Lancaster Avionics

400/500 SERIES WAAS UPGRADES

As we all know, Garmin has been selling new 400W/500W series systems and has been upgrading existing 400/500 series systems for a little while now. The focus of this text is to inform you of what to expect and to address a few issues we have encountered thus far.

The "Basic" WAAS Upgrade

The basic WAAS upgrade consists of the following steps:

Pre-upgrade documentation of all current configurations and interfaces for the purpose of:

Making the installation of your upgraded 400W/500W series system easier.
Allowing us to confirm all interfaces are in compliance with the STC.

NOTE: Any interface not found to be in compliance with the STC will require an FAA 'Field-Approval'. Additional contingencies may be required as part of the 'Field-Approval' compliance. Your local Avionics Shop should be contacted to discuss local FSDO requirements.

Ship 400/500 Series unit to Garmin for upgrade - We generally will ship these units out UPS Red so Garmin has them the next day. Garmin has been maintaining their projected turn-around time of 3 working days in-house.

Note: The upgrade price of $3,395 includes replacement of the Processor Board, the GPS engine, the Software, and the Data Cards. This price does NOT include any other unit repairs (example: scratched lens, sticky buttons, VLOC issues, etc.). Unit MUST meet all operating specifications prior to return from Garmin. Additional problems can result in a flat-rate repair charge from Garmin (in addition to the $3,395 for the WAAS upgrade).
Note: On the bright side:

ALL units that do not already have the supplemental non-certified Terrain/Obstacle database installed (normally a $500 upgrade) will have this feature as part of the $3,395 WAAS upgrade.
Garmin is also not charging for the 'Return' freight.

Measure GPS antenna coax length and determine type of coax - RG400 or RG142B/U coax is the minimum requirement and must be between 6.5ft and 35ft. If coax type is not in compliance, the coax MUST be changed. If the coax type is in compliance but the length is too short, an additional length can be added to achieve the minimum 6.5ft requirement.
Change the GPS Antenna - Garmin will provide a new GA35 GPS WAAS Antenna as part of the $3,395 WAAS upgrade charge. The GA35 antenna 'footprint' is identical to the existing GA56 GPS antenna on your aircraft. Therefore, most antenna changes should be relatively straight forward barring any complications resulting from unforgiving aircraft headliners/panels, etc.
Change Antenna Connector - The new GA35 antenna requires a TNC type connector. The old GA56 used a BNC type connector. As of the writing of this text, there currently is not a 90° Adapter commercially available to expedite this process, therefore, the antenna connector must be changed.
Confirm 400W/500W series unit is physically within the "ACCEPTABLE VIEWING" area - The "Acceptable Viewing" area is clearly defined in the appropriate installation/upgrade manual. Because aircraft differ in configuration, final determination for compliance is the responsibility of your Garmin Dealer, however, the following should provide basic understanding of this requirement:

NOTE: The following is assuming the 400/500 series unit is located to the right of the pilot and the 400/500 series unit is on the same vertical plain as the pilot's instrument panel. For those aircraft (example: Cirrus SR20/22) with the units located below this vertical plain, see "Non-Basic WAAS upgrade"
Determine the "Centerline" of the Pilot's scan - Draw an imaginary line thru the center of the pilot's seat, thru the center of the pilot's yoke, and up the panel. (This line will typically fall in line with the center of the DG/HSI and Attitude Gyro/Flight Director on most aircraft).
Measure from this point to the left bezel edge of the 400/500 series unit.
If this measurement is 11.8 inches or less, no annunciation should be required and hence should remain a "Basic WAAS Upgrade".
If this measurement is greater than 11.8 inches, your upgrade MAY become a "Non-Basic WAAS Upgrade".

Reinstall Garmin upgrade 400W/500W series unit - Reinstallation of the upgraded unit requires the following steps:

Configure upgraded unit using pre-upgrade settings and make any changes necessary as appropriate.
Complete "Post Installation" forms as required by Garmin.
Perform complete 'check-out' of upgraded system and interfaces.
Complete all applicable FAA legal paperwork as related to the upgrade.

This should complete the "Basic WAAS Upgrade" process. I have been generally advising customers to anticipate a 6-7 day downtime and approximately $750-$800 in additional costs to the initial $3,395 upgrade cost per unit plus any applicable taxes. The $750-$800 covers our labor as described above, miscellaneous parts, any shipping to Garmin. REMINDER: Any item found during the upgrade process that changes the upgrade status to "Non-Basic" most likely will result in additional labor and parts charges.

The "Non-Basic" WAAS Upgrade

The "Non-Basic" WAAS Upgrade is defined very simply whereas any portion of the upgrade that falls outside of the realm as previously written. These areas can include but are not limited to any of the following:

400/500 series unit is outside the "Acceptable Viewing Area".

If this measurement exceeds 11.8 inches but is less than 13.41, VLOC/GPS annunciation is required. This can be accomplished via a GI106A indicator, an EHSI (as applicable), a PFD (as applicable), or other form of independent annunciation.
If this measurement exceeds 13.4 inches, VLOC/GPS, MSG, WPT, APR, TERM, INTEG annunciation is required. The VLOC/GPS can be accomplished via a GI106A indicator, an EHSI (as applicable), a PFD (as applicable), or other form of independent annunciation. The MSG, WPT, APR, TERM, INTEG annunciation can be accomplished via an EHSI (as applicable), a PFD (as applicable), or other form of independent annunciation.
Assuming a worse case scenario, if you need all stated annunciators, expect approximately $2995 in parts and labor to install the required annunciators.

Antenna coax needs to be changed - The installer who performed the original installation used the minimum allowable grade coax for your install (RG58). This type of coax is not in compliance with the STC therefore needs to be changed to RG142 or RG400 with a length between 6.5ft and 35ft.

If changing the Antenna and/or Antenna coax connector requires more than 1.5 hours to perform the work due to accessibility problems or lack of coax 'service-loop'.

Any system interfaced to the 400W/500W series unit that is NOT an APPROVED interface. Only items/systems listed in the 400W/500W series installation/upgrade manuals ARE APPROVED. These items will most likely require an FAA 'Field-Approval'.

If your aircraft is equipped with a Sandel SN3308 EHSI.

If your aircraft is equipped with an STEC GPSS Roll Steering Adapter.

If your aircraft has a GPS400, GNC420(A), GPS500, or GPS500-TAWS.

Upgrading with New Equipment

Garmin now offers the new GTN Series of units, most popular being the GTN650 and GTN750. If you currently do not have a non-WAAS GNS unit and would like to obtain WAAS thru purchase of new equipment, the above text and procedures related to antenna change and annunciator requires are applicable to the process. In addition, given the differences in devices, these units are not tray and connector compatible therefore additional work is required. Consult your Garmin Dealer for details.

Avidyne is also taking orders for their new line of "plug and play" units called the IFD series. These units are being advertised as "Slide-In replacements" for existing GNS WAAS Units. For those non-WAAS unit installations, the above text and procedures related to antenna change and annunciator requires are applicable to the process. Again, consult your Avidyne Dealer for details.

The bottom line regarding the "Non-Basic" upgrade is that exact costs must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Your Garmin Dealer can help you with this given enough details regarding your installation.

Update Notes as of 5/13/2014

All Cirrus Aircraft with the Avidyne PFD are eligible for WAAS upgrade certification with Release 7 as a prerequisite. If your aircraft does not have at least Release 7, your PFD will have to be exchanged or sent to Avidyne for upgrade. If this is the case, you may also want to consider upgrading your autopilot to an Avidyne DFC90; there are significant overlapping costs. Given that each situation is slightly different, it is best to contact and Avidyne Dealer to determine the best course of action for your aircraft.

All Cirrus Aircraft performing WAAS upgrades will have to comply with Cirrus Service Bulletin 2X-34-23 (for non-PFD equipped aircraft) or Service Bulletin 2X-34-24 (for PFD equipped aircraft). The following should provide a basic guideline for cost and downtime to comply with these bulletins:
1. Upgrading #1 GPS (GNS430/420):
2. Upgrading #2 GPS (GNS430/420) - kit 70190-003 ($1,931.29) must be purchased and installed in addition to above, however, the aft cabin ceiling MUST be inspected to determine if your aircraft has a pre-existing EMM modification. If the foam structure runs straight and parallel with the bondline, your aircraft does NOT have the EMM modification. If the foam structure has an inboard joggle toward the bondline line, a fuselage repair is required to install GPS antenna #2.
3. ELT Shielding - All Cirrus aircraft with a 121.5 MHz ELT will have to have p/n 18389-001 shield installed. Price of this part is $81.38 with little to no installation costs.
All other aircraft with the Avidyne PFD are also eligible for the WAAS upgrades contingent on aircraft manufacturer's requirements.

All Cirrus aircraft with the "six-pack" (non SN3308) configuration will require the annunciators as listed under "Non-Basic WAAS Upgrades". We have now completed our first WAAS upgrade on an SR20 with a Sandel SN3308. Call for details.

All aircraft with the Sandel SN3308 will require some rework/rewire to allow the GNS unit to drive the SN3308 via analog data (most likely wired for serial now). This will allow the SN3308 to depict the required GPS vertical deviation. Note: The Sandel SN3308 can be wired to display all required annunciation with the exception of 'INTEG'. Rumor has it that Sandel may be having a 'change of heart' regarding a future software upgrade that will make the SN3308 more compatible with WAAS upgrades. Assuming this is true, a timetable has not been set.

All aircraft equipped with the STC ST-901 Steering Adapter will most likely require the installation of a relay or at least an additional wire run between the GNS and the ST901 converter. Note to all installers: If the 'GPS Annunciate' wire is already being used for a GPS 'active' annunciator, it is recommended that you do not parallel onto the 'GPS Annunciate' wire as is inferred by the Garmin 400W/500W installation/upgrade manuals. This can cause other problems. I have contacted Garmin and asked them to revise their documents. I am waiting their response.

The new WAAS upgrade will NOT permit operation of the Garmin GDL49 Weather Datalink System.

I hope this helps explain where we are and what is involved with the Garmin 400W/500W WAAS Upgrades. I am sure that for some individuals, this has raised a few more questions. Please feel free to contact me with those questions.

Todd Adams
Manager
Lancaster Avionics Inc.
(717)569-1953
sales@lancasteravionics.com