2 G5's vs. Aspen 1000 Pro Max

Jay Urish

Jay Urish

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I am working y way towards a total avionics upgrade on N8344T and am curious what the opinion is on going with 2 G5's vs. the aspen 1000 pro max. I have seen the aspen as cheap as 3500 used.. I think a pair of g5's could be closer to 5k new.
 
Make sure your AP (current or planned future) is on the compatibility list for the G5:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/570665/pn/K10-00280-01#additional

Note also the other threads here showing some issues in having a G5 + GFC 500 system with an Avidyne navigator. If you're going the G5 route (this is what I have, btw) make sure you would be happy with an all garmin solution, because mix and match can be a bit tricky with Garmin.

If you do go Garmin, the gi275s are a more modern solution that would fit in the existing 3.125" panel spaces...a bit more money but I have heard the AP interfaces might be better?
 
Autopilot integration for non-Garmin Autopilots is way better on the GI275 than on the G5. You can also use two of the battery backup 275s as sole instruments and remove the rest of the six pack. That requires an OAT probe, and Garmin charges a good chunk of cash for that.

Even with the 275s, some features (like altitude preselect) are only available to Garmin autopilots. I think the Aspen gives a bit more functionality in that regards.
 
bbarrett said:
Autopilot integration for non-Garmin Autopilots is way better on the GI275 than on the G5. You can also use two of the battery backup 275s as sole instruments and remove the rest of the six pack. That requires an OAT probe, and Garmin charges a good chunk of cash for that.

Even with the 275s, some features (like altitude preselect) are only available to Garmin autopilots. I think the Aspen gives a bit more functionality in that regards.
Click to expand...
OAT probe for what? Thanks
 
bbarrett said:
Even with the 275s, some features (like altitude preselect) are only available to Garmin autopilots. I think the Aspen gives a bit more functionality in that regards.
Click to expand...

That's not entirely true. I have 2 G5's and the TruTrak autopilot and I can preselect the altitude on the G5. I can select the heading and altitude and the TruTrak fallows both.
 
I was in the same boat a couple of years ago. I went with the G5s for dual redundancy. And they have high capacity backup batteries. Both Aspen and Garmin will work with various rate-based autopilots. I had an STEC-20 and it works well with the G5s. You would be happy with either. So much better than vacuum gyros. And you are likely to be able to rid yourself of your vacuum pump if nothing else needs it. Always think about compatibility with potential future purchases.
 
Randomskylane said:
Can they use the OAT probe for the JPI?
Click to expand...
If you are asking if the probe can be shared between the JPI and the GI275 then no. OAT probes commonly used in GA are incapable of that. If you are asking if you can disconnect the OAT probe from the JPI and reconnect it to the GI275, I don't think so. I don't have the install manual, but the maintenance manual only lists the Garmin GTP59. If you are asking if the JPI can send temperature data to the GI275 via a digital communications link, I don't know that either but I'm guessing not since it is designed to be an air data computer, not consume data from an air data computer.
 
The Aspen E5 is now Aspen's competitor to dual G5s for a similar price new. I just went through the process of deciding between the upgraded 1000 Pro Max and dual GI-275s because I wanted SVT. Decided on the Aspen. Agree with the above re temperature probes. Garmin requires the Garmin OAT probe. The Aspen uses it's own OAT sensor, which is co-located with the magnetometer in the RSM.
 
DA40FAN said:
The Aspen E5 is now Aspen's competitor to dual G5s for a similar price new. I just went through the process of deciding between the upgraded 1000 Pro Max and dual GI-275s because I wanted SVT. Decided on the Aspen. Agree with the above re temperature probes. Garmin requires the Garmin OAT probe. The Aspen uses it's own OAT sensor, which is co-located with the magnetometer in the RSM.
Click to expand...

what AP do u have?
 
The ASPEN Max and E5 (both TFT) have a more readable and brighter screen and make better use of the screen real estate than the LCD G5s. A Max requires backup, can be another Max, but the E5 does not -- but if you were cloud busting you'd want some kind of backup.

A nice thing about the ASPEN E5, is that there is an upgrade path to the MAX.

* Orest
 
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DA40FAN said:
The Aspen E5 is now Aspen's competitor to dual G5s for a similar price new. I just went through the process of deciding between the upgraded 1000 Pro Max and dual GI-275s because I wanted SVT. Decided on the Aspen. Agree with the above re temperature probes. Garmin requires the Garmin OAT probe. The Aspen uses it's own OAT sensor, which is co-located with the magnetometer in the RSM.
Click to expand...
I am looking at the dual 275’s vs remanufactured Aspen C3 Pro and the Aspen is considerably cheaper and will interface with the autopilot. I’m probably going to add the second Aspen mfd as well.
 
From the G5 installation manual... there are two temp probes that are approved for the GAD 13. The Garmin one and a Davtron one. The Davtron one is definitely less expensive. Either way, the G5's do need their own probe.

Snap10.jpg
 
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