GPS 430 or 480?

"Andrew Gideon" wrote in message =
online.com...
John R. Copeland wrote:
=20
The 430 cannot get that capability without being recertified under
TSO-C146a, and the 430 hardware would need to be replaced to achieve =
that
performance level. I can't imagine Garmin upgrading the 430 now that =
they
own the 480 design. ---JRC---
=20
The 430 is scheduled to be WAAS-able next summer. The price I've seen =
for=20
this is $1500, and the unit needs to go back to "the factory" for =
this.
=20
Another major difference for the IFR flyer between the 430 and the 480 =
is=20
that the latter permits airway-based route entry. That is, you enter =
the=20
route as it is filed. The 430 requires entry of each and every =
waypoint. =20
For long airways with many "bends", this gets annoying.
=20
- Andrew

Your "airway" point in favor of the 480 is correct, of course.
However, I personally use vertical guidance on approaches far more often
than I use airways in my flight plans, so I value VNAV more highly.
I haven't navigated by airways more than probably a dozen times in the =
past 25 years.

I still think Garmin's unlikely to upgrade the 430 to TSO-C146a =
capability.
It doesn't sound like good business sense, when they now have the 480.
Recertification would be a colossal expense, and I don't see enough =
return for it.
It took Apollo nearly a year simply to get approval for Software Version =
2.0,
giving the CNX-80/GNS-480 the VNAV capability plus a few minor features.
If Garmin really were to issue the 430 upgrade by next summer,
they'd need to have it undergoing flight tests before now.
Maybe they have, but nobody's said so.
---JRC---