behind a GRT WASS moving map GPS to appriciate how great they are.

Russ,


I am plannig on a simular setup. Can you give more detail about IFR approach with the GRT EFIS, including how you can see the runway on the GRT EFIS.

Thanks

dav1111 said:

Displaying a feed from the GNC300XL on an MX-20 would give you a little more info but I don't believe they would give you the runway overlay nor would they give you the terrian feature. You really have to fly behind a GRT WASS moving map GPS to appriciate how great they are.

Click to expand...

I haven't flown with a GRT moving map, but I've flown with the MX20. Here's what I really liked:

* Ability to have the map look just like a sectional.
* Ability to have the map look just like a IFR low level chart
* Ability to show VOR compass roses on the "chart", along with your current radial, if you're using a SL30 (these are both ex-UPSAT devices)
* Ability to show approach plates on the map.

As far as I understand, the GRT doesn't do these, particularly being able to set up the map like a IFR low-level chart or have the approach plate. The MX20 / GMX200 also has a higher screen resolution, and I think this is why the GRT just doesn't provide the information - it doesn't have the resolution.

The GRT is a really good system, but it doesn't have the flexibility of the MX20 / GMX200 in terms of mapping. What the GRT does do is provide an integrated system for a low cost, less than 1/2 of the GRT. However, I'm big on human interface issues, and having the map look like a chart is a good idea in my book.

However, as always, this is America (sorry international readers), and we have a choice.

Thanks Everyone

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I will most likely fall into the category of typical weekend local flyer with the occasional long cross-country two or three times a year. Though the SL-30 coupled to a Dynon D-100 sounds inticing, I think a GNC 300 for IFR GPS approaches and a 396 handheld to provide backup and XM weather information may be the ticket. I don't necessarily need to fly down to minimums on an approach, so the non-precision of the GPS approach will be adequate.

Thanks again. Fly Safe!

Jerry

GNC300 datalink

Is anyone flying with the GNC300 data stream connected with another unit? I've got an older 295 and thinking of a 696 or even an AV8OR Horizon3D unit to connect to it. I'd like to link the 300's flight plan to one of these units.

I'm not flying with a GNC300, but...

Looking at the GNC300 installation manual, the "I/O Channel 1" RS232 output can be configured for what Garmin calls "Aviation" format. The Garmin handhelds (and lots of other equipment... the format goes back to the old Argus moving maps, and in fact Apollo/UPSAT calls it "Moving Map" format) understand this format. So it certainly *ought* to work. I recently hooked up our Apollo GX60, which outputs basically the same format, to a 496 for cross-feeding flight plans and it works very well and is a nice feature.

--Paul

300XL and GRT Sport

I've got a 300XL hooked up to a Sport via RS232, and I'm sure the Dynon would work the same way. The flight plan I put in the 300XL is what the Sport uses when that GPS is selected, for both the CDI display on the PFD and the flight plan in the MAP display.
The only downside (for the Sport anyway) is that the 300XL doesn't send the time signal in it's data stream. I have a 'hockey puck' GPS installed as GPS2 and when I select it, the Sport gets the correct time.