G5 Altitude Alert "Tone"?

[Yooper Rocketman]

We are just finishing my G5 installation and I was reviewing the wiring requirements yesterday afternoon and wondered how the altitude alert (tone) was interfacing with my audio panel, as I didn't see an wiring requirements that would address that.  To be clear, the audio altitude alert was one of the features I was really interested in (impacted the upgrade decision), especially after flying nearly 200 hours behind my G3x's in the Lancair with that feature (and altitude capture).  I've almost busted altitudes twice since going back to flying the Mooney while the Lancair is in paint.  It's pretty amazing how the new technology changes your flying habits.  Anyway, I asked the Avionics tech how it was wired and he said "good question".  He reviewed the installation manual and found nothing that would interface that feature.  He called Garmin support and the tech he was talking to seemed stumped and kind of indicated the certified installation manual was just a revised addition of the original "Experimental" version (like maybe this was an experimental feature that didn't carry over to the certified version and was missed in the "certified manual").  He didn't SAY that but that was the feeling we had after the call.  He said he had to dig into it and call my avionics tech back.

So, this morning I looked up the "Experimental" G5 installation manual and it's no different that the certified version as far as anything for wiring the audio tone into the system.  Now I am stumped?  Hoping my tech gets a call today, but not too optimistic I will end up with and audio "TONE" to go with the flashing alert on altitude functions.  

Anyone else run into this?  Below is the actual verbiage from the top of page 19 of the operators manual and the link to the manual.

"The Altitude Alerting function provides the pilot with a visual alert AND TONE (my emphasis) when approaching the Selected Altitude".

http://static.garmin.com/pumac/190-01112-12_A.pdf

Tom Sullivan

[Cruiser]

Altitude alerts get much more difficult with the FAA involved. Even the Garmin GTX 345 will not provide them. 

There must be a much more complicated requirement to allow them in certified equipment.

Clarification: as stated below, the GTX 345 provides Altitude alerts. I was referring to altitude callouts like "500 feet" etc. 

[N201MKTurbo]

The G5 only has visual altitude alerting. No audio.

 

[Browncbr1]

I too was bummed that the altitude alert is only visual and a few other things that mislead me.  At this time, I can only get a 500ft audio warning from my aera 660.

Hopefully, someday, they will get this feature added with a software update and the audio will be delivered via the RS232 to the GTN rather than having to go back in and add another separate audio wire.

[Yooper Rocketman]

2 hours ago, N201MKTurbo said:

The G5 only has visual altitude alerting. No audio.

 

OK, so why does the Pilot's Guide  say they have it?

2.1.3.2 ALTITUDE ALERTING The Altitude Alerting function provides the pilot with a visual alert and tone when approaching the Selected Altitude. Whenever the Selected Altitude is changed, the Altitude Alerter is reset. The following will occur when approaching the Selected Altitude: • Passing within 1,000 feet of the Selected Altitude, the Selected Altitude (shown above the Altimeter) flashes for 5 seconds. • When the aircraft passes within 200 feet of the Selected Altitude, the Selected Altitude flashes for 5 seconds to indicate that the aircraft is approaching the selected altitude. • After reaching the Selected Altitude, if the pilot flies outside the deviation band (±200 Feet of the Selected Altitude), the Selected Altitude changes to yellow text on a black background, flashes for 5 seconds.

190-01112-12 Rev. A G5 Electronic Flight Instrument Pilot's Guide for Certified Aircraft

The Garmin tech asked what version of the manual we were looking at and never said we had the wrong one??

Tom

 

 

[bradp]

Tom - I searched and read though the experimental manual. The only reference to audio alerting “autopilot disconnect and other aural alerts” is via the GMC 507 autopilot head.  So in a G3x and/or G5 with GFC autopilot setup - seems like the G5 can drive an aural alert via canbus.  However there’s no audio out from either the G5 or GAD-29b. 

 

[Yooper Rocketman]

11 minutes ago, bradp said:

Tom - I searched and read though the experimental manual. The only reference to audio alerting “autopilot disconnect and other aural alerts” is via the GMC 507 autopilot head.  So in a G3x and/or G5 with GFC autopilot setup - seems like the G5 can drive an aural alert via canbus.  However there’s no audio out from either the G5 or GAD-29b.

I'm coming to the realization it's probably not an option.  I just don't understand why it was noted in the Pilot's Guide as having "a visual alert AND tone"?  This probably explains why they are on Revision 12A of this guide and clearly still don't have it right.

Tom

 

[bradp]

As explained for why the software update that fixes a connection issues between the GAD29B and the GNS boxes hasn’t made it in to rev 12- probably because the manuals are written by a set of folks very separate from the design engineers.