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Mac OS Ventura and Garmin Aviation Database Manager

Freightdawg

Well Known Member
Just a heads-up for the Mac users with Garmin avionics. I updated to Ventura over the weekend, and today I attempted to update the databases for both the G3X Touch and GTN 750 but got nothing but error messages. When I tried to update on my wife's old Mojave machine, I had no problems.

I've already emailed Garmin.
 
Yup. From the Garmin web site:

The Garmin Aviation Database Manager is not yet compatible with the recently released macOS Ventura. Thank you for your patience as we work to update the Garmin Aviation Database Manager.

:-(
 
Yeah. The only apps I have on my Mac that don't work with Ventura are Garmin Database Manager and Jeppesen's JDM (which also needs freakily-permissive privacy and security settings to work, which is an obvious and undeniable indication of poor software engineering).

New OS betas are always available on the Apple Developer Program between 3 and 6 months before public release. It's inexplicable that these two apps in particular always run late.

- mark
 
This is disconcerting. Between this problem, unrepaired Garmin Pilot crashes, and bugs in G3X Touch releases, Garmin's software development seems to be getting fragile. In fact, I moved back to ForeFlight because of all the semi-random crashes I experienced in Pilot.

Time for some process improvement, Garmin...

Dave
 
GADM Support

Just a heads-up for the Mac users with Garmin avionics. I updated to Ventura over the weekend, and today I attempted to update the databases for both the G3X Touch and GTN 750 but got nothing but error messages. When I tried to update on my wife's old Mojave machine, I had no problems.

I've already emailed Garmin.

Good Afternoon,

We are pulling in some changes to the Garmin Aviation Database Manager to help resolve this problem. We will have this up and running with the new Mac OS shortly. We apologize for the frustration here.

Thanks,

Justin
 
Still unable to update on Mac

Just tried to update my database. Got the same message about not yet working with the updated Mac OS.

Anybody have new intel on when this will be resolved?
 
Latest version works with Ventura

Update to the newest version of the Garmin Database Manager -- version 22.12.8.
 
Installed 22.12.8 Garmin Aviation Database Manager for Mac yesterday (1/2/23). Was able to update the G3X flight displays, but errored out multiple times updating the GTN650Xi SD card. After multiple attempts, I was able to create a functioning database card with new media, but this was a one time event. Could not repeat the results with Garmin original media. This is ridiculous. Hold time on Garmin support number is more than 1 hour at this time!
 
Error messages

screen shot attached
 

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Banner on Garmin as of 2023-01-03
 

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22.12.8 GADM for PC Windows may still have a problem

I downloaded and installed GADM 22.12.8 for PC Windows today.

It downloaded GADM data updates to two SD cards, for the G3X Touch and the GTN650 for Windows.

The G3X data transferred just fine to my GDU465 and GDU470.

The GTN data downloaded reportedly fine to the SD. But when inserted into the GTN650 and powered on, getting the screen notice to touch the screen to proceed, the 650 screen refreshes to the normal startup screen (ignoring and bypassing the transfer of new data into the 650). The SD card files list all the new data as being dated 1/3/23. The current previous data files are displayed and reported as out of date in the 650 screen data files listing. Repeated one time reformatting SD, the GADM download and install to the SD card, and attempting install data into the 650. Still no worky to get the data into the 650.
 
Garmin's help article recommends allowing their support personnel to remote into your computer to [presumably, from the description of the workaround] issue a sudo command to do a permissions change--YIKES! If you are going to go this route, PLEASE be aware of the risks and take steps to ensure it's actually Garmin you're talking to on the other end of the phone!! Have them clearly tell you when they are beginning and when they are done, and CHANGE your computer's Administrator password after they've finished. Make sure that whatever they ask you to do to grant them remote access (write each step down), they also have you un-do after they're done. For every step they have you take, they should be able to point to a step later that un-does it.

I don't want to be Debbie Downer or dissuade people who aren't comfortable with doing this change themselves. I'm also not intending to disparage Garmin. Their tech support is outstanding and they are clearly bending over backwards to help with a difficult-to-solve problem. But "remoting in" to your computer is the same method those "tech support" phone scammers (which you hear about targeting the elderly) use in order to do their delightful business. So, PLEASE double check the phone number you are calling and make sure you're actually talking to Garmin.

(techo tangent)

Interesting workaround though, changing the UNIX permissions on the raw disk character device. This would imply database updates need to do much deeper work on the SD card than simply copying files to an existing volume. The vast majority of applications out there that load files onto an SD card do not need this kind of access. I'm a Mac developer and the only reason I'd want to access /dev/disk* or /dev/rdisk* is if I was loading a full, pre-built image onto the device. I don't want to Monday Morning Quarterback their software, so best of luck to them as they work on an alternative.

(end technical rant)
 
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reply to jsisk

You may follow these steps to get this to work:
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?f...oductID=866373&searchQuery=ventura&tab=topics
Let us know if you have any questions!
Best Regards,
Experimental Aviation Product Support
[email protected] or 866-854-8433

Your suggestion to use the steps you sent me the link to are not even close (for Ventura issue) , did you understand my problem?
I was using the GADM on a Windows PC (not Mac OS Ventura) and am having this problem with the GTN650 data; the data downloaded for the G3X touch worked fine.

FOLLOW UP>
Called in and talked to a lady who immediately asked if the airplane was in a hangar when trying to download data into the GTN. Yesterday because of weather at the time, it was in the hangar. She said that a little known requirement (not published) to have the airplane out where it is receiving a GPS signal to see the current date; that makes it happy. So I'll try again later today after this wx system clears out.
 
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Success! And the Garmin folks were very helpful and extremely patient.

Turns out that the problem was that Apple changed the API in Ventura and, as a result, lots (all?) the apps that referenced SD cards had problems. How very Microsoft of them...

For starters, reference https://support.garmin.com/en-US/aviation/faq/CeOdcsBY7D38rEkRNf1ch7/?keywordSearch=Ventura

That was almost enough.

In the Mac Terminal app, type in "diskutil list" to double check the SD card device name. This is what is circled in red in the web page. You'll see something like this:

Eds-iMac:~ Ed$ diskutil list
/dev/disk0 (internal, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: GUID_partition_scheme *1.0 TB disk0
1: EFI EFI 314.6 MB disk0s1
2: Apple_APFS Container disk1 1.0 TB disk0s2

/dev/disk1 (synthesized):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: APFS Container Scheme - +1.0 TB disk1
Physical Store disk0s2
1: APFS Volume Macintosh HD 8.9 GB disk1s1
2: APFS Snapshot com.apple.os.update-... 8.9 GB disk1s1s1
3: APFS Volume Macintosh HD - Data 509.6 GB disk1s2
4: APFS Volume Preboot 1.8 GB disk1s3
5: APFS Volume Recovery 1.1 GB disk1s4
6: APFS Volume VM 4.3 GB disk1s5

/dev/disk2 (internal, physical):
#: TYPE NAME SIZE IDENTIFIER
0: FDisk_partition_scheme *2.1 GB disk2
1: DOS_FAT_32 GTN650 2.1 GB disk2s1


The DOS_FAT_32 is the one to look for, and the part that I emphasized in bold underline is what you append to /dev/rdisk. You will, in this example, type in "sudo chmod 666 /dev/rdisk2s1" and it will ask for the admin password.

You'll need to do this for all of the SD cards you use for updates.

Painless once you know how...

But that $99 option, if I'd thought about it three months ago...
 
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Turns out that the problem was that Apple changed the API in Ventura and, as a result, lots (all?) the apps that referenced SD cards had problems. How very Microsoft of them...

Imagine if Garmin had availed themselves of one of the pre-release images that Apple exposed to developers half a year before Ventura was released, seen this change, and incorporated a fix into GADM before Ventura went live for us mortals.

Just imagine.

(Same goes for Jepp -- again, the only two applications on my Mac which consistently, predictably and reliably break every time Apple releases a new OS are GADM and JDM. It reflects badly on Garmin and Jepp that they're consistently behind the airplane on this...)

- mark
 
v22.12.8 crashed on Mac OSX Ventura for me today with the following message ...

Core library error occurred in file 'AVN_FeatUnlockData.cpp' at line '287' with code '0' with message 'Volume Id unavailable for /Volumes/Untitled/
[DEBUG] theDeviceName: msdos://disk3s1/
[DEBUG] theRawDeviceFileName: /dev/rdisk3s1
[DEBUG] Ready to open raw disk file: /dev/rdisk3s1
[DEBUG] GetVolumeId fileError:/dev/rdisk3s1 [FilePermissionError_t]
[DEBUG] Reading ID From File: /Volumes/Untitled/.evidf.dat
[DEBUG] Opening ID filestream
[DEBUG] ID filestream is not good ‘.

It worked just fine on an older Mac OS.
 
CHMOD solution worked for me on macOS Ventura. In Terminal (CLI) type...

sudo chmod 666 /dev/rdisk3s1

Change RED text to the drive # assigned by your computer which prints out in the DEBUG error log like shown above.
 
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Per Ed's command in Terminal - - I just looked at my listing and there is nothing FAT32 - should I conclude that the SD card must be inserted, then read the name for the FAT32 *** device?

Is this correct?
 
Garmin had Apple fix the situation . . . . .

Aviation Database Manager is fixed for Mac Ventura. Ran it today for both G3X and GTN with no issues.

Yes, Garmin had Apple issue an update to Ventura - how about that for a fix!!!!

Just update your Ventura 13.2.1 (MacPro) and it will work now.
 
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