need a shop referral please

DKirkpatrick

DKirkpatrick

Pre-takeoff checklist
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May 18, 2011
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DKirkpatrick
Hello. Have a Garmin GNS480W. Comm went inop. Anybody have a recommendation on a good shop that can fix this for me? I know... garmin no longer supports this radio, etc., etc. Comm should be repairable by somebody that's a pro.
Referral would be much appreciated!
dan
 
good question. i just think this a good unit, might not be a big deal to fix it. And I like to have stuf repaired. Especially going back to Apollo era stuf. I know it's old... but Apollo made incredibly good equipment with very advanced engineering in its day... I just need a good tech at a good shop to put it on the bench and let me know. And w all the upgrades going on, nobody wants to repair anything...
 
you need go get over 480, i know it is difficult because i had it and loved it. but big G is not fixing it and most repair stations dont want to touch it. there may be some odd ball here and there who might be able to pending they can find parts. another things is, if you send the unit to someone who is not a repair station, is that repair even legal (assuming you will use it in IMC). the com has nothing to do with the WAAS or NAV/COM, but since its a certificated equipment I dont know what FAA guidance is on that
 
DKirkpatrick said:
good question. i just think this a good unit, might not be a big deal to fix it. And I like to have stuf repaired. Especially going back to Apollo era stuf. I know it's old... but Apollo made incredibly good equipment with very advanced engineering in its day... I just need a good tech at a good shop to put it on the bench and let me know. And w all the upgrades going on, nobody wants to repair anything...
Click to expand...

Many times modern electronics are not easily repairable outside of the manufacturer or an approved service provider. It will likely require more than a "good tech" to fix this.
 
I just talked with my buddy, John, who's just south of me at KIRK and has a radio shop. According to him, the 480 is throw away if it isn't working...Garmin no longer supports and it can't be worked on by an independent shop. The 430W is still supported(but only Garmin can work on it), the straight 430 is not.

not saying his word is gospel but he's never steered me wrong.
 
I would agree with the other comments regarding the 480. I have seen this particular saga play out with a fellow aircraft owner I know. The problem isn't finding a good tech, the problem is non-Garmin shops can't work on them, and for a painful catch-22, the Garmin shops can't either now. Due to age, when these units go belly-up, you're done.

I'm sure it's not the news you want to hear, but your best bet is to install a modern Navigator.
 
Best bet is to buy a used unit from someone upgrading and swap.

480 is a great unit. Sorry to see the rug pulled out from under them.
 
One other thing that's worth mentioning is that some of the older units can't handle the size of the current IFR databases. Don't know if this affects the 480 or not. I guess it doesn't matter if you're only using it as a VFR tool and don't mind flying with severely outdated data.
 
I just don't know what the deal w the Comm is. Was planning to have it installed in an old 182 that doesn't have a gps in it. I'd have a WAAS GPS in this old girl if nothing else... make RNAV approaches doable on a bad day... THANKS for the help. I didn't know that about Garmin strong arming the aviation world and not even allowing their older stuf to be serviced. That seems "onerous and heavy-handed" of them... it's just "fix the comm" situation... but if they want you to be in a position to throw away older radios, I guess they've got us.
 
DKirkpatrick said:
I didn't know that about Garmin strong arming the aviation world and not even allowing their older stuf to be serviced. That seems "onerous and heavy-handed" of them... it's just "fix the comm" situation... but if they want you to be in a position to throw away older radios, I guess they've got us.
Click to expand...

I think you interpret the statements wrong. Consumer electronics drives the electronics industry. You're dealing with a design that was done probably 25-30 years ago that is using components from that era and most likely some custom ICs. That stuff is likely no longer available now so it may not be a matter of Garmin not wanting to support it, it may be that they can't support it.

We are solidly in the era of avionics that won't age well, regardless of brand. Best get accustomed to it.
 
mondtster said:
I think you interpret the statements wrong. Consumer electronics drives the electronics industry. You're dealing with a design that was done probably 25-30 years ago that is using components from that era and most likely some custom ICs. That stuff is likely no longer available now so it may not be a matter of Garmin not wanting to support it, it may be that they can't support it.

We are solidly in the era of avionics that won't age well, regardless of brand. Best get accustomed to it.
Click to expand...

not to mention we are no longer dealing with 40 pin dip chips, we are talking about hundreds of pin surface mount chips that have to be manufactured by machine. you can no longer whip out the old wheller soldering iron and change components. modern repair is throw out the board and install a new one. as previously noted, the parts are no longer available to make those boards. its just the way it is now.
 
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