Avidyne 540/440

[PTK]

Did anyone participate in that Avidyne 540/440 fund raiser a couple years ago?

If so have you been refunded?

[Marauder]

I think Brett got his money back.

[co2bruce]

I did. Finally got fed up and requested my deposit back. It took a few months but I got it back and went with Garmin GTN 650.

[Cabanaboy]

Avidyne Forum 'bout IFD540/440

 

http://avidynelive.com/forum_topics.asp?FID=25&title=ifd540-440-touch-screen-gps-nav-com

[bnicolette]

Did anyone participate in that Avidyne 540/440 fund raiser a couple years ago?

If so have you been refunded?

I did finally get my money back after two months of reminding them.

[bnicolette]

So are they finally going to start shipping that unit?  Or are there more issues?

 

According to the forum, they are looking at the second quarter now for the certified units?

[jetdriven]

Its only 3 years behind schedule. By the time they get around to shipping units, there wont be any 530 owners to upgrade, and the new GTN 950 will be out.

[Marauder]

So are they finally going to start shipping that unit?  Or are there more issues?

 

According to the forum, they are looking at the second quarter now for the certified units?

 

I think both Avidyne and BK are having issues with the certification. I just saw a message this morning that BK was dropping myWingMan and offering a full refund. Reason: couldn't compete in the market. My belief is that there are some deals going on with them ForeFlight and Aspen. Aspen's Connected Pilot only works with ForeFlight and already works on the 770 demo units. In the article they mention ForeFlight specifically. I can't help but believe that the "open hierachy" is going to lead to some interesting partnerships.

 

BK also mentioned in the article that the 770 is still expecting certification.

[OR75]

I think both Avidyne and BK are having issues with the certification. I just saw a message this morning that BK was dropping myWingMan and offering a full refund. Reason: couldn't compete in the market. My belief is that there are some deals going on with them ForeFlight and Aspen. Aspen's Connected Pilot only works with ForeFlight and already works on the 770 demo units. In the article they mention ForeFlight specifically. I can't help but believe that the "open hierachy" is going to lead to some interesting partnerships.

 

BK also mentioned in the article that the 770 is still expecting certification.

 

myWingman would be a very separate issue (the navigation App space is very clutered resulting in already many good product offerings for pilots - not for aircrafts - ).  Any computer wizard can develop a navigation App and the FAA does not have anything to do with it. 

 

Panel mount WAAS GPS is a diiferent animal and the lack of products should worry aircraft owners and the FAA as 2020 approaches.

So far, only  Garmin has one.  (I don't know what the heart  of the issue for approval is).  If I remember correctly, Garmin has a WAAS-GPS because they bought the UPS system - GNS 480 - ??.

 

GTN Ws vs GNS Ws .... really only the interface is different.

[mlp]

Does anyone want to sell their reservation for a 540?  Is that even possible?  Or has everyone resigned themselves to the wait?

[Resanborn]

I have been waiting five years this July now to install a WASS GPS. I waited two years for the BK but when Avidyne offered 1/2 price for early sign up I went for it -- with the idear it would be a least a couple of years before approval. At least with Avidyne the demo gps that they displayed at Sun&fun and Airventure worked fully this was not the case with BK. I know an avidyne engineer who has encouraged me that the 540 should get the sign off by June he also mention it will have some very interesting capabilities that we have not seen yet!! So we will see.

[1964-M20E]

I originality was signed up for a 540 but after changing planes I did not want to rearrange my whole panel so I voluntarily moved further back in the line for a 440.  Right or wrong I'm not sure.

 

The bright spot is I have more time to get ready for installation.

 

Now id they had remote XPNDR that was ADSB-out then I'd stick with the 540 and add in the remote XPNDR

[fantom]

May be old news, the following was sent to me, and I'm posting it here...without comment:

 

At Sun N Fun I learned that Avidyne is having a pre-certification sale of their new Nav/Com/GPS radios, the IFD540 and IFD440.  These are modern radios with touch screen and traditional controls that are supposed to fit right into the racks of a Garmin 530W and 430W.  They use the same wiring and antennas as the Garmins they replace.  They were selling them for a significant reduction in price if you buy and pay for them now, and get them when they are certified.  At the show they were talking about probably starting to ship in July, and being through their backlog by January or February for the IFD540, and about 4 or 5 months later for the IFD440.  Since Garmin has stopped supporting the older non WAAS radios, and will probably stop supporting the new WAAS ones sooner or later in an attempt to get us to buy their 750 and 650 series which do not fit in the same racks as the 530/430, I feel this is of serious interest.

 

I was dealing with Brian Oliver of Avidyne, and he said he did not know how long they would be doing this, but if you contact him soon, he will try to get you a good deal.  His contact information is boliver@Avidyne.com and 781-402-7520

[Piloto]

I don't think anyone who has a G530 will rush to replace it with the IFD540. The G530 may be an older navigator but it has proven to be reliable and functional. Nobody knows yet how the IFD540 will compare in reliability. All what we know is that Avidyne has failed to deliver the product. I would rather have a reliable proven navigator than an untested one. As for support my Mooney is 20 years older than the G530 and stiil supported by the factory.

 

José 

[DaV8or]

I am watching the progress with interest. I currently have a GNS 430W, so I'm all set for 2020 I suppose, but I have to tell you, I am no fan of this vintage tech. I fight with it frequently. I would love to replace it with something that has a better user interface and a better OS. Of course, since I don't need it, I would like for it to be as cost effective as possible, so the IFD 440 with it's drop in install is of interest to me.

 

Big question though is will it still cross feed and play nice with Garmin products?

[Awful_Charlie]

I'm in the queue for a 540/440 too - as Garmin dumped me with the 480 I don't have a love for them any more, and can see the way they're trying to encourage obsolescence - they want you to be getting a new panel every few years.  I guess it is that which is making their equipment use only propitiatory interfaces where possible - see the problems that Voiceflight and Aspen are having talking with them, and rumour is that the GTX33* series of transponders will only be ADSB-out compliant with a Garmin navigator.

 

By going non-Garmin, at least I have the option to replace my other kit with anything that isn't Garmin, whereas by starting down the Garmin route, it looks as though you will have to bend over to their tune forever more in the future

[Piloto]

I'm in the queue for a 540/440 too - as Garmin dumped me with the 480 I don't have a love for them any more, and can see the way they're trying to encourage obsolescence - they want you to be getting a new panel every few years.  I guess it is that which is making their equipment use only propitiatory interfaces where possible - see the problems that Voiceflight and Aspen are having talking with them, and rumour is that the GTX33* series of transponders will only be ADSB-out compliant with a Garmin navigator.

 

By going non-Garmin, at least I have the option to replace my other kit with anything that isn't Garmin, whereas by starting down the Garmin route, it looks as though you will have to bend over to their tune forever more in the future

 

There is no guarantee that going with other brands you will have better interfacing luck

 

The RS-232 type of interface is not an avionics standard like ARINC 429. RS-232 data format is defined by each manufacturer and could be different among multiple manufacturers. This is why the compatability issues.

 

The ARINC 429 type of interface is defined by the RTCA which is an international common public standard. The data formats are published by ARINC so all the manufacturers using this interface will be compatible with each other. The Garmin G530 and 750 outputs and inputs ARINC 429 data to be compatible with ARINC 429 avionics. The reason for sometimes using RS-232 is because there is no ARINC definition for some specific functions or because of it low cost

 

ARINC 429 interface hardware, firmware and test equipment is considerable more expensive than for RS-232. RS-232 is cheaper due to its wide use on PC computers. You can read RS-232 directly on any PC but ARINc 429 requires special equipment to decode and read the data. ARINC 429 interface is much more inmune to data corruption on large aircraft than RS-232 would be. This is why it was developed back in the 1980s. Many avionics manufacturers have opted for ARINC 429 to maintain compatability with other equipment.

 

When choosing avionics equipment the ones with ARINC 429 capability have a greater chance to be compatible than those that are only RS-232. RS-232 data formats are propietary to the manufacturer while ARINC 429 is non-propietary public format.

 

José  

[donkaye, MCFI]

I'm in the queue for a 540/440 too - as Garmin dumped me with the 480 I don't have a love for them any more, and can see the way they're trying to encourage obsolescence - they want you to be getting a new panel every few years.  I guess it is that which is making their equipment use only propitiatory interfaces where possible - see the problems that Voiceflight and Aspen are having talking with them, and rumour is that the GTX33* series of transponders will only be ADSB-out compliant with a Garmin navigator.

 

By going non-Garmin, at least I have the option to replace my other kit with anything that isn't Garmin, whereas by starting down the Garmin route, it looks as though you will have to bend over to their tune forever more in the future

 

My experience with Garmin Hardware is that it just works and their interfaces, fonts, and display colors are comfortable.  I specifically went with all the Garmin equipment that I could BECAUSE of the lack of interface issues with other vendor's products.  They also seem to be able to get things certified when other companies cannot.  I really like all my Garmin products, their support has been outstanding, and they are a big enough company with enough market insight that I wouldn't expect them to be going out of business any time soon.  I'll take Garmin any day over the competition.

[mike_elliott]

.  I specifically went with all the Garmin equipment that I could BECAUSE of the lack of interface issues with other vendor's products.  They also seem to be able to get things certified when other companies cannot.

 Huh? Has Garmin opened up their data encryption now to allow interfacing with other vendors products? Great news if true!

A good lobbyist will do that for you for sure...

[flyboy0681]

Say what you will about Bendix King, Avidyne, Garmin or Aspen, but truth be told, all of their engineering and manufacturing takes place here in the U.S.

[PTK]

Huh? Has Garmin opened up their data encryption now to allow interfacing with other vendors products? Great news if true!

A good lobbyist will do that for you for sure...

Huh? Why all this preoccupation with what Garmin does?

It's not Garmin's responsibility to be concerned with other vendors' products!

Nor is it the consumer's responsibility to fight these vendors' battles!

So Aspen, Avidyne, BK, and everyone else who has an ax to grind with Garmin, please fight your own battles!

[jetdriven]

But Garmin has been known to release updates which specifically break compatibility with other manufacturer's products, such as the Aspen.

[PTK]

I don't think it's the case where G purposefully releases an update for the sole purpose of targeting another vendor!

But even if it was the case what's the problem? Does Aspen need and depend on G that much?

It's a parasitic relationship. Aspen needs G to survive but provides nothing in return.

Start innovating and break that dependency!

[jetdriven]

Heres more info about the Aspen/G430 issue. Heck, Garmin doesnt even make their own products backwards-compatible. You cannot crossfill flight plans from a G430 to a GTN series navigator, and this is from a company that had airways routing and VNAV in the GNS480 over 15 years ago.  Its predatory.

 

here is another thread which goes further into detail about Garmin http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=71247&start=15

 

from MS:

 

ASPEN just send out an email advicing customers not to upgrade to 5.0.

"To Aspen Customers:

Aspen Avionics has determined that the GNS 400W / 500W Series Unit Software Version 5.0, released on October 16, 2012, causes flight plan cross-fill issues with Aspen's Connected Panel systems. The GNS 400W / 500W cross-fill interface is based on a Garmin-proprietary language, and while Aspen has successfully interpreted the GNS-to-GNS data in previous Garmin software versions, we are at present unable to reach an agreement with Garmin to provide a functional interface with this latest version 5.0 release.

Aspen recommends that our dealers and customers who have already installed, or are planning to install, Connected Panel systems in their aircraft refrain from updating their GNS 400W / 500W systems until a functional flight plan cross-fill capability for Garmin's version 5.0 platform has been developed. It's also important for our dealers and customers to understand that once a GNS 400W / 500W unit has been upgraded to the version 5.0 software it cannot be restored with pre-5.0 software.

In addition, Aspen has been unable to obtain integration specifications that enable the EFD1000/500 products to display ADS-B data from the Garmin GDL-88 receiver. If you are considering ADS-B functionality, we advise you to wait to purchase products that are based on open, easy-to-integrate architecture. You are encouraged to contact Garmin to request that open integration specifications be provided to Aspen and other manufacturers to ensure broad industry compatibility.

You can be assured that your Evolution Flight Displays will be easily upgradable to display ADS-B data from compatible, affordable receivers that will be brought to market in the coming months, well before the mandate.

As an Aspen customer, you understand that the power of the Evolution Flight Display Systems and the Connected Panel product lines reside within their compatibility with a wide range of old and new avionics products. This interoperability among all avionics manufacturers reduces aircraft owners' overall equipment and installation costs, while guaranteeing the investments made in aircraft panels. Aspen will continue to foster an open integration philosophy within the avionics industry and urges all manufacturers to follow such an approach for the common good of general aviation."

[PTK]

That letter is Aspen's attempt at recruiting the consumer to fight for for their cause!

They're essentially telling the consumer "...don't upgrade your GPS THAT DRIVES YOUR ENTIRE PANEL..." because our little display hanging on it will not work!

If G is predatory then Aspen is a parasite!