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Response to PTK- The install was done at KSCH by Murray avionics. It was the first one he had done, and it required taking the headliner apart as the GDL 88 lives in the tailcone. I suspect as he does more of them, he will be more efficient, and the cost of install there will fall.

That is true. The autofill prior to this install just allowed the 530W to send the next way-point to the 496 and to the Aspen PFD1000. After installing the GDL 88, that capability was lost, as the lead from the 530W that fed data to the 2 units was used for the GDL 88 instead. The avionics installer said it was a simple matter to add a new lead from the 530W to replace the one he had cannibalized for the GDL 88, so the Aspen and the 496 both know the next way-point again. RS

Further clarification on Aspen/GDL88/530W issue- My avionics mechanic got the GDL88 to report weather to the 530 by flipping a switch in the 530 so it receives weather and traffic instead of just traffic. Weather is pretty primitive compared to the XM weather displayed on the 496- just radar and METAR flags, but you can't query the flags by putting a pointer over them like you can on the 496. I'm not cancelling my XM subscription any time soon. It seems not all the TRACONs have the ADS-B monitoring switched on, so they still rely mostly on radar, at least in the Northeast. The autofill to my Aspen and 496 stopped working after the install. Turns out the lead from the 530 to the GDL88 is the one previously used for autofill. Now I have a second lead from the 530 to the Aspen and to the 496, so I'm able to autofill again. My overall assesment is that the $8800.00 I spent on the GDL88 install (!!!!) is yielding a pretty low return on investment so far, but at least I'm compliant with the 2020 mandate.

New update from Dick Murray at Murray Avionics, KSCH: during set-up of the GDL-88, the 530-W offers two options: set up GDL-88 or set it up with weather. Needless to say, it was set up without weather, and a simple switch change in the 530-W should solve the problem. More data to follow.

Hmm, interesting observation. I'm not seeing radar for sure, nor metars or TAFs. I assume the metars and TAFs will appear in some format like my Garmin 496, with icons appearing on the screen indicating availability of the data if i scroll to that spot? Thanks for help.

Hi, all- New to forum, need help with GDL-88 issue. Just intstalled GDL-88 in my C172, which has a 530W and an Aspen 1000 pro. Traffic from GDL-88 seems to display correctly, subject to the limitations outlined above. I'm not seeing any weather, and I don't have a screen on the utility page that would indicate that the 530W is set up for weather. Is this an install issue, a weather availability issue (I fly out of KGFL in upstate NY), or some issue with the unit itself? Thanks