Dumb GPS/Traffic Avoidance Question...but I am researching!

[txaviator]

I flew over the weekend with my neighbor in his A36 Bonanza. I must start off by saying that God only knows what he spent in the panel.....however, his plane had some REALLY nice avionics. He had a huge Garmin 'stack' with terrain (readily showed all tall towers in our flight area, etc.) along with a traffic avoidance feature that was unreal!

Question...I know some of the Garmin units (and others) have the terrain features available, along with XM WX, radio, etc. But is there a portable/handheld unit out there that has all of this PLUS a traffic avoidance feature?

Thanks in advance....

[N941WR]

Gary,

The 496 can display traffic (Some of the other Gramin hand helds can do it to, I think.) but it needs something to drive it. Garmin's solution is the 330 transponder. The other option is a Zaon to drive that feature.

Do a search on this forum and you should find some good info on the subject.

[RVbySDI]

I have been flying with the Garmin 496 and Zaon XRX setup for two years now. It works great. I am really impressed with its ability. I have had several experiences in the past two years when it warned me of traffic long before I was ever able to see it. The audio warning instantly alerts me to the traffic and then the visual warning on the screen gives me location, direction and altitude. Once I hear the warning I immediately start looking in the direction indicated. It is a very nice function to have in the cockpit.

I was originally planning to go with the Garmin GTX 330 transponder for my RV but the difference in cost between it and the 327 is just not worth it. Plus I can install the 327 myself where the 330 requires an avionics shop installation. With the Zaon XRX I get just as much prior warning as the 330. The unit is portable so I can move it from one airplane to another easily if I need to. It will work with a multitude of portable moving map GPS units. It also will work on the GRT EFIS screens I am installing.

I would recommend the Zaon units for anyone interested in having a practical traffic avoidance system in the plane.

Oh, and lest it sound too much like a commercial, I am not affiliated with Zaon in any way. I am just a satisfied customer.