CNX-80 vs Garmin 430/530

It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?

Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?

O.K.. I read some of these msgs. Does it look like WAAS is going to die
on the Vine? If so is there any reason to go with a CNX 80? I'm now
thinking about getting an Apollo GX 55 instead and save a bunch a money.
I have an Anywhere Map IPAC. That does a great job for situational
awareness. The GX 55 gets me into the IFR GPS for less than 7K
installed? Eventually I can add the MX 20 display. Thoughts?

Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?


I've got about 7 hours over 4 flights behind a CNX-80 and I love it.
There is definately a learning curve to the thing, but then again there
is a learning curve for any of the competing units. My guess is the
CNX-80 is the primary reason Garmin bought UPS-AT, and my expectation is
that the 430/530 line isn't long for this world.

I've got a little bit of time with the 430, and a little time with the
Apollo GX-60 too. I'm not sure I really spent enough time with either
unit to do a fair evaluation, but my impression was that the 430 was the
simplier of the two to operate. The CNX-80 blows them both away.

Part of the reason, of course, is the larger screen real-estate
available which lets you display more information at one time, but it's
more than that. The CNX-80 just seems to be better thought out.
Certainly the ability to enter flight plans by picking airways and
waypoints out of a database menu is a real improvement over spelling
every fix out with big-knob, small-knob gymnastics.

It doesn't take long to get used to pulling frequencies out of the
database (NRST, INFO, FREQ) instead of dialing them in digit by digit.
At first it seemed like a pain, but you quickly realize it's actually
much easier. My club's new Bonanza has a CNX-80 coupled to a 2nd nav
com (SL-30?), and 2nd radio gets access to the database information too.
I still havn't figured out exactly what frequencies the CNX-80 decides
to send to the SL-30, but it's a testiment to good design that the one
you're looking for always seems to be there.

We also have the blind xponder controlled by the CNX-80. Again, at
first this seemed awkward, but you quickly get used to it. The only
thing you ever really have to do is tap in the xponder code. It goes on
when during your takeoff roll and shuts itself down when you land (all
based on groundspeed). Neat.

It used to be the standard panel was 2 nav-coms, plus adf, dme, and
xponder. That amount of panel space will now hold a CNX-80, MX-20, and
SL-30.

All in all, it's just a great box.

I faced a similar decision, but went with the CNX80,
primarily because it meets TSO-C146a for precision approaches.
The GX55 is certified only under the old TSO-C129,
and I chose to buy for the future instead of the past.

I'll roll my airplane out of the avionics shop a few days from now,
sporting a CNX80, MX20, and some other companion equipment.
I'm expecting great things from the new boxes, including glideslope
guidance on LNAV/VNAV approaches (as soon as the next version
of software is released early in 2004). It's in flight testing now.
Newsletter 2 tells more about it at:
http://www.garminat.com/cnx_docs.shtml

I paid extra for ChartView in my MX20, before learning how much
Jeppesen charges for the required JeppView subscription.
I'll probably buy the first year's subscription just to see if I want
to renew it in following years.
Maybe I won't find JeppView to be cost effective.

WAAS will remain useful.
Nobody but John Tarver says WAAS will "die on the vine".
---JRC---

"Paul DeSmet" wrote in message =
...
Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone =
used=20
one?
=20
O.K.. I read some of these msgs. Does it look like WAAS is going to =
die=20
on the Vine? If so is there any reason to go with a CNX 80? I'm now=20
thinking about getting an Apollo GX 55 instead and save a bunch a =
money.=20
I have an Anywhere Map IPAC. That does a great job for situational=20
awareness. The GX 55 gets me into the IFR GPS for less than 7K=20
installed? Eventually I can add the MX 20 display. Thoughts?

I can't imagine why you would think that WAAS is a failed system. Read Joe
Shelton's article in the December IFR magazine...WAAS and LAAS are for real.

Bob Gardner

"Paul DeSmet" wrote in message
...
Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?

O.K.. I read some of these msgs. Does it look like WAAS is going to die
on the Vine? If so is there any reason to go with a CNX 80? I'm now
thinking about getting an Apollo GX 55 instead and save a bunch a money.
I have an Anywhere Map IPAC. That does a great job for situational
awareness. The GX 55 gets me into the IFR GPS for less than 7K
installed? Eventually I can add the MX 20 display. Thoughts?

You can get a Garmin 430 for $7K installed now-a-days. This is WAAS
upgradeable, maybe even available by the time you do the installation.

The CNX-80 offers some nice enhancements, including a much higher
resolution display (and slightly larger than the 430, but smaller than
the 530) and a built in transponder (that slaves to a remote
transponder - the SL70T - mounted behind the panel). But at an
installed price approaching $13-$15K, some might shy away from it
initally.

I already have a 430 installed and would consider my next investment a
slaved Avidyne 550 for the bigger moving map that is completely
compatible with the 430. It includes a datalink, and they offer a
cheap pay-as-you-go service for weather and flight planning products.



Paul DeSmet wrote in message ...
Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?

O.K.. I read some of these msgs. Does it look like WAAS is going to die
on the Vine? If so is there any reason to go with a CNX 80? I'm now
thinking about getting an Apollo GX 55 instead and save a bunch a money.
I have an Anywhere Map IPAC. That does a great job for situational
awareness. The GX 55 gets me into the IFR GPS for less than 7K
installed? Eventually I can add the MX 20 display. Thoughts?

I was debating the same question a month ago, I just got my plane out of
the shop last week, went with the garmin 430, garmin 327 x-ponder, ps
engineering 7000b audio panel and AM/FM/CD player.

I couldnt find enough information on the cnx80 to make an informed
decision, the 430 is a well tested GPS and does everything I need for it to
do, I had one in my old cherokee 180 and liked it so went with what I was
familiar with. The mx20 is something I plan on getting in about 6 months,
if you have the MX20, then you dont need a really expensive GPS/COM, the
mx20 will do everything and more of that the 430 or the cnx80 will do. I
have seen the MX20 used, awsome display.

Jeff
http://www.turboarrow3.com


Paul DeSmet wrote:

It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?

There is no doubt about it that Apollo made some really good avionics, but
pricey as hell.
that SL-30 radio is like $4000+ by its self.

I dont see the garmin 430/530 going out any time soon, its been installed in
so many airplanes, and is still being installed in allot of new airplanes,
its a really nice piece of equipment. Also the 430 now displays MSA (min safe
alt) for your flight, surprised me when I saw that added. and as with the
cnx-80, if you have a garmin x-ponder then it also displays altitude, the
flight timer starts and stops when you take off and land. I think the only
thing it does not do compared to the cnx80 is show airways which for me wasnt
a big deal because if you go VOR to VOR and put it into the 430 your
basically on the airway anyways. But the benefit of having a IFR GPS is to be
able to go direct and not use the airways.

My stuff costed me just $20k to have installed, if I had went with the cnx80
it would have been around 25k, I didnt see any extra benefit to the extra
cost of the cnx80. but that is just my opinion.

Jeff
http://www.turboarrow3.com



Roy Smith wrote:

Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?


I've got about 7 hours over 4 flights behind a CNX-80 and I love it.
There is definately a learning curve to the thing, but then again there
is a learning curve for any of the competing units. My guess is the
CNX-80 is the primary reason Garmin bought UPS-AT, and my expectation is
that the 430/530 line isn't long for this world.

I've got a little bit of time with the 430, and a little time with the
Apollo GX-60 too. I'm not sure I really spent enough time with either
unit to do a fair evaluation, but my impression was that the 430 was the
simplier of the two to operate. The CNX-80 blows them both away.

Part of the reason, of course, is the larger screen real-estate
available which lets you display more information at one time, but it's
more than that. The CNX-80 just seems to be better thought out.
Certainly the ability to enter flight plans by picking airways and
waypoints out of a database menu is a real improvement over spelling
every fix out with big-knob, small-knob gymnastics.

It doesn't take long to get used to pulling frequencies out of the
database (NRST, INFO, FREQ) instead of dialing them in digit by digit.
At first it seemed like a pain, but you quickly realize it's actually
much easier. My club's new Bonanza has a CNX-80 coupled to a 2nd nav
com (SL-30?), and 2nd radio gets access to the database information too.
I still havn't figured out exactly what frequencies the CNX-80 decides
to send to the SL-30, but it's a testiment to good design that the one
you're looking for always seems to be there.

We also have the blind xponder controlled by the CNX-80. Again, at
first this seemed awkward, but you quickly get used to it. The only
thing you ever really have to do is tap in the xponder code. It goes on
when during your takeoff roll and shuts itself down when you land (all
based on groundspeed). Neat.

It used to be the standard panel was 2 nav-coms, plus adf, dme, and
xponder. That amount of panel space will now hold a CNX-80, MX-20, and
SL-30.

All in all, it's just a great box.

paul, you can download and install the traner for most of garmins GPS's. go
to garmin.com and then to avionics. its free andit will give you a feel for
what they do. the cnx80 is about the only one that does not have a trainer
for it online.

Paul DeSmet wrote:

Paul DeSmet wrote:
It looks like the new CNX-80 is the way of the future. Has anyone used
one?

O.K.. I read some of these msgs. Does it look like WAAS is going to die
on the Vine? If so is there any reason to go with a CNX 80? I'm now
thinking about getting an Apollo GX 55 instead and save a bunch a money.
I have an Anywhere Map IPAC. That does a great job for situational
awareness. The GX 55 gets me into the IFR GPS for less than 7K
installed? Eventually I can add the MX 20 display. Thoughts?

In article ,
Jeff wrote:

paul, you can download and install the traner for most of garmins GPS's. go
to garmin.com and then to avionics. its free andit will give you a feel for
what they do. the cnx80 is about the only one that does not have a trainer
for it online.

There is a trainer for the CNX. It's not a real simulator like for the
other boxes, more of a multi-media guided tour of all the features of
the box. More than a manual, but less than a sim.