Well, as soon as I heard RealityXP had its version of the Garmin 530 out I just had to get it, even though I already own the FSAvionics 530 and 430. How does it rate? Well, better in some ways - not as good in others. Overall they are pretty interchangeable and both fall short of ideal IMO.Reality XP - Easy install for me (already a FlightLine user) but I understand some are having problems. Panel EZ config is a nice touch and worked very well. Started FS2K2 and sure enough the Garmin was available as a separate 2D panel (fine for me because I just dragged it over to my 2nd monitor). The other avionics that come with it are nice too except I had already cannibalized the Apollo package to use them with other panels. I was happy to see the Garmin had a nice backlit glow to it when I turned it on. Unfortunately the screen resolution is not as good as the FSAvionics version. Words are chopped up a bit and difficult to read sometimes. The biggest drawback IMO is the hit to framerates. It's significant on my system - even more so than the FSAvionics. Probably not much chance of it working on a second PC but haven't really looked into that. Another failure - it doesn't integrate with the FS2K2 CDI either (just like FSAvionics)!!! Someone has got to figure that out! Reality XP does give you a separate VOR gauge that does integrate but that's merely a bandaid. I fly the 421 the most and I'm looking for an HSI at the very least. Very disappointing! The mouse interface with the knobs is a bit smoother than with FSAvionics IMO. Everything else about the GPS is identical to FSGarmin (and the trainer, which is no coincidence). It's nice how the GPS opens and closes perfectly with the sim though. Oh, and it's cheap!FSAvionics - Still a bit clunky in the way it opens and closes. Better resolution. No interface with a CDI. Less impact on frame rates. Ability to use on second computer. Hope for weather radar addon. Pretty good customer service on their forum.If you don't own one already and have a fast computer, I'd say go with the RealityXP version because it is cheap. If you already own the FSGarmin, I'd say keep your money because there just isn't that much of an advantage to getting the other. Just my opinion. I sure hope the Meridian isn't as strapped for PC power as the Garmin alone is!!!David

Thanks for the quick review.Does the Reality XP verion have the TCAS and Weather radar working?RegardsRussell Jourdain (NZL007/ZK-RHJ)

No.I own both the FSGarmin530 and the Reality-XP 530. Bob Lyddy

Hi David, Jean-Luc has just uploaded my panel.cfg for the 421, maybe it

>backlit glow to it when I turned it on. Unfortunately the >screen resolution is not as good as the FSAvionics version. >Words are chopped up a bit and difficult to read sometimes. Yes, I agree. I don't have FSAvionics but comparing to the Garmin Trainer the display resolution does seem to suffer visibly on the XP unit.I am pleased to report however that Reality's unit was very performance friendly. I did not notice any significant fps issue on my installation.Michael J.

This may interest you:http://www.simforums.com/forums/display_to...=1&ThreadPage=1this is not a screen sharpness problem, but a gauge size set to a default of .9 ratio to the native resolution. Back at 1:1 it is as sharp, since not resized.Hope this helps!

Hi Uwe, Have you or anyone had any luck putting the Gar 530 in the project fokker aircraft. I have been trying to without any luck. Thanks, Glen

Hi David:What some users may not understand is any aircraft that integrates the Garmin Trainer program will be seeing 100% CPU utilizaton. We all know that FS2002 is cpu intensive, and "hooking" the Trainer program fully uses whatever power your CPU has to offer.But there are ways of insuring surprisingly good performance for any system by offering different configurations dependent on what CPU the user currently has available.Integrating the Reality XP 530 with an aircraft you currently own offers no indication of what you'll see with the Flight1 Meridian!Regards,Ben BeverlyLead Beta Test PilotFlight1 MeridianBen's Hangar

J-L,After doing the above the display quality is the best I have ever seen ! It is razor sharp with beautiful overal graphics.Awesome stuff. :-)Michael J.

You are not kidding-fantastic. Compared to the price of the real unit $15 is a steal-not to mention the other units that come with it.http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geofa/pages/Geofdog2.jpg

Michael J.

Hi David, Your mileage may vary but IMHO, there is no comparison possible: The Reality XP GNS530 is far better than the FSAvionics version because at least, it does not crash on my system. As for the performances, I don

Hi,I also was working with the FSAvionics unit and bought the Realiy XP version as soon as I read this thread. For one very important reason I like the reailty XP version more.It is a gauge .....yes!!!! I have different panels on different monitors and I hated the jump to the desktop and back. Now it is finally fully integrated....superb.For all the IFR fasn out there: I did not check yet, but the FSAvionics unit was showing HDG instea of TRK (this is actually a bug inside FS2002). As RealityXP figured out how to resolve the bug already in the Apollo series I guess it works with the Garmin too, although I havn'tchecked yet. I am just downloading their HSI.Alex

Mike,You make a good point about the crashes. I was fortunate and really didn't have that problem with FSGarmin, but I know a lot of people do. I'm also thrilled to hear it can be inserted into the VC! Is this something we can do ourselves? I know Uwe had pics of his installation into the 2D panel but I'd love to hear how to do it in VC. I'll also try resizing the panel.cfg. Because of my unique setup though I still prefer FSGarmin because I can run it on a separate computer.David

Hi David, for the C421 it