Garmin Flight Plan Migrator Kit

[IO540]

I've just come across this (https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=35228).

It lists at USD 449 (you must select the USA as your locale, otherwise no price is shown... good old Garmin practices again ;)

This is what can be used to transfer a route directly from Jepp Flitestar into a GNSx30W.

It seems to be just a USB-attached flash cartridge reader.

But what is the 3rd item? It this the flash cartridge used by the Garmins? I don't have a x30 myself, and thought that Garmin used standard CF cartridges. If they are not standard CF, what are they?

[david viewing]

As a 430 owner I've repeatedly been told that a device like this could not be permitted within the unit's IFR certification. Has something changed? (I'm still not buying one at that price!)

Edited to say that perhaps the W model is certified for this?

[IO540]

Very true.

However, nobody I know has ever been able to provide a reference for the alleged inability of an IFR GPS to accept computer-generated routes.

And such a facility has long existed higher upmarket. I don't know about airline FMS systems but Chelton have for years been offering a means of transferring a route via an SD card.

I think what has been done here is that Garmin certified a piece of software which pics up a routepack from Flitestar (and maybe some other flight planning software; there are a few other options in the USA) and performs the very narrow function of converting this routepack into a waypoint list which is then written as a pure text file to the flash cartridge.

And a similarly narrow-function bit of software in the GNSx30W reads this file, verifying each waypoint name as it goes.

This is a long way from the GPS accepting a whole route spec directly from a PC - that would require doing some sort of reliability analysis on Windoze which is clearly impossible. I think the key is that the transfer is done via a flash card, which probably carries just a pure text file.

There may be some authentication in the file, otherwise it would be trivial for anybody to generate that file themselves, write it on the card, and plug it in :) And save themselves $500 (or £500 in the UK ;) ).

Are the Garmin flash cards protected in some way, or can they be freely read/written in any CF writer (assuming they are CF - clearly they have a different form factor).

[englishal]

Looks like a very expensive card reader!!

[birrddog]

Is it not possible to get an NMEA connection to your Garmin from your computer running FliteStar, and have it connect directly?

According to FliteStar it can download and upload route packs directly, and even turn your Garmin into a simulator to view the route pack.

Never done this, just looked at the options in FliteStar to drive this..

[IO540]

Is it not possible to get an NMEA connection to your Garmin from your computer running FliteStar, and have it connect directly?NMEA is a GPS lat/long/alt/etc data stream. It is nothing to do with transferring routings.

There used to be a Jepp product called FliteMAP which was identical to FliteSTAR but accepted an NMEA data stream from a GPS and this enabled one to get a moving map display over one's planned route.

Worked quite well but had some weird bugs. I once found it to be a few miles out in Greece; restarted the program and all was fine. I reported this to Jepp and .... they discontinued the product :) I have no idea whether this was a coincidence, or whether they were aware of some obscure bugs and didn't want to spent money tracking them down.

The only way to get GPS moving map function now is using the FliteDECK product which comes bundled with Jeppview 3, but this is expensive and basically useless because Jeppview is basically just an approach plate database, with rudimentary flight planning features that are crippled by the inability to print out a plog.

According to FliteStar it can download and upload route packs directly, and even turn your Garmin into a simulator to view the route pack.Yes, to handheld GPS units. This is normal; most flight planning software supports this, with varying numbers of handheld models.

[junction34]

NMEA is a GPS lat/long/alt/etc data stream. It is nothing to do with transferring routings.

I've no experience of the Garmin units, but understand NMEA can do much more than simply provide position info - there are WPL and RTE sentence that can provide waypoint information and route information. I guess this is how the Avidyne/GNS430 combination works?

-j34-

[Aucky]

Sorry to dig out an old thread.

Has anyone here successfully used the 'Garmin Flight Plan Migrator Kit' and 3rd party flight planning software to export routes & waypoints to a 430W via the Garmin data card? We're looking at buying it but wondering how useful it is in practice.

I know Garmin suggest using Jepp FliteStar for the flight planning but RocketRoute and other 3rd party solutions are also reported to work.

If you want to input 150+ way points by OS Grid (or Lat-Long if needs be), would anyone with experience of RocketRoute and/or FliteStar suggest their suitability?

Finally, will FliteStar and RocketRoute export a 3d route to the 430 which can be flown by a coupled autopilot? (for VFR convenience only obviously).

Much appreciated