Garmin 430W database update PITA

[ScottM]

After having my 430W for a bit over a year I decided it was time to update the obstacle database.

This is a separate card from the Jeppesen card. The Jep database updates are really easy and the Skybound stuff was a breeze to install. One phone call and I was all set up with them and have been doing database updates every 28 days since purchase.

The Obstacle and terrain dbs are handles on a seperate card and you deal directly with Garmin.

I knew I needed a seperate programmer than the Skybound adapter and had taken the time to buy the almost $100 adapter. YIKES!

So off to the worlds worst designed website I have ever seen. Trying to get a database was an exercise in frustration. One would think that there would be a way to click, give them a credit card and down load. Noooooo

You have to get an account, then register you product, then dig down into several menus before you can buy the database. Once you get that done and downloaded then you get to try and update the card. That is not a plug and play adventure either. There is a plugin that has to be downloaded and then tested with little instruction on what they want. I kept getting a message that my test had failed and that I need to plug in the Garmin device.

I HAD the Garmin device plugged. What they really wanted was the device AND the datacard plugged into it!

Thankfully I will only do this once a year. For $150/database this should have been a whole lot easier.

 

[mantakos]

This process used to be dead simple. You'd go to their web site, give them a credit card number, download a file, unpack and run it, and it installed the update.

But then they "improved" it.

The new system is probably good once you get over the initial setup, but when you're just getting started, you're forced to invest a lot of time into something that doesn't seem to benefit you much in the short term.

What really got me is that it _required_ me to enter the unit's serial number, information that has absolutely no bearing on the install process whatsoever. I didn't have that information handy, so I tried making up a few different numbers until I found one that its checker decided looked enough like a real garmin serial number to allow me to proceed to the next step in the customer annoyance process.
-harry

 

[SCCutler]

I've had mine for two years - most obstacles stay right where they started. I might get the database updated next year or so. Mark at the avionics shop says he'll be glad to take care of programming it for me when I need it done. Save me the agony you described.

 

[ScottM]

What really got me is that it _required_ me to enter the unit's serial number, information that has absolutely no bearing on the install process whatsoever. I didn't have that information handy, so I tried making up a few different numbers until I found one that its checker decided looked enough like a real garmin serial number to allow me to proceed to the next step in the customer annoyance process.
-harry

I thought the whole serial number thing was pretty stupid too. I finally remembered to actually bring the card home after the flight today. When I went to update it and needed the unit serial number I was hoping I had it somewhere in the house. Thankfully I still have the packing box and it was on the outside. The next would have been to see if it was in the logbooks.

I also wondered why they needed me to register my plane with them too. I can think of no reason why they needed my n-number.

 

[ScottM]

I've had mine for two years - most obstacles stay right where they started. I might get the database updated next year or so. Mark at the avionics shop says he'll be glad to take care of programming it for me when I need it done. Save me the agony you described.

I recommend that route. It is not so much that existing obstacle move as there are new ones all the time. Lots of towers being built all the time.

 

[timotb]

So what does it cost today (2021) to update the navigation database? Have they made it easier? Can you update just once or do you have to buy a yearly subscription?

 

[Gary Ward]

After having my 430W for a bit over a year I decided it was time to update the obstacle database.

This is a separate card from the Jeppesen card. The Jep database updates are really easy and the Skybound stuff was a breeze to install. One phone call and I was all set up with them and have been doing database updates every 28 days since purchase.

The Obstacle and terrain dbs are handles on a seperate card and you deal directly with Garmin.

I knew I needed a seperate programmer than the Skybound adapter and had taken the time to buy the almost $100 adapter. YIKES!

So off to the worlds worst designed website I have ever seen. Trying to get a database was an exercise in frustration. One would think that there would be a way to click, give them a credit card and down load. Noooooo

You have to get an account, then register you product, then dig down into several menus before you can buy the database. Once you get that done and downloaded then you get to try and update the card. That is not a plug and play adventure either. There is a plugin that has to be downloaded and then tested with little instruction on what they want. I kept getting a message that my test had failed and that I need to plug in the Garmin device.

I HAD the Garmin device plugged. What they really wanted was the device AND the datacard plugged into it!

Thankfully I will only do this once a year. For $150/database this should have been a whole lot easier.

My avionics shop created my garmin online account and added all the info on the equipment they put in my panel.

my ipad with garmin pilot on it auto updates when on wifi anywhere.
Then updates my panel automatically when I start the plane. It has a fs510 card that I have never removed since it was new 4 years ago. Works flawlessly.

could not be any easier but is not cheap.

 

[Joe_B1]

My avionics shop created my garmin online account and added all the info on the equipment they put in my panel.

my ipad with garmin pilot on it auto updates when on wifi anywhere.
Then updates my panel automatically when I start the plane. It has a fs510 card that I have never removed since it was new 4 years ago. Works flawlessly.

could not be any easier but is not cheap.

Yep, convenient as heck. I got a 510 now too but $1500 for a Bluetooth card is beyond Garmin crazy!

 

[chemgeek]

So what does it cost today (2021) to update the navigation database? Have they made it easier? Can you update just once or do you have to buy a yearly subscription?

A single nav update for the 430W is $129. You can get an annual nav data subscription for $299. Once you have set up your aircraft and devices in the Garmin update site, it is very easy to purchase or install updates. I switched several years ago because it is significantly cheaper at Garmin than Jepp.