G3X Touch - Slow db updates from SD card

[toto]

Anyone with a G3X Touch have any hints for speeding up the db updates?

It’s like watching paint dry. When I put the SD card in my GTN, everything is updated within about 60 seconds. But the G3X takes easily 15-20 minutes. I don’t live close to the airport, so I can’t just pop over and do a db update. I put the new SD card in when I’m ready to fly, and ….. wait … and wait … and wait. 

The updates work fine, they just take forever. 

Is there a way to make this faster?

[PT20J]

No.

The G3X has chart files that are large and take a long time to download and to install. Depending on which GTN you have (original or Xi, 650 or 750) and what subscriptions you have, there is a lot less data and a faster processor in the GTN.

Remember, patience is a virtue 

[ArtVandelay]

Forever = 10-15 minutes.

I expect the G4X or whatever next gen is called will address this with a faster processor.

[toto]

I guess I don’t really care how long it takes to download the updates from the SD card - what I really care about is that I can’t use the G3X while they’re happening. If there was some way to background the update process and allow you to access the PFD/EIS while it’s happening, I wouldn’t be concerned about the long wait.

[PT20J]

36 minutes ago, toto said:

I guess I don’t really care how long it takes to download the updates from the SD card - what I really care about is that I can’t use the G3X while they’re happening. If there was some way to background the update process and allow you to access the PFD/EIS while it’s happening, I wouldn’t be concerned about the long wait.

Tell Garmin. https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/

[toto]

36 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

Forever = 10-15 minutes.

I expect the G4X or whatever next gen is called will address this with a faster processor.

I'm not sure how to read the "Forever = 10-15 minutes" comment?

It's a long time for me.  If I'm sitting there with a passenger on a hot day, waiting 15 minutes while I can't do a run up or see any instruments is a really long time.  It's a painfully long time.  If the engine is running, then I'm worried about fouling plugs, and if the engine isn't running then I'm worried about running down my battery (not to mention sweating profusely, and having to explain to a passenger why we're just sitting there doing nothing).

Maybe there's some technical reference somewhere that would help me understand, but my expectation is that this is just copying a few gigs of data from flash memory on the SD card to internal flash memory on the G3X.  This should be fast, and I wouldn't expect much if any processing of the data.

[toto]

3 minutes ago, PT20J said:

Tell Garmin. https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/

Cool, I filled it out

 

[toto]

I was looking around for ideas on how others have dealt with this, and it looks like some Van's pilots have also requested the background operation -

https://vansairforce.net/threads/managing-database-updates-g3x-touch.160708/

It also sounds like there used to be a function on the flyGarmin website to choose a subset of the chart images.  There's good thinking here about updating the full set of charts only occasionally, and updating the charts in the area you expect to be flying more frequently.  The idea of choosing a much smaller set of images every 28 days and doing the full set once a year is a good workaround for the slow updates.

I assume that the chart selection functionality is the same for an experimental G3X user as it is for a certified G3X user (in other words, it appears that you can't do this any more in either context).  Wonder why they got rid of it?

[ArtVandelay]

I'm not sure how to read the "Forever = 10-15 minutes" comment?
It's a long time for me.  If I'm sitting there with a passenger on a hot day, waiting 15 minutes while I can't do a run up or see any instruments is a really long time.  It's a painfully long time.  If the engine is running, then I'm worried about fouling plugs, and if the engine isn't running then I'm worried about running down my battery (not to mention sweating profusely, and having to explain to a passenger why we're just sitting there doing nothing).

In other words, I start the process, then do my preflight and some other things while it does its thing. It seems like forever but if you don’t do it while sitting on the ramp it won’t be as bad.

[toto]

55 minutes ago, ArtVandelay said:

In other words, I start the process, then do my preflight and some other things while it does its thing. It seems like forever but if you don’t do it while sitting on the ramp it won’t be as bad.

That makes sense, thank you.

I also liked @Rick Junkin’s suggestion in the other thread that you could wait until after a flight and then let the update run while you’re putting the plane away etc. That seems much less disruptive than doing it before the flight.