KLN-94 questions

Matthew

Matthew

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Matthew
A couple questions on the use/operation of the KLN-94 GPS:

I'm a renter, and have been making the transition from a plane with the Garmin 430 to a plane with the KLN-94. Not a lot of differences, but something happened this weekend that I couldn't figure out.

1) I've found the Honeywell website that will let me download the manual, but is there someplace where I could buy the book? Do avionics shops carry these or are there better places to mail order? I'd like to have one of my own instead of trying to borrow one from the plane.

2) Is there a simulator that can be downloaded?

Here's what happened: I was heading back home from a short flight, didn't need the GPS, but since I had it, I was using it. I had punched in Direct-To my airport. No problem, but after a few minutes, I noticed it had switched my destination to a different airport. I thought maybe I had put in the wrong destination, so I did it again. After a couple minutes I saw it switch to a different destination ( the same one it had switched to previously).

I figured that another renter had entered a flight plan from my airport to this other destination and the system was still trying to follow that course. I didn't want it to distract me anymore, so I just ignored it and planned on worrying about it later.

Just a matter of learning the equipment, but I'd like to get some ideas on where to get the information.

Thanks,
Matt
 
Matthew said:
1) I've found the Honeywell website that will let me download the manual, but is there someplace where I could buy the book? Do avionics shops carry these or are there better places to mail order?
Click to expand...
I don't think shops normally carry spare copies to sell. However, I believe you can order one on line from Honeywell.
2) Is there a simulator that can be downloaded?
Click to expand...
No.
 
There is a KLN89B simulator and the KLN90, 90B, 89B, and 94 work pretty close the same way. If you learn one the rest start to make a lot more sense.
http://www.bendixking.com/static/simulators/

It does wound like you had something in FPL 0 that was messing with you. A lot of times one needs to go into the FPL and clear what ever is in FPL 0 if they are just going to use the direct to function.

The manuals, as you have noted, are on line. I have found them to be more than adequate to learn the GPS. Bendix/King writes a good manual.
 
smigaldi said:
It does wound like you had something in FPL 0 that was messing with you. A lot of times one needs to go into the FPL and clear what ever is in FPL 0 if they are just going to use the direct to function.
.
Click to expand...

That sounds like some crappy programming!
 
Matthew said:
Yeah, sounds goofy. I expected that if I put in Direct-To, it would override any flight plan. I don't use it often enough to know, though.
Click to expand...
When you put in a direct to location you do have to push the ENT key twice. Once to confirm it is the right destination and then a 2nd time to enter it into the FPL.

Once it is in the FPL 0 the rest of the waypoints that are they stay. The only way I know of the GPS to sequence to another waypoint is that you passed the one that was active or two you did not push the NET button the 2nd time.
 
It seems like there is a commercially available simulator for the KLN-94 but I can't recall who produced it.
 
The 430/530 is no different. If you go D-> any point in the active flight plan, the system will go there, then sequence to the next point in the active flight plan.
 
Ron Levy said:
The 430/530 is no different. If you go D-> any point in the active flight plan, the system will go there, then sequence to the next point in the active flight plan.
Click to expand...


...no matter how illogical the next point may be.....(so after getting DIRECT in, edit the active flight plan)
 
smigaldi said:
When you put in a direct to location you do have to push the ENT key twice. Once to confirm it is the right destination and then a 2nd time to enter it into the FPL.

Once it is in the FPL 0 the rest of the waypoints that are they stay. The only way I know of the GPS to sequence to another waypoint is that you passed the one that was active or two you did not push the NET button the 2nd time.
Click to expand...

I made sure to press the enter key twice. It actually took it, showed distance, direction, the whole thing. Then it switched to a different destination after a few minutes.

I am sure there was a flight plan entered: KOJC - KTUL. I put in D-to-KOJC. On the way to OJC, the flight plan must have taken over again, because the GPS switched to taking me to KTUL.

edit: I guess I should have added this - I was within 20NM of KOJC the whole time. From the sound of things, the system had an active flight plan (KOJC-KTUL), I went Direct-to a location in the plan (KOJC), I got close enough to that location (KOJC) and the GPS flight plan then sequenced to the next location (KTUL).
 
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Matthew said:
I am sure there was a flight plan entered: KOJC - KTUL. I put in D-to-KOJC. On the way to OJC, the flight plan must have taken over again, because the GPS switched to taking me to KTUL.
Click to expand...
Lemme see if I got this straight -- you went D->, KOJC, enter, enter, it switched to KOJC for a while and then switched to KTUL before you reached KOJC? That doesn't sound right.
 
Ron Levy said:
Lemme see if I got this straight -- you went D->, KOJC, enter, enter, it switched to KOJC for a while and then switched to KTUL before you reached KOJC? That doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...

That's how I understood it -- that's why I thought the programming was crappy. Mebbe the unit needs some fixing????
 
Ron Levy said:
Lemme see if I got this straight -- you went D->, KOJC, enter, enter, it switched to KOJC for a while and then switched to KTUL before you reached KOJC? That doesn't sound right.
Click to expand...

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

It happened twice. The first time I figured I did something wrong, so I paid closer attention the next time. The first time it happened I was travelling east (south of ojc), at approximately where I would intercept the D-> course that would connect OJC and TUL. I was planning on turning NNE back to OJC and glanced at the GPS. It was set to KTUL. I thought I had done something wrong, so I made sure to be more careful the next time. I hit D->, dialed in KOJC, enter, enter. (I'm pretty sure). By this time I would have been nearly on the KOJC-KTUL course, but going north instead of south and about 10 south of OJC. I happened to be looking at the GPS when it switced to KTUL - I was probably 5+ south of OJC at the time.
 
The only time the unit should sequence to another waypoint is when you reach (or come very close) to your current target waypoint.

So I can conceive of the unit switching to KTUL if it was part of an active flight plan and you were over the top of OJC, but no other way.

I'd suggest you go try it again - I want to believe you, but every issue I've ever seen with a GA GPS doing something unexpected has been due to a short between the ears. If in fact the unit is misbehaving, you need to placard it inop and get it repaired (doh!)
 
Yeah - I want to believe it too.

I do know it switched from OJC to TUL by itself,as if the flight plan was taking over. That part I'm sure of. And I do know I didn't get any closer than 10 miles when it switched (the first time) and about 5 NM the second. At the time the swithces occured, I would have been on (or pretty near) the OJC-TUL route, but headed in the opposite direction.

The only thing I'm really unsure of is if I actually hit enter twice. I'm pretty sure I did. I know I pressed D->, I know I dialed in KOJC, I know I pressed <Enter>, I know the indicator on the CDI changed to a course to OJC, I know the nav info on the GPS changed to OJC (distance and direction). I don't know if I pressed <Enter> twice, but would all this have happened if I didn't?

I'm still not all that familiar with the KLN. It's been a while since I used the 430 also, bu I thought on the 430 the first <enter> puts in the identifier, and the second <enter> is the "are you sure?" verification.

I haven't used the FP features before, all my XCs have been short enough that I just haven't done it.

Unfortunately, doing it again will take some time. I don't know when I'll be able to fly again and even then I'd have to configure the KLN-94 the same way and I don't know what that way was. I'll try it with the simulator for the other models and see if I can reproduce it. I'm sure there's an explanation.
 
I downloaded the KLN-94 manual, haven't studied it all yet, but there seems to be an explanation:

A flight plan had been entered (KOJC - KTUL) by a previous renter, and was somehow still active.

On the way out, I entered D-> another airport where I was going to do touch-goes.

On the way back, I entered D-> KOJC. The GPS steered me to KOJC.

KOJC was a valid waypoint in the active flight plan. The manual says that 'turn anticipation' is default. I wonder if it was anticipating the turn over KOJC and then sequenced on to the next waypoint, KTUL? I wasn't paying too much attention to any messages or symbols that might have been displayed, I was looking for the airport.

Since the first airport I went to was not part of the flight plan, the D-> function stayed active:

>>
Whenever you do a Direct
To operation to a waypoint which is in the active flight plan (FPL 0), the
system will provide navigation to the waypoint and then automatically
resume navigation along the flight plan when the Direct To waypoint is
reached. Waypoints which exist prior to the Direct To waypoint in the
active flight plan are bypassed. Of course, the active flight plan will never
be resumed if the Direct To operation is to a waypoint which is not in the
active flight plan.​
<<


Sounds like the confusion wouldn't have happened if I had realized a flight plan was active.
 
If the OJC-TUL course was a reversal, then it could have triggered a waypoint change at a mile or two, I suppose.
 
Matthew said:
It happened twice. The first time I figured I did something wrong, so I paid closer attention the next time. The first time it happened I was travelling east (south of ojc), at approximately where I would intercept the D-> course that would connect OJC and TUL. I was planning on turning NNE back to OJC and glanced at the GPS. It was set to KTUL.
Click to expand...
Now that makes sense. When OJC passed behind your wing, the system applied the First Rule of Italian Driving* and sequenced to the next point in the FPL.

I hit D->, dialed in KOJC, enter, enter. (I'm pretty sure). By this time I would have been nearly on the KOJC-KTUL course, but going north instead of south and about 10 south of OJC. I happened to be looking at the GPS when it switced to KTUL - I was probably 5+ south of OJC at the time.
Click to expand...
Again, with KOJC behind you, the system sequenced to KTUL. Read the manual -- it was all working as advertised.

*"What's behind me is not important."
 
Ron Levy said:
Again, with KOJC behind you, the system sequenced to KTUL. Read the manual -- it was all working as advertised.
Click to expand...

Actually, OJC was still in front of me (the second time, but not by much), that's where I was headed. The GPS was trying to get me to make a U-turn to continue the flight plan to the next waypoint after OJC. The first time, though, yeah, the First Rule of Italian Driving came into play.

I am working on the manual now.

Thanks, all.

"License to learn" can mean so many things.
 
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Matthew said:
I am sure there was a flight plan entered: KOJC - KTUL. I put in D-to-KOJC. On the way to OJC, the flight plan must have taken over again, because the GPS switched to taking me to KTUL.

edit: I guess I should have added this - I was within 20NM of KOJC the whole time.
Click to expand...

Well there's the problem. Garmin HQ is only a couple miles away from KOJC. It was their King-jamming signal causing the problems. :rofl:
 
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