Hey all,

 

Just wondering if there's a comparison or cross-reference or something that compares the X-Plane GPS to the Garmin units.

 

thanks,

Andrew

http://developer.x-plane.com/2014/03/new-approach-capable-gps-navigator-in-x-plane-10-30/

 

http://xplanereviews.com/index.php?/forums/topic/165-laminar-research-new-approach-capable-gps-navigator-in-x-plane-1030/

 

Not much help or a concise answer to your question, but the best I could find on a quick search...

Just wondering if there's a comparison or cross-reference or something that compares the X-Plane GPS to the Garmin units.

 

One idea for you is to download the Garmin trainer, and compare functionalities yourself. 

 

It's been awhile since I've flown with the RXP GNS gauges in FSX (I switched to the GTN when it came out, I really miss that in XP), but I'm pretty darn sure there's some pages (that I never looked at in the RXP units) missing.  And of course, there's no terrain data shown on the XP GNS units.

 

That said, I never really appeciated the GNS 430/530 in FSX.  I never took the time to learn them properly, and instead would fly via radios, vor to vor generally.  When the GTN gauges came out I started using GPS more often, and now since my shift to X-Plane, I've actually taken the time to learn to use the 530 / 430 and appreciate them much more. 

 

Considering that they replicate everything important, and that the Navdata is upgradable, I think they're superb.  It surprises me that they're a recent addition to the sim, I can't imagine not having them!

Considering that they replicate everything important, and that the Navdata is upgradable, I think they're superb.  It surprises me that they're a recent addition to the sim, I can't imagine not having them!

 

A bit of recent history on that. When X-Plane was still 32-bit only, we had the option of using the payware RealityXP 430 and 530 plugins. They worked as a front end for the Garmin trainer, which also had to be installed. It was an expensive add-on, but it worked well and I got very attached to using it.

 

Then the 64-bit version of X-Plane was released, and the RealityXP plugin couldn't work with that version of the sim. As I recall, the problem was with the Garmin trainer, which only worked in 32 bits. So there was a period of about a year, where those of us using the 64-bit version of X-Plane had to fall back on the very restricted stock panel GPS. Then the popup 430 and 530 came out, and I was in heaven again. I don't use all the features, but I'm very comfortable now with whipping up a quick flight plan in Plan-G, exporting the flight plan and loading that into the GPS. 

 

Getting back to the OP's question, the one thing I miss with the default popup GPS is terrain data. I don't need it when following a flight plan from Plan-G because I've already made sure I'm clearing terrain. But when I'm just fooling around on a recreational flight, it was sometimes useful to get that terrain approach warning on the old RealityXP/Garmin trainer version. That data and function isn't in the current default GPS.

 

 

A bit of recent history on that.

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain all of that.  I recalled seeing a version of the RXP GNS gauges for XP, but I never knew the whole story.

 

It would seem to me that I've arrived in the XP world at a very good time.  Mature, refined 3rd party aircraft, really good freeware scenery projects on both large and small scales, decent GPS units with updateable navdata, the list goes on.

 

Sometimes, and this is true for any platform, a person tends to focus on what you don't have - it's so easy to overlook what you do have!