GNC 300XL Going South

EJWash

EJWash

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Hi All,

I have a Garmin GNC 300XL in my '75 8KCAB. The VHF COMM radio side is really nearing soup can & string quality. I really don't use the GPS side much because it's memory-demanding to move around in it, and I rely more on ForeFlight to get around.

I searched the aircraft logs and I can't find a date of installation, so I only have the keys (buttons) on the face of the unit to judge wear. Several of the keys are unreadable due to wear. Garmin released the GNC 300XL in '96, and offered it through '20, so that's a rough window of overall age.

There are used GNC 300XLs out there, and it would be a R&R job. Thing is, like I mentioned, moving around in the unit is not user-friendly, as least to me.

Being a VFR only airplane, I don't need an aircraft-equipped (installed) navigator. I'm thinking of removing the GNC 300XL and installing a VHF COMM only radio. I'll use a RAM-mounted Garmin Aera for navigating.

Feedback? Thanks!
 
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Smart. The IFR certified GPS units are difficult to work with. Since you are 8KCAB you do not need IFR cert, so use a com, and a GPS handheld.

Mine has GTR-200, King KN53 GS, and best of all, a mount for the 295/296 handheld GPS. I have it programmed for a horizontal flight director and a glide slope that goes all the way to the deck. I cross-check with the King ILS indicator, and it is always dead on.

Plus, if I need to go somewhere, I have it programmed for distance, speed, track, bearing in big numbers on the right side. You should see how quick a "direct to" is! Makes navigating trivial. Yes, I carry sectionals, and use them.
 
Not a fan of panel mounted portables.

Do you have a nav head in the plane?

It is nice to have a AI and CDI with GS just for the warm fuzzies.

Some killer deals out there on low time 430s that people are replacing to chase the Joneses, some newer small NAVComs too if you want model year

For me a nav/com that can shoot a ILS or RNAV is really nice, stuff happens and doesn’t care about the FARs, nice to know I can safely get on deck if Murphy decides he wants to play a game

For a light solid state panel, I’d go with one of the above tied into a single GI275 if it were me
 
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I deal occasionally with the giant Garmin 750 - nav, com, intercom, probably more. Far too difficult for my pea size brain when I fly it only once a month. And remember, I was a whiz at the Airbus TV screens.

What I like is a positive indication that things are armed, or coupled, or not going to hook up. I like to have the extra time to monitor all the other things that are going on - maybe even look out the window.

The handhelds are either going somewhere or not. There is rarely a question about which segment you are on.

That said, I really would like to replace my gyro heading indicator with an electronic HSI with track up. Or a choice when being vectored. A 430 would be my very last choice for nav.
 
I replaced a dead King KY97 com and a stand-alone intercom with a Garmin GTR 200. Installed it myself and it was relatively easy. (There's an extensive previous thread on the Forum that discusses the installation.)

That being said, there's currently a used GNC 300XL listed on Ebay. "Used, working". Current bid is $119. Actually, there are several of them listed with prices up to $1500. Go figure...
 
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Bob Turner said:
I deal occasionally with the giant Garmin 750 - nav, com, intercom, probably more. Far too difficult for my pea size brain when I fly it only once a month. And remember, I was a whiz at the Airbus TV screens.

What I like is a positive indication that things are armed, or coupled, or not going to hook up. I like to have the extra time to monitor all the other things that are going on - maybe even look out the window.

The handhelds are either going somewhere or not. There is rarely a question about which segment you are on.

That said, I really would like to replace my gyro heading indicator with an electronic HSI with track up. Or a choice when being vectored. A 430 would be my very last choice for nav.
Click to expand...

What’s wrong with the 430?

Flew tons of single pilot IFR on them, pretty quick and intuitive if you speak Garmin
 
Bob Turner said:
Smart. The IFR certified GPS units are difficult to work with. Since you are 8KCAB you do not need IFR cert, so use a com, and a GPS handheld.
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Hey Bob!

I thought about my proposal for the last couple of days, and I'm gonna pull the trigger on it. I'm going with the Aera 760 because I'm in the throws of a Van's RV-14 project, which will be equipped for IFR.

Now it's a matter of what COMM I'll go with. Looking for something that will fit in the GNC 300XL's slot.

Thanks for the input!
 
All in what you get used to. Personally, I liked the days when light planes could be flown without extensive avionics study beforehand.
I never got good at the 430 - just doing a "direct to" was not intuitive, and getting a "track" indication for an ILS? I was able to do it once, but I forgot to take notes.

The 300 series can be made to work as navigation tools, but if I need to teach for a checkride I have to spend an hour before, studying the manual, and another half hour simulating a VOR and getting a radial to track. With the KN-53, I merely turn it on and set the frequency, rotate the OBS, and listen to the ID. Dirt simple.
 
Desert7GCBC said:
That being said, there's currently a used GNC 300XL listed on Ebay. "Used, working". Current bid is $119. Actually, there are several of them listed with prices up to $1500. Go figure...
Click to expand...
I'm skittish at the idea of buying a used GNC 300XL. I mean since mine is dying, that means I'll be in the same situation sooner or later - and probably sooner.

Thanks for the input!
 
EJ - the GTR-200 was the simplest and best, although I am convinced that the RF squelch circuit is not adjustable. But they do not make them any more. The replacement is twice the price, and may not have the world-class intercom.

If you are not in a crowded environment, a good used SL-40 is great. The intercom and frequency storage sucks, but it is a good radio. Our environment demands good frequency storage - couple keystrokes gets me to the next frequency. Often important, since we have two tower frequencies.
 
Bob Turner said:
Far too difficult for my pea size brain when I fly it only once a month. And remember, I was a whiz at the Airbus TV screens.
Click to expand...
Airbus? Ha!

We used to say: "The FCU is what you bid. The Flight Mode Annunciator (FMA) is what you get!" That, and SAMI (Select, Annunciate, Monitor, Intervene).
 
Bob Turner said:
If you are not in a crowded environment, a good used SL-40 is great. The intercom and frequency storage sucks, but it is a good radio. Our environment demands good frequency storage - couple keystrokes gets me to the next frequency. Often important, since we have two tower frequencies.
Click to expand...
I'm not in Podunk, but I can get by with one VHF COMM radio. I only have one now, and I'm good.
 
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