GNC-300XL GPS with GI 106A CDI

[aadamson]

Originally Posted by 7A_@ABI

Thanks, Vern & Alan. This discussion has helped me a good bit.
Yes, Vern, I was looking for a less expensive, "beginner-level" IFR package. Also, with the hope of upgrading as funds come available.

What really confuses me is that a Garmin 296/396 is WAAS enabled. What the heck for if it can't be used for IFR...or can it??? Why is it available in a handheld and not in a 300XL or even a 430 for cryin' out loud! I guess I don't get it.

Sam

Sam, yes *all* the Garmin Handhelds, both aviation, marine, and auto/personal are WAAS enabled. However, there is a big difference between using WAAS, and providing TSO compliance (a requirement for IFR flight) for WAAS. WAAS for IFR requires "integrity" monitoring. Sometimes you'll hear this called RAIM. It also has to be able to take a bad satellite out of the solution equation. That could be either a bad, regular GPS sat, or a bad WAAS sat. None of the GARMINS, do this except the 480 (which we all know, Garmin bought when they purchased UPSAT)

One of the reasons Garmin bought UPSAT was to get Aviation WAAS support, it's just taken them *forever* to get that in an actual device of their own. The 430/530 WAAS has been coming now for at least 2 years, and they just pushed the schedule back again.... Makes ya wonder about the hardware designs..... Or better put, means it will require a new and different hardware platform for the upgrade and hence the cost associated with it. You'll end up swapping out the entire box.

[Highflight]

Originally Posted by aadamson

Sam, yes *all* the Garmin Handhelds, both aviation, marine, and auto/personal are WAAS enabled. However, there is a big difference between using WAAS, and providing TSO compliance (a requirement for IFR flight) for WAAS. WAAS for IFR requires "integrity" monitoring. Sometimes you'll hear this called RAIM. It also has to be able to take a bad satellite out of the solution equation. That could be either a bad, regular GPS sat, or a bad WAAS sat. None of the GARMINS, do this except the 480 (which we all know, Garmin bought when they purchased UPSAT)

One of the reasons Garmin bought UPSAT was to get Aviation WAAS support, it's just taken them *forever* to get that in an actual device of their own. The 430/530 WAAS has been coming now for at least 2 years, and they just pushed the schedule back again.... Makes ya wonder about the hardware designs..... Or better put, means it will require a new and different hardware platform for the upgrade and hence the cost associated with it. You'll end up swapping out the entire box.

WAAS and RAIM are two totally different things.
WAAS simply increases the positioning precision of the GPS while RAIM is the capability of the GPS rig to authenticate and verify the dependability of the satellite's signals.

You can have a WAAS enabled radio that doesn't have RAIM (eg., Garmin 396), and you can have a RAIM enabled radio that doesn't have WAAS (GNC300XL).
No GPS radio without RAIM will ever meet the specs of being legally Certified for IFR flight of any kind. The GNC300XL, while not a WAAS radio, IS a RAIM enabled radio and as such is a legal IFR radio.

Sam, just get it over with and get the GNS430 at about $6000 as the basis for your IFR panel. It's a legal IFR enroute/approach radio that can now be upgraded to WAAS capability right now (at additional cost) if you feel the need for it. Plus, it's also an ILS Nav radio that will drive a glideslope.
Many will say you can build a cheaper IFR panel (and you can), but the GNS430 is about as much bang for the buck you can get at the moment.

[TX7A]

It seems we're stuck between two technoligies.
.....Nothing that money won't solve.

Sam

[Davepar]

Originally Posted by Highflight

get the GNS430 at about $6000 as the basis for your IFR panel. It's a legal IFR enroute/approach radio that can now be upgraded to WAAS capability right now (at additional cost)

Any idea what the additional cost is? The Garmin website seems to imply the upgrade/update is available but gives no further details on it.

Dave

[aadamson]

Originally Posted by Davepar

Any idea what the additional cost is? The Garmin website seems to imply the upgrade/update is available but gives no further details on it.

Dave

Well, if you got in at the beginning, you'll be smiling, I think they charged $1500 for it... Now it's something like 2000-3000 ea. Go look on Avweb or aero-news.net and see, there was an article in the last 6 mos when they stopped honoring the old price and adjusted the delivery timeframe.

[Highflight]

Right Alan, but that's for upgrading the existing units already in the field.

From a discussion I had with a knowledgeable dealer of Garmin radios, he thought (just his opinion with no proprietary knowledge) that it was entirely possible that in the future for brand new radios, buying a new GNS430 and then adding the WAAS upgrade might be only a few hundred dollars more. Note that the current crop of new GNS430's that now include Terrain cost no more than they did before Terrain was added.

I'm installing all the trays and wiring harnesses for the panel noted below in my signature but I'm not going to buy the radios themselves until I'm close to flying because I don't want to let the radios sit on a shelf burning up their 2 year warrantees.

I guess I'll find out how it works when the time comes.