Went through the steps to open the squelch and set the com volume level
Flip Flopped the com and nav frequencies
Manually place a frequency in the Nav Stand-by position
Install a com frequency into Stand-by automatically from a page in the
"Nearest" section
Frequently used frequencies list
Installed a flight plan in each unit (same flight plan)
Discussed size of text in flight plan setup
Placed an approach at the end of the flight plan
Installed an Airway within the flight plan
Created a user defined waypoint off anything
Installed a waypoint and intercept a radial to track inbound
Modified the flight plan while flying (in demo mode)
Went "Direct" while tracking the flight plan
Removed the "Direct" from the flight plan
Placed a holding pattern at an intersection without a published hold
Activated a leg of the flight plan
Went to "Nearest" section of the units
Be advised some of the above items can not be accomplished on all three units
such as installing an airway in a flight plan and radial off of a waypoint. We
discussed GPSS steering and how each unit would operate when used with the S-Tec
GPSS. We also had the MX20 connected to the CNX80, the MX20 will work with any
of the mentioned GPS's.
Here's how the Shootout groups broke down:
A total of twenty nine folks attended
All 29 had a pilots license
25 of the 29 had their IFR tickets
Of the 25, 21 of those had over 100 hours of actual IFR experience
The youngest pilot was 24, the oldest was 63 (or so he said)
Twelve of the group were from CA.
The others were from a mix of other states, one flew commercial from GA,
& another from NJ
Six already owned a GNS430/530 but thought maybe the CNX80 would better
suit their needs
Most of the questions were with the CNX80 flight plan and text size
28 of the 29 came in unbiased, they really wanted to see which unit best
suited their needs
Here Are the Results:
One student picked the CNX80 to best suit his needs
One could not decide which unit best suited his needs
27 Wanted the GNS430 or GNS530
Everyone said the MX20 was a "Must" for anyone who purchases the CNX80
The six who have the GNS430/530 were not interested in upgrading to the
CNX80
The four that have a GNS430 installed wished to upgrade to the GNS530 in
the future
Eight said the GNS430 & MX20 was the package they wanted if it would fit
in the aircraft
27 said if they couldn't have the MX20, then they wanted the GNS530 if
room permitted
What They Didn't Like:
The text is small on the CNX80 flight plan mode
The CNX80 Flight Plan page is difficult to use, modify and set up
The GNS430/530 does not allow inputs of airways within the flight plan
To get the same results, in most cases, the CNX80 requires more key
strokes
The GNS430 screen is smaller and not as detailed as the CNX80 or GNS530
CNX80 only has 8 watts verses 10 or optional 15 watts. The two jet
jockeys insisted on 15 Watts
The jet owners insisted on 8.33 Mhz spacing, the CNX80 doesn't offer
this feature
All were disappointed with the lack of ground mapping on the CNX80
Clearing a "Direct To" while operating on a flight plan was difficult
with the CNX80
CNX80 does not display traffic, weather, terrain or other data (this was
the biggest issue with the students)
Some points within the approach the CNX80 would not provide navigation
GNS430/530 "Nearest" anything was somewhat difficult
MX20 Suspends the approach at the FAP versus MAP on the GNS430/530
Page configuration on the GNS430/530 was much better than the CNX80
The question was asked. "If room wasn't an issue but you could NOT have the
MX20; which unit would you pick"? All 29 picked the GNS530.
Summary:
Most flew a great distance to see all four of these units side by side and
go through the same steps with each to determine which best suited their needs.
Twenty six of the 29 were quite sure prior to the Shootout that the CNX80 was
the box they pined for but after the evaluation, decided against it. The clear
winner was the MX20 and GNS530. What seemed to turn the students off with
regards to the CNX80 was the number of steps required to get to the same point
that you would with the Garmin, no weather or traffic can be displayed on the
CNX80 screen and the difficulties we encountered using the flight plan mode.
Most felt the CNX80 doesn't think like the average GA pilot thinks. The
above data is in no way scientific or reflects the views of the general aviation
community, only the view of the 29 pilots who attended the shootout.