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Ditching the 496

DaleB

Well Known Member
After flying 3.7 yesterday without my tablet, trying to decipher microscopic lettering on the tiny little 496 screen AND not having any ADS-B traffic or WX showing... I think it's time to look at replacing this relic of a bygone era.

For those of you who have done it, or are contemplating doing it... With what have you replaced your GPSMap 496, OR which product are you considering as its replacement? I'd love to drop in an Aera 660, but since it won't display ADS-B data from my existing gear, that's a no-go.

I've thought about:
  • Moving up to a Skyview ($$$$, even used, and a LOT of work)
  • iFly GPS 740b ($$$, not sure about the panel mount)
  • Aera 660 (Nope!! Won't talk to my ADS-B equipment)
  • Panel mounted tablet (Won't drive the autopilot)

So far the iFly 740b looks like the best option, but I don't know how much panel surgery will be needed. What else have you guys looked at or done to replace your 496?
 
Why not continue with the tablet for traffic/weather/nav/info and just use the 496 for autopilot and backup 2nd GPS?

Everybody's happy and no steam gages like an old C172... :D

 
Dale,

Would you mind elaborating on what your ADS-B equipment is that the Aera 660 won't talk to. For my Rans S-6S I'm thinking of replacing my 396 with the Aera 660 since it will go right into my panel (where the 396 is) with a new Air Gizmos mount. I'd then get a GDL 50 to go with it for ADS-B in.

Then I just have to figure out how to deal with ADS-B out.

Thanks, Jim
 
We installed a uAvionix EchoUAT. In addition to ADS-B OUT, it acts just like a Stratus or Stratux for ADS-B IN. Garmin products will only listen to Garmin products, so Garmin products are out.
 
I love my ifly 740. They make a panel mount. Remove your gizmo dock for the 496, make a blocker plate for the hole, paint the plate to match panel, rivet it to the panel, install the surface mount and clip on the 740. The 740 will cover the entire blocker plate. It will look like it was done originally. Should take about 2 hrs tops to do the whole job.

This is the mount i used. Remove the four screw and discard the ram ball. The back of the mount is the screwed directly to the panel. It make a nice tight fit on the panel and hold very securely. I drilled a hole in the panel behind the gps to route the power, antenna and serial cable to the autopilot splitter switch. Either gps can drive the autopilot and hsi display on the d180.

https://www.iflygps.com/STORE/Product/accessories/ram-mount-adapter


5103-A0-C3-202-C-4-ED0-AA89-B805997-E03-F9.jpg
 
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We installed a uAvionix EchoUAT. In addition to ADS-B OUT, it acts just like a Stratus or Stratux for ADS-B IN. Garmin products will only listen to Garmin products, so Garmin products are out.

Thanks Dale, I'm still pretty ADS-B ignorant. Sounds like I need to check out the fly 740 as well.

Jim
 
Why not continue with the tablet for traffic/weather/nav/info and just use the 496 for autopilot and backup 2nd GPS?
Several reasons. There are two of us flying the plane, and we have different tablets. The RAM mount we have works, but it's not very convenient and is difficult to use in turbulence - plus there's the need to swap mounts frequently. I love my Galaxy Tab S2, but I don't always remember to make sure I have it with me when I leave the house. No tablet, no traffic or weather or airport info.
They make a panel mount. Remove your gizmo dock for the 496, make a blocker plate for the hole, paint the plate to match panel, rivet it to the panel, install the surface mount and clip on the 740. The 740 will cover the entire blocker plate. It will look like it was done originally. Should take about 2 hrs tops to do the whole job.
Great, thanks!! That's information I needed. I was looking for a good mounting solution, and missed the clip on the RAM mount. I found an AirGizmos dock, but it's more gadgetry than we need and won't fit the panel in landscape mode which I think we're going to prefer.

So far I haven't found or heard about anything other than the iFly that will do the job - the usual EFB/GPS/map display, ADS-B display, and serial output for the EFIS & autopilot. The iFly looks like pretty much a drop-in replacement for the 496 functionally and electrically. I'm not super wild about Windows CE, but I could get over that.
 
Similar situation though a 296 instead of the 496. Both have the same footprint.

Purchased an iFly 740B using the suction mount for a few months trying it out. The 296 was mounted in the panel. Liked the iFly so much more than the 296 decided to mount it in the panel and use the 296 as a back up on the suction mount. The 296 drove my autopilot.

Used the same ram mount without the ball to mount the 740. Cut a larger opening in the panel for the 740 where the 296 was mounted so that dealt with the 296 opening. Made brackets to hold the ram mount which held the iFly flush to the panel and angled towards line of sight. Power feed and data cable to the iFly are behind the panel out of sight. The data cable from the iFly now feeds the autopilot. The only thing I found was the ram mount did not make for a very stable mounting of the 740 since it attaches with a pretty small footprint to the 740. A couple of pieces of clear vinyl tubing between the fabricated brackets and the 740 stabilized it very nicely.

The iFly worked out so well the 296 is in my flight bag as a back up and will probably sell it. Once you are looking at the iFly as a chart and moving map i never looked at the 296 anymore.
 
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The uAvionix will feed ADSB in to the iFly via WiFi giving you traffic and weather.

Yep. That's one of my criteria for selecting a replacement for the 496 -- wifi or serial, either way it needs to get traffic and weather form the uAvionix.
 
One draw back to the iFly is only one data out which I used to feed autopilot. Needed WiFi for ADSB in

Curious what titanhank used as autopilot splitter switch and how he?s using it. Tried doing either or with a ping buddy by plugging in one or the other. The autopilot gets heading data from the gps feed. When the autopilot was unplugged from the IFly the heading track was random and not in sink with other heading indicators.
 
Dale,

What did you figure the cost to be to install a Dynon Skyview 1000 Touch to be? Time and wiring on install with GPS 2020 compliant ADS-B antenna?
 
Couple of questions about iFly 740B?

I have early SN RV-12 with D-180 and Garmin 296. If I remove 296 and replace with iFly 740B:

? Will iFly 740B interface with D-180
? Will iFly 740B provide GPS to ME 406 ELT?
? Can I run ForeFlight on iFly 740B and not pay for Ifly subscription?
? Will iFly 740B connect WiFi to uAvionix echoUAT for Wx and traffic?
? Does iFly 740B show winds aloft?
 
• Will iFly 740B interface with D-180 Guess I should read better, thought it said interfere! Interface not sure

• Will iFly 740B provide GPS to ME 406 ELT? Don’t think so.

• Can I run ForeFlight on iFly 740B and not pay for Ifly subscription? No don’t think so

• Will iFly 740B connect WiFi to uAvionix echoUAT for Wx and traffic? Yes

• Does iFly 740B show winds aloft?[/QUOTE] Not sure

Best to call iFly regarding all these points. I’m answering from my personal use and my use doesn’t cover some of the questions you’re asking.
iFly tech is very good and helpful.
 
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Dale,

What did you figure the cost to be to install a Dynon Skyview 1000 Touch to be? Time and wiring on install with GPS 2020 compliant ADS-B antenna?
Several thousand. I stopped looking when it got to over $6K new, and that was just a non-touch 7" SkyView; the HDX would be about $2K higher. You'd need the SkyView, ADAHRS, and engine monitoring box at minimum. Even if you got a used Skyview at a deep discount, it's still several thousand bucks plus panel butchering and a lot of re-wiring.

We already installed the EchoUAT/SkyFyx for ADS-B (in and out). All I really want is a bigger and better screen than the 486 has, and will work with what we already have for ADS-B traffic and weather.
 
One draw back to the iFly is only one data out which I used to feed autopilot. Needed WiFi for ADSB in

From a hardware perspective, you only need one serial port for GPS data to your EFIS, and ADS-B IN data from the echoUAT. Both are unidirectional data streams. I don't know if the iFly software running on that device is capable os using a single serial port for both functions, or not -- it's not covered in the manual and I haven't seen anything in the forums about it. It would be interesting to see if that works or not. I may email and ask them about it. I think I'd prefer serial over wifi, as long as I have to crack the panel open anyway.
 
I have a full IFR panel in the rocket, 430 etc. I use the 430 Garmin for my autopilot and approaches, the iPad for all the up to date information I require and the 496 as a quick and dirty gps. My favourite of the three is my 12 year old 496. It is very bright, easy to use and has been quite reliable.
However it seems that the remote gps antenna has packed it in. Is there anyone out there that has one lying around....
If not suggestions about a replacement are in order. Would a garmin 660 be of similar size and capability as the old 496.


Thanks

Tom Martin
 
Will iFly 740B interface with D-180
My early model iFly 740 does interface with the D-180 via a USB-Serial converter. I do not know if the new 470B has a serial output or not. I did not try connecting the 740 to the ELT. But I was told that there are enough satellites to pin point your ELT location even if the ELT is not transmitting its Lat-Longitude.
Would a garmin 660 be of similar size and capability as the old 496.
The Garmin 660 is supposed to have the same mounting footprint as the 496
 
My early model iFly 740 does interface with the D-180 via a USB-Serial converter. I do not know if the new 470B has a serial output or not.
iFly tech support tells me that 740b will talk to the D180 via the USB-serial adapter. Wifi for ADS-B from the echoUAT.

You should be able to split off the serial GPS data to the ELT also. It's pretty commonly done, I think.
 
When you are using a gps to feed data to the D180 what is this for?

In the RV12 using the D180 does it use the magnetometer.
 
When you are using a gps to feed data to the D180 what is this for?

In the RV12 using the D180 does it use the magnetometer.
Autopilot, wind speed and direction, course for CDI off the top of my head. Maybe some other functions. Pretty sure the D180 has an internal magnetometer.
 
One draw back to the iFly is only one data out which I used to feed autopilot. Needed WiFi for ADSB in

Curious what titanhank used as autopilot splitter switch and how he’s using it. Tried doing either or with a ping buddy by plugging in one or the other. The autopilot gets heading data from the gps feed. When the autopilot was unplugged from the IFly the heading track was random and not in sink with other heading indicators.


My setup is as follows. The serial cable from the 740 runs to serial breakout board sold by ifly. This runs to a on-on switch for the rs232 line from the 740 on one side and rs232 serial from the garmin 400w on the other. The center post is used as the out post and runs whichever serial selected to the trutrack vizion 385 autopilot serial input line. The garmin airinc 429 lines are connected directly to the trutrack. The serial line from the d180 is connected to the hs34 serial side and the airinc 429 from the garmin is connected directly to the hs34. This setup will display on hsi gps1 for the 740 and gps2 for the garmin. The autopilot will fly either gps as selected as long as an approach is not loaded into the garmin. When an approach is loaded, the airinc 429 overrides the serial input and the autopilot will follow the garmin. After a coupled approach, i select direct-menu-execute to delete the active approach. The autopilot will then track the ifly or direct to an airport on the garmin. I also use a stratux unit with wifi connecting adsb into the ifly and an ipad running fltplngo. The ifly displays traffic, metars, tafs, etc very well. The nexrad radio picture is all but useless. The picture is displayed just as received with no reprocessing. It is very blocky and makes no sense. I have talked to walter and he says better wx radar pictures are coming, but who knows when. I use the ipad and fltplngo to display nexrad radar and it looks much better. Hope this makes sense.
 
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Couple of questions about iFly 740B…

I have early SN RV-12 with D-180 and Garmin 296. If I remove 296 and replace with iFly 740B:

• Will iFly 740B interface with D-180 . It will display hsi info on gps pg1.
• Will iFly 740B provide GPS to ME 406 ELT? Yes, split the serial line at the break out board.
• Can I run ForeFlight on iFly 740B and not pay for Ifly subscription? No.
• Will iFly 740B connect WiFi to uAvionix echoUAT for Wx and traffic? Yes, but the wx radar will be blocky and nearly useless.
• Does iFly 740B show winds aloft?
yes, it will display them if selected as barbs and speeds.
 
The nexrad radio picture is all but useless. The picture is displayed just as received with no reprocessing. It is very blocky and makes no sense. I have talked to walter and he says better wx radar pictures are coming, but who knows when.
Interesting. I've seen NEXRAD in Avare, it looks pretty reasonable. I've also seen it (via SiriusXM) on the 496; it looked like a very early 8-bit video game gone wrong. Good enough, really, given that I'm VFR-only and generally try to stay as far away from all but light precip anyway. If you've seen what I'm talking about, is it about like that?
 
Interesting. I've seen NEXRAD in Avare, it looks pretty reasonable. I've also seen it (via SiriusXM) on the 496; it looked like a very early 8-bit video game gone wrong. Good enough, really, given that I'm VFR-only and generally try to stay as far away from all but light precip anyway. If you've seen what I'm talking about, is it about like that?


This is wx radar from this morning displayed on the 740 via stratux wifi.

F8-C36-D32-40-F8-4-F06-A87-C-4925-B12-B1-CA6.jpg
 
Yeah. About what I saw on the Garmin when it had XM WX.

Pretty impressive dive, by the way. :)
 
Autopilot, wind speed and direction, course for CDI off the top of my head. Maybe some other functions. Pretty sure the D180 has an internal magnetometer.

The D180 uses an external magnetometer which is mounted in the tailcone. My first 12 had a 496 in it that I used for rock throwing practice once I bought and installed the Ifly.;). I?m pretty sure Kyle Lewis shirt canned his and did a real nice job of installing it in the panel where the 496 was. Air Gizmos has a dock available for the Ifly also.
 
Did you consider simply replacing the 496 with a 696? They can be had at a good price point and would be a very simple swap. The 696 solves the screen size issue on the 496 and I found it overall to be a great unit.
G
 
Did you consider simply replacing the 496 with a 696? They can be had at a good price point and would be a very simple swap. The 696 solves the screen size issue on the 496 and I found it overall to be a great unit.
G
I like the 696, and in fact have owned two of them (bought, rebuilt battery packs, and sold). However, it along with all other Garmin options will not receive ADS-B traffic or weather without having to buy (and mount) a Garmin ADS-B receiver. We are already ADS-B equipped, so we won't go that route. If Garmin would support the same protocol everyone else uses, great -- but they don't.
 
iFly 740b GPS device is on its way. I have a wiring harness figured out for it to plug in as a direct replacement for the Garmin 496. I haven't worked out the exact details of the mount yet -- I'll need the physical device here first. Adventure Pilot's web site is kind of thin on details about some things. I'm going to poke around and see if I can find the docs from the source device manufacturer -- I suspect these are generic little touch screen boxes. Anyway, I'll post details and pics when I have a chance to get it installed.
 
I received the GPS early this week. It's pretty nice. If I were designing it, I'd have put the connectors in different places. The power and USB are on one side, and audio is on the opposite side. Having them all on the same side would be much more convenient in almost all cases, but it's not a big deal.

My goal is to come up with a way of mounting the GPS on the panel without it looking like a crude hack. The GPS uses a non-standard method of mounting. At first I saw this as a problem, but in reality is just presents an opportunity. The AirGizmos dock is far too wide to fit in the center stack of the RV-12, at least horizontally mounted. I'm pretty sure it would be too tall to orient it vertically. I decided to invest a little time learning to use the EAA-sponsored free student version of SolidWorks to design a mount to do what I want.

A little time with a micrometer getting measurements of the vendor-supplied suction cup mount showed a pretty simple arrangement. I spent a couple of hours re-learning to use SW, and printed up a test plate with the mounting arrangement to see if I had the fit right before going further. I just printed it in PLA, since it's not going in the plane. Much to my delight, it was a perfect fit. More to come as I get a better idea of how I want this mount to work.

IMG_0538-e1566578894313-400x533.jpg
 
PingEFB

To piggyback on this thread.....

I also have a 740 mounted vertically using the suction mount in my RV-8. For ADS-B IN I have the small format uAvionix PingEFB that plugs into my 740 USB port. The problem I and others are now having is that target aircraft altitudes are off by thousands of feet. I contacted uAvionix but they passed the buck to iFly. iFly had me download data to the sim card and email it to them but they could not find any issues.

Anyone else that is still using the Ping have issues?

I installed a Garmin GDL 82 for OUT. Now I wished I had installed the uAvionix ADS-B OUT with their wifi IN. I could purchase the Stratux but I hate the format, wires, antenna.
 
I installed a Garmin GDL 82 for OUT. Now I wished I had installed the uAvionix ADS-B OUT with their wifi IN. I could purchase the Stratux but I hate the format, wires, antenna.
There's no rule that you can't just buy the parts to build a Stratux and install them wherever you want. You could (and I considered doing this, before installing the uAvionix system) mount the Pi behind the panel, and run a cable to a belly mounted antenna -- either two if you want to get fancy, or a single antenna with a splitter to feed both radio cards. That's one nice thing about the Stratux -- do it however you want it done.
 
.....I installed a Garmin GDL 82 for OUT. Now I wished I had installed the uAvionix ADS-B OUT with their wifi IN....

Why are you second guessing your decision regarding the GDL-82? Is it maybe because of compatibility issues with other equipment that you have on board? I’m going to be doing a panel upgrade to an -8 that I just bought which will include the GDL-82/52-R combo for my ADS-B out/in requirements and those units will be tied in to the 327 transponder and Aera 660.
 
Why are you second guessing your decision regarding the GDL-82? Is it maybe because of compatibility issues with other equipment that you have on board? I?m going to be doing a panel upgrade to an -8 that I just bought which will include the GDL-82/52-R combo for my ADS-B out/in requirements and those units will be tied in to the 327 transponder and Aera 660.

Mark, Garmin ADS-B IN does not support iFly 740. The uAvionix ADS-B IN/Out does thru wifi. I am happy with my uAvionix PingEFB but it is giving off wrong altitudes of target aircraft and they no longer make or support it. I went with the Garmin GDL-82 to avoid the "sniffer" aspect of the uAvionix but it appears there have been no issues.

Dale, thanks for the idea.
 
Last time I checked Garmin moving map displays only interfaced with Garmin ADS-B hardware for FIS and TIS IN. Possible exception is the Foreflight receiver. Am I wrong?
 
My uavionix Echo(out/in) is feeding my 740

and other EFB applications and my AFS5600T -- the traffic altitude differences are pretty much on the money! Pretty sure the uavionix receiver is the Ping, since that is what the WiFi address is.

Ron
 
I had what I thought was a pretty good take on a mounting plate for the iFly 740b. I printed off a "template" -- I just reduced the thickness to .050 and printed that, so I could take it tot he hangar and check the fit.My thought was to capture the top of the bracket under a couple of existing panel screws, and just have to drill one hole in the panel for the bottom.

After doing some test fitting and taking a few measurements, I think I have a better approach. Tomorrow I'll be printing one with all the changes. The bottom end will have a clip of sorts to attach to the bottom of the existing opening for the Garmin 496, without the need to drill any new holes. The top will attach using two of the existing panel screws on either side. There should be enough room for the cables to slip in behind the iFly and pass through the opening for the 496. Looks like a 7-plus hour print job.

I also need to wire up the new harness. I've got all the cables and connectors here, just need to start stripping and soldering. A single harness will plug into the existing GPS DB9 socket on the AV control board provide power to the GPS, NMEA serial data to the D180 (and radio, should iFly support frequency switching), and stereo audio -- without the need for an isolation box -- to the intercom.

More pics to come, as soon as I have something good to show.
 
5-1/2 hours of printing goes from this:

rv12-ifly-740-mount-768x406.png

rv12-ifly-740-bottom-768x406.png


to this:
IMG_0555-400x355.jpg

IMG_0554-400x352.jpg


I'll try to get to the hangar and test fit it tonight. Before I finish I'll dunk it in acetone for 30 seconds and let it cure for a day, just for a little added strength (there was a Sport Aviation article regarding that).
 
Dale ?

Cool project - you?re installing iFly 740b in place of the Garmin GPS at top of radio stack in older RV-12.

Couple of Questions?

? Can iFly 740b run ForeFlight?
? If not, is iFly maps similar to FF?
? Will you get traffic and Wx via ADS-B in?
? Will iFly connect to and share WiFi with uAvionix UAT and iPad running FF?
? Will iFly slave over to D-180 to provide winds aloft and HSI?
? Does iFly 740b require paid subscription like FF?
 
? Can iFly 740b run ForeFlight?
No, it's a Windows CE device, and FF is only available for Apple devices. The 740 is a standalone device, but there is an app with identical functionality available for Apple, Android, and Windows devices.
? If not, is iFly maps similar to FF?
That would be a question for someone who has used both. I never really considered FF, because Apple won't allow NMEA serial data output - so there's no way to integrate it into the panel to supply GPS data to the D180 (or anything else). They do have a nice little comparison chart here, though I can't say whether it's totally unbiased. :) I do know that I've been using Avare for a couple of years, and I do like iFly better in many respects.
? Will you get traffic and Wx via ADS-B in?
Yes. We installed a uAvionix EchoUAT/SkyFyx, and the iFly (like most non-Garmin devices) will receive traffic and weather from it.
? Will iFly connect to and share WiFi with uAvionix UAT and iPad running FF?
It will connect to the uAvionix EchoUAT. I would assume another device such as an iPad running FF would be able to connect also -- but not sure, I haven't tried it. One point of this exercise is to make carrying a tablet in the plane unnecessary, since it's got a nice big screen and all the features we need.
? Will iFly slave over to D-180 to provide winds aloft and HSI?
Yep.
? Does iFly 740b require paid subscription like FF?
It won't stop working if you don't have one... but to keep the maps, databases, and software up to date, yes. $80 per year for one device, an extra $25 to cover up to four devices. That would work for, say, a 740 in the plane and 2-3 people with any mix of iPads, iPhones, and Android devices running the app.
 
No, it's a Windows CE device, and FF is only available for Apple devices. The 740 is a standalone device, but there is an app with identical functionality available for Apple, Android, and Windows devices.

That would be a question for someone who has used both. I never really considered FF, because Apple won't allow NMEA serial data output - so there's no way to integrate it into the panel to supply GPS data to the D180 (or anything else). They do have a nice little comparison chart here, though I can't say whether it's totally unbiased. :) I do know that I've been using Avare for a couple of years, and I do like iFly better in many respects.

Yes. We installed a uAvionix EchoUAT/SkyFyx, and the iFly (like most non-Garmin devices) will receive traffic and weather from it.

It will connect to the uAvionix EchoUAT. I would assume another device such as an iPad running FF would be able to connect also -- but not sure, I haven't tried it. One point of this exercise is to make carrying a tablet in the plane unnecessary, since it's got a nice big screen and all the features we need.

Yep.

It won't stop working if you don't have one... but to keep the maps, databases, and software up to date, yes. $80 per year for one device, an extra $25 to cover up to four devices. That would work for, say, a 740 in the plane and 2-3 people with any mix of iPads, iPhones, and Android devices running the app.

Check their web site. I think it is $25 each extra up to four devices.
 
Check their web site. I think it is $25 each extra up to four devices.
From the web site:
Do you have more than 2 devices? Select the "Multi-Platform Upgrade" option! Then you can share this subscription across 4 iPads/iPhones, Android phones and tablets, Windows devices and iFly Aviation Portables The base subscription supports up to two devices, on one platform.
Last night I took the mount and GPS to the hangar for a test fit. I'm happy with it, with a minor reservation. I may need to move the mounting lugs up a quarter inch or so if the bottom of the GPS blocks the view of the radio. I didn't try it from the seat, so I won't know for sure until later on. Mechanically, though, the mount installs perfectly -- slip the bottom groove over the bottom edge of the 409 opening, remove two screws, and use them to secure the top of the mount. There's plenty of room to feed the cables through behind the panel. I brought the mount home and dunked it in acetone for a few seconds, we'll probably paint to match the (exceptionally ugly) panel before doing the final installation. I'll fly with it a couple times before deciding whether to make any further tweaks.

IMG_0559-768x576.jpg


IMG_0568-768x576.jpg
 
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I have an idea?

I just got an iPhone 7. My previous phone was an iPhone 4 which I had for about 15 years. The new phone runs ForeFlight like there?s no tomorrow. So, what I?m thinking is to buy a dedicated iPhone 7 to replace my Garmin 296 at the top of the radio stack in my RV-12.

It looks like you can buy an iPhone 7 for less than $200 online. Cell phone has internal GPS so shouldn?t need cell phone service ? just connect to ADS-B via WiFi like an iPad. Next time I fly I?ll try this by putting the phone in ?airplane mode?.

The only downside I see is losing the GPS data infeed to the D-180 for winds aloft and HSI. I don?t have autopilot so no problem there. Maybe there?s a way to get GPS data from the phone or some alternate GPS solution for the D-180?



 
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After flying 3.7 yesterday without my tablet, trying to decipher microscopic lettering on the tiny little 496 screen AND not having any ADS-B traffic or WX showing... I think it's time to look at replacing this relic of a bygone era.

For those of you who have done it, or are contemplating doing it... With what have you replaced your GPSMap 496, OR which product are you considering as its replacement? I'd love to drop in an Aera 660, but since it won't display ADS-B data from my existing gear, that's a no-go.

I've thought about:
  • Moving up to a Skyview ($$$$, even used, and a LOT of work)
  • iFly GPS 740b ($$$, not sure about the panel mount)
  • Aera 660 (Nope!! Won't talk to my ADS-B equipment)
  • Panel mounted tablet (Won't drive the autopilot)

So far the iFly 740b looks like the best option, but I don't know how much panel surgery will be needed. What else have you guys looked at or done to replace your 496?


Several reasons. There are two of us flying the plane, and we have different tablets. The RAM mount we have works, but it's not very convenient and is difficult to use in turbulence - plus there's the need to swap mounts frequently. I love my Galaxy Tab S2, but I don't always remember to make sure I have it with me when I leave the house. No tablet, no traffic or weather or airport info.

So instead of paying for anything else why not just buy an iPad or Samsung ( cheaper than IFly and no subscriptions ) and leave it installed in the plane like you’re planning on doing with the IFly?
Then you have everything as you do now and won’t forget your tablet plus no new wiring! You both have to learn to use the new IFly so just learn to use the iPad or he learns to use the Samsung.

I have the Dynon D-180 with autopilot and a 496. I plan to install the Echo ADSB also so I’ll pretty much have your same setup. I’m going to install an iPad in the panel (currently using it or my 6s+ on a ram mount) and I’m done. No wiring.

I think that would be the simplest and cheapest solution and no additional wiring or future subscription costs plus it does exactly what you want plus redundancy with the 496 and tablet displays.


On another note I’m also considering in the near future replacing the 496 with a Garmin 175 to be able to fly it IFR and I still won’t have any issues with ADSB because it’s still going to the iPad.
 
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