As Sun ‘n Fun drew to a close, Aspen Avionics announced yet another encouraging development in the avionics market: compatibility with Garmin’s new line of ADS-B systems. Through a newly approved STC, Aspen’s Evolution-series PFD and MFD retrofit display systems can display ADS-B weather and traffic when connected with Garmin’s GDL88-series dual-band ADS-B receiver. The company also said it’s planning on including Garmin’s new GTX345 ADS-B transponder to the interface by the end of the year. The GTX345 is Garmin’s next-generation wireless all-in-one 1090ES transponder that replaces the GTX330ES. It also has a built-in dual-band traffic and weather receiver. See our flight trial video here.
The GDL88 is Garmin’s remotely mounted ADS-B system and is available in several versions and price points—both with and without internal WAAS GPS and weather and traffic receiver. While Garmin’s ADS-B protocol was previously only compatible with select Garmin displays, the company has been gradually opening its architecture to third-party interfaces, including the recently announced interface with the NavWorx ADS600-B ADS-B receiver.
The cost for Aspen’s unlock software to enable the Garmin interface is $795 and can be field-installed by any authorized Aspen dealer. Aspen’s entry-level Evolution VFR PFD has a starting price of $4995 and Garmin’s GDL88 starts at $3995. For more, contact Aspen Avionicsand Garmin.
