GMX200 End Of Life

Quite a long life for what started as the UPS Aviation Technologies / Apollo MX20.
 
Unfortunately, I have a GMX-200 that I bought less than a year ago to replace my MX-20. The display on the GMX-200 started getting flaky a couple weeks after the warrantee expired and now hasn't worked in months. It's currently labeled as "INOP" and the breaker is pulled and zip-tied.

I haven't taken the trouble to really get into this, but it *looks* like it's a display cable issue and I recall the repair manual saying that such a thing is not field serviceable and would need to be sent to Garmin. I have an annual coming up... any suggestions?

GMX-200.jpg
 
Only suggestion I have is call Garmin and see if they can repair it now instead of waiting.
 
TCABM said:
I have an annual coming up... any suggestions?
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It's a 20 year old avionic that's not supported any more. You're flying without it, so do you really need that capability? How long will you be flying this plane? You might just have it pulled out and a blank cover put in its place.

If you do need that function, if you're flying for a while, I'd just replace it with something newer. Life is short, you fly for fun. You shouldn't have to deal with the idea that even if somehow you spent money to repair it, it could futz out at anytime. Take the short term pain of buying a unit that will work, be supported, and you don't have to worry about.

Then go fly and enjoy it.
 
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WDD said:
It's a 20 year old avionic that's not supported any more. You're flying without it, so do you really need that capability? How long will you be flying this plane? You might just have it pulled out and a blank cover put in its place.

If you do need that function, if you're flying for a while, I'd just replace it with something newer. Life is short, you fly for fun. You shouldn't have to deal with the idea that even if somehow you spent money to repair it, it could futz out at anytime. Take the short term pain of buying a unit that you will work, be supported, and you don't have to worry about.

Then go fly and enjoy it.
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This is good advice. The one thing that was nice about the GMX200 was its ability to show traffic and weather on a decent sized display and in a place that the passenger could see without too much trouble. I'm thinking a gently used GNS530 could also do this and I could remove my existing COM2 (KX155). On the other hand... something even newer might be way nicer in the short term and better position me for a future panel upgrade.
 
If you don’t fly IFR, why not just show traffic and weather on a tablet running ForeFlight, I Fly, etc.?
 
NACA 0012 said:
This is good advice. The one thing that was nice about the GMX200 was its ability to show traffic and weather on a decent sized display and in a place that the passenger could see without too much trouble. I'm thinking a gently used GNS530 could also do this and I could remove my existing COM2 (KX155). On the other hand... something even newer might be way nicer in the short term and better position me for a future panel upgrade.
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So replace the EOL’d GMX with an effectively EOL’d GNS?

ETA: what is the GMX doing that an EFB can’t?
 
WDD said:
If you don’t fly IFR, why not just show traffic and weather on a tablet running ForeFlight, I Fly, etc.?
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TCABM said:
So replace the EOL’d GMX with an effectively EOL’d GNS?

ETA: what is the GMX doing that an EFB can’t?
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It isn't obvious, but I agree with you about replacing the GMX with the GNS... BTW, brand-new avionics is also something that our avionics shop will get way more excited about!

As for the EFB comments... aside from being a nice backup, it's nice to have something for my passenger(s) to look at! Times in the past when I've given someone a tablet so they can "follow along", they've invariably ended up touching something on the screen that required my attention to fix.
 
If traffic and WX is all you need, an older tablet dedicated for that is much cheaper than any replacement.
 
NACA 0012 said:
….As for the EFB comments... aside from being a nice backup, it's nice to have something for my passenger(s) to look at! Times in the past when I've given someone a tablet so they can "follow along", they've invariably ended up touching something on the screen that required my attention to fix.
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Have you considered something like a panel dock for an efb?

I’m not here to help you not spend your money, but I would ask if you know what problem you’re trying to solve for and, if so, have you considered the budget and different ways to achieve that.

1. You could see about G’s ability to repair your GMX before the end of support date
2. You could replace the panel MFD with something different that is permanently installed.
3. You could use a portable device
4. You can do nothing


Those are the options I see.
 
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Hadn't considered just handing to passenger a tablet. I had assumed it would be RAM mounted on the panel or somewhere.

Next question - what ADSB In source do you have?
 
Pull the gmx200 and 430 and kx155, put in some combination of gtx345/gnc355/gnx375/gtr205 as needed.
 
All of this is good advice. My main objective is to have fun flying my airplane and to this end, I want to minimize down-time, improve safety and reliability, and have some $$$ left over for 100LL.
 
NACA 0012 said:
All of this is good advice. My main objective is to have fun flying my airplane and to this end, I want to minimize down-time, improve safety and reliability, and have some $$$ left over for 100LL.
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Then do nothing further with the GMX.
 
TCABM said:
Then do nothing further with the GMX.
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Eh - maybe have the A&P remove it at next annual just to not deal with the INOP sticker issue.

Still on board with if the objective is just to have traffic and weather visible, if OP is not flying IFR, then buy a good used tablet (as others have also suggested).

So, following that line of thought further........

What EFB and what tablet will depend on the OP's ADSB IN source. If it's Garmin ADSB IN, then buy an I Pad Mini and stick with ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot. If it's something like a Stratus 3 or 4, then you can also use other EFBs such as I Fly. Tablets can then be Androids in addition to I Pads.
 
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WDD said:
Eh - maybe have the A&P remove it at next annual just to not deal with the INOP sticker issue.

Still on board with if the objective is just to have traffic and weather visible, if OP is not flying IFR, then buy a good used tablet (as others have also suggested).

So, following that line of thought further........

What EFB and what tablet will depend on the OP's ADSB IN source. If it's Garmin ADSB IN, then buy an I Pad Mini and stick with ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot. If it's something like a Stratus 3 or 4, then you can also use other EFBs such as I Fly. Tablets can then be Androids in addition to I Pads.
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To answer a couple of questions...

I only recently began flying IFR (so I need all the help I can get!). I have a GDL88 to send/receive ADSB data (it also receives FIS-B) along with a FlightStream 210 to share these data with other devices in the plane (using Bluetooth). I use an iPad Mini to run Garmin Pilot and my Pixel 7 (phone) is a backup (but GP isn't quite the same on Android). For now, I'm pretty happy with how well all of this works together.
 
NACA 0012 said:
I only recently began flying IFR
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Ah...

Get a GTN 650xi. You'll get a new Com and Nav in the deal. IFR flying is not a place where you want to save as much money as possible. IMC is a bad place to have your bargain refurbished what not stop working.

At least get a Garmin 175. Screen is small, but it works.
 
WDD said:
Flying IFR and not wanting avionics is a difficult combination.
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I don’t recall [mention]NACA 0012 [/mention] mentioning what all is in his panel.

I’m to the point on retrofit questions where my standard answer for an IFR panel retrofit is Dynon or Garmin TAA unless you’re flying G1000 and that answer is sell it and buy something with a Dynon or G TAA retrofit done.

I just looked at a 182P that was retrofitted with G3X/G5/GTN750/GFC500 and nearly bought it for less what G1K-equipped 182s are going for. Like it or not the G1000 is going to EOL sooner or later, especially if you’re flying a Mooney.
 
TCABM said:
I just looked at a 182P that was retrofitted with G3X/G5/GTN750/GFC500 and nearly bought it for less what G1K-equipped 182s are going for. Like it or not the G1000 is going to EOL sooner or later, especially if you’re flying a Mooney.
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That’s because the G1K aircraft are all restarts. Agree though that the retrofitted one is also very nice, and if do another restart would look for one pre-G1K to avoid the TCDS issue. Put in what you want. Plus I have never been in love with G1K since like the 530, was designed by an IT person, not an actual pilot.

750 cures all issues - nav/com and display.
 
That... was well said. I've had training on the G1000, and I'm sure it's a great avionic, but I didn't find it intuitively easy. YMMW

Bonus: There is a local flight school that bought several used 172's with G1000's from North Dakota. And....... they're Non WAAS. Can't take out the G1000 and replace with GTNxi 750 or 650. Don't think they even repair Non WAAS G1000s, but could be wrong on that. Want to update? Have to spend $30, 40k ? for a new G1000 WAAS. But wait, there's more! On the Garmin Website it has this little nugget for a G1000xi upgrade:
Surely the planes won't have to be scrapped when their Non Wass G1000's break, there must be a way to upgrade. I just don't see it - I have to be missing something.
 
WDD said:
That... was well said. I've had training on the G1000, and I'm sure it's a great avionic, but I didn't find it intuitively easy. YMMW

Bonus: There is a local flight school that bought several used 172's with G1000's from North Dakota. And....... they're Non WAAS. Can't take out the G1000 and replace with GTNxi 750 or 650. Don't think they even repair Non WAAS G1000s, but could be wrong on that. Want to update? Have to spend $30, 40k ? for a new G1000 WAAS. But wait, there's more! On the Garmin Website it has this little nugget for a G1000xi upgrade:
Surely the planes won't have to be scrapped when their Non Wass G1000's break, there must be a way to upgrade. I just don't see it - I have to be missing something.
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Long ago when WAAS first came out Garmin would upgrade the GPS LRUs (and presumably config module) to WAAS for about $1500 per LRU. Later that was much more expensive, maybe in the $4000 per LRU range. So maybe there's a path for the non-WAAS to WAAS upgrade, but it's possible that path is gone at any price. I don't know if the actual screens also changed - the relatively low price was due to promises that when WAAS was ready, the upgrade would be (relatively) cheap. King did the same with their KLN-94, but never actually delivered the upgrade (would have been equivalent to 530 -> 530W, which was also initially affordable, but they actually sent a new box if I recall).
 
Steamflyer said:
So maybe there's a path for the non-WAAS to WAAS upgrade, but it's possible that path is gone at any price.
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I believe you are correct that they no longer offer that upgrade.

Tangent:
Why did Cessna "permanently weld" a G1000 avionic into the certification of a plane? The one part of a plane that is guaranteed to become obsolete and that, as with other avionics, be eventually be replaceable by something newer, better, and probably cheaper.
 
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That's why I tell people that non-integrated panels are a good thing.
Yes, not as pretty and feature-rich as the integrated cockpit, but a lot easier to keep airworthy and airborne.
 
WDD said:
That... was well said. I've had training on the G1000, and I'm sure it's a great avionic, but I didn't find it intuitively easy. YMMW

Bonus: There is a local flight school that bought several used 172's with G1000's from North Dakota. And....... they're Non WAAS. Can't take out the G1000 and replace with GTNxi 750 or 650. Don't think they even repair Non WAAS G1000s, but could be wrong on that. Want to update? Have to spend $30, 40k ? for a new G1000 WAAS. But wait, there's more! On the Garmin Website it has this little nugget for a G1000xi upgrade:
Surely the planes won't have to be scrapped when their Non Wass G1000's break, there must be a way to upgrade. I just don't see it - I have to be missing something.
Click to expand...

That’s been a problem for more than just Cessna. Sourcing the hardware (GIA 63W) is not a trivial endeavor. There’s also the matter of an STC since the G1K is listed on the TCDS. Then there’s the software update.

A non-WAAS G1000 is a good buy for someone, but I don’t know who that someone is.
 
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Let me add if I may to your thought: "non factory integrated".

I like that my GTN 650xi works with my GNC 355, they get along with the GI275's that gets along with the GFC500 But I can mix and match how I want it.
 
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