Any Garmin GDL 39 Users?

Seen it happen a few times myself. I thought it was the GDL39-3D device and sent is back to Garmin for an exchange...no joy...did the same thing. It's just a few seconds, but it does make the logbook function and Synvis function pretty useless. Some days it never happens and sometimes in happens every few minutes, either way it s annoying. On the other hand the GP app is much more intuitive to use and I like it better that foreflight or WingX so I am stuck. Foreflight charges more than it's worth, and Garmin pilot is better than both so I use it over WingX which I can actually get for free. I usually have it up for weather and traffic and the geo-referenced plates and those almost never seem affected by this glitch. I really wish they'd just FIX IT. Another advantage it the GDL-39, even though it's black and has no cooling fan, never seems to overheat like the Stratus units. Flightbox / Stratux never seems to have the same issues.
 
Katamarino said:
I can update on my GDL-39; shortly after my previous post it stopped receiving any traffic or weather unless I was within a couple of NM of the broadcaster. I called Garmin to ask and they said it was probably just old and worn out from 1,000+ hours on the glareshield.

They then asked me to return it, and sent me a shiny new one straight from the factory, at zero cost! Great service given that it was 5 years old.

As a result of my avionics upgrade my Aera550 with GDL-39 connected yoke mount is now all for sale...
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--- I had to replace the antenna on my GDL-39 a year or so ago. It was only receiving very local traffic and the FIS-B was spotty. I think this happened as a result of the antenna being folded and unfolded/rotated a lot. The new antenna (easy swap) fixed the problem. I dissected the old one but could not find a bad internal connection. Puzzled.
 
brenec said:
--- I had to replace the antenna on my GDL-39 a year or so ago. It was only receiving very local traffic and the FIS-B was spotty. I think this happened as a result of the antenna being folded and unfolded/rotated a lot. The new antenna (easy swap) fixed the problem. I dissected the old one but could not find a bad internal connection. Puzzled.
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I had the same antenna issue - I also got a new antenna and it worked again. I dissected the antenna and didn't find a problem either. Another part of this thread described the periodic loss of GPS signals (little yellow triangle coming up on the Connex indicator periodically.) I'm not sure why this happens, but it's frequent and annoying.
 
I ended up getting a GDL-50 as well - much more robust and quick locking GPS! Also, Bluetooth works at a longer range and autoconnects more reliably. Battery life is about 2x better (at least.) I still like the GDL-39 as a backup, and ended up getting a new battery for it (the old one wouldn't charge anymore - probably due to heat.)
 
My GDL39-3D isn't attached. It just sits there. It's connected to an aux power circuit that runs a couple of USB outlets and has a dedicated breaker. No GDL battery. Never bought one. My unit works flawlessly. Coincidentally it sits a couple of inches from my Spidertracks unit. Not a problem for either device.
 
Bang for your buck for people checking out this old thread...Stratux by Crewdog. $450 cheaper than the GDL 50, $250 cheaper than GDL 39. All the same capabilities as the Garmin, sans Sirius radio. I think a Navy guy builds them. I use it with ForeFlight, but it works with any smart phone or tablet. Have taken it cross country, zero issues.
 
zaitcev said:
Does it work with Garmin Pilot? No? Then it's not the same capabilities.
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I agree, Garmin Pilot doesn’t have the same capabilities, as it can’t read appropriate data from multiple sources. Hopefully they fix that. Although you don’t need either GP or FF to get and use the data with Stratux. Just a phone or tablet (data can be obtained through just a browser window)...and FF doesn’t have trouble reading the Stratux, Stratus, or Garmin WAAS and ADSB.
 
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