Jeff_S

I realize I never closed the loop on this. When I went back with the second set of downloaded files from Garmin, the mag var update went just fine. You do have to let the PFD reboot, and then run through the actual file updating process, but you eventually get the message shown in the Service Alert document that everything is fine. And it is!

As an update, I hate being some company's software tester but it appears this happened again with Garmin. I jumped right on the file download as soon as I heard about it, and when I ran through the procedure it kept telling me I had successfully installed the 2020 data! Which of course meant that the update didn't work and I kept getting the "Update MagVar data?" message when I booted the system. Spoke to Garmin this morning and they confirmed they hadn't actually put the correct files in the link that is found in the Service Advisory, and that I should try again. So I downloaded the new file set and it does seem like the two "igrf..." files are newer, created on October 29 compared to those files from before having been created on October 1. So I will try again tomorrow and report on the results. Those of you who waited a bit to download the files probably had no issues!

Thanks all. I've sent a PM to Paul Maxwell, but I may just call him directly. Also, I had thought about Brian Kendrick but I seem to have lost his contact info. Is he here on MS at "KendrickW715" or something similar to that? I saw that contact in the messages area when I searched.

I am refreshing this old thread to see if anybody can shed light on whether or not this software is still available. I called my closest MSC (Daytona Aircraft Services) and they said that they couldn't find it on any parts list and that Mooney is basically unresponsive these days. I called LASAR and they are inquiring and will get back to me. So I thought I would open it up to the collective Mooney experts here on MS. The latest MagVar database situation got me thinking about this software again, and I'm in a different position where having the ADS-B option for NEXRAD could be appealing. I appreciate any updates anyone has. Thanks!

@Alan Maurer, it seems you will have one of two experiences, depending on what version of the G1000 software you are on. If you have the latest version 0401.37, then you can select to update the magnetic variation database that came with the latest nav-data updates and all will be hunky dory. If you have version 0401.34 (and perhaps earlier, non-WAAS versions) of the software then if you try to update the mag-var data from the dialogue box you will get into a loop that requires you to shut down and start up again. If the latter happens to you, then you'll need to follow the procedure outlined in the SB that I posted above. HOWEVER: I have to report now that when I ran this procedure on my Ovation, even though the system said it had successfully upgraded the mag-var data, when I started up again I am still getting the dialogue box on the MFD asking if I want to update the data. So something seems amiss. I have a case in with Garmin to get this figured out. I'll post here when I have it resolved.

Good to know the latest SW version smooths the process. I can't remember why I haven't done that upgrade. What features did it have? And does that have to be done by an MSC or can an avionics shop do it?

Okay, that was easy. I've attached the file to the SB that seems to be similar to last time, so if you did it before you can do it again. It does include instructions for different operating systems this time, so I'll try it like they say for my Mac. UPDATE: There is actually a Mac-specific link which just downloads all the files into a folder so you can easily transfer them to an SD card. That was nice. Here's the link as well, if you want it: https://atlaske-content.garmin.com/filestorage//email/outbound/attachments/25056A_Time1759762392942.pdf I sure hope MooneySpace is around five years from now when we have to do this all again! Garmin MagVar Update SB 2025.pdf

Hey folks. Time's fun when you're flying...or time flies when you're having fun...or something like that. It's MagVar Update time again. I got the "Update MagVar Now" message after loading the latest database update and since I'm old, and this was five years ago, I completely forgot about the rigamarole we went through then. But of course the update failed...I never waited around long enough for a failure message per se, but it just kept sitting there doing nothing. Luckily power cycling the G1000 brought it back to normal. So I will search around to see if there are any new or different procedures for our G1000s this time. Stay tuned!

To follow up on this, I had the avionics shop clean up all the contacts to see if corrosion could be the culprit...it often is here by the Atlantic coast. But in this case, no such luck...the unit appears to be Tango Uniform. I talked to EI and they said they had a core exchange program where they would charge half-price for a new unit. That makes a new unit $350 ($700 x 1/2). I'm still deciding what I want to do. In the meantime I just have it marked INOP.

Okay, my G1000 tach definitely shows the correct redline so that makes the E.I. redundant, which I suspected anyway. I may just remove it as well. Thanks!

Hey all. I've got one of the early G1000 Ovations that has the extra E.I. tachometer in the lower left portion of the panel. I've heard that this was required during early certification as the G1000 tach wasn't certified yet and this was the "official" tach. Don't know if that's true or not. At any rate, lately that E.I. tach has gone wonky on me, showing very radical readings both higher and lower than what the G1000 is showing, although usually within 10 minutes of flight it settles down. I suspect corrosion, which here in Florida seems to be my #1 culprit whenever I suspect electronic weirdness. So now my question: are there individual pickups for each tach in the system, or is there one pickup that is then split somewhere to feed both the E.I. and the G1000? In either case, where would I look for corrosion in the connection to the E.I.? Appreciate your thoughts...thanks! Jeff

Those numbers sound about right and they match well with the same data I get out of CloudAhoy. But truth be told, I am more amazed that with enough time and practice I do this mostly by feel at this point. Like hitting a 3° glideslope on final...you just know it when you see it. I check my glide path on CloudAhoy and it's usually locked onto that line. That's the TLAR syndrome: that looks about right. As I approach the numbers I transition to a TFAR method: that FEELS about right. And I consistently touch down right before the 1000' runway markers And please know that I am not humble-bragging here, at least not intentionally. My point is to be amazed at how with enough time and practice the human body and mind can do so many things intuitively. You don't think about driving your car anymore, you just do it. Or golfing or surfing or playing the piano or whatever else you do for fun. And that's when it truly does become FUN because now you're playing instead of working at it. Having said all that, I think I'll go out and have some fun!

Here's a weird one for the sleuths out there: The Setup: 2007 Ovation3 with G1000 panel. So hitting the Master switch turns on everything. Time was 9:15 am ET. The Issue: When I hit the Master button this morning, the radios came on and after a couple of seconds I started hearing what sounded all the world like an ELT alarm. No other alarms in the panel or in the Alert box...just an ELT alarm coming from somewhere. So I turned off the Master, waited a few seconds, then turned it on again. Same thing. I (after searching for it a little bit!) activated my own ELT briefly and it did sound off, but turning that off didn't alleviate the original alarm. So I shut down again, spent a few minutes looking for anything relevant in the manual (nothing found), and then gave it the old third college try. This time the alarm did sound briefly but stopped after just a few more seconds. So I had a normal flight, fueled up at the farm, and still no problem on restart to taxi back to the hangar. The Mystery: I was not tuned to Guard (121.5) on either radio, and I can't be sure where the alarm was coming from. Was it from my own panel, or coming in somehow over the radio? At that point in startup I wasn't wearing my headset but the radio outputs over the speaker so that wouldn't matter. I didn't think to adjust the radio volume to see if that changed anything. A buddy was doing runup at about this time and he did say he heard some ELT alarms briefly but he could have been hearing my short little tests. I'm not aware of any other audible alarm in a G1000 that would sound like this, and at any rate, it would certainly be paired with a text Alert in the Alert box. So I'm open to theories, hypotheses or downright speculation! Has anyone ever had something like this happen before?

Okay, stupid question, but what is that oval-shaped thing just aft of the cowling on this Ovation? Mine certainly doesn't have this, and the manufacture date is just a year earlier. Is that a light that shines out on the wing? I found this aircraft on Flight Aware and the picture from the right side doesn't show a similar thing. Just curious...

This was a fun topic to go through. I'd never seen that Mooney compilation video before, and he was mostly correct, except that the 310hp modification didn't hit the official Ovation until the Ovation 3 model, not the 2. (It was available as an STC to the O2 before Mooney incorporated it into the O3.) As to real-world performance, although I haven't flown anywhere near as many planes as @Schllc, I concur with his general assessments. Except for one. In an all-out low altitude balls-on-fire racing config, an Ovation 3 will beat an Acclaim. This I know from racing against them at 1000' AGL during Sport Air Race League events. The reason is that Acclaims almost always have just the 280hp engines, which limits their RPM to 2500, where an O3 can go to 2700 RPM. I know there's a 310hp STC for the Acclaims as well but I don't believe they are widely deployed. And Acclaims use cowl flaps to keep cool at low altitude/high power settings, whereas the Ovation requires no cowl-flaps...thus much less drag. So, higher RPM and less drag will give the Ovation 3 an advantage over an Acclaim right up until the altitude where the turbo advantage kicks in. This assumes similar "appointments" as has been indicated already. To the OP, good luck with your decision. I have flown my Ovation 3 for 10 years now and I love it. But I would say that if I were looking for a different plane that would allow me to travel longer distances more comfortably, I'd move to an Acclaim, which would give me the ability to fly up and over a lot of weather that kicks up here in NE Florida. But of course, this would require having built-in O2, and maybe TKS (although I know at least one Acclaim driver that routinely goes to 25K without it) so it would reduce useful load. So many trade-offs! Good luck!