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Thread: G3X thoughts

  1. #1
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    Default G3X thoughts

    Rather than hijack the battery thread I thiught I would answer the guestion about the G3X with a new post.

    The G3X has been both more than I expected and a disapointment.
    I am amazed at the amount of data that it contains.
    I especially like the low and high altitude charts.
    For years I have used low altitude enroute charts for cross countries even when VFR.

    When I started flying there were still low frequency radio ranges.
    We progressed to VOR's and then Loran and finally GPS. I have had them all.
    As an engineer who has been involved with avionics all of my life in some fashion or another I have watched avionics advance to the glass cockpit level in a very short time.

    The G3X has enormous capability but the presentation leaves somthing to be desired.
    Some data entries require several key clicks to accomplish.
    Some pieces of information also require drilling down many levels to obtain.
    I still have not learned how to "push" a com frequency from the G3X to my Garmin transceiver.
    The manuals seem to be mute on this point.

    I think the G3X manual is poorly organized and badly written.

    I have another airplane that has Garmin 530's installed and they seem a bit easier to program.

    Having said all of this I still think the G3X is a good investment and I am happy I ordered it with my airplane.

    Someone told me that, today, it takes longer to learn how to operate the avionics than it takes to learn how to fly the airplane.
    I guess that's true.
    Maybe I just need to fly more.
    Bill
    Last edited by seastar; 09-18-2010 at 06:31 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member RanRan's Avatar
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    Quote Originally Posted by seastar View Post
    Maybe I just need to fly more.
    Bill
    More likely: the software geeks designing the program need to fly more. It's all so comfy and logical from a computer seat...

    Thanks for the candid review of the G3X.

    Ran

  3. #3
    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    To "push" or "drop" the freqs from the G3X to the com radio find the frequencies in the info portion of the airport in the G3X, highlight it, then I believe it is enter. It may ask you something like "transfer frequency?" or something like that. If that doesn't work, when on the page with the frequency highlighted, push "menu" One of those two ways may work, possibly both.

    Pete

  4. #4
    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    Quote Originally Posted by seastar View Post
    Maybe I just need to fly more.
    Bill
    That is the answer.

    The GDU 375 (one element of Garmin G3X) is a close cousin of the GPSMAP 696. Both units barrow heavily from the Garmin G1000 user interface. Many people consider the G1000 user interface to create a steep learning curve for proficient use.

    My "other" airplane is an SR22 Perspective (it is for sale if anyone is interested). This aircraft has the most advanced version of the G1000 complete integrated glass flight deck system. So for me the GDU 375 is like wearing an old shoe.

    The Garmin G3X system is really an integrated system composed of the GDU 370 and GDU 375. In the Carbon Cub we have the MFD half of the G3X which is the GDU 375. Instead of a GDU 370 and associated ADAHRS we have a Dynon DEK-D180. So we have a bit of a hybrid system. I would have preferred to have the full G3X system but I understand the space constraints of the panel make this problematic as there would be no place for the COM and Transponder.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

  5. #5
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    Thanks Pete, I'll try that method.
    Generally, I find that just entering the frequency manually is pretty quick.
    It probably is quicker than "pushing" the frequency.

    Turbo
    I agree that having the complete system would be good.
    In fact, I considered designing a remote mounted com and transponder driven by the G3X and other glass panels.
    I talked with Dynon about that possibility.
    The final result was that there are not enough LSA's built (at least currently) to make the $2-3 million investment worthwhile.
    I would need to capture most of the market and that is not likely with Garmin and the other foreign players already out there.
    Bill

  6. #6
    Senior Member turbopilot's Avatar
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    Quote Originally Posted by seastar View Post
    Thanks Pete, I'll try that method.
    Generally, I find that just entering the frequency manually is pretty quick.
    It probably is quicker than "pushing" the frequency.

    Turbo
    I agree that having the complete system would be good.
    In fact, I considered designing a remote mounted com and transponder driven by the G3X and other glass panels.
    I talked with Dynon about that possibility.
    The final result was that there are not enough LSA's built (at least currently) to make the $2-3 million investment worthwhile.
    I would need to capture most of the market and that is not likely with Garmin and the other foreign players already out there.
    Bill
    I talked to Garmin about these possibilities . They agreed that the G3X needs a small form factor remote COM/Transponder LRU box as a companion to the G3X for LSA's. They just winked when I asked if they were working on it. They currently make a remote transponder, the GTX 32 for the G1000 family, but it is too big for the CC.
    Last edited by turbopilot; 09-19-2010 at 07:35 AM.
    Bob Anderson, CC11-00435, N94RA

  7. #7
    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    Dynon just came out with a remote mount transponder for their Skyview system, (to release this fall) and I have heard rumblings of a com in the future for same......


    Pete D.

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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    Does anyone know if garmin is going to come out with a seperate engine module. It sure would be usefull
    in a VFR/cub type aircraft to be able to add just the engine monitor to the GDU 375 without having to haul
    around the magnatometer and ADHRS. "if you want synthetic vision look out the window."

  9. #9
    Administrator Pete D's Avatar
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    Default Re: G3X thoughts

    You could probably get away with just not installing the magnetometer on a cub installation....I doubt they will separate the ADAHRS and engine modules though. If they were, they probably would have just designed them as separate boxes to start with.

    The individual components of the G3X system are kind of designed with the idea of the whole system being installed, so they are a bit inter-dependent. Makes for fail-safe redundancy, but also limits what you can do if you don't want the full "package"

    Pete D.

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