Stratus3 vs GDL-39D

benyflyguy

benyflyguy

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benyflyguy
So up until this week I have a Garmin 496 with XM weather, 430 and basic foreflight.
A buddy of mine told me two months ago he had a stratus and was going to give to me, but couldn’t find it... looked up and down, Wife may have done who knows what.

With the coming of the stratus3 I thought about upgrading. Then pulled the trigger and purchased the stratus3 2 days ago.
Buddy shows up any my office... not with a stratus. But a Garmin GDL-39D. No cables no battery and said he just found his old Garmin and gave it to me.

Do I get battery and cable (150 bucks) and is ethe Garmin or keep the stratus3 that should be on my porch any day now.
I know this is classic first world problems. But I don’t know a lot about the gdl39d.

I am using this as an IFR pilot to increase some of my situational weather awareness and will by no means be a primary tool, well maybe for more up to date weather?? Vs xm on the 496. I’m confused.
 
Yes, I've been using the GDL39-3D. It will work with Garmin Pilot (obviously) and is listed as working with Foreflight as well.

When it comes to ADSB wx I have to wonder if Sirius XM weather would always be better as you probably always have a connection since its from above. Now I am not sure how much aviation info you get with Sirius XM weather (Altimeter, Ceilings, Winds, etc).

The Garmin GDL39 and any other ADBSin device can only received wx from GBT (Ground Based Transmitters). If there isn't one in your area you will have ZERO wx, nothing. There could also be one in your area and maybe the GDL/Stratus is on the left side of the plane and the only GBT is on the right I think in some cases you don't get any ADSB info either.

I know the GDL39 receives traffic on both frequencies. So you will directly receive traffic from the big guys with the Mode S transponders (I hope I have that right). But you won't receive any of the ADSBout traffic unless you are near two other ADSBout compliant planes that are also near each other. I am guessing the stratus is the same here as well.

My take on the GDL39 is that the battery doesn't last very long. For example, I did a 1.5hr flight up to Duluth and 1.2hrs back. There was still battery life left but I am pretty sure it wasn't enough for another 1hr flight. The newer Garmin GDL5x series has a much longer life battery. More importantly it can be charged from a USB cable. This is important: the older GDL39 can only be powered/charged via the 12vdc cig lighter port which you might already be using for USB ports. That is probably its biggest con if you ask me.

If you don't fly that often and rarely fly more than 2hrs a day the $150 total for the GDL is pretty cheap compared to the Stratus3.

If money is no object, you want longer battery life and know you will never go to Garmin Pilot then the newest ADSB Stratus offering is probably the better option. If you plan to update your plane to ADSB using a Garmin Transponder and/or update your 430 to something with flight stream you might consider switching to Garmin Pilot and once again the stratus wouldn't work (but the fancy Garmin Xpdr would have ADSB in/out and AHRS).

Too bad you can't buy just the garmin cig adapter power cable (maybe $30). That is enough to power it in flight. Then fly it and try it. If its not for you, first make sure its not a overall ADSB thing. If you like it but need to fly farther and want a better battery then sell the GDL39 and that cable and you can probably get $300 towards the Stratus.

Not sure if that helps. I will eventually upgrade to the GDL5x series for a longer life battery and so I can top off the batter in flight via a USB cable if needed.
 
That battery life will be the kicker. I fly a 182 and the cig lighter is inop/dc. I have xc that can be 2-3 hours each way.
 
If you really really want to go cheap you can build(or buy, $20 on ebay) a cable for the GDL-39 and use a cheap small 12v SLA battery (the GDL doesn't work on 5v so you can't easily just use a cell phone battery box) a 3AH battery($20, 3lbs) should easily last at least 6 hours. And then another $10-15 for the SLA charger.
 
The newer GDL s last for 7 hrs, I have checked till about 4.5
 
iflyvfr said:
I have an adapter like this: https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-Charg...1&sr=8-19&keywords=cigarette+lighter+usb+port

GDL, Aera 510, Android Tablet, iPhone all powered and happy. No batteries.
Click to expand...
Now if I keep the GDL39, this is what I have been looking for. My only problem is the factory cig lighther is right behind the yoke and between two airvent controls. But I'm gonna order it anyways to see if it works.

GLMS_NC said:
Stratux an option? Much cheaper than both options mentioned and works with a variety of apps.
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Its not an option for Garmin Pilot (iOS or Android).

chartbundle said:
If you really really want to go cheap you can build(or buy, $20 on ebay) a cable for the GDL-39 and use a cheap small 12v SLA battery (the GDL doesn't work on 5v so you can't easily just use a cell phone battery box) a 3AH battery($20, 3lbs) should easily last at least 6 hours. And then another $10-15 for the SLA charger.
Click to expand...
I started looking down this path but the other adapter listed is definitely easier overall.
 
Sinistar said:
I started looking down this path but the other adapter listed is definitely easier overall.
Click to expand...
And if the poster had a fancy plane with a working power socket, sure.

But the real answer is: a Goal Zero Yeti 400 or a Suaoki 400(what I have) and a couple solar panels carefully taped to the wings.
 
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