Good Day All,

How do you tell if a Garmin 430 is WAAS capable or not?

What is involved in updating a Garmin 430 to WAAS?

How much does everyone spend to update their Gamin 430 on the database cycle?

When buying an aircraft with a Garmin 430 what you should look for to ensure it is "up to snuff"?


Cheers

Macdon221

If I'm not mistaken Garmin only accepts units for update or repair from authorized avionics shops, so you can't pull it out yourself and send it in to them. It will take a week or so once it arrives at Garmin. The WAAS update cost $3200 plus whatever your radio shop charges to install the new antenna and the shipping cost. I think an updated database is included with the upgrade.

The antenna has the same screw hole footprint as the original antenna, so no real mod to put it in. The database must be updated as the WAAS database and the regular database are incompatible. You get a card, updated to the new configuration database. Look at the data tag on the back of the unit, or pull out the data card and the card will indicate it is a WAAS database (I think it is colored yellow instead of blue as well).

I was informed that the coax cable is required to be double shielded for the 430 WAAS so you will most likely have to replace the coax.

macdon221 wrote:Good Day All,

How do you tell if a Garmin 430 is WAAS capable or not?

What is involved in updating a Garmin 430 to WAAS?

How much does everyone spend to update their Gamin 430 on the database cycle?

When buying an aircraft with a Garmin 430 what you should look for to ensure it is "up to snuff"?


Cheers

Macdon221

On startup the screen will say "Garmin" in the middle and underneath will show the model "GNS 430W"

Updating a 430 to 430W requires gutting the unit and replacing basically everything inside the case. The antenna looks the same physically but is higher performance and has to be connected to the unit with low-loss coax. Hopefully, the existing coax run is accessible if it has to be replaced.

What to look for: There must be a POH supplement for the 430W so look in the back of the handbook for it. Also, the Garmin User Manual for the WAAS unit has to be carried in the aircraft to be in compliance with TSO C146a

YB

Not to belabor the point, but unless the original 430 installer was an idiot, they would have used RG142. We have done 5 upgrades this year and all had RG142 for the antenna, since the GA-56 OEM antenna kit came with RG142.