Garmin GNS430 & WAAS

In article ,
Scott Skylane wrote:

Roy Smith wrote:

/snip/ The ability to
have a blind transponder is nice, but hardly necessary. There's a
dedicated button (and a little bit of screen real-estate) devoted to
xponder operations; they could have been devoted to something else.
Perhaps a dedicated FPL button instead of an FPL soft key? I think that
would have made the whole box (a little) easier to use.
/snip/

Roy,

So, even if you don't have a remote xponder hooked up, the screen
*still* dedicates some space to that function? I'd hoped they would
switch that off if you didn't use it.

Well, no, the screen real-estate does get reused for something else (UTC
clock in the one I fly with; for all I know, it's configurable), but the
key is still wasted. Panel real-estate is at a premium on these things; it
seems such a shame to waste a dedicated key on something which you don't
have installed (if you press it, you get a "Key Inoperative" message.

Most of the magazines tend to put a strong polish on the products unless
they are just pitiful (in which case they seem to just ignore them).

When I read the same article you quoted, I got negative impressions of the
UI.



"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message
online.com...
Dude wrote:

I have never used one, but the word on the street and in the press is
that
the interface is MUCH more different than that. Reviews of the units
have
not been flattering about the interface.

Really? Tom Benenson in Flying has spoken well about it, as did someone
in
one of the more recent IFRs. These are just the most recent; I've seen
other praise further in the past.

I don't recall reading of anyone complaining about the UI in the press.
Have you a reference; I'd like to see the specifics of the complaint(s).
Like you, I've not tried one.

[...]
In my search for a used 430, I have heard too much talk that a new panel
mount is just around the corner though.

From Garmin or someone else? I've been wondering by Bendix hasn't an
entry
in that market (unless I've missed it).

- Andrew

Dude,

We are all waiting for the 430 units to start shipping or upgrading.


We are? To fly how many WAAS-dependent approaches in IMC per year in
your personal flying, exactly?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Andrew,

Tom Benenson in Flying has spoken well about it,


He's got one, hasn't he?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

On Sun, 03 Apr 2005 14:34:45 -0400, Roy Smith wrote:

Overall, I like the box, but it definately has a steep learning curve, and
some UI warts. It really could have been a lot better with some better
usability testing before it shipped.

There is definitely a learning curve in the box, just like there is
one in the 530 box, but I think that you could learn the functions
fairly quickly on a long VFR flight and just playing with it. That
seems to work best for me. I have both the GNS 480 and a 530 in two
different airplanes, and there are features that I like about each and
there are features that I dislike about each. I have both there
simulators on the computer here at home and try to navigate through
the system sitting at the desk, but the process is slow and painful
when you try and dial something in. I see way too many people use
just the direct button on their GPS and go. I think it is such a
waste of technology when you have something sitting in front of you
and you don't use it. My biggest grip about both systems is that I
cant pre-program a flight plan on the home computer and then download
it into the plane. It would sure save a lot of time in the cockpit
IMHO.


Scott D

To email remove spamcatcher

"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...
Dude,

We are all waiting for the 430 units to start shipping or upgrading.


We are? To fly how many WAAS-dependent approaches in IMC per year in
your personal flying, exactly?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)


Yes, we are. We like gagets.

Mike
MU-2

Thomas Borchert writes:

Dude,

We are all waiting for the 430 units to start shipping or upgrading.


We are? To fly how many WAAS-dependent approaches in IMC per year in
your personal flying, exactly?

Actually, if the WAAS upgrade brings along LNAV, I might just spring
for the upgrade.

-jav

"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...
Andrew,

Tom Benenson in Flying has spoken well about it,


He's got one, hasn't he?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)


Which brings up an excellent point. It seems we have all a lot invested in
our stuff, and we don't want what we got getting a bad name because we
probably will need to sell it in a few years. We even tend to do it without
knowing we do. I think it is a self defense mechanism so we don't have to
beat ourselves up for making a bad buy.

"Thomas Borchert" wrote in message
...
Dude,

We are all waiting for the 430 units to start shipping or upgrading.


We are? To fly how many WAAS-dependent approaches in IMC per year in
your personal flying, exactly?

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)


As many as possible. I didn't buy a plane to travel from one overcrowded
international airport to another. And even when I do, I want it to be as
safe as possible. They don't have ILS everywhere, the GPS approaches are
safer and simpler to fly, and the more of us that have the recievers, the
more airports will be putting in the approaches.

In fact, the added value that WAAS can bring to GA could end up paying for
the unit when our planes appreciate.

Dude,

I think it is a self defense mechanism so we don't have to
beat ourselves up for making a bad buy.


Yep. Except, for some guys, it becomes a job defense mechanism. That's
worse...

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)