I hope someone like RealityXP picks up work on this one. Maybe they already have. Does anyone know if this is in the works anywhere for FS9?There is also a downloadable demo from Garmin at this address.http://www.garmin.com/products/gns480/Regards,

Aside from cosmetics, what would be the point? FS won't support WAAS anyway... :(

>Aside from cosmetics, what would be the point? FS won't>support WAAS anyway... :(:-hmmm, forgive me Father. FS does not have to "support" WAAS - FS doesn't simulate GPS satellites orbiting the Earth so any talk about simulating WAAS really doesn't apply. You can even say that FS doesn't "support" GPS -it doesn't have to - position of every point in FS is given with great accuracy by default. The reason to put something like GNS480 in FS is 2-fold:1. Full simulation of the lastest in the GPS avionics2. Ability to fly WAAS (LNAV/VNAV) approaches which are in the database of this unit. Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2, Omega 2.7.90 (4xAA 16xAF)

Michael,There are those that "want" and then there are those that have been in the trenches and "know." Why you would see fit to attack Bill for stating a fact is beyond my reasoning ability.Chill man,Zane

>been in the trenches and "know." Why you would see fit to>attack Bill for stating a fact is beyond my reasoningAttack?Something wrong with you man? And, by the way, what's wrong in correcting some of those "facts".Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2, Omega 2.7.90 (4xAA 16xAF)

Calm down fellas. Just a light discussion about the new Garmin GNS480. Has anyone besides me tried the simulator for this unit? What do you think?By the way, WAAS still has a way to go before it is widely used.Best regards,

>>Aside from cosmetics, what would be the point? FS won't>>support WAAS anyway... :(>>:-hmmm, forgive me Father. FS does not have to "support" WAAS>- FS doesn't simulate GPS satellites orbiting the Earth so any>talk about simulating WAAS really doesn't apply. You can even>say that FS doesn't "support" GPS -it doesn't have to ->position of every point in FS is given with great accuracy by>default. The reason to put something like GNS480 in FS is>2-fold:>>1. Full simulation of the lastest in the GPS avionics>2. Ability to fly WAAS (LNAV/VNAV) approaches which are in the>database of this unit. Michael, I wrote my reply as a professional C gauge programmer for Flight Simulator, not as a retired priest...The only possible way to "simulate" a fully-coupled GPS approach with LNAV/VNAV would be to mimic the ILS/GS approach. Now that might be "convincing" for a rwny with full ILS installed, but for approved approaches at non-ILS equipped rwny's it simply isn't possible.Now while it is certainly true that we can easily obtain the precise location of the a/c at any given moment from the reported lat/lon, and can know the absolute altitude as well, even assuming that the database in the trainer could be read and parsed, the algorithim to compute LNAV/VNAV corrections would be horribly complex, not to mention writing the code to actually control the a/c. Believe me, it would not be a trivial task... :)

>Now while it is certainly true that we can easily obtain the>precise location of the a/c at any given moment from the>reported lat/lon, and can know the absolute altitude as well,>even assuming that the database in the trainer could be read>and parsed, the algorithim to compute LNAV/VNAV corrections>would be horribly complex, not to mention writing the code to>actually control the a/c. Believe me, it would not be a>trivial task... :)Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't these RealityXP units use the actual Garmin code in the trainer to do the GPS tasks?-

Bill,I fail to understand your concerns. Per Ken's link you can already download the GNS480 trainer/simulator. You don't need MSFS to run it - it is a stand alone unit. You can run it and it will give you all the required CDI deflections laterally/vertically. In other words it is perfectly capable of simulating WAAS approaches. So what is there left to do in MSFS? Reality-XP adopted Garmin GNS530 trainer to work with FS9. They did not have to "parse" its database or write complex algorithms to simulate "corrections". To some degree it is a black box to the rest of FS.Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2, Omega 2.7.90 (4xAA 16xAF)

>Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't these RealityXP units use>the actual Garmin code in the trainer to do the GPS tasks?Of course. This is the whole idea - Garmin trainer already comes with the relevant logic.Michael J.WinXP-Home SP2,AMD64 3500+,Abit AV8,Radeon X800Pro,36GB Raptor,1GB PC3200,Audigy 2, Omega 2.7.90 (4xAA 16xAF)

Hi Bill,Well you are not exactly an authority on what can and cannot be done with gauge programming are you? Correct me if I'm wrong but your 'brilliant' programming with the Eaglesoft Citation X doesn't even model a Flight Management System does it? I'm not talking about selecting frequencies and other irrelevent arcade game type programming but a realistically functioning FMS like the FS2004 PMDG 737 and PSS aircraft have sported for over a year now.Apparently such CAN be done but YOU can't do it? :)Saying that it simply can't be done may be true with your abilities but another more talented individual just might surprise us all. There are innovations being made all the time in the simming world and nothing seems to be completely impossible.

Lonny Payne did the gauge programming for our Citation X and it was my decision to NOT build a complete FMC for any of our aircraft at this point in time.For us it's not a question of ability. Development time and other factors were instrumental in our decision to forgo a fully functional FMC at this point in our growth.:-)If someone takes the time to overcome the obstacles that Bill stated then average flight simmers will benefit from the innovation.Bills views are his own and do not represent Eaglesoft Development Group.We will thank you to keep Eaglesoft Development Group out of these discussions:-)

>Well you are not exactly an authority on what can and cannot>be done with gauge programming are you? Correct me if I'm>wrong but your 'brilliant' programming with the Eaglesoft>Citation X doesn't even model a Flight Management System does>it? I'm not talking about selecting frequencies and other>irrelevent arcade game type programming but a realistically>functioning FMS like the FS2004 PMDG 737 and PSS aircraft have>sported for over a year now."Rugerdog," you seem to have a BONE to pick with Eaglesoft, because this isn't the first time you've voiced your thinly disguised insults.FIRST I did not program ANY of the gauges on the Citation X, those were programmed by Lonny Payne.SECOND I expressed my private opinion on this topic, and not as a representative of Eaglesoft Development Group, or its business decisions.>Apparently such CAN be done but YOU can't do it? :)THIRD Placing a "smilie" does nothing to disguise your insulting remark.I'll freely admit that I could easily be proven wrong on this - or any other issue - but I do maintain that I have the right to express my personal opinion without having to endure your ad hominem remarks.Now, may I inquire what your contributions to FS have been, and what your bona fides are?

>Bill,>Reality-XP adopted Garmin GNS530 trainer to work with FS9.>They did not have to "parse" its database or write complex>algorithms to simulate "corrections". To some degree it is a>black box to the rest of FS.If that is the case, and Garmin will provide the needed memory offsets to read the data, then it might well be possible to program a similar unit. I expect in that case that Jean-Luc & Co. will likely do so whenever they find the time. After all, they already have most of what would be needed in core programming done, don't they... :)

Lets not see this turning into a flame war. Keep it civilized or it will be locked in an instant.Best RgdsAidihttp://www.avsim.com/pages/0100/avsim_sig.jpg