Why shouldn't I get Garmin's programmer and NavData?

The way I understand things:

- Garmin's programmer (P/N: 010-10579-20) works for both the NavData and Obstacle/Terrain cards. For the NavData cards, it will program both the Silver (430W/530W) and Orange (430W/530W) cards but not the Green (430/530) cards.

- For the $324/year (includes tax) pkg for a 430W, Garmin's NavData covers all 50 states.

- Only supports Windows at this time. Mac support is coming any day now (TM).

Compared to Jeppeson:

- The orange labeled Skybound II programmer can only do the Silver and Orange NavData cards. It does not support the Obstacle/Terrain cards.

- For the $469/year (includes tax) pkg for a 430W, Jepp's NavData covers the 48 contiguous states.

- Supports both Windows and Macs.

It seems obvious to go with Garmin's solution but I just want to make sure I'm not missing something here. What say you all?

Thanks,

Maybe. Late last summer, as my Jepp subscription came due, I called them up and told them they needed to be competitive. After a wait ("to check with a supervisor", or get some coffee) they offered the standard renewal price for an 18 month subscription - slightly less than the Garmin price, plus I didn't have to buy new hardware. But, I have heard rumors that Jepp has decided not to do that anymore. If true, I do not know their logic. I would call them and directly ask. If they say no, you know where to get a better deal.

Interesting - Thanks, Bob.

I see at flygarmin.com that the US Database bundle (Nav, Obstacle and Terrain) is currently at $450. You'll need the programmer, but I think it's only like 60 bucks.

I went this route last year when it became available, and never looked back. For the same price as *just* the Nav data from Jeppesen (and their programmer thing is much, much more expensive as well), you get all the data. (Although not if you have a non-WAAS 430/530, which seems odd, but what the hey...)

All around, the Garmin option is, IMHO, a much better deal.

Just to close this out:

I went the Garmin route with their programmer and DB updates.

Thanks to those that chimed in.