Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2012-2013 - 76

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WAAS GPS

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Now, the 2.7-inch all-in-one nav/comm/GPS/MFD is multiplying and increasing options for those interested in a stand-alone GPS. That’s not saying industry insiders gave no hope of a box dreamt about by our pilot – and many others as you will see. But, for now, the direction of new development seems to point toward a 2.65-inch height as the standard for the next generation of WAAS GPS navigators and affiliated products.

Sound Logic: Two Birds With One Box
The many pilots who voiced their desires said what they really seek is a solution that both satisfies the ADS-B Out position-sensor requirement and a desire to embrace WAAS GPS to enhance IFR capabilities – right down to minimums on a localizer performance with vertical guidance approach. “Otherwise,” one pilot confided, “absent a slide-in option, I may opt for a blind (WAAS GPS) sensor that just works with the ADS-B Out transmitter and leave the rest of the stack alone. Going with an integrated box solution just to get WAAS GPS costs three to four times more than my IFR GPS alone, and the rest of the panel works fine.” Spending $15,000 or more to upgrade to an all-in-one WAAS nav/ comm/GPS/MFD is difficult to justify in an airplane barely worth $40,000 to $50,000, the pilot noted. His 250-horse, four-place retractable airplane with the equipment described insures for $65,000, but shows a sale value of barely $50,000. “Is there a WAAS solution that fits into the same slot my current IFR GPS occupies?” the pilot asked. As noted, for now, no. Today, you can get very close, but not quite. Within a year to 18 months, you may see that wish fulfilled. But, it’s not a slam dunk. In the meantime, there are stand-alone WAAS GPS options that come close – within 0.7 inches, at least.

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The attentive already know that this option has been around for a while: the GPS400W, a GPS-only version of Garmin’s groundbreaking GNS430 with the WAAS enhancement. It’s in a 2.7-inch box that is gaining ground with avionics makers. For example, Garmin’s new GTN 650, the touchscreen-control replacement for the GNS 430, is available in two other versions: a GTN 635 WAAS comm/GPS and, finally, the WAAS GPS-only GTN 625. They’re all 2.7-inches tall and 6.25 inches wide, offering features that outstrip the old boxes, such as terrain warning and detailed weather images with an appropriate input. Meanwhile, Garmin offers the GTN 725 WAAS GPS as kin to the GTN 750 and GTN 735, the 4.6-inch counterparts to the 600-series boxes.
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Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2012-2013

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