For a dying business, why can't I get anyone to return my phone call . . .

comanchepilot

comanchepilot

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Display name:
Joe Farrell, yeah, him
The "Memory Battery Low" message arrived on my 530 on Sunday.

Place 1:
"the person you need to speak isn't here, they left- call back tomorrow."
Me: Will you take a message
"Well, sure, I guess so.

2 days - no call back.

Place 2:
"We're busy, leave a message, we'll call you back"

Place 3:
"Hi, can I speak to X"
Why?
"uh, he is an avionics tech and I need a backup battery installed"
Is this for an airplane, we just do airplanes.
Why yes, that would be why I'm calling an avionics shop.
He's not here.
"Could I leave a message and ask him to call me?"
No. I don;t take messages.


Place 4:
Phone rings and rings - no one picks up
I call 3 hours later - same thing.


Place 5:
I'm calling to get my Garmin 530 back up memory battery replaced.
"whats that? huh?"
My Garmin 530 needs the back up memory battery replaced
"huh?"
Is this XXX"
Yes.
Do you know what a Garmin 530 is?
No.


No wonder this industry is failing . . .
 
I think you're mistaking a business for an industry. Avionics shops here are hiring and doing quite well.

comanchepilot said:
The "Memory Battery Low" message arrived on my 530 on Sunday.

Place 1:
"the person you need to speak isn't here, they left- call back tomorrow."
Me: Will you take a message
"Well, sure, I guess so.

2 days - no call back.

Place 2:
"We're busy, leave a message, we'll call you back"

Place 3:
"Hi, can I speak to X"
Why?
"uh, he is an avionics tech and I need a backup battery installed"
Is this for an airplane, we just do airplanes.
Why yes, that would be why I'm calling an avionics shop.
He's not here.
"Could I leave a message and ask him to call me?"
No. I don;t take messages.


Place 4:
Phone rings and rings - no one picks up
I call 3 hours later - same thing.


Place 5:
I'm calling to get my Garmin 530 back up memory battery replaced.
"whats that? huh?"
My Garmin 530 needs the back up memory battery replaced
"huh?"
Is this XXX"
Yes.
Do you know what a Garmin 530 is?
No.


No wonder this industry is failing . . .
Click to expand...
 
Wayne is right - dying indusrty - I realized that after I posted it.

And Wayne, who might that be? SBA?
 
Poor customer service and apathy of employees is rampant. It is a sad thing.

You can replace the memory battery yourself. It is quite easily done. Once familiar with the process, it only takes about 15 minutes plus a battery. There is also a certified shop offering this service on ebay for $225.

I did mine: "memory battery low" message indicates the internal battery
needs to be replaced. If the internal battery is not replaced, the 430/530 can lose
com and gps functions even in the presence of good airplane battery power.
Garmin has a flat rate service charge of $800 for the GNS430. I chose to
replace the battery myself. The battery is a Sanyo CR14250SE-FT. It is a 3
volt 850mAH lithium computer battery. It has 1 negative pin and 2 positive
pins. The process involved removal of the 430 from the tray, opening the 430 by
removal of about a dozen screws, and disconnecting a couple of computer ribbon
cables to allow removal of the board securing the battery. Once the board is
removed, the battery may be removed from the board by heating the soldered
battery pins at the board. The new battery must be soldered back to the board.
Both positive battery pins must make good contact in addition to the negative.
If only one positive pin makes good contact, you will get an error message of
either "memory battery low" or "com not responding". This entire process takes
only around 15 minutes once familiar.

If you choose to do this, there are 2 gotchas:
I recommend checking the power level of the new battery as the first new one I installed had less power than the one I was replacing. They likely do not sell many of these batteries.
When soldering the battery pins, the solder must penetrate a couple layers or you will see the error messages listed above.
 
Last edited:
Is replacement of the battery required to be logged? Is this considered "routine maintenance"?
 
I'm not a whiz with a soldering iron so I'm not poking around in the innards of a 10 AMU box with a 500 degree piece of metal. . . .

If its gonna cost me $400 to get a battery replaced maybe its time to spend $3000 and go to WAAS so that in 6 years I can go to GTX330ES and have ADS-B better. . .
 
Jaybird180 said:
Is replacement of the battery required to be logged? Is this considered "routine maintenance"?
Click to expand...
The battery fairy is a close relative of the compass fluid fairy. Since fairies are too small to hold a pen, nothing is required to be logged.
 
They must be cat lovers.

comanchepilot said:
The "Memory Battery Low" message arrived on my 530 on Sunday.

Place 1:
"the person you need to speak isn't here, they left- call back tomorrow."
Me: Will you take a message
"Well, sure, I guess so.

2 days - no call back.

Place 2:
"We're busy, leave a message, we'll call you back"

Place 3:
"Hi, can I speak to X"
Why?
"uh, he is an avionics tech and I need a backup battery installed"
Is this for an airplane, we just do airplanes.
Why yes, that would be why I'm calling an avionics shop.
He's not here.
"Could I leave a message and ask him to call me?"
No. I don;t take messages.


Place 4:
Phone rings and rings - no one picks up
I call 3 hours later - same thing.


Place 5:
I'm calling to get my Garmin 530 back up memory battery replaced.
"whats that? huh?"
My Garmin 530 needs the back up memory battery replaced
"huh?"
Is this XXX"
Yes.
Do you know what a Garmin 530 is?
No.


No wonder this industry is failing . . .
Click to expand...
 
JHW said:
The battery fairy is a close relative of the compass fluid fairy. Since fairies are too small to hold a pen, nothing is required to be logged.
Click to expand...

"The message just went away, so it's a mystery," ;)
 
You might call Mike Branigan, over in Riverside, and asked who he recommends. I am pretty handy with a soldering iron myself, used to make a living in electronics and the like before I became a lawyer, but I would also be hesitant to delve into the innards of my 430 W.

Agree with your reasoning if I had a non-W 430, and it was $800 to put a battery in, I might spring for the upgrade as well. Fair warning: you will likely have to replace the antenna cable, as well.
 
SCCutler said:
You might call Mike Branigan, over in Riverside, and asked who he recommends. I am pretty handy with a soldering iron myself, used to make a living in electronics and the like before I became a lawyer, but I would also be hesitant to delve into the innards of my 430 W.

Agree with your reasoning if I had a non-W 430, and it was $800 to put a battery in, I might spring for the upgrade as well. Fair warning: you will likely have to replace the antenna cable, as well.
Click to expand...

Already have spoken with Mike - one of his guys is #5 above. :mad2::D
 
comanchepilot said:
Already have spoken with Mike - one of his guys is #5 above. :mad2::D
Click to expand...

(Facepalm).

If you were here, I could hook you up.

Come to Dallas, I'll feed you supper.
 
I was only charged $100 to install a battery in my 430. that may have been just the labor, though.
 
SCCutler said:
...but I would also be hesitant to delve into the innards of my 430 W...
Click to expand...
Once you get the cover off you'll see it's not what most people would call "innards" and your next question will be how can anyone charge for more than 20 mins of bench time to do the job ?
 
JHW said:
Once you get the cover off you'll see it's not what most people would call "innards" and your next question will be how can anyone charge for more than 20 mins of bench time to do the job ?
Click to expand...

Okay, now you maybe want to yank that sucker out of the panel, and look inside. If I break it, I'll blame you! :D
 
Ok - I called Advantage Avionics this AM at CNO. Customer Service!

I have an appt tomorrow - and Mark is going to look and see what the WAAS will entail in terms of labor in my airplane - I already own a GTX330 and GNS530 - upgrade to waas and a 330ES satisfies the FAA for ADS-B out - looks like a $5k expense roughly. Less than I thought. Having Stratus provides the ADS-B "in" solution. . . .

But this thread is about customer service. . . . I made an appointment with an Aviation business. Cost will be about $100 while I plan for the WAAS upgrade financially. . . .

What a great job and great business - plus tomorrow am at 10 I'll be able to get an instrument approach into CNO - I'll ask for the published hold on the way in and check that box as well . . .
 
comanchepilot said:
I have an appt tomorrow - and Mark is going to look and see what the WAAS will entail in terms of labor in my airplane - I already own a GTX330 and GNS530 - upgrade to waas and a 330ES satisfies the FAA for ADS-B out - looks like a $5k expense roughly. Less than I thought. Having Stratus provides the ADS-B "in" solution. . . .
Click to expand...

That'a true aviation right there. A dead battery turns into a WAAS and ADS-B upgrade :rofl:
 
My worst mx experiences have been avionics shops. $5k upgrade seems light if you need an annunciator.
 
My 530 is flashing something that says "Memory Battery Low" I had it translated by an avionics guru and it means "Upgrade to WAAS"
 
bartmc said:
My 530 is flashing something that says "Memory Battery Low" I had it translated by an avionics guru and it means "Upgrade to WAAS"
Click to expand...

It could be a simple battery swap, but my circuit board was messed up--I started getting the message 6-8 months after I replaced the battery. I went ahead an upgraded to WAAS.
 
And by way of follow-up - I taxied up. Walked in - 8 min later the unit is on the bench. Went to Flo's - ate b-fast - bought a pie [darn, someone got the last strawberry] returned a couple calls - shot the BS with the tech for a while - 1115 I'm back in my airplane - and walking back in the door at 1209. all in all - 3 hours total.

So - Advantage in Chino, CA - highly rated and recommended. I mean, an appt they honor? $106 including tax? Ok then.
 
comanchepilot said:
And by way of follow-up - I taxied up. Walked in - 8 min later the unit is on the bench. Went to Flo's - ate b-fast - bought a pie [darn, someone got the last strawberry] returned a couple calls - shot the BS with the tech for a while - 1115 I'm back in my airplane - and walking back in the door at 1209. all in all - 3 hours total.

So - Advantage in Chino, CA - highly rated and recommended. I mean, an appt they honor? $106 including tax? Ok then.
Click to expand...

Glad it is fixed....... 106 is a smokin deal...:thumbsup:
 
N801BH said:
Glad it is fixed....... 106 is a smokin deal...:thumbsup:
Click to expand...
One man's deal is another man's (fill in the blank here)
FORANE said:
The battery is a Sanyo CR14250SE-FT. It is a 3volt 850mAH lithium computer battery. It has 1 negative pin and 2 positive pins. The process involved removal of the 430 from the tray, opening the 430 by removal of about a dozen screws, and disconnecting a couple of computer ribbon cables to allow removal of the board securing the battery.
Click to expand...
There's the battery:
http://www.batterystore.com/Sanyo/CR14250SE-FT.htm

I not only weep for the OP, I weep for all of GA:rolleyes2:
 
Jaybird180 said:
One man's deal is another man's (fill in the blank here)

There's the battery:
http://www.batterystore.com/Sanyo/CR14250SE-FT.htm

I not only weep for the OP, I weep for all of GA:rolleyes2:
Click to expand...

Yeah... I know.... When the internal battery died on my King KMD-150 I took it apart and rearranged the innered a bit to fit a battery holder and soldered in a quick hook up pig tail.... Next time it expires the replacement time should be in the order of 3 minutes.... Of course the next time it dies I too will be dead...:(
 
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