G1000 DB Update Method

[dant]

I'm trying to come up with a good system for updating the databases.. the app seems pretty annoying.

Currently it seems like I have to remember to bring the SD cards back from the plane, load the updates on the SD cards at home where I have good speed internet (2x for the lower, 1x for the MFD upper), then remember to take them back, and hope that nothing goes wrong because I have no easy internet at the plane (iPhone tether??).

Ideally this would be something like... download the files to my laptop at home, take my laptop to the plane, then copy/install at the plane offline.

Is that possible?

Another option is to have two sets of SD cards, I suppose.

What do people do?

[MarkA]

I have two sets of SD cards for the supplemental databases and one SD card I use to load the NAV database. When supplemental databases update comes out, I just download them to them spare set and swap them out in the plane. I just download the NAV database updates to the NAV SD card and install them in the plane since it gets copied into the G1000.

[Chris]

Ideally this would be something like... download the files to my laptop at home, take my laptop to the plane, then copy/install at the plane offline.

That would indeed be ideal. I have no idea why Garmin doesn't do exactly that. They seem to have done extra work to make that impossible.

Is that possible?

Not that I'm aware of. I've started using two sets of cards for the bottom slots.

[haykinson]

I bring my laptop to the airport, climb in the airplane, tether my laptop to my phone, and update that way. I also copy the G1000 logs to my laptop at the same time. As long it's not the cycle when you have to download 1GB of terrain data, it seems to go fine. And on those days, I guess just make sure your internet access is fast enough...

[dmloftus]

Two sets of cards. And I'll usually format and reload all databases each time as the G1000 will continually ask me if I'd like to overwrite current databases with an older version if the older are not deleted. Takes an extra few minutes, but I'm sure everything is current.

[Soareyes]

A skinflint minimalist here. I only update the Nav Data regularly. Only the Nav Data is required to be current. Prefer charts and plates on an iPad. Figure obstacles and terrain don't change much, maybe update those every 5 years or so.

I used to use Jepp but the data from Garmin is cheaper and functionally identical.

Load the Nav Data update to a spare SD card at home - 3 minutes to navigate the Garmin website, 1 second to load the data on to the card. At the plane remove the resident SD cards from the panel and carefully set them aside. Insert the card with the new Nav Data, apply power, follow the prompts, power off, remove the spare card and reinsert the permanent cards - 2 minutes, done.

Not applicable to the OP but in my new plane with NXi I tried the fancy concierge method, wireless via the Flight Stream 510. It was so slow and buggy I went back to the above tried and true method.

[pietromarx]

My process is this.

Take an old whatever SD card using your laptop and update the cart at home with the database updates with a special focus on the larger database updates (charts, terrain, etc.) as needed. It doesn't matter what is on the card, how big it, or anything else.

This will cache (locally store) the data on your laptop.

Then take the laptop to the hanger. Update the real SD cards from the airplane.

The process will go quickly as there is no download happening at the hanger.

You will need an internet connection at home and at the hanger. Yes, the DRM and CA around the website, app, etc. is annoying. Garmin has been "protecting" its maps for > 25 years.

[Boatguy]

I have one card for the DB update, and two for the logs (one is always in the plane). I keep the cards, along with the SVT unlock, the current G1000 s/w loader card (befriend your avionics guy), and a couple of GoPro cards, in an SD card holder in my flight bag which always goes with me from home to plane to home.

Monthly I update the DB update card at home and next time at the plane I update the DBs, backup my "crew" profile to the log card, and swap the log cards. Next time I'm home, I copy the the logs to my computer and upload to a few different web sites.

Always having them in my flight bag is insurance in case I have a G1000 issue while traveling.

[gdevries]

Two sets of cards! Anyone else find it frustrating that the Garmin app requires you to do each set separately -- would be nice to be able to do one NAV and two SUP cards in one "run" from fly.garmin.com -- unless I am missing something?

[CFIDave]

We need to clear about whether we're talking about Legacy G1000 vs. G1000 NXi, because the update process is quite different for each.

For Legacy G1000: If you subscribe to a database bundle (and hence want to keep all of your databases current), you need two sets of bottom cards (each with a card for the PFD and MFD) and a 5th card just for NavData. At home, load the same (most current) databases on one set of PFD and MFD bottom cards, and swap cards with your other bottom slot set out at the airport about once/month. Separately, download NavData onto its dedicated card at home, and then load into G1000 internal memory every 28 days out at the airport. Remove this "NavData" card and take it home.

For G1000 NXi: The process is much simpler because all databases end up residing in G1000 internal memory. All you need is a single SDCard, onto which you download all the most recent files. Then out at the airport, use that card to transfer all the databases to Standby. Then remove the card and take it back home.

If you have NXi with a FlightStream 510 wireless SDCard and a subscription to Garmin Pilot, you can do everything wirelessly from your iPad/iPhone without the need for a data card. However, IMHO this doesn't work very well because the IFR/VFR chart files are so large that it takes 5+ minutes to transfer them wirelessly to the panel -- running down your plane's battery. So I've given up and use an ordinary single SDcard as described above for NXi database updates.