Cons of the Garmin g3x

I am currently looking to purchase a plane with dual Garmin G3X NON Touch units installed. Since I have only used garmin handhelds of the outdoors type, and rarely used their aviation units other than an old 95XL that is now garbage. I am oblivious to what is good and bad about them. These G3X units are 2013 vintage (my guess) and I have read that they might be close to being outdated since they are the 'NON' Touch variety. Also, have read that updates of maps and other updates can make some of the older Garmin units obsolete. I don't really fly enough to warrant spending a lot of money on the maps and updates. Most of my flying(99.9999%) is over rural land and out of private strips. Are these still a good unit or best sold for an update. I only fly VFR but my son wants to get his IFR.

Take a look on the Garmin website. It will tell you much of what you need to know about the G3X. You can also give a call to Garmin--most people find that their support staff are pretty helpful.

FWIW, Garmin often supports its products well after they stop making them. I have a 96C handheld GPS that they still support--I bought it a dozen years ago, and they stopped making them 10 years ago. My panel GPS is a 430W, installed about 5 years ago, and I think it's about the last one that they made--still supported "into the foreseeable future", according to them.

Another FWIW--there are 2 ways to keep Garmin devices up to date, either monthly on a subscription or just when you feel like it with one time updates. I use a subscription for my 430W, because I do fly IFR and want it to be as accurate as possible. I only do the 96C sporadically--went almost 2 years between the last update and one I did recently in July. The cost varies according to the product and the device being updated. All that info is on the Garmin website, also, but you'll have to search for it.

Cary

So I have a dual-screen non-touch G3X that I purchased in 2012. I've been flying behind it for a little over 2 years now both VFR and IFR. Outlining pros and cons is a bit difficult but here's a few:

Pros
- It's a Garmin and Garmin Team X provides great support. They are active posters over on Van's Air Force.
- The G3X uses the same operating and display logic as all of their other products so if you speak Garmin, there's almost no learning curve.
- The G3X interfaces perfectly with other Garmin boxes and TruTrak autopilots.
- You can update the databases from the FlyGarmin site. Updates can be purchased a la carte as often as you like or via subscription. I personally have a PilotPak subscription for my G3X and GTN 650
- System software, which also updates the GDL39 if you have one connected to the G3X, is free and available from the main Garmin website's G3X page.
- Each display has it's own built-in VFR WAAS GPS and the GDU 375 is XM weather and entertainment capable (I have a GDL39 so use ADS-B for weather)

Cons
- It's a Garmin and if you don't like their logic or other features, you won't like the G3X
- The 7" portrait is fine for the PFD, but I find it a little small for the MFD
- The displays (GDU 370 or 375) can't display true Sectionals. The IFR charts are better (although not true IFR low enroutes) and of course if you have a FliteCharts subscription it will display geo-referenced approach plates.

I tend to fly all my of X-Cs IFR and my system combined with a GTN 650, SL 30, and TruTrak's Garmin Pilot 2-axis auto pilot gives me fantastic IFR capability-- fully coupled ILS, LOC, VOR and GPS approaches Basically the same functionality as a G1000, albeit with a bit more button punching due to the lower level of integration. Truth in lending: all of the major EFIS brands can provide the same level of capability and are all good systems, but I happen to prefer Garmin as I got my instrument rating behind a G1000 and have used GarminPilot as my EFB for over 5 years now so I'm uber comfortable with their logic.

Thanks gentleman! Pretty much answered my concerns. I have only used handheld Garmin products, oh, and the one's in my vehicles before I bought a vehicle with it's own GPS. I couldn't find much on the NON touch unit, most everything I search for related to the Touch units.

The only other question, I seem to have read something about the unit stops displaying certain things after the subscription expires? Maybe I misread something, need to revisit the pages.

I'm not aware of the G3X not displaying anything if an internal database is expired as by themselves they are strictly VFR units and therefore have no database currency requirements. But I suppose, as an example, it's possible that it will stop showing obstacles if the obstacle database is out of date but I've never experienced it firsthand.

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Originally Posted by Cary

FWIW, Garmin often supports its products well after they stop making them.

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"Often" is not "always". I have a 92 and a 295 and a 195, all of which have had "sticky buttons" problems among other glitches. None has been deemed fixable by Garmin when I've asked. Your mileage may vary.

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Originally Posted by Mike M

"Often" is not "always". I have a 92 and a 295 and a 195, all of which have had "sticky buttons" problems among other glitches. None has been deemed fixable by Garmin when I've asked. Your mileage may vary.

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Well, gosh, the 295 first was sold in 2000, the 195 in 1997. 17-20 years in the electronics world is eons! As in the dark ages, dinosaurish, practically pre-Cambrian! :eek:

Cary

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cary

Well, gosh, the 295 first was sold in 2000, the 195 in 1997. 17-20 years in the electronics world is eons! As in the dark ages, dinosaurish, practically pre-Cambrian! :eek:

Cary

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Cary, I didn't mean I waited until yesterday to try to get them fixed. I'm saying that, for example, while the 196 was still listed for new sale on the Garmin website their service department emailed me their recommended fix for my "sticky buttons" problem was to toss the unit and buy a new one. The very next day I could no longer find it listed for new sale on their website. Coincidence? I no longer buy nor recommend Garmin products, but, as always, YMMV.

MikeM,
Even though I posted this thread, one of the resaons was due to having a similar issue with a Garmin product several years ago. Not all of us have large amounts of disposable income and these purchases are not taken lightly. Then, we end up cradling this items like anew born baby since they are normally used only for or aviating life, they don't have much 'time' on them and they are no longer viable. QUite disheartening really, especially when we figure out that those expenditures could have possibly been used for something that we could have gotten more value out of.
On a side note, I have an Avmap EPKIV that is over 10 years old and still very usable. I did have to replace the internal battery this year though.