How do I Determine if Garmin 530 is a WAAS Unit

eetrojan

eetrojan

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eetrojan
Yet another dumb question.

One of the school's rental 172s has a GNS 530 and I'm trying to figure out if it has WAAS capability. What's the easiest way to tell? Do these manuals from the plane make it clear that it does have WAAS?, i.e. does the "W" stand for WAAS, as opposed to Weather?


Garmin_530_Manuals.jpg
 
It should say on startup. W = WAAS.

The datacard will also have a W on it and be silver instead of green I believe.
 
Thanks guys. I'll grab the keys later today and go look to make sure.

I want to buy a John Dittmer manual and want to make sure I get the right one.
 
IIRC the supplement is required to be in the airplane along with the W&B, registration, etc. Supplement will have the details and info.
 
register@teamandras.com said:
Yet another dumb question.

One of the school's rental 172s has a GNS 530 and I'm trying to figure out if it has WAAS capability. What's the easiest way to tell? Do these manuals from the plane make it clear that it does have WAAS?, i.e. does the "W" stand for WAAS, as opposed to Weather?


Garmin_530_Manuals.jpg
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As Murphey says, the absolute final authority as to the operation of any GPS is the Approved Flight Manual Supplement...the one with the airplane's tail number on it, not the one you pick up on eBay. If the installing radio shop had to do any interconnections that is where you will find out what they are, what they do, and how to use them.

Bob Gardner
 
murphey said:
IIRC the supplement is required to be in the airplane along with the W&B, registration, etc. Supplement will have the details and info.
Click to expand...

The supplement is required to be there and I'm pretty sure your supplement will also say the pilot guide also needs to be there.
 
Ways to tell:

The front cover plate of the unit says '530w'

The data cards for the 530W are standard SD card sized - the standard non-waas unit is larger than SD card sized - longer, thicker and wider.

The paperwork is different.

The unit starts up with a 'W' in the 530 Garmin splash screen -
 
comanchepilot said:
Ways to tell:

The front cover plate of the unit says '530w' Not necessarily

The data cards for the 530W are standard SD card sized - the standard non-waas unit is larger than SD card sized - longer, thicker and wider. Same size exactly

The paperwork is different. yes

The unit starts up with a 'W' in the 530 Garmin splash screen yes-
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.....
 
Neither the 530 or 530W have anything approaching a standard SD size.
 
Brad Z said:
Not on the upgraded models.
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Which is MANY of them :yes:

Also the cards are more or less the same size.

Best bet, just hit the avionics and see what the boot screen says.
 
Here's what to do:

Avionics Master ON

MK1 eyeballs ON

Couple the MK1's to the 530 screen

Observe words on 530W screen

Focus in on the one word that says WAAS

If you can't find it, it's not a WAAS unit.
 
Also, for those who may be power- deprived, pull out the data card and look at what it says. If the trailing letter is a W, it's a WAAS card that only works in a WAAS unit.
 
It will say 530W on the startup screen. As was said the bezel of the unit won't necessarily tell you. My 430 was upgraded to waas at some point and just says "430" on it.

Have fun with the 530W... It opens up a whole new world of capability:)
 
register@teamandras.com said:
Thanks guys. I'll grab the keys later today and go look to make sure.

I want to buy a John Dittmer manual and want to make sure I get the right one.
Click to expand...

Leave your keys and wallet behind. When you rent the plane the appropriate documents are there and you should have been checked out in the operation of the systems.

You don't indicate any knowledge of what WAAS means (hint: it has nothing to do with weather) so I doubt you're IFR certified or current and you don't need to be worrying about WAAS certified GPS for VNAV approaches.

The buttonology (not a word I know) is close to the same between the 400 thru 530 series navigators (with or without WAAS)

Don't buy any books, just read the ones they have to provide with the rental
 
rolivi said:
I doubt you're IFR certified or current and you don't need to be worrying about WAAS certified GPS for VNAV approaches.
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Quite a deduction considering one can be IFR certified and current without ever laying eyes on a GPS.

If he's going to be doing RNAV/GPS approaches, which one should be learning during IFR training if the aircraft is equipped for it, then he sure SHOULD be worrying about the GPS and its functions.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Quite a deduction considering one can be IFR certified and current without ever laying eyes on a GPS.

If he's going to be doing RNAV/GPS approaches, which one should be learning during IFR training if the aircraft is equipped for it, then he sure SHOULD be worrying about the GPS and its functions.
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And would probably already know if it was WAAS so he could pick the correct minimums from the plate? And if checked out by most rental operations have demonstrated this?
 
rolivi said:
Leave your keys and wallet behind. When you rent the plane the appropriate documents are there and you should have been checked out in the operation of the systems.

You don't indicate any knowledge of what WAAS means (hint: it has nothing to do with weather) so I doubt you're IFR certified or current and you don't need to be worrying about WAAS certified GPS for VNAV approaches.

The buttonology (not a word I know) is close to the same between the 400 thru 530 series navigators (with or without WAAS)

Don't buy any books, just read the ones they have to provide with the rental
Click to expand...

Those are the actual manuals from the plane (covers at least).

I know what WAAS means (wide area augmentation system), and I generally know what it does for GPS in terms of accuracy, but I also know that the word "weather" starts with a W too so I really wasn't certain whether or not all the W-suffixes on these manual indicated WAAS or Weather.

I am not instrument rated, but I have passed my written and plan to start the flight training soon. I am considering this plane for training. I want to train in a round-gauge plane, and while I may admittedly be naive, I think I am interested in learning to fly instrument approaches with a WAAS-certified Garmin GPS too.

I was really hoping that somebody like you could tell me if the actual manuals from this very rental, as photographed by me and first shown above, clearly indicate whether or not the unit is WAAS certified.

I will eventually, of course, go back to the plane and turn it on, look at the SD cards, etc., but my curiosity to know sooner got the best of me.

Your thoughts are welcome.
 
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My 430 was converted to a WAAS unit. All my manuals(similar to those pictured above) have the W suffix. I'd guess that the W means WAAS and that the different manuals come with the updated GPS unit when it comes back from Garmin. My manual definitely has content that you're not going to have with a non-WAAS unit.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
My 430 was converted to a WAAS unit. All my manuals(similar to those pictured above) have the W suffix. I'd guess that the W means WAAS and that the different manuals come with the updated GPS unit when it comes back from Garmin. My manual definitely has content that you're not going to have with a non-WAAS unit.
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Thanks. I was grabbing the keys for the rental plane this morning to look and ran across the owner who leases it back to the flight school. He confirms that the GPS was updated to a WAAS-certified unit and, by the way, that the plane does NOT have autopilot
 
My understanding is that the WAAS models use Standard SD cards . . . . is that wrong?

I was told that by a guy at an official Garmin dealer - mine is not WAAS and obviously uses the large proprietary [read: expensive] Garmin cards =
 
comanchepilot said:
My understanding is that the WAAS models use Standard SD cards . . . . is that wrong?

I was told that by a guy at an official Garmin dealer - mine is not WAAS and obviously uses the large proprietary [read: expensive] Garmin cards =
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No, but the GTN 650/750 models use SD cards.
 
ettsn said:
No, but the GTN 650/750 models use SD cards.
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As does the G1000 (Garmin finally catches on after a while). Also the GMX200 uses an SD (which just has a regular NTFS on it with NT 4.0 (stripped) and the program that runs and the nav data). The GNS480 and the MX20's have industry standard CF cards.

Of course to be "legal" you have to use the Garmin (or Jepp) provided card. The nice thing about the industry standard cards is that they can be read with any reasonable CF or SD reader device rather than the piece-o-crap Skybound units.
 
Also, if you want to check it in flight... load an RNAV/GPS approach and fly it.

The WAAS unit will annunciate LPV or LNAV for the mins to use. The non-WAAS unit will just show APR mode.
 
I'll close on this topic by saying WAAS will give you the ability to shoot to a lower minimum altitude on many approaches.

Also gives the vertical guidance that you can practice just as well on the ILS approaches.

BUT, the OP has stated he is a beginning IFR student. Lower minimums may not be advantageous at this point. Personal minimums will likely be higher for a while.

So, WAAS or Non-WAAS in training should not be a consideration.

Probably a different thread.
 
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The other advantage (other than better minima) is that WAAS obviates the need for certain other non-GPS redundancy. You can file RNAV approaches as alternates even if your destination approach is RNAV. The requirement for preflight RAIM prediction checking goes away as well.
 
WAAS also gives you the GPS input needed to comply with ADSB transponder. If you dont have WAAS, you need a WAAS antenna and the transponder has to have its own GPS WAAS receiver etc.

But, NON WAAS GPS does just fine. You fly the same approaches, just higher minimums. And most likely you have an ILS receiver, if the airport has an ILS, you can still get the 200' minimums on the ILS. Flying enroute with the GPS and flying the ILS approach works quite well.
 
coloradobluesky said:
But, NON WAAS GPS does just fine. You fly the same approaches, just higher minimums.
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There are restrictions on the alternates if you don't have WAAS. Either your destination or your alternate can have a GPS approach but not both.
 
rolivi said:
I'll close on this topic by saying WAAS will give you the ability to shoot to a lower minimum altitude on many approaches.

Also gives the vertical guidance that you can practice just as well on the ILS approaches.

BUT, the OP has stated he is a beginning IFR student. Lower minimums may not be advantageous at this point. Personal minimums will likely be higher for a while.

So, WAAS or Non-WAAS in training should not be a consideration.

Probably a different thread.
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Of course it should be a consideration. Plenty of airports have one VOR-A approach and one or two GPS approaches.

Given a WAAS GPS, I know which one I'm picking.

It's another type of approach and if the aircraft is equipped, it should be part of the IFR training.
 
fiveoboy01 said:
Of course it should be a consideration. Plenty of airports have one VOR-A approach and one or two GPS approaches.

Given a WAAS GPS, I know which one I'm picking.

It's another type of approach and if the aircraft is equipped, it should be part of the IFR training.
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I don't understand the distinction you are making.

GPS approaches do not require WAAS. Many non-WAAS GPS's are approach certified. WAAS GPS may get you a lower minimum (LPV) but I'm not aware of any other change to the plate.

Why would you not use a GPS approach with, for example, a GX60? (Garmin/Apollo GPS/Comm, en-route and approach certified, non-WAAS)
 
The plate isn't the only difference. Enroute and approach mode scaling are also more precise with the WAAS unit. Of course you can use a non WAAS GPS for a GPS approach. But you'll use procedures similar to any other non-precision approach(no vertical guidance, less sensitive CDI scaling). That's why I said "given a WAAS GPS".
 
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Are lower minimums the only meaningful benefit to a "Localizer-Precision with Vertical Guidance" (LPV) approach?

I know nothing, but John Dittmer's aftermarket manual for the Garmin 530W says:

"WAAS provides differential corrections which improve position accuracy from about 50 feet to within 10 feet both horizontally and vertically. It also provides integrity information and alarm functions within 6 to 8 seconds verses 15 minutes from non-WAAS units. The WAAS receiver receives position updates 5 times per second verses once per second. All this means the WAAS-Certified GPS receiver can be used as the primary means of navigation from Takeoff to Landing."

And, another website says:

"Once you’ve flown a GPS approach with LPV you’ll be amazed at how the aircraft performs and how stable it is. Electronic glide paths eliminate intermediate step down approaches, or dive and drive approaches. This type of approach provides more comfort for your passengers, less ear popping, and just more comfort and safety overall. The glide path become independent of ground or barometric equipment. Everything is calculated internal to the aircraft."

http://www.duncanaviation.aero/videos/understanding_waaslpv/what_is_lpv.php
 
Lower minimums aren't the only benefit. See my post above.

Not to mention not having to do a RAIM prediction if there are no NOTAMs suggesting a WAAS signal outage.
 
I'm sorry Joe, I misread your question to be geared towards WAAS units in general... Specifically to the LPV approach the minimums are lower, I'm not sure of any other benefits, if any, specific to that approach mode compared to say an LNAV/VNAV approach. I think my knowledge of GPS is good but I'm still studying it and am far from an expert:)
 
fiveoboy01 said:
I'm sorry Joe, I misread your question to be geared towards WAAS units in general... Specifically to the LPV approach the minimums are lower, I'm not sure of any other benefits, if any, specific to that approach mode compared to say an LNAV/VNAV approach. I think my knowledge of GPS is good but I'm still studying it and am far from an expert:)
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I don't believe you get LNAV/VNAV on a non-WAAS unit; only LNAV. Also, LP is another advantage afforded by WAAS where LPV is not available because of terrain or other obstacles.
 
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