Why not GNS 480?

[bd32322]

I am looking at buying a plane with a gns 480. Reading up on its specs, it seems as good f not better than the 430W, especially the victor airway routing.

Am I missing something. Garmin will still service the box if it goes kaput.

Thanks

[smccray]

I like my gns480. I don't have any experience with the 430/530 so I can't compare.

[RJBrown]

The GNS480 nee CX80 is why there are anti monopoly laws only this time it did not work.  Since Garmin was unable build a better box they were "forced" to buy and KILL its only real competition. Can you say the Devil made me do it? The saga of that piece of equiptment is why, from a moral standpoint, we should boycott Garmin forever. But we wont we are addicted to the Garmin drug.  

The 480 is a much better piece of equipment  but has less resale value because of its shakey future.

[bd32322]

The GNS480 nee CX80 is why there are anti monopoly laws only this time it did not work. Since Garmin was unable build a better box they were "forced" to buy and KILL its only real competition. Can you say the Devil made me do it? The saga of that piece of equiptment is why, from a moral standpoint, we should boycott Garmin forever. But we wont we are addicted to the Garmin drug.

The 480 is a much better piece of equipment but has less resale value because of its shakey future.

Aah .. so its from UPS. Once upon a time when the lancair ES came out, it was decked out in UPS avionics. It looked so advanced in that cockpit compared to anything flying then and still does in my opinion. I think the cockpit design with sidestick controllers and clean panel was part of NASA's AGATE initiative.

And the history of the CX80 is sad indeed. The better product just got killed although for the life of me, i cant figure out why it took garmin till now (gns650) to give us victor airway routing!!

[M016576]

Probably so they could justify charging us another 13K for a "nice to have interface" vice a new real capability.

Garmin and Jeppessen: they charge because they know we will begrudgingly pay....

[Comatose]

Oh come on, the sequel was happy enough. Play with a GTN650 and you'll know what I mean.

[OR75]

i have a 430 and will not replace it with a 650.

it requires rewiring and will not get me there faster or safer.

[231Pilot]

I have had the 430, and now have the 480.  There is a learning curve, but I much prefer the 430.  I use it with a GMX200 and it is great.  The only problem with it is that (of course) Garmin no longer supports it.  I will keep it until I can no longer upgrade the database or until it dies.

[bd32322]

I have had the 430, and now have the 480.  There is a learning curve, but I much prefer the 430.  I use it with a GMX200 and it is great.  The only problem with it is that (of course) Garmin no longer supports it.  I will keep it until I can no longer upgrade the database or until it dies.

Can you say why you like the 430 better or in which area e.g. User interface or features etc

[Bob]

Here is a great tutorial for the 480.

1:20 long but will give you a good idea about its use.

 

[Jeff_S]

I have had the 430, and now have the 480.  There is a learning curve, but I much prefer the 430.  I use it with a GMX200 and it is great.  The only problem with it is that (of course) Garmin no longer supports it.  I will keep it until I can no longer upgrade the database or until it dies.

 

This is an untrue statement. Garmin still provides support for the device, although admittedly it comes in fits and starts. You can get maintenance on them and they are even contemplating one final release of software to support some bug fixes, improved ADS-B support, etc. If you join the GNS 480 users group on Yahoo message boards you will get tapped into a lot of people (including myself) who love the device.

 

I have mine set up with an MX-20 and a King HSI and S-TEC 55 autopilot, and I love it. It will fly a fully automated approach, even picking out which hold pattern entry to use. It makes life in the clouds a non-event. I have futzed with the GTN simulators and I do think Garmin brought some of the best 480 features into those products, but from a functional standpoint there is nothing those products can do that my current setup won't.

[Alan Fox]

It was explained to me that the architechture of the 480 is more atune to an FMS of a light turbo/jet , where the 430 is more user friendly to the average G/A pilot....As far as anti trust , Garmin buying UPS was not an anti trust issue , with Collins , King , Narco and the likes in the game all Garmin has done is force the competetors to step up to the plate , or fail...  And we have all benefited from this..... The only downside is that the only company really trying to compete with Garmin is Avidyne , and they are not even close.... I do believe if Dynon can make the jump to certified , than there will be two "Real" players , and price will become more competetive.....For the naysayers , we could be all flying around with Kx155's and KLN90b's , I prefer my Garmin....

[smccray]

It's my understanding (and I'll get away from this really quickly if someone knows better) that when Garmin bought Apollo they kept the Apollo product development group and it's the Apollo developers that deveoped the GTN series, not the same group of developers that developed the 430/530.

 

I have the aviation out of the 480 connected to a 796.  It's a great setup for thousands less than a certified MFD and it includes XM radio, and can be connected to a GDL39 for ADSB in.  I love the setup- the amount of information available to you is fantastic, and the 796 has a battery backup waas GPS that, in an emergency could be used to backup the 480 for a GPS approach.  The only thing the 796 doesn't display from the 480 is the procedure turn, and points on the flight plan after the procedure turn- I'll take that limitation.

[Piloto]

i have a 430 and will not replace it with a 650.

it requires rewiring and will not get me there faster or safer.

I have a 530AW and have the same opinion. But differ sligtly with you. By not having the 750 I can fly more hours because I have money to buy fuel. Those with the 750 become hangar queens with their owners poking fingers on the 750 screen.

 

José

[flyboy0681]

What I can't figure out is why UPS, of all companies, went into the avionics business to begin with. It's a pretty big leap from those funny looking brown trucks to hi tech.

 

The 480 was, is, a pretty good unit from what I have seen of it. And I believe it's the only unit where the user can plug in the parameters and it will calculate the holding pattern entry.

[Dale]

I have a 480 and a 430 in my mooney along with an mx-20. I love the 480. It is one of the finest pieces of equipment I have ever used. There is a good learning curve but if you review the garmin 480 manuals, which are still online, and use the downloadable simulater that will download onto your computer, you can learn it pretty quickly. There are also a number of manuals still on the Internet for the 480 and a number of you tube videos. You need to punch in gns 480 or cx80 to find the you tube videos and the instruction is pretty good. I was very fortunate that the prior owner of my plane completely redid his avionics to its present configuration. Short of a full glass panel, it is very nice. As for service, I have had both my 480 and 430 checked out after I bought my mooney. Both were pulled by my avionics guy who came out to my hangar, sent to garmin, checked out, refurbished, etc etc and placed back in the plane. I understand they are still servicing these 2 instruments. I really find both to be great but feel the 480 is a really excellent piece of equipment, I am lucky to have one.

[gjkirsch]

I currently have the 480 with a MX 20 having had a 430 in the last plane.  As others have said, I found the 430 easier to use initially but now really appreciate the 480.  It is a box that was way ahead of it's time when it was introduced.  I can't comment on the new Garmin or Avydine offerings.  I found another pilot on the field that had one and spent some time getting me up to speed and then got a user friendly manual at Oshkosh a few years ago. 

 

Right now, it does everything I need.

[fantom]

Agree that the 480 was/is a gem. To utilize it well, you need an MX20 or better yet a 200.

[danb35]

What I can't figure out is why UPS, of all companies, went into the avionics business to begin with. It's a pretty big leap from those funny looking brown trucks to hi tech.

UPS bought out IIMorrow, an established avionics company best known for their line of LORANs.  So at least they bought an existing company rather than starting into avionics from scratch.  As to why they did that, though, good question.  I don't know that IIMorrow/UPSAT ever did anything that would have been useful to UPS's air fleet.

[FloridaMan]

By all accounts, I've heard the 480 is incredibly desirable and impossible to find unless you buy the airplane with it. 

[Dale]

By all accounts, I've heard the 480 is incredibly desirable and impossible to find unless you buy the airplane with it. 

That's dead on. When I bought my mooney, one of the selling points was that it had a 480 and that unless I found another plane that already had one installed, it was going to be difficult to find another similar unit with all the same capabilities as the 480. I am really lucky to have one.

[carusoam]

Does the 480 have waas capabilities?

That's what is missing from the BK KLN series...

Go competition!

-a-

[Dale]

Yes, the 480 has waas.

[KSMooniac]

The CNX80 was the first unit to have WAAS, in fact.  I don't recall completely now, but UPS bought IIMorrow to improve the capabilities of their fleet in some way. The details are fuzzy, I'm afraid, but I thought it was puzzling at the time.  Could be a case of having too much cash on hand and needing to do something with it...?  

 

Garmin bought them to eliminate a competitor and get the WAAS tech.  The old group still exists in Oregon and they indeed developed the current GTN series up there vs. Olathe at HQ.  Why they didn't make the new stuff tray-compatible with GNS series is a huge oversight IMO.  I get the impression the two groups don't play nicely together, which isn't surprising IMO.  It is shameful Garmin didn't incorporate the WAAS tech sooner into the GNS line, and especially the airway routing features.  At least they did keep the innovative SL30/40 series of NAV/COMs around.  

[carusoam]

I see the 480 waas advertised in the Rocket from the other thread...

-a-