donkaye

A couple of reasons why I keep buying Garmin products. 1. Huge discounts when I did my upgrade. 2. Issues with the GMA 35; immediate replacement sent. 3. Issues with 2 FS 510 when they first came out: Immediately replacements. 4. After a System Upgrade to the GTX 800 recently, it wouldn't work properly; unit was out of warranty and they replaced with a new unit. 5. Same issue with my Aera 796. After a System Update, the unit wouldn't start up; it was out of warranty and they replaced the unit with a new one. I didn't just get the new one back. I got a new boxed unit with all accessories included. 6. Rather easy upgrade path from the G500 to the G500TXi. When you buy a Rolls Royce you expect to be treated with extra care. That has been my experience with Garmin.

You're right. For all the reasons that you dislike Garmin, those are the exact reasons that I like them. Because you're dealing with one vendor everything will interface perfectly to have all functions capable of each product to work with each other. The Garmin servos are brushless and digital, and light for precise control. As such, they should require much less maintenance than other non brushless types. Over the long run the cost of maintenance should pay for the autopilot over other autopilots. They should work to level off in both ascent and descent to the foot, unlike the BK servos that overshoot by 10% of the ROC or ROD. I've flown the GFC 700 extensively and it is the best autopilot in any single engine piston airplane I have flown. The GFC 500 is a later version and should be even better. If I had bought Garmin stock over the past month, I could have had a free autopilot with the profits. Regarding VNAV with the Garmin GTN and GNS series, it is pretty slick once you figure out how to use it. The documentation is terrible, I'll give you that. It can be flown manually with the KFC 150, but with manual control of V/S. The display on the G500TXi is really nice and makes it easy to track deviation and required ROD. So, what is that worth? Unfortunately, a high price tag. And therein lies the rub for many people. You can't buy a Rolls Royce for the price of a VW.

Several months ago I did an instrument rating with a student who had just purchased an M20J that had the KSN 770 as its GPS. I almost didn't do the rating because of it, but it turned out to be quite a good GPS. He sailed through the rating and at the post flight briefing the Examiner said, "I have nothing to say. You flew a perfect ride." Regarding the KFC 230, I was interested in it, but the delays are just not acceptable and the unit, if and when it will ever exist, does not have all the functionality of the GFC 500. Only the Garmin autopilots can do VNAV enroute, terminal, and approach. Also, there would be the interface issues with the G500 TXi that are bypassed with the GFC 500. Of course the KFC 230 would probably be half the cost of the GFC 500. For my purposed, I would rather pay the extra money for a known product with all of its functionality.

It must have just switched to approved because I checked early this morning and it wasn't on the approved list. I'm getting it installed as soon as I can get a slot at the avionics shop. I'm going with all 4 servos to see just what kind of improvement a yaw damper servo makes to the already stable M20M. Good riddance to the KFC 150 and wing rock.

FWIW mine is .090 and had the 90° bend and bezel for the flap, trim indicators, and rudder indicators, all done by the panel shop.

The 530W is processor limited and can only display 8 targets in ABSOLUTE mode. The vector lines coming out of the target will be white and not green, which differentiates Absolute from TargetTrend.

From the Garmin GTN 750 Manual: Notice the BIG difference is immediately deciding if a target is a threat. It's instant with the TargetTrend green lines. Not so with the Absolute white ones.

I have both the 750 and 650. They're both great GPSs. So are the 530 and 430. But the GTNs are so much more advanced, are so much easier to use, and have so much more capability to add even more advanced features than their predecessors, that they should be the GPSs of choice over spending money to install an earlier generation one. Since I think having a transponder is important, I chose not to remote it, and just put in the GTX 335 which has a couple of nice additional features over the GTX 330ES. My airplane is now all glass and all electric. Gone is the dependance on sometimes unreliable mechanical instruments with much higher failure rates, including mechanical gyros and vacuum pumps. But an unlikely but complete electrical failure would not be much of an issue. The backup ESI 500 PFD with several hours backup independent battery, the yoke mounted Aera 796 with Navigation and XM weather and radio and 4 hours of independent backup battery with the XM hooked up, and then the back up to the backup iPad with 10 hours of backup for Nav (AHARS interface to the 210/510 wouldn't work with a total electrical failure), handheld transceiver with battery, and backup gear extension handle, I think takes out any single point of failure issue with the all electric airplane.

VNAV and VCALC are different. VNAV will do multiple enroute step-downs via pilot programed altitudes or terminal STAR step-downs, or step downs within the approach procedures to transition to the GS or GP. VCALC will do one step-down between 2 points. So, although the new software within the GTN 750/650 (with Baro altitude input as a condition of operation) will show the step-downs via a "carrots" on both the VDI and V/S indicators which can be flown manually, only the Garmin Autopilots will fly those multiple step-downs automatically.

The key thing is "everything they want". Garmin is pretty smart. Autopilot VNAV so far can only be done with their autopilots.

Actually, it does. When combined with the GMA 35 or 35C, Telligence brings a whole new dimension to GPS control.

One of the most important Garmin Traffic benefits to me is TargetTrend, the ability to see relative motion instead of absolute motion. For example, when traversing the LA Basin with 30 targets on screen, a quick glance at the screen will tell me immediately if any one of them is a threat. Garmin's active traffic solutions are expensive, and ADS-B provides a good solution for the most part, but in those cases where you're based at uncontrolled fields or go into uncontrolled fields, active traffic onboard will solve most of the issues except when the target aircraft has no transponder.

Since the latest system update, the GTN 650 is like a mini GTN 750. You can select the type of keyboard you want through a simple selection. No doubt about it, I am pro Garmin, the reason being that if you have a panel made up of products from one manufacturer that you can depend upon, then not only is interfacing simple, but upgrading is much easier. A simple example of that is the ease and cost benefit of upgrading the G500 to the G500 TXi. Mine was done in less than a week. While I want a fair deal, I am done penny pinching when it comes to outfitting my airplane. I am constantly reading on this forum and BeechTalk about all the issues people have when they try to save a few dollars and buy from multiple vendors and wonder why everything doesn't work together. As a former electrical engineer, it's not surprising to me at all. In your lifetime is a $2,500 saving worth not having the best? While the GNS 530/430 were state of the art in their time, they really don't hold a candle to the newer GTN 750/650 that Garmin seems to update on a regular basis. I've been flying for over 50 years now, and still get a thrill every time I fly my upgraded panel. I hope you choose to do the same.

It was quite a disappointment when I found out yesterday that the M20M, M20R, and M20S have NOT been approved by Gamin for installation, yet. I even called Garmin to confirm. I was ready, willing, and able get it installed immediately.

I spent over $5,000 a couple of years ago trying to get the Wing Rock in HDG, NAV, and APPR mode removed after installation of the G500. It still is unsatisfactory in those modes. I'm not willing to spend any more money on the KFC 150. While I don't like the fact that an ILS would need to be flown manually should GPS fail, the GFC 500 seems the best REAL solution as of today.