What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Aera 660 & GDL39 - no BlueTooth connection

Pilot135pd

Well Known Member
Can't get the GDL 39 to connect to my 660 or to my iPhone, although my 660 connected to my iphone (but I don't know why I would want that so I disconnected it again).

Anyway I held the 39's power button down for 5 seconds and the blue LED begins blinking then I released the power button and then pressed the Power button again for 5 seconds, power cycled the GDL 39 and still nothing.

I turned off both units and turned on one first then the other and nothing, turned on the other one first but still nothing, no connection.

Is there a way to do some kind of hard reset on both of them? I didn't see that in the manual.

Is there a way to find out if it's even working?

I bought this GDL39 from the classifieds here and it just arrived a few hours ago. I'm not saying he sold me a bad unit but maybe he didn't know it wasn't good since he wasn't using it?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9471.jpg
    IMG_9471.jpg
    316 KB · Views: 94
  • IMG_9474.PNG
    IMG_9474.PNG
    3 MB · Views: 110
Last edited:
I also clicked on the 660 :
Forget all devices
Restore Default

and then did a search and the iPhone and the TV DVR show up but no 39
 

Attachments

  • DB457DE3-4ADE-4B9B-814E-D24344359D7B.jpg
    DB457DE3-4ADE-4B9B-814E-D24344359D7B.jpg
    193.7 KB · Views: 108
  • C7315A23-17C7-41DF-9423-32F159B5A35C.png
    C7315A23-17C7-41DF-9423-32F159B5A35C.png
    216.4 KB · Views: 99
  • 7F28AA95-6909-415B-8BCF-397A75E9F595.jpg
    7F28AA95-6909-415B-8BCF-397A75E9F595.jpg
    241.9 KB · Views: 99
Yes I did, a few times.

That is the reset procedure for the GDL 39 Bluetooth pairing list.

I just tested this by powering up both the GDL 39 and Aera 660, and then going to the Bluetooth Setup page on the Aera 660 and turning on Bluetooth.

It found the GDL 39 in a few seconds and paired with it when I pushed the "Not Paired" button.

Aera660BTSetup.png

If you have a hardwire cable, I would connect the GDL 39 and Aera 660 over hardwire and configure the Aera 660 connected serial port to Garmin Data Transfer. If the software in the GDL 39 is old(likely), the Aera 660 will automatically update it with the GDL 39 software it is holding (GDL 39 V4.91).

Steve
 
Don't have that cable so I thought I'd download Garmin Pilot 30 day trial just to update the 39 if there isn't another way but it's not seeing my iPhone either so that's out too. I'm going to text the seller because the lights are blinking but the Bluetooth is not broadcasting.
 
Don't have that cable so I thought I'd download Garmin Pilot 30 day trial just to update the 39 if there isn't another way but it's not seeing my iPhone either so that's out too. I'm going to text the seller because the lights are blinking but the Bluetooth is not broadcasting.

I would bet that you have some folks close by that could plug your GDL 39 into their cable and update the software.

If you want to come to Kansas City, I will meet you at the airport and do it! :)

Steve
 
Thank you for your offer. I'm not having any luck getting things online lately !!

Ordered two LEDs for landing and taxi lights and one of them came broken to pieces because they mailed it in the bag without a box (the other one in the box survived).

The JPI830 I ordered online was acting up (the display was going blank and the RPM was super erratic) until we figured out what was wrong, even though tech support at JPI is non-existent.

Finally the 660 data cable a new friend gave me failed out of the brand new box (got it working by Frankensteining it with another one I had to cannibalise),

and now this GDL39 isn't broadcasting Bluetooth!

Going to have to go on a spiritual retreat to see if I get cleared up LOL !!!
 

Attachments

  • 390AC0F5-3F7C-491E-8753-1BBA417FB43A.jpg
    390AC0F5-3F7C-491E-8753-1BBA417FB43A.jpg
    167.6 KB · Views: 94
  • F2E8BB0F-ACC7-4893-B1F8-0F3B89CC81BF.jpg
    F2E8BB0F-ACC7-4893-B1F8-0F3B89CC81BF.jpg
    293.1 KB · Views: 111
Last edited:
I also clicked on the 660 :
Forget all devices
Restore Default

and then did a search and the iPhone and the TV DVR show up but no 39
You might try to turn off Bluetooth for everything in site but the GDL 39 and Aera 660 and see if that makes a difference.

Probably not, but worth a try.

I would also try turning the GDL 39 on/off several times when nothing else is turned on (but the Aera 660) and see if it ever pops up in the Aera 660 BT list.

How are you powering the GDL 39? Make sure it has clean power.

Steve
 
You might try to turn off Bluetooth for everything in site but the GDL 39 and Aera 660 and see if that makes a difference.

Probably not, but worth a try.

I would also try turning the GDL 39 on/off several times when nothing else is turned on (but the Aera 660) and see if it ever pops up in the Aera 660 BT list.

How are you powering the GDL 39? Make sure it has clean power.

Steve

Yep, I turned off everything and also have tried turning one on first, then the other one first, nothing changes.

I was powering it with a Garmin 120vac power cord but I switched to a 12vdc cord and no difference. The power cords are the same ones the Aera 560 GPS uses.
 
Shoot---just call Garmin Aviation support at 1 866 739 5687. Press option 1. Be at your plane, (or have your 660 and 39 handy) when you call. They'll fix you right up.

(7 to 7 Kansas time)
 
Last edited:
Shoot---just call Garmin Aviation support at 1 866 739 5687. Press option 1. Be at your plane, (or have your 660 and 39 handy) when you call. They'll fix you right up.

I wish I had thought of that earlier, that'll leave me all weekend until Monday now thinking about this :eek:

After looking on eBay there are a few GDL39s for sale that are advertised as working fine but without Bluetooth, so it seems that could be a recurring issue with these things? Hopefully not.

My options are getting slimmer by the minute:

- Wait until Monday and pray that Garmin won't tell to send it to them with $500 for them to check it

- Ask to return this one and buy another one

or

- Buy this cable to power the 39 and to connect it to the 660 using the bare wire data cable I'm already using for the 660 to the JPI 830? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/garmindatapowercable.php
 
I wish I had thought of that earlier, that'll leave me all weekend until Monday now thinking about this :eek:

After looking on eBay there are a few GDL39s for sale that are advertised as working fine but without Bluetooth, so it seems that could be a recurring issue with these things? Hopefully not.

My options are getting slimmer by the minute:

- Wait until Monday and pray that Garmin won't tell to send it to them with $500 for them to check it

- Ask to return this one and buy another one

or

- Buy this cable to power the 39 and to connect it to the 660 using the bare wire data cable I'm already using for the 660 to the JPI 830? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/garmindatapowercable.php

I never heard of a GDL 39, (or any GDL) without bluetooth.:cool:;) (I was having trouble blue tooth connecting my 39 to my tablet and Garmin Pilot a coupla weeks ago---not that I haven't done it a 100 times before. So, called this Garmin Support number. They told me what to do. Guess I was pushing the kesnoosin button instead of the kesneesin button.
 
Last edited:
I never heard of a GDL 39, (or any GDL) without bluetooth.:cool:;)

"...working fine but without Bluetooth, so it seems that could be a recurring issue..." as in everything works except their Bluetooth so it seems that the Bluetooth failing is a common problem with the GDL39s.
 
The Bluetooth pairing suggestion above sounds a little odd compared to other Bluetooth devices i've used. Usually one needs to hold down the pairing button until the light does something to indicate it's in a different mode, then you go to your (phone/tablet/660) and look for available devices, and then you pair it. There's no putting it in a mode and then power cycling it.

Just turning a BT device on and then trying to pair to it doesn't work with BT headphones, in fact you frequently won't even see them until they're in the pairing mode. Maybe Garmin does something different, I guess, but it seems odd.
 
The Bluetooth pairing suggestion above sounds a little odd compared to other Bluetooth devices i've used. Usually one needs to hold down the pairing button until the light does something to indicate it's in a different mode, then you go to your (phone/tablet/660) and look for available devices, and then you pair it. There's no putting it in a mode and then power cycling it.

Just turning a BT device on and then trying to pair to it doesn't work with BT headphones, in fact you frequently won't even see them until they're in the pairing mode. Maybe Garmin does something different, I guess, but it seems odd.

I'll call them Monday. From what I'm reading, the 39 is in pairing mode as soon as you turn it on. If you can't find it to pair THEN you hard reset it by doing the process explained before. When you recycle power at the end of that process it just turns on in the normal pairing mode.

Here's exactly what they say:
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2022-01-08 at 10.53.24 AM.png
    Screen Shot 2022-01-08 at 10.53.24 AM.png
    312.9 KB · Views: 70
or

- Buy this cable to power the 39 and to connect it to the 660 using the bare wire data cable I'm already using for the 660 to the JPI 830? https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/garmindatapowercable.php

In my opinion, all important things in the aircraft should be hardwired, both for data and power. Traffic, weather, mapping, flight planning - all important things.

Just power everything up and go fly. No fussing with wireless connections.

You won't be sorry if you buy this cable and hardwire it in.

cf-lg.jpg


Steve
 
I had similar issues with the 660 and 39 connecting. Ended up finding a used bare wire cable for the 39 and hard wired it in. Now there are no issues and updates to the 39 are very easy from the 660.

The cable is hard to find right now. Put WTB threads up on a few forums before I got a hold of one.
 
In my opinion, all important things in the aircraft should be hardwired, both for data and power. Traffic, weather, mapping, flight planning - all important things.

Just power everything up and go fly. No fussing with wireless connections.

You won't be sorry if you buy this cable and hardwire it in.

cf-lg.jpg


Steve


I agree and saw that cable as an option so I contacted the seller before I went that route. He bought the 39 as a package deal with a Garmin 796 but since he only needed the 796, he just plugged in the 39 to see it light up but never tested it. I don't want to throw more money after bad money if the 39 is not working, which at this point nobody can really confirm.

So I'm going to call Garmin on Monday morning and if they can't give me a secret handshake to get it to pair on Bluetooth then I'll just return it to the seller for a refund. He's a member here in good standing so I don't foresee any issues with that.

The downside if it doesn't work and I have to return it is that I'd just have to start searching for another GDL because I'm very impressed with the TargetTrend that the Stratux doesn't provide. For my safety, TargetTrend is a game changer that I didn't even know about until a few days ago, that if I had known I would have gone Garmin ADSB-IN before. I feel that's one of those features that isn't advertised as much as it should since it separates Garmin from the others. I really wish the guy who sold me my plane had installed the Garmin GTX 345 transponder with both Out and IN but he only bought it with the Out.
 
Last edited:
Understand.

If you end up shopping for a replacement unit, you might want to consider the remote mount GDL 39R/50R/52R units since they use a standard 9 pin connector for data and power and you can make your own cabling instead of having to buy something special.

They also use robust BNC connectors for antenna connections. Since all of these units receive GPS data from the connected Garmin portable, you only have to worry about connecting an ADS-B antenna.

The GDL 50R/52R units support RS-232 connections to 2 display units.

AM-JKLWYQHPV1xTSHT4UQNN5Vau-PM0TBK1hQa_RFfuY6LFFBlFClnUPf3v0soG8ep42sEpgJUy1AXRZ5y_WIgYM8t5niZRLCa7kw3WUprXJy2WIXZLJgMaX-Gb_eUJLY0KNTsh6_qhQgEVdRJAuJdbNOOSw=w520


I have used GDL 39R and now GDL 52R units in my plane for the last 10 yrs.

Steve
 
You're full of great info and we also think on the same lines :D I saw that 39R unit but they're also twice the price if I can get one. I was already planning on installing the -39 hidden away from the sun and adding a couple of cables to remote the ADSB and GPS antennas if I went Bluetooth. If I end up going with the bare wire cable directly, you are correct, it'll save me the GPS antenna (I already have one spare anyway).

What did you do with the 39R when you replaced it with the 52R?
 
The downside if it doesn't work and I have to return it is that I'd just have to start searching for another GDL because I'm very impressed with the TargetTrend that the Stratux doesn't provide. For my safety, TargetTrend is a game changer that I didn't even know about until a few days ago, that if I had known I would have gone Garmin ADSB-IN before.

Is TargetTrend a function of the GDL39, or is it something the 660 provides based on the input from the GDL39? I suspect it's the latter, not the former.

FWIW, there's a group working on a serial data connection from the Stratux to the 660. It's working on the bench, but I don't know if anyone has flown it yet and it hasn't been rolled into the main Stratux branch. When that's running, you may get TargetTrend on the 660 from a hardwired Stratux.
 
Is TargetTrend a function of the GDL39, or is it something the 660 provides based on the input from the GDL39?

Hard to tell because in this video the Garmin guy says around 2:30 that it's in select Garmin displays (and mentions the portable and Pilot app) and all you need is a "compatible ADSB-IN receiver". Of course compatible up to now means a Garmin receiver so who knows if it's in the data stream out of the 39 or if it's something already in the 660 software.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFYkJCESd6o
 
Based on that video and what TargetTrend provides, i'm about 90% sure that the functionality is in the software on the 660, not in the GDL39 itself.
 
Based on that video and what TargetTrend provides, i'm about 90% sure that the functionality is in the software on the 660, not in the GDL39 itself.

That would be great news for the Stratux project if they ever get it to connect with the 660 and it's available for everyone to use.
 
So Carlos----did you call Garmin and did you get your 39 to blue tooth connect???:rolleyes:

I did call Garmin and after the music on hold for an employee we then spent 13 minutes actual troubleshooting. I did learn something new for the 39 owners, more info not in the manual regarding troubleshooting the GDL39:

What we find in the manual "clears the device memory" and returns it to a "factory state" ready to connect. :

NOTE: If having issues making a Bluetooth connection hold the power button
down for 5 seconds. The blue LED will begin blinking. Release the power
button and then press the Power button again for 5 seconds. Power cycle
the GDL 39 and retry making a Bluetooth connection.


In this state it's like when you just turn it on where it's ready to connect automatically:

- to the first thing it finds, and then you manually pair it, or
- to any device which it's already been paired to, in which case it pairs automatically.


The next troubleshooting step is to press the button for 5 seconds until we again have a solid Green light and a flashing Blue light BUT THIS TIME DON'T RELEASE THE BUTTON. At this point the 39 should do one of 2 things:

1- Green light stays solid and Blue light goes out, and the 39 connects and everybody is happy

2- Blue light goes out and Green light starts flashing, indicating the 39 has an old software which should be updated immediately

When the 39 just stays there with a solid Green light and a flashing Blue light without going out (like mine does), then you've officially stumped the Garmin tech because there's no reason for it to do that except that the 39 is bad. There's no other option for it.



So I ordered a couple of Mouser connectors to build a GDL39 bare wire data/power cable and they're scheduled to arrive by end of this week. After I wire the 39 directly to the 660 we'll see if only the WIFI is bad or if the entire 39 is bad.

Power: 2 end pins on each side (Single Keyed and Dual Keyed sides)
Ground: 4th pin from the power pin on the Single Keyed side and 5th pin from the power pin on the Dual Keyed side

Based on what Mike Bullock (bullojm1) and Mark Giron (MeGiron) posted back in 2013, and on what I found when I opened mine I believe the Single Keyed side pins are 2,4,6,8, etc and the Dual Keyed side pins are 1,3,5,7,9, etc *** Received the connector kits from Mouser and confirmed these pin numbers on each side are correct.

SO then the Data Pairs should be:
Pin 10 Receive A
Pin 11 Txmt A

Pin 13 Receive B
Pin 14 Txmt B


Mouser part numbers and prices :

Connector -
Mfr.: Hirose Electric
Mfr. #: ST40X-18S-CV(30)
Mouser #: 798-ST40X-18S-CV30 $3.68

Cable Bushing -
Mfr.: Hirose Electric
Mfr. #: ST40X-BS(4.0)
Mouser #: 798-ST40X-BS4.0 $0.55

.
 
Last edited:
Holy Cow----I thought they would just get it going for you. Sorry you have to do all this extra wiring stuff.:(:(
 
Holy Cow----I thought they would just get it going for you. Sorry you have to do all this extra wiring stuff.:(:(

Thanks. I really don't HAVE to do it because the seller, who's a member here on VAF, already offered to refund my money, but I'm going to do it to help him find out if the 39 is good or not. He bought the 39 as a package deal and never used it, he only wanted the rest of what was in the package deal.

I also could have just replied to your question "I called and Garmin couldn't get it to work" but by posting a longer detailed comment I'm hoping it might help others in the future, like you and me and others try to do all the time in this forum.
 
Last edited:
Based on that video and what TargetTrend provides, i'm about 90% sure that the functionality is in the software on the 660, not in the GDL39 itself.

I just read the description for the GDL52 and it reinforces me leaning to think that TargetTrend is in the display and not the ADSB receiver. Look closely at the words in this description of the GDL52. We also have the typical words already heard before in the video "on compatible displays" but this time it's talking about the ADSB receiver not the display.

"To further extend your traffic monitoring capability (on compatible displays), the GDL 52 receiver also allows access to our TargetTrend relative motion tracking technology."
 
Helped me. I printed up what you said, a put it my RV 8 manual, under the GDL 39 section. Hope I'll never need it, but hey-----------
 
Back
Top