VOR woes Garmin 430W

[morganjp]

I am having issues with the following setup. Garmin 430W using Val Avionics 429 external CDI and a Bob Archer Nav antenna in ea. wingtip.

1. Using the Val 429 the ILS and glideslope work fine. The VOR works fine until I reach 1000 ft AGL and then I lose the signal. Makes a VOR approach a tad difficult. On the ground I get the morse code VOR identifier on the audio panel but the Val display is flagged ie horizontal dots all the way across.

2. 430W works fine with VAL 429 in GPS mode.

3. NAV radio in 430 W does not work at all with the VAL 429 and I get no Morse code identifier on the audio panel.

4. Archer antennas are grounded to the nut plate strip on the edge of the wingtip so grounding should not be an issue.

5. The wires to the wingtip strobes are not shielded but turning the strobes off has no effect on the VOR signal.

Any help would be gratefully appreciated.

John Morgan

[BobTurner]

Some suggestions:
1. VAL VOR. There should be an internal adjustment to set when it flags. If you can hear the ID clearly but it flags, then this adjustment needs to be adjusted.

2. If you put the 430 GPS onto OBS mode, can you set the course on the 430 using the VAL OBS?

3. The way radios communicate between radio and CDI, and OBS settings, is not standardized. There is some chance the VAL just won't work with the Garmin. This is why I asked #2. A call to VAL should clarify this.

4. Swap antennas between VAL and 430, see if Garmin nav now works. I presume you have a splitter for the GS input?

5. Do you at least hear static from the nav, or nothing? If the 430 nav is flagged the morse code is suppressed, I think. And it may flag if it cannot communicate with the cdi??

6. 430 does not need obs for the ils. Does it work on an ils? If no, see 4.

[bkthomps]

had same issue, was a fried nav board on the 430w

~900 to repair (flat rate) from garmin, works like a charm now

[morganjp]

Bob;

1/ Are you are saying that loosing the VOR signal when descending below 1000 ft AGL is an adjustment to the VAL?

2. I have put the 430 in OBS mode in the past but the VOR signal did not show up.

3/ The ILS on the 430 did show up in the past but I haven' t checked lately.
I will check again.

4/ I get static on the audio panel when connected to the 430 VOR but no morse code.

5. Val in the past has said that their unit is compatable with the 430

My main concern is the loss of signal on the VAL below 1000 ft 'AGL. With only one CDI I would rather fix the VAL issue than pay Garmin big bucks to fix their side.


John Morgan

[BobTurner]

1. As you descend the vor is getting weaker. Eventually it will flag. But if you can still hear a strong and static free morse code, the VAL is flagging too early. There is most likely an internal adjustment for this. OTOH if the signal is getting weak, everyone agrees the wingtip antenna is not as good as an external one although mine works fine.

2. Set the gps to OBS mode. This has nothing to do with the VOR. Rotating the OBS should rotate the purple course line on the map page. This will offer a clue as to whether or not the VAL obs is communicating with the 430.

3. If you can hear the morse code from a localizer, and the VAL responds, then the problem with the vor is most likely related to the val not communicating obs data to the 430.

[morganjp]

Bob;

I will try setting the OBS and see what it does. The VOR signal ( on the airport) from the VAL on the ground is weak and full of static but I can hear it. On the 430 side I get no VOR audio signal, just noise.

Thanks for your help.

John Morgan

[BobTurner]

Okay, if the sIgnal is weak then it should flag. How far away is the VOR? If it is a published approach then obviously you should be able to get a good signal at the MDA. If it is close then the next step is to look at the antenna.

I sent a PM with a suggestion to try, for the 430, to get audio ID.

[Aerosport1]

I would take it to an aviation shop and have them check the nav portion of the 430. I had a similar problem and changed antennas and all kinds of things.
after about 6 months of frustration I took it to our local aviation shop and the nav portion of the 430W was deaf as they called it. It only worked about half of what is should. I sent it back to Garmin and they agreed with the aviation shop.
$900.00 later everything worked great and it was all updated.

Geoff

[AltonD]

I had an issue and found out it was my cell phone causing the problem. turned it off, all worked well.

[PCHunt]

I am far from being an avionics expert, so take this with a grain of salt:

No one has mentioned the antenna. If I remember correctly, there have been postings in the past describing difficulties with the Bob Archer antennas, perhaps more so in all-metal airplanes. Could the fading signal as you descend be an antenna problem?