EFWD Build

[efwd]

BTW, I looked on the FAA website, N69EF is officially registered as of 1/22/19!

[aviator79]

Bam! That's a pretty big milestone Eddie. Get up to Idaho and get to flying!

[bbs428]

Looks like your all set - Congrats!!

[PapuaPilot]

I have a different G3X Touch setup With a GTX-23ES transponder (not the GTX345) and I added a GPS-20A WAAS GPS later to make the ADSB-Out work. I started with one GA-26 GPS antenna (small black type) hooked into the back of my screen. When I added the GPS-20A I needed the GA-35 antenna (bigger and white). I'm guessing you have a GA-35 antenna and it should be sufficient to provide GPS input for everything because the position data is sent to everything through the CAN bus.

I'm not familiar with the GTX-345 installation, but it may be that it needs its own GPS antenna. What antenna are you using. Also, some of the Garmin components have an LED light that shows status and errors. If the GTX-345 has an LED can it tell you if it is getting CAN data. I seem to recall that a green LED means it is connected and working OK. Also, you should have a page with the setup screens that shows the status of every component hooked in your system. That page will have either a green check mark or red X. If your transponder isn't recognized than it will have the red X and that could point to a CAN bus problem.

Happy troubleshooting, I hope you can solve the problems soon.

If you need a separate antenna for your screen the less expensive ones work fine, but you have to have the WAAAS GA-35 antenna for the transponder me thinks.

[efwd]

I just spent 2 hours in the seat (didn't get a sore butt either) trying to go through the configuring. I think I have a can bus problem that I don't recall being there before I installed the boot cowl with sealer. The xpndr actually has its location I see on the screen. Puts me at the Chino Airport. Weirdness is, I see my location on the EFIS. If I go to the systems page of the EFIS the xpndr is the only thing not communicating. Thanks for the reply. I will keep you updated on the Gremlin hunt.

[PaulSS]

Well, that sounds like you've boiled it down a lot, Eddie:

(1)You know your transponder GPS is receiving correctly and it is communicating your position to the transponder
(2)You know the CAN bus between your transponder and EFIS must be good or else it wouldn't be showing your position on the EFIS (assuming the EFIS doesn't have another secret input )
(3)You know the answer to your original question i.e. that you do not need another GPS connected to your EFIS to get your position (does it show your position on both screens?)

My thinking is along the lines of:

(1)You could have a snag with the transponder which is producing the 1090ES error message and, as Garmin have said, that may be cured by a software update. After curing that problem it may well then communicate correctly with your EFIS and show up on the systems page or

(2)You have a communications error between the transponder and EFIS (on the CAN bus) which means that certain data is not being received by the transponder extended squitter e.g. baro altitude, which in turn chucks out the 1090 ES error. I would assume (read GUESS) the transponder has its own baro sensor if not connected to the an EFIS and receiving data that way. Perhaps disconnecting the transponder connection to the EFIS may force it to use that input and, possibly get rid of the ES error message. You almost certainly do not have to do this physically. Just go to the systems page and delete the transponder. See if it makes any difference and then just re-install the transponder. If it doesn't see the transponder when you try to re-install it you can virtually guarantee it is a CAN bus error and it's not communicating......then it's back to checking those pins and cursing the people who built that harness for you. It is strange, though, that you are receiving GPS data from the transponder but not, perhaps, sending some data to the transponder.

Bit of chicken and egg going on whether it's (1) or (2) done first. I suppose if you're not going to be doing anything with the transponder for a little while then you could do (1) and at least it means you're all nice and up-to-date, whether it cures the snag or not. I would also lean that way given that position is being received from the transponder GPS, suggesting something in the CAN bus is working.

The good thing is (3)

[efwd]

Thank you Phil. I figured the manual would say what ones but I didn't find the right chapter I guess. As sometimes occurs, sales info doesn't get updated so because the G3X isn't listed as a compatible system with the Antenna you have in the ACS site I thought I would ask. Thanks for the quick reply.

[PapuaPilot]

The G3X Installation manual has a list of compatible antennas. The information is in chapter 23, and 23.2 lists the Garmin antennas that will work with the various G3X components.

I used a Garmin GA-26C and plugged into the back of my screen. This was my only GPS antenna in my system till last year when I added the GPS-20A & GA-35 WAAS antenna. I mounted the GA-26C behind the instrument panel under the fiberglass top and it works great.

The GA-26C is sold at ACS. FYI I think the GA-26 was included when with the G3X screen I bought.

GA-26C.jpg

[efwd]

I got my transponder software loaded today and got it installed. It seems to work now. Hopefully it won't be raining this weekend. If it's dry I will get to calibrate the magnetometer which is the last thing I need to accomplish before finishing the wax on the Oratex. Won't be long now. Trip to Stick and Rudder mid March I hope.

[PaulSS]

I found with the Dynon magnetometer no ground adjustment was needed. I lined the aircraft up on the four cardinal headings and the EFIS headings looked pretty close so I didn't touch it. When I got airbourne I did the in-flight calibration and got a very, very high 'confidence' number from the machine. The headings correspond exactly with the runway etc.

I would suggest if your headings are pretty close then you might be able to save yourself a lot of mucking around on the ground. The airbourne calibration is very easy (on the Dynon and I would have thought the same with Garmin), just press a couple of buttons and fly a bunch of circles, figure of eights etc and let the magic box do its own thing.