Garmin 420W limitations for IFR

FlyingMonkey

FlyingMonkey

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FlyingMonkey
looking at buying a plane. Eventually want to fly IFR and wondering what the limitations of the Garmin 420W are vs the 430W. Can anyone advise?
 
It doesn't include a VOR or ILS receiver. You can still use it for enroute navigation and GPS approaches, including LPVs. I believe it is legal to file and fly with it as your sole source of navigation, though personal appetite for risk might make you want some kind of non-GPS backup. Perhaps the aircraft has another nav or comm/nav radio as well?
 
As long as you're happy with a standard VOR/Loc setup using your separate Nav radio, it's a perfectly good piece of equipment. No problem.
 
Yep, fully functional for what it is capable of, if Nav2 supplies all you want for VHF terrestrial systems, you're good to go, but I don't think it's a requirement to have.
 
The biggest drawback is that there's no way to get the ILS presentation and the GPS presentation on the same head (without external switching). This is particularly bad if you're using an HSI or one of its electronic counterparts.
 
I'd say save some money and just get a GNS400W or upgrade to a 430.

If this is a plane you're going keep I'd get the 430W.
 
Henning said:
Yep, fully functional for what it is capable of, if Nav2 supplies all you want for VHF terrestrial systems, you're good to go, but I don't think it's a requirement to have.
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Exactly. Starting from scratch I'd pick the 430W for more redundancy and added resale value, but I'd be perfectly happy with the 420W as long as I had at least one Nav radio suitable for shooting an ILS. I can't see spending the money to upgrade to a 430W at that point.
 
TUPilot said:
Exactly. Starting from scratch I'd pick the 430W for more redundancy and added resale value, but I'd be perfectly happy with the 420W as long as I had at least one Nav radio suitable for shooting an ILS. I can't see spending the money to upgrade to a 430W at that point.
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I couldn't see upgrading from an existing 420w, but if I had a Kx-155 and Kx-170B, I would throw out the 170B and get a 430.
 
The 430 is WAAS capable, correct? And they can be made ADS-B compliant?
 
UngaWunga said:
The 430 is WAAS capable, correct? And they can be made ADS-B compliant?
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The 430W is WAAS, the 430 is not.

The 430W does not squit or emit so a transmitter is required to be ADS-B-out compliant. The details are rather important here.
 
Clark1961 said:
The 430W is WAAS, the 430 is not.

The 430W does not squit or emit so a transmitter is required to be ADS-B-out compliant. The details are rather important here.
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Uhh kinda, a 430 can be made WAAS, as for the ADSB, that's a comparable transponder (eg 330ES) and a WAAS GPS.
 
James331 said:
Uhh kinda, a 430 can be made WAAS, as for the ADSB, that's a comparable transponder (eg 330ES) and a WAAS GPS.
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Not "kinda" a 430 cannot be a position source for ADS-B. Yes, a 430W can be a position source for ADS-B. Yes, with the application of enough dollars a 430 can be converted to a 430W but that has little to do with the poster's question.

The ADS-B out does not have to be a transponder but it can be. There are lower cost solutions to provide ADS-B out than to convert a 430 to 430W and add a 330ES.

As I already typed, the details are important here.
 
Thanks. I'm just starting to get familiar with all the avionic bits, and of course am astounded by the costs.

What's a good (less expensive) way of getting an IFR/WAAS GPS that is ADS-B compliant?
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Do you mean GPS400W? I think it's the 430 that has the GNS prefix.

Bigger question is: what about the 400W makes it work for ADSB when the 430W/530W won't?
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It won't?

Funny my 330ES and GNS 430W seem to?
 
UngaWunga said:
Thanks. I'm just starting to get familiar with all the avionic bits, and of course am astounded by the costs.

What's a good (less expensive) way of getting an IFR/WAAS GPS that is ADS-B compliant?
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If you want an IFR/WAAS GPS then converting the 430 to a 430W is probably your best bet.

For ADS-B out only look at some of the new transponders from non-Garmin vendors: King, Trimble (or whoever they are), Sandia, etc. There are also some UAT solutions available now that may be cheaper than a new transponder that squits.

If you want ADS-B in and out then the Garmin product GDL-whatever (not the 330ES transponder) is one way to go. There are some competing products out but I haven't looked into them.

I already had a 430W and ADS-B in when I decided to add the ADS-B out capability. With the turbo Dakota I went with a squitter since I didn't want to limit the aircraft to 18,000.
 
TangoWhiskey said:
Do you mean GPS400W? I think it's the 430 that has the GNS prefix.

Bigger question is: what about the 400W makes it work for ADSB when the 430W/530W won't?
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The 430w will work for what it provides, the WAAS GpS signal, it is just not sufficient in itself.
 
There is a whole ball of wax that few people consider.

430w and 530w appear to me, not to meet the latest TSO requirements for Com radios which is TSO-169a or TSO C128a (frequency jamming prevention due to stuck mic) What does that mean? They pretty much are obsolete.

I've been considering a VOR/GS/COM/WAAS unit for a while and still keep finding reasons to avoid the older GNS series.
 
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Jaybird180 said:
If you're going to remove the 420, it may be better and more cost effective to go this route: it's a slide-in replacement

http://www.avidyne.com/products/ifd540/ifd440-product-compare.asp
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:rofl: They couldn't even get their comparative chart right, they said the "yes" under the 430w supporting Victor Airways, it doesn't, although now you can manage it if you get the Bluetooth link and control it from Garmin Pilot on a mobile device.

I heard good things about that radio and it was one of the things I was interested to check out at OSH.
 
Henning said:
:rofl: They couldn't even get their comparative chart right, they said the "yes" under the 430w supporting Victor Airways, it doesn't, although now you can manage it if you get the Bluetooth link and control it from Garmin Pilot on a mobile device.

I heard good things about that radio and it was one of the things I was interested to check out at OSH.
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That suggested retail is a big turnoff when I can buy a GTN650 ~$9600 and install it myself.
 
bnt83 said:
There is a whole ball of wax that few people consider.

430w and 530w appear to me, not to meet the latest TSO requirements for Com radios which is TSO-169a or TSO C128a (frequency jamming prevention due to stuck mic) What does that mean? They pretty much are obsolete.

I've been considering a VOR/GS/COM/WAAS unit for a while and still keep finding reasons to avoid the older GNS series.
Click to expand...

No reason to look for more reasons, there are already a ton of them, they are obsolete architecture. For a fresh install I would not do it. If I wanted to add the WAAS GPS capacity as cheap as possible, I would use a 400W and control it with an N7 or some Android device. If I wanted get the best box, I'd get the 750. The 750 finally has the developed architecture that doesn't annoy me every time I reach for the radio. I could also possibly consider the Avidyne, I haven't seen it though to make a judgement.
 
I have a Garmin 420 (non-WAAS) hooked up to a Century HSI. When I'm shooting anything other than an RNAV approach, my scan looks like someone watching a game of tennis because I have to use my NAV2, the CDI for which is practically in another zip code.

Two owners ago, the plane did have a Garmin 430, but the guy pulled it out and put in a Garmin 420 before he sold it. Son of a...

The ONE nice thing about the 420 is that it replaces the CDI button with a NRST button, so that's handy when the chips are down.
 
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