I just loaded up my new Garmin GPS175. It took all day, not including the day it took wiring and dealing with tray issue (1). Want to SHORT story read the 3rd to last Par.
All are familiar with Garmin's web pages: Fly Garmin and Garmin Aviation Database Manager (App). For a new unit, you 1st register the unit, should have GPS serial as well as plane's tail number, serial number. Not sure they let you register without an associated plane (you do get an STC with it). New units come with one time courtesy download of all the data, that expires in 90 days of registering or buying. Note I registered my unit and my database expired by the time I installed it almost a year later. My point is timing.
GPS175 came with a 8Gb SD card (the full sized not micro SD), preloaded with the Americas database. When I got the unit I was not ready to mount it, but I did bench test it with just power. It will power up but can not load data without Configuration Module and Antenna. .
NOTE: If you want to bench test it out of panel, 4 pins for power (x2 ground, x2 power) and the CONFIGURATION MODULE. That has 4 very small gauge wires (26/28 awg). Plus you need coaxial connected to GPS antenna, preferably on a metal ground plane, on a stand off the floor, with view of the sky (mine is inside near a window and works). Unit has to know day & time I think (I could be wrong). However the CONFIG Module has to be installed.
My unit would not read data to save my life. With unit off, insert data card, power up, it is suppose to see the data and prompt to load it. It would just boot, to screen showing all databases: navigation (waypoints/frequencies), terrain (ground elevation), obstacles, SafeTaxi (airport diagrams), and chart databases, approach and departure procedures, were not installed.
3 CALLS TO GARMIN... First call was they gave me access to my onetime download of data which I did. Unit still did not recognize it. I was using a new micoSD in a good adapter. I have a lot of adapters; you get them with every memory card. Some are not as good as others. Garmin does not recommend adapters but they will work, but if you can get a 16Gb-32Gb SD card. After 2nd call and failure to load, I went and bought a full sized SD card 32Gb card. Still no joy.
Before 3rd call I wondered if I had done something wrong, installing the CONFIGURATION MODULE, an external tiny potted circuit board with 4 tiny 26/28 AWG wires you pin and plug into the 62 high density 3 row D-sub, a little tedious. It lives in a pocket in the metal back shell hanging off back of tray. This is the UNIT ID. Data you download from GARMIN is unique to your units ID and yours only. I checked in system status, and had an ID, not blank or generic. That indicated my module was likely installed and being read.
I brought this up with Garmin, that I checked my ID. Turns out they had a different ID in my profile? Once Garmin corrected that ID, I went back to the Database manager (BE SURE TO LOG OUT AND LOG BACK IN DATABASE manager) and reloaded data to the SD card. I inserted it into GPS, powered up. All data loaded. If you have issues with your new GPS loading data, do check with Garmin your ID in system status page is confirmed and correct.
TIPS:
Bought a 32Gb SD card (full sized not micro) in the process of trouble shooting this issue. I was using 32Gb MicroSD/Adapter Card. Garmin does not recommend the Micro/Adapter but IT WILL WORK. The issue can be poor quality adapter cards (microSD to SD). I have a bunch of adapters and some are garbage. 8Gb card Garmin supplies is at the bottom of capacity. They recommend 8Gb to 32Gb, but 16Gb is really the min. 32Gb is the max. I tried the 8Gb card it came with formatted it, FAT 32, and tried that card, but it failed. The total loaded data is under 4Gb, zipped. I am pretty sure if not for the ID mismatch issue the micro SD + adapter would have worked. Now I have a dedicated 32Gb SD card for data.
(1) TRAY FIT WAS BAD - The D-Sub connector cutout in the back of the tray was too small and had to file tray to widen the opening. Once I could get the D-Sub to fit flush, the d-sub in tray was too low. The GPS would not seat. It was off (guessing) 0.010-0.040). Hard to tell looking from the side but it was enough I could see they were not aligned vertically. No wiggle of the GPS was enough. I took it apart, more filing of the tray opening for d-sub. I also opened up the 4 mounting holes that attaches the cast metal fitting to back of tray. The 4 screws come with lock-tie. The filing allowed connector to shift up slightly. The unit slides in easily. DO NOT FORCE IT... Those high density pins are small.
All are familiar with Garmin's web pages: Fly Garmin and Garmin Aviation Database Manager (App). For a new unit, you 1st register the unit, should have GPS serial as well as plane's tail number, serial number. Not sure they let you register without an associated plane (you do get an STC with it). New units come with one time courtesy download of all the data, that expires in 90 days of registering or buying. Note I registered my unit and my database expired by the time I installed it almost a year later. My point is timing.
GPS175 came with a 8Gb SD card (the full sized not micro SD), preloaded with the Americas database. When I got the unit I was not ready to mount it, but I did bench test it with just power. It will power up but can not load data without Configuration Module and Antenna. .
NOTE: If you want to bench test it out of panel, 4 pins for power (x2 ground, x2 power) and the CONFIGURATION MODULE. That has 4 very small gauge wires (26/28 awg). Plus you need coaxial connected to GPS antenna, preferably on a metal ground plane, on a stand off the floor, with view of the sky (mine is inside near a window and works). Unit has to know day & time I think (I could be wrong). However the CONFIG Module has to be installed.
My unit would not read data to save my life. With unit off, insert data card, power up, it is suppose to see the data and prompt to load it. It would just boot, to screen showing all databases: navigation (waypoints/frequencies), terrain (ground elevation), obstacles, SafeTaxi (airport diagrams), and chart databases, approach and departure procedures, were not installed.
3 CALLS TO GARMIN... First call was they gave me access to my onetime download of data which I did. Unit still did not recognize it. I was using a new micoSD in a good adapter. I have a lot of adapters; you get them with every memory card. Some are not as good as others. Garmin does not recommend adapters but they will work, but if you can get a 16Gb-32Gb SD card. After 2nd call and failure to load, I went and bought a full sized SD card 32Gb card. Still no joy.
Before 3rd call I wondered if I had done something wrong, installing the CONFIGURATION MODULE, an external tiny potted circuit board with 4 tiny 26/28 AWG wires you pin and plug into the 62 high density 3 row D-sub, a little tedious. It lives in a pocket in the metal back shell hanging off back of tray. This is the UNIT ID. Data you download from GARMIN is unique to your units ID and yours only. I checked in system status, and had an ID, not blank or generic. That indicated my module was likely installed and being read.
I brought this up with Garmin, that I checked my ID. Turns out they had a different ID in my profile? Once Garmin corrected that ID, I went back to the Database manager (BE SURE TO LOG OUT AND LOG BACK IN DATABASE manager) and reloaded data to the SD card. I inserted it into GPS, powered up. All data loaded. If you have issues with your new GPS loading data, do check with Garmin your ID in system status page is confirmed and correct.
TIPS:
Bought a 32Gb SD card (full sized not micro) in the process of trouble shooting this issue. I was using 32Gb MicroSD/Adapter Card. Garmin does not recommend the Micro/Adapter but IT WILL WORK. The issue can be poor quality adapter cards (microSD to SD). I have a bunch of adapters and some are garbage. 8Gb card Garmin supplies is at the bottom of capacity. They recommend 8Gb to 32Gb, but 16Gb is really the min. 32Gb is the max. I tried the 8Gb card it came with formatted it, FAT 32, and tried that card, but it failed. The total loaded data is under 4Gb, zipped. I am pretty sure if not for the ID mismatch issue the micro SD + adapter would have worked. Now I have a dedicated 32Gb SD card for data.
(1) TRAY FIT WAS BAD - The D-Sub connector cutout in the back of the tray was too small and had to file tray to widen the opening. Once I could get the D-Sub to fit flush, the d-sub in tray was too low. The GPS would not seat. It was off (guessing) 0.010-0.040). Hard to tell looking from the side but it was enough I could see they were not aligned vertically. No wiggle of the GPS was enough. I took it apart, more filing of the tray opening for d-sub. I also opened up the 4 mounting holes that attaches the cast metal fitting to back of tray. The 4 screws come with lock-tie. The filing allowed connector to shift up slightly. The unit slides in easily. DO NOT FORCE IT... Those high density pins are small.
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That is good to know, another data point. The tray was definitely a bad batch. May be I did something wrong during registration, but the serial number was correct. ID is based on that Config Module. Don't recall entering that ID directly.