My Garmin Experience

Any DA42 related topics.

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CFIDave
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My Garmin Experience

Post by CFIDave »

I thought I'd share the following experience for any DA42NG or DA42-VI owners contemplating an upgrade to the latest G1000 software 010-00670-13 (GDU 15.11) for these aircraft:
http://support.diamond-air.at/fileadmin ... -G1000.pdf

Because I've previously been through the process of multiple DA40/DA42 G1000 software installs (working alongside various avionics techs), I thought I'd do it myself this time. I would get the software upgrade legally signed off by an avionics shop by demonstrating that everything was working satisfactorily after the installation.

So after spending about 4 hours in a very hot hangar (with my GPU powering the plane) going through the complete install with all of the options for my DA42-VI (including application of the SVT unlock card), everything seemed to work...

Except for one item: I couldn't get Jepp NavData to load into the top card slots of either the PFD or MFD! All the other databases resident on the bottom PFD/MFD cards loaded normally. Obviously I didn't want to fly the plane without navigation data (especially at my home airport located within the DC SFRA and under the 1500 foot KIAD Bravo shelf -- where precise navigation is necessary to prevent an airspace bust by the Feds).

I tried everything I could think of to resolve this problem: different SDCards from different manufacturers, different capacity cards, loading NavData via the FlyGarmin website using a Mac, loading NavData via the FlyGarmin.com website using a PC, etc. I completely reinstalled the G1000 software multiple times, including new Boot Blocks for the PFD and MFD, reloaded the installation software from a different SDCard, etc. In desperation, I even tried loading NavData onto the bottom card slots. Nothing solved the problem; I wasted days doing all this in a hot hangar.

So I finally "gave up" and hired an avionics tech. He called the Garmin dealer support hotline and they couldn't suggest a solution any different from what I had already tried. So together we performed another re-load of the NavData using a PC, and another complete multi-hour reinstall of the G1000 software. Got the same result: NavData still wouldn't load in the top PFD/MFD slots.

The next day the avionics tech called Garmin again -- this time we were told to try downloading NavData from the FlyGarmin.com website again, but not to use the the Communicator plug-in that has worked for years on both Macs and PCs. Instead we were told to use the new "FlyGarmin for Windows" application that was introduced about 6 months ago. (There is no version for Macs yet.)

It worked -- because the FlyGarmin for Windows app actually downloads TWO navigation database files onto an SDCard: the original "avtn_db.bin" file and a new one called "avtn_db2.bin." It seems the latest GDU 15.11 G1000 software I had installed only recognizes the second file!

Garmin has not published any Service Bulletins explaining any of this, and even some of their dealer support people don't know about this change. :scream:

(Note: none of this applies to older G1000 software prior to GDU Version 15, so DA40s and other DA42s remain unaffected.)
Last edited by CFIDave on Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Colin
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Re: My Garmin Experience

Post by Colin »

That is the sort of instance where, back when I was building houses and was the contractor, I used a "back charge" item on the subcontractor bills. That is an ASTONISHING waste of time all on Garmin's idiocy.
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CFIDave
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Re: My Garmin Experience

Post by CFIDave »

BTW, one of the reasons I was interested in upgrading our G1000 to GDU Version 15 is to take advantage of the new higher-resolution Terrain database (this is totally independent of the problem with NavData noted above). The previous Garmin Terrain database (still the most current for most G1000 aircraft) uses a resolution of 9 arc seconds. The newest Terrain file is approximate 4X the size and uses a resolution of 4.9 arc seconds.

The bad news is that this larger Terrain file won't fit on previous MFD and PFD bottom slot SDCards (e.g., Garmin "-43" SDCards). So all of your lower slot databases (e.g., Obstacle, SafeTaxi, Basemap, etc.) now have to be reloaded onto a pair of larger 8 GB SDCards. The good news is that you can purchase blank SanDisk 8 GB cards at Best Buy for $12 or less. (Technically these aren't legal because they aren't $100+ blank Garmin TSO'ed SanDisk 8 GB cards, but they're exactly the same cards.)

Anyway, here is what Synthetic Vision now looks like with the higher-resolution terrain data. This photo was taken as we flew over the Appalachians in PA (we had to slow down for turbulence). You might notice that the mountain ridges are no longer smoothed, but have more jagged tops:
Image
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Re: My Garmin Experience

Post by CFIDave »

One more important change brought on by the latest DA42 software with GDU Version 15:

I was surprised that the transponder no longer has a GND (ground) mode. There's no more GND softkey available to select after you first hit the XPDR softkey on the bottom of the PFD. "GND" will never display in the XPDR box at the lower right side.

Instead, you select ALT (altitude mode) via softkey on the ground, and the transponder initially acts like it's not working properly by displaying your transponder code and ALT only in white (not green!). Then after you take off (airspeed increases past stall speed), ALT and your transponder code will turn green.

I tested this on my first post-install flight by purposely making an aborted takeoff while watching to see if ALT and my code would turn from white to green as I lifted off, and then change back to white when I put the plane back on the runway and slowed down. (It would have been too risky to fly out of KJYO with a potentially non-functional transponder, since TSA and the FAA enforce a "zero tolerance policy" for squawking the wrong transponder code or no code at all inside the DC Special Flight Rules Area.)

Later I confirmed this new transponder behavior by reading the transponder section of the latest Garmin G1000 Pilots Guide associated with the new G1000 software. GND mode is indeed gone.
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Steve
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Re: My Garmin Experience

Post by Steve »

Kind of makes me glad I have a KLN-94 in my panel. Nowhere near as capable as the G-1000, but upgrades for me are an exchange memory card into the (only) slot, turn on the unit, 7 minutes later all is good to go.

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Re: My Garmin Experience

Post by gordsh »

This post just answered my question regarding the Garmin OnePak database updates.

Image

Prior to now I used Jeppsen database updates and never had to choose between Worldwide (30 Arc Second) and Worldwide (4.9 Arc Second) / Worldwide (9 Arc Second).

The lower the number the higher the resolution.
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