Surprise! 430/530 WAAS upgrade delayed -- indefinitely

We have a saying in my area: "Mañana doesn't mean tomorrow! It means 'not today'!"
 
But look at how much extra stuff they're going to include in the upgrade.

SARCASM OFF>
 
It just means they'll now sell you that GNS530W instead of upgrading to WAAS in your current box.
 
When I was looking to buy a GPS, everybody kept saying I should get a 430 because it's WAAS upgradable. I work in the software industry and my BS detector went off because:

1) At the time, the WAAS standard had not been established
2) "Upgradable" doesn't mean "free"

So, I got a GX-60 instead. Between the price difference and simpler installation, I saved $2000-3000. 4 years later, there is still no WAAS upgrade available for the 430. I have no regrets.
 
JustinPinnix said:
So, I got a GX-60 instead. Between the price difference and simpler installation, I saved $2000-3000. 4 years later, there is still no WAAS upgrade available for the 430. I have no regrets.
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Considering that it costs more than $2000-3000 to install a VOR/ILS on top of the GX-60, and the GX-60 doesn't have nearly the features of the 430, that doesn't sound like a very good deal at all.
 
I'm a big fan (on paper) of the GNS-480, despite the recent change in it's restrictions.
 
is it no longer approved as sole navigator?

i also really enjooy using the 480. my FBO's 421 has a 480 with MX-20 MFD. the overview that those two give, especially the big screen on th MX 20, are fantastic!
 
The FAA has not changed its c146 approval of the 480 -- Garmin has, however, issued a Service Bulletin on it. If you're a 121 or 135 operator, you must abide by the SB, and you cannot use your 480 as a sole souce system. OTOH, unless/until the FAA turns it into an AD, Part 91 operators can decide for themselves whether or not to adopt the SB, and thus may legally continue to use their 480 as a sole source unit. Personally, I think this is one SB I'd adopt -- I just don't like finding goats in clouds.
 
tonycondon said:
My FBO's 421 has a 480 with MX-20 MFD.
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Now that is a truly amazing sentence. The unintelligible jargon density is off the charts! Isn't pilot speak fun?
 
cwyckham said:
Now that is a truly amazing sentence. The unintelligible jargon density is off the charts! Isn't pilot speak fun?
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That's nothing compared to:
Due to a Cecil wind, Dystor has vectored us into a 360-tossen of slor traffic. Now we'll maintain this Borden hold until we get the Forta Magnus clearance from Meldings. (George Seaton, Airplane, 1970)
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cwyckham said:
Now that is a truly amazing sentence. The unintelligible jargon density is off the charts! Isn't pilot speak fun?
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no wonder students have trouble figuring out what we're talking about
 
cwyckham said:
Now that is a truly amazing sentence. The unintelligible jargon density is off the charts! Isn't pilot speak fun?
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Try this one.

I used to work in PAWTOPS CRA where I once had to head out to the ITL because there was a problem in the SPIF at the SMAB. This was going to adversly affect the STS-3 project as we had to get the TOPS working again or else RaSaf would issue a hold.

That was when I worked at KSC for NASA. The most jargon, TLA, eTLA place I ever worked and I even eventually had SDI projects when I was at AFWL!!
 
There was a mention of this type of thing in the history channel special Failure is Not an Option. I found it quite fun to listen to the mission controllers talking in NASA speak. I had no idea what they were saying, but it sure was cool!
 
Ron Levy said:
Considering that it costs more than $2000-3000 to install a VOR/ILS on top of the GX-60, and the GX-60 doesn't have nearly the features of the 430, that doesn't sound like a very good deal at all.
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I already had the VOR/ILS so I didn't have to spend the extra money of which you speak.

Also I'm one of those weird people who prefers the GX interface to the 430.

Nowadays, I augment it with a 496 to give me XM weather, terrain warnings, and glitzy moving-map stuff I've done without for years. Had I bought the 430 I would probably still have gotten the 496, since the XM add-on for the 430 costs nearly twice what the 496 does.

If I were doing it now, I would of course get the 430 since the GX-60 is discontinued.
 
Garmin® Receives WAAS Certification for GNS 400W/500W series

This is a great day for Garmin and the aviation industry," said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. "Since the FAA commissioned WAAS in 2003, there has been an enormous demand for WAAS certified equipment in the marketplace. We are pleased to announce that all 75,000 Garmin GNS 400/500 series products currently in the field can upgrade to WAAS. We expect the number of WAAS equipped aircraft to increase quickly, and pilots will be able to operate to and from airports that would otherwise be unavailable to them in marginal weather."

Thanks to the certification and AML STC approval, owners of Garmin’s popular GNS 400/500 series panel-mount avionics will be able to upgrade their products to meet the FAA’s WAAS standards* without a field approval**.
...

Garmin expects deliveries of the new GNS 430W™ and GNS 530W™ to begin in about 30 days with upgrades beginning in January 2007. Upgrades are available for a suggested retail price of $1,500. Pilots who do not currently own Garmin 400/500 series equipment and are in the process of upgrading their avionics, will be able to purchase new GNS 430W and GNS 530W units for $10,750 and $16,495, respectively. Visit www.garmin.com for additional information or a complete list of authorized Garmin dealers.

*Due to the TSO limitation in conjunction with the AFMS limitation, Garmin’s GNS 400/500 series navigators will not be certified as a "primary means" of GPS navigation until after customers install a new software version. Garmin expects to issue a Service Bulletin in the first quarter of 2007 issuing the software. The software will be updated via the 400/500W data loader card. This required software update is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2007.

http://www.garmin.com/pressroom/aviation/110906.html
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"Pilots who do not currently own Garmin 400/500 series equipment and are in the process of upgrading their avionics, will be able to purchase new GNS 430W and GNS 530W units for $10,750 and $16,495, respectively. "

...and for everybody else those will cost $10,750 and $16,495, respectively?
 
Garmin says on the phone that they'll start shipping WAAS-from-the-box 430/530 units in January, and they are at least 30 days from starting upgrades on existing units.
 
This does appear to be the breakthrough we've been waiting for. I just called my avionics shop, and I'm second on their list. The required software to use the unit as primary source of GPS navigation is a bit of a concern however. What good is WAAS if you can't use it other than for VFR practice approachs?
 
i think they mean that you still have to have some other form of navigation on board. unlike the garmin 480 which can be used as a sole navigator for IFR. ie no ADFs or VORs on board
 
Since most folks buy the 430/530 with VOR/LOC/GS included it's not really an operational issue. One can absolutely positively fly an LPV approach under IFR with these new units.

And there is an AD out on the 480 - and if I recall correctly it's not currently approved for primary nav either because of the AD.
 
TMetzinger said:
Since most folks buy the 430/530 with VOR/LOC/GS included it's not really an operational issue.
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Well, there is one limitation as a result of that -- the lack of sole-source approval mean you still need a non-GPS alternate when filing IFR to a destination where you don't have a non-GPS approach. Other than that, it's insignificant.

One can absolutely positively fly an LPV approach under IFR with these new units.
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Correct.

And there is an AD out on the 480 - and if I recall correctly it's not currently approved for primary nav either because of the AD.
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Has the SB been upgraded to an AD? I missed that. Last I knew, it was only an SB, which means that for Part 91 ops, it's owner's option whether to accept it or not.
 
yes last I heard it only really applied to the 135 guys.
 
mikea said:
"Pilots who do not currently own Garmin 400/500 series equipment and are in the process of upgrading their avionics, will be able to purchase new GNS 430W and GNS 530W units for $10,750 and $16,495, respectively. "

...and for everybody else those will cost $10,750 and $16,495, respectively?
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No, no, no.......
Only for the people purchasing them. Not " EVERYBODY ELSE "...
Those not purchasing them, and, NOT upgrading their avionics,
will NOT be subject to a cost...

Read the really fine, fine print....:rofl:

( If the "fine print" is objectionable, is it still "fine" print???)
 
Does this mean they plan to drop the 480? I really prefer it's UI over the 430/530...

Ron Levy said:
Garmin says on the phone that they'll start shipping WAAS-from-the-box 430/530 units in January, and they are at least 30 days from starting upgrades on existing units.
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i hope not steve. i like the 480 too. 430/530 interface is easy to use, but the 480 is really powerful when you learn it.
 
Steve said:
Does this mean they plan to drop the 480? I really prefer it's UI over the 430/530...
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I've seen absolutely nothing to even hint at that. And they've just made a significant change to the 480's companion MFD, upgrading the MX20 to the GMX200 much as they did with the CNX80 to the GNS480. I think the 430/530 and 480/20 combo are targeted at different markets, and will both continue to be available for some time to come.
 
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