What would your priority be on the potential upgrade below??

[pkofman]

Just now, Marauder said:

Now that you showed your panel, I will change my comment. The Lynx the last time I checked will show traffic on the GTN but weather products are not available. I would go with the Avidyne exchange for the 530 now (there still is a good resale market for them now) and find a way to fund an Aspen. Everything will be integrated and you will be able to get GPSS and autopilot control. Sorry I am spending your money.

Hey , thanks for the advice, I forgot to mention a few things and now i have to go deeper

My plane has a gld69 and it is tied to the 530w and the flight stream  , that's how i get xm weather on the iPad and the 530 w

I  also get adsb traffic and wx from the lynx.... BUT.....( again a Canadian thing ) I dont get adsb traffic or wx  in Canada once 25-40 miles north of the border so that is why i installed the lynx with active traffic. ( which btw is awesome and i get it on the iPad via wifi from the lynx ) I had to go to great lengths to get all of this gack working together because of limitations here in the great white north.

 

[MIm20c]

Beautiful looking panel. I should be smacked in the head for this but with the g5 already installed (I’d try to get that flush mounted) I’m going to recommend waiting for the ki300 to replace the 256. That along with the 540 is all I would do. 

[rbridges]

11 hours ago, McMooney said:

Aspen, what's the real diff between a 530w and 750 not much, bit shinier.

but honestly, i'd keep it as is and spend the money on experiences.

The victor airways is a nice feature on the newer GPS units.  I don't get those much, but it threw me for a loop the first time on my 430.

[Marauder]

37 minutes ago, rbridges said:

The victor airways is a nice feature on the newer GPS units.  I don't get those much, but it threw me for a loop the first time on my 430.

Being an old steam gauge guy, I never really appreciated the Victor airway capabilities of the newer boxes until I started flying safety pilot with the GNS owners. Too much data entry! 

[pkofman]

19 minutes ago, Marauder said:

Being an old steam gauge guy, I never really appreciated the Victor airway capabilities of the newer boxes until I started flying safety pilot with the GNS owners. Too much data entry! 

Ok so because i fly a sim often with a 750 i fell in love with the easy entry of airways on the 750

so that is why i devised a work around  solution so that i would not have to change the gns.

I installed the flight stream 210 ,. That allows me to use Garmin pilot ( and foreflight ) on the ipad . I can enter a flight plan on the garmin pilot which sends to the panel and vice versa. Allot cheaper than the 750 but obviously not perfect and missing all of the 750 functionality but it solves all of the dial turning waypoint entry issues. Basically on one button to push... " accept from ipad" on the 530w.. If you enter a procedure on the 530 the flight stream will send it directly to the ipad so it works both ways.

Not perfect but it is my work around and i saved a few bucks

[pkofman]

2 hours ago, MIm20c said:

Beautiful looking panel. I should be smacked in the head for this but with the g5 already installed (I’d try to get that flush mounted) I’m going to recommend waiting for the ki300 to replace the 256. That along with the 540 is all I would do. 

Tried  flush mounting they could not get it to fit!

[Oldguy]

Unless you have an extra 1 1/2" on the top or bottom of your 530, you will need to move everything in your center stack to fit the 750 (530W - 4.6" H vs. 750 - 6.0" H). That might be a cost not considered in your current equation.

Go for the IFD 540, sell the 530W, pull the G5 (yes, there is a resale market, but they are relatively inexpensive to start) and put in the Aspen. You don't say if you have GPSS, but the Aspen will provide it for you as well as Synthetic Vision and an AOA (both of which are software upgrades and can be done in the future).

If you want us to spend more of your money, just let us know as I am certain we can drop twice the budget you have into your panel with no problem! 

[gsxrpilot]

Since you're working in USD anyway... you could do the whole IFD540 upgrade without talking to your avionics shop. Just do everything through the mail with Chase at AvionicsSource. He's in Seattle, so almost Canadian. 

 

 

[kris_adams]

3 hours ago, rbridges said:

The victor airways is a nice feature on the newer GPS units.  I don't get those much, but it threw me for a loop the first time on my 430.

I agree.  It's still a pain I have to work around with my 430.

[pkofman]

1 hour ago, Oldguy said:

Unless you have an extra 1 1/2" on the top or bottom of your 530, you will need to move everything in your center stack to fit the 750 (530W - 4.6" H vs. 750 - 6.0" H). That might be a cost not considered in your current equation.

Go for the IFD 540, sell the 530W, pull the G5 (yes, there is a resale market, but they are relatively inexpensive to start) and put in the Aspen. You don't say if you have GPSS, but the Aspen will provide it for you as well as Synthetic Vision and an AOA (both of which are software upgrades and can be done in the future).

If you want us to spend more of your money, just let us know as I am certain we can drop twice the budget you have into your panel with no problem! 

I now  have gpss that is why i started on the g5 .. It works great but i dislike the g5 functionality. My gut at the moment is aspen then new gps in the future,  gpss sv aoa. There is a special on aspen pro 1000 at the moment, they are going to upgrade the device soon

[Oldguy]

6 hours ago, pkofman said:

All the advice is awesome. ( and I should have pointed this out at the outset of my post ). I am in Canada and although we have great avionics shops here they, unfortunately, play in American dollars and some even quote their labor in American $$. So I'm not exactly on a level playing field when it comes to the numbers quoted above

An installed aspen here is going to cost me about ( material and labor.... 20K Canadian ) and a 750 will be installed about 25k Canadian). I bought the g5 last year and the shop I got it from won't give me a credit as they say there is little to no market for the resale (probably bullshit but whatever!) , So that is the unfortunate consequences of a 72 cent dollar conversion.

Not complaining but those are the facts. Aviation is an American dollar commodity .even on this side of the border!!! and you might think that the shops are quiet with little to no business but they are booking 3 months out minimum!!!!!!

Its a 20-25 k investment for one or the other.and hence that is what makes it even more difficult. Maybe im convincing myself to go with the do-nothing plan,

 

This might be heresy, but have you considered shopping for another avionics shop to do what you want? Seattle Avionics has the IFD 540 for $6,695 USD with your 530W trade-in. I had my Aspen installed before they announced the MAX, so I did not get the end-of-run sale on it, but my total for the Aspen, EA-100, install and everything was around 13,000 USD. You may find a shop relatively close (by Mooney) to do what you want within your budget.

Just a thought.

[Andy95W]

3 hours ago, pkofman said:

Tried  flush mounting they could not get it to fit!

Your G5 is a little obvious from the side, but how is it to fly behind?  Is it even noticeable that it isn't flush mounted?

[pkofman]

2 minutes ago, Oldguy said:

This might be heresy, but have you considered shopping for another avionics shop to do what you want? Seattle Avionics has the IFD 540 for $6,695 USD with your 530W trade-in. I had my Aspen installed before they announced the MAX, so I did not get the end-of-run sale on it, but my total for the Aspen, EA-100, install and everything was around 13,000 USD. You may find a shop relatively close (by Mooney) to do what you want within your budget.

Just a thought.

Yup all considered, thanks for the thoughts. One thing i know for sure. I cant get this work done in the states. I might be able to get the work done but the moment i step over the boarder the customs guys will want 13% on all work etc etc . You just cant win! BTW if i install the aspen then there is evidently an upgrade path coming from aspen

[Niko182]

How about you get the 540. That should set you back about 6k for a trade in program or about 4 to 5k if you try to sell the 530w yourself. Then take all the money you saved, and install a JPI 900 with a new panel. You can clean up your panel a ton. While youre at it get rid of some of the suff you dont use. I dont know how much adf is used up in canada, but its not really used in the US anymore.

A 540, jpi 900, and panel should still be cheaper than doing a 750 alone.

Selling the adf and other unused products in the panel should get you maybe a couple

Hundred bucks to some thousands back.

 

I learned here, that an engine monitor should be the number one modification to be done. I see you have a 700, but getting a 900 allows you to get rid of the old engine gauges. Im sure others here will agree with me.

[Simpson Bennett]

18 hours ago, carusoam said:

Do we still have our Avidyne guy around here?  Or was that @Simpson Bennett before he moved over to...S-Tec?

We have a Garmin guy @TrekLawler, but he doesn’t answer here very often...  check BT for that route...

Best regards,

-a-

Yup, I am at Genesys Aerosystem/S-TEC now. Sooooo spend the money on getting a new S-TEC 3100 

Seriously though, you really have a plenty of options. Upgrading to the IFD540 might be a better move. It works with everything in your current panel and gives you the biggest bang for the buck since you don't have to change much (if any really) going from an existing 530W.

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Marauder said:

Being an old steam gauge guy, I never really appreciated the Victor airway capabilities of the newer boxes until I started flying safety pilot with the GNS owners. Too much data entry! 

Even my old Apollo CNX80 has airways, while my 430W does not.

Clarence

[Guest]

4 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

Since you're working in USD anyway... you could do the whole IFD540 upgrade without talking to your avionics shop. Just do everything through the mail with Chase at AvionicsSource. He's in Seattle, so almost Canadian. 

 

 

If he buys the IFD, I’m pretty sure I have a 3/32” Allen wrench to install it.

Clarence

[pkofman]

3 hours ago, Andy95W said:

Your G5 is a little obvious from the side, but how is it to fly behind?  Is it even noticeable that it isn't flush mounted?

honestly i thought it would bother me but i dont even notice the g5 projecting from the panel , straight on it perfect and very legible

 

[Nokomis449]

Avidyne fan/owner here.  To expand on something that's already been mentioned: as long as a few caveats are met, installing a 540 in the 530 slot can be as simple as the owner removing the 530 and sliding in the 540; about a 5 minute process if you go slow.  Avidyne even has detailed instructions including what to enter in the logbook to make it a legal owner performed install.  Using wifi from the Avidyne, you can push a flight plan from ForeFlight/et al to the Avidyne and from the Avidyne to ForeFlight.  You can even have your Avidyne connect to a different wifi source (such as a Stratux) as a client so that ForeFlight can get traffic/wx from the Stratux and still push/pull flight plans from the Avidyne.  Additionally, Avidyne provides a free iPad app, IFD100, that will also wirelessly connect to the Avidyne and essentially gives you a 2nd instance of a 540 while also pushing the traffic/wx to the 100.  You can change the flight plan, look up airports/freqs/wx, change radio freqs, view different pages, and anything else the 540 can do while the panel IFD remains unchanged.  It's like having a 2nd IFD installed for free, but with a screen the size of an iPad. 

Now to show some insight (or ignorance if I'm wrong): The 440 and 540 both have Synthetic Vision, as mentioned previously.  However, only the 550 has the electronic gyros to give you true AHRS.  Synthetic Vision (GPS based) and AHRS (gyro based) are not the same thing.  I thought I'd be able to get ForeFlight's Attitude Indicator to work off of my certified IFD440's brains instead of my DIY $15 Stratux AHRS board but after failing to get it to work, I read the Avidyne marketing literature more closely and realized that AHRS is only available on the 550.

The huge advantage to me of the Avidyne over Garmin (I replaced a 430 with the 440) is the fact that I can do everything on the IFD using the touch screen OR using the knobs and soft keys.  Touchscreen is great in smooth air, but in turbulence it's nearly impossible to touch the correct spot, especially if you're typing in waypoint or other lengthy entry.  That's when the knobs and buttons make up for the slightly smaller screen.  Also as mentioned before, the (free!) bluetooth keyboard is ideal for data entry whether the air is smooth or bumpy.  You can enter lengthy routes at the speed of txt'ing.  Add all that together along with huge $$ savings and you'd really have to be faithfully married to Garmin to not give Avidyne a wink.

PP thoughts only, not a normal person.

[McMooney]

i'm still not understanding why I would yank a working 530w for anything else? Not enough difference in capability to make up the cost.  well maybe if I flew it every day instead of 110ish hours a year.

now 430/530 to something with waas, maybe.   Aspen will atleast put the visuals in front of you, SV is nice.  what about a shiny new paint job?

Edited November 29, 2018 by McMooney

[Mooney in Oz]

15 hours ago, pkofman said:

So that is the unfortunate consequences of a 72 cent

I feel your pain as the Aussie dollar is about the same value and being down under, we also get reamed by freight costs.

Which way you choose, go either with all Garmin or Avidyne and Aspen.  This is simply due to Garmin's proprietary stance on most of their equipment, otherwise be prepared for compatibility grief.

I decided to go with Aspen and Avidyne, which makes me a very happy chappy.

[gsxrpilot]

4 hours ago, McMooney said:

i'm still not understanding why I would yank a working 530w for anything else? Not enough difference in capability to make up the cost.  well maybe if I flew it every day instead of 110ish hours a year.

now 430/530 to something with waas, maybe.   Aspen will atleast put the visuals in front of you, SV is nice.  what about a shiny new paint job?

I'll give you ride and you'll see.

[Piloto]

On ‎11‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:42 PM, pkofman said:

Ive asked this type of question in the past but im thinkng about tinkering with some new avionics

I have a 1998 Bravo TLS  . it has a g5. and a 530w and flightstream 210  .Given  the equipment in the plane would you prioitize a Aspen Pro 1000 or a GTN750 . What would you choose 

I can do one or the other, not both.. ( im not a fan of the g5 but it will suffice if i had to keep it. )

What is your opinion and choice. 

 

Peter

 

Forgot to add a Pilot Relief Tube. It will make your long flights pleasant and less embarrassing, no need to empty p bottles at FBO or nearby grass. 

José

[thinwing]

Threadshift Piloto strikes again!

[kortopates]

21 hours ago, McMooney said:

i'm still not understanding why I would yank a working 530w for anything else? Not enough difference in capability to make up the cost.  well maybe if I flew it every day instead of 110ish hours a year.

now 430/530 to something with waas, maybe.   Aspen will atleast put the visuals in front of you, SV is nice.  what about a shiny new paint job?

Sounds like you haven't flown behind one of the GTN's or Avidyne's yet? Frankly, Aspen's make me yawn, like a pair of G5's with double selectable inputs for 2 navcoms/gps's with very little AP integration - but with all due respect to those that fly with one. 

Edited November 30, 2018 by kortopates