I figured it only made sense to show off my ignorance on my very first post, so here goes.
I am buying an RV-6 with kind of an interesting panel. The installed equipment is a Dynon FlightDeck D180, Garmin G5, Garmin 430 (non-WAAS), Garmin GNX 375 (with WAAS and acts as the ADS-B in/out), panel-mounted Garmin Aera 796, Dynon 2-axis autopilot with both the AP74 and HS34 modules, an ARINC 429, and ICOM KA200 comms.
Fair warning, I haven't taken possession of the plane yet so some of this is conjecture. From what I can tell, it seems the 430 feeds to the D180 via the HS34/ARINC connection, while the G5 links with the GNX 375. The 375 is apparently not compatible with the D180. I'm not sure if the 430 talks to the G5. The 796 can pull data from either of the GPS navs but essentially just provides graphical services on a better screen than the 375 or 430.
I would like to upgrade from the D180 to either an HDX or a G3X, but I don't know which would be the most efficient route to go. On the one hand, almost the entire panel is Garmin except for the D180, so a G3X would probably play nice with everything already there. On the other hand, with the AP being Dynon, I would have to replace the servos if I went G3X, and I might have to redo the EMS stuff as well.
If I bit the bullet and went all Garmin, then both the G3X and existing G5 could theoretically drive the AP, correct? I think in an HDX setup keeping the Dynon servos, my G5 would remain orphaned from the AP, right?
All that said, the current setup isn't too shabby as is, and if I cannot do the upgrade for under $10K, I am not sure it's worth it at this point. The 796 fills in at least some of the "display" gap to provide a lot of the graphical information the D180 lacks vs the newer units. I am a long way from my IFR rating, so some of the added functionality of the upgrade might be of limited use for awhile.
If I'm analyzing this correctly, which maybe I'm not, it seems like the big gains would be: 1) IFR WAAS GPS from the 375X to the PFD instead of non-WAAS from the 430; 2) gaining a built-in VFR WAAS GPS; and 3) increased capabilities with the AP. What am I missing? Opinions/recommendations?
I am buying an RV-6 with kind of an interesting panel. The installed equipment is a Dynon FlightDeck D180, Garmin G5, Garmin 430 (non-WAAS), Garmin GNX 375 (with WAAS and acts as the ADS-B in/out), panel-mounted Garmin Aera 796, Dynon 2-axis autopilot with both the AP74 and HS34 modules, an ARINC 429, and ICOM KA200 comms.
Fair warning, I haven't taken possession of the plane yet so some of this is conjecture. From what I can tell, it seems the 430 feeds to the D180 via the HS34/ARINC connection, while the G5 links with the GNX 375. The 375 is apparently not compatible with the D180. I'm not sure if the 430 talks to the G5. The 796 can pull data from either of the GPS navs but essentially just provides graphical services on a better screen than the 375 or 430.
I would like to upgrade from the D180 to either an HDX or a G3X, but I don't know which would be the most efficient route to go. On the one hand, almost the entire panel is Garmin except for the D180, so a G3X would probably play nice with everything already there. On the other hand, with the AP being Dynon, I would have to replace the servos if I went G3X, and I might have to redo the EMS stuff as well.
If I bit the bullet and went all Garmin, then both the G3X and existing G5 could theoretically drive the AP, correct? I think in an HDX setup keeping the Dynon servos, my G5 would remain orphaned from the AP, right?
All that said, the current setup isn't too shabby as is, and if I cannot do the upgrade for under $10K, I am not sure it's worth it at this point. The 796 fills in at least some of the "display" gap to provide a lot of the graphical information the D180 lacks vs the newer units. I am a long way from my IFR rating, so some of the added functionality of the upgrade might be of limited use for awhile.
If I'm analyzing this correctly, which maybe I'm not, it seems like the big gains would be: 1) IFR WAAS GPS from the 375X to the PFD instead of non-WAAS from the 430; 2) gaining a built-in VFR WAAS GPS; and 3) increased capabilities with the AP. What am I missing? Opinions/recommendations?
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