Garmin 300XL GPS/com

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Bob S

Filing Flight Plan
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Bob S
Hi, I am looking at a plane that has a Garmin 300XL GPS/Com. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it obsolete?
 
Bob S said:
Hi, I am looking at a plane that has a Garmin 300XL GPS/Com. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is it obsolete?
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I have one in my Warrior and it works fine for me. Not WAAS (and can’t be) but IFR certified. Only has GPS approaches in its database so flying an ILS or VOR requires a nav radio and hand-loading the waypoints in the 300XL.

Mine is linked to a Garmin 396, so I do get color moving map. It’s also linked to my fuel flow, so that data is mixed in too. And it’s tied to my autopilot via a GPSS.

The data cards are limited in size so recently they had to divide the country into west and east for the data (with a broad overlap). Since I’m in TX (the overlap area), I opted to get a second card.

Is it obsolete? Not yet but I expect they’ll stop supporting the database updates at some point. Until then, it suits my mission fine and would be a decent second radio/GPS when they do stop supporting it and I add a GNS or something.
 
Ditto what Llewtrah said. Mine is connected to a GRT Sport in my RV7A. The second nav is required for IFR since it is not WAAS.
 
Had one I a caravan I flew, seemed like a solid little navcom

As for database support that's Jepp, and they'll support it as long as enough people are buying updates for it.
 
It is an IFR GPS. If it works, it's okay. (but not great, it is just a Garmin afterall)
I have not found a sim for it so it's not possible to learn its function from the comfort of your home. But you can always hook up a battery charger and sit in the airplane for a few hours to learn the controls. It isn't as counter-intuitive as it seems at first. It can be learned.
If you need any documentation, I have some PDFs, including Q-refs.
Ask questions here, we'll try to answer. Or PM me privately too, I don't mind helping.
 
James331 said:
...seemed like a solid little navcom
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*Minor clarification: it’s not technically a “navcomm” - no RECEPTION of VORs or ILSs, though clearly those can be used as GPS data points. That’s why only GPS approaches are in the 300XL’s approach database. 430s and GTNs are both GPS and Nav receivers, by contrast. The 300XL is a “GPS comm”.

*This post was modified after several responses below to remove some unintentionally "in your face" wording
 
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Llewtrah381 said:
Minor correction: it’s NOT a “navcomm” - no RECEPTION of VORs or ILSs, though clearly those can be used as GPS data points. That’s why only GPS approaches are in the 300XL’s approach database. 430s and GTNs are both GPS and Nav receivers, by contrast. The 300XL is a “GPS comm”.
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So you can not navigate with it as a IFR GPS?
 
You can definitely navigate with it as an IFR GPS, since it's certified for approach and en route IFR. What you can't do, since it's not a NavComm, is actually tune in the VOR or ILS transmitters, like you can on a 430/530 or GTN; there is no VHF receiver in it, like in the others. For sure you can't do a full ILS approach with it, since it provides no vertical guidance, especially since it's non-WAAS. You could enter the waypoints along the approach and "follow along" with it while also using a true NavComm (which is what I do). For an ILS approach, though, the localizers are not in the database (at least the one near me where I practice), so you need to use the airport as the final point of the approach - which may not (almost certainly isn't) collocated with the localizer, so there will be a difference. For ILSs I use it exclusively for situational awareness and fly the needles on my NavComm.

It's a good GPS and fits my personal mission - but I know its limits and want to make sure Bob S understands what it is and isn't. If the plane he's looking at has a true NavComm as a second radio (e.g. KX155, KX170, etc.), then the plane can do pretty much any GA approach out there at least to LNAV mins.
 
So you can navigate nav with it and communicate com with it

Nav Com

Navcom
 
I flew with one for years... earned my ticket with it. Ditto what’s been said.

As long as the rest of the suite gives you what you need for non-GPS approaches, it’s nice to have. And non-precision GPS approaches are nice and easy to do. Newer GPS units are easier to use but you use what you have until....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
James331 said:
So you can navigate nav with it and communicate com with it

Nav Com

Navcom
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LOL - OK. Heads up to anyone using one of them as a "Nav/Com", though, if they're trying to do an ILS! ;)
The OP's title is correct: it's a GPS/comm, by Garmin's description. And when it seems all GPS units are now GPS/NAV/Comms and I’m not sure there are any new GPS/Comms, it seems important for people to be aware of the difference/limitations.
Just tryin' to help here...
 
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James331 said:
So you can navigate nav with it and communicate com with it

Nav Com

Navcom
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Except that Nav/Comm has a de facto meaning in the industry and it's not that.
 
James331 said:
So you can navigate nav with it and communicate com with it
Nav Com
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Sorry James, you're off the mark on this one. A GPS/Comm does only GPS and Comm without a NAV radio. Even the venerable GNS430 describes itself as GPS/Nav/Comm, indicating it does all three.
 
There are a coupl’a YouTube vids that show you the basic features of a 300XL
 
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