Database and update prices

What are the costs for database updates?

And what are the costs for feature updates?  There are some features, such as Capstone protocol, which didn't make the cut for the first release and might be desirable.

Also, will bug fixes be done against older versions or will it be necessary to upgrade to the latest features release to get them?

Steve:

The information probably belongs on the Avidyne.com site rather than in this forum.  Maybe you can put it in a PDF file in the documents section?

If you can give us some idea of expenses for near-term updates it would help those of us who try to plan a budget for aircraft expenses.  (Yeah, I know how absurd that sounds.)  Maybe you can tell us what the price will be for updates for the first year?

We're looking at a basic installation in a Cessna 172.   It will be a single IFD 540, no class-B TAWS.  The only way this plane can reach the flight levels would be if  we stuffed it into the belly of a jumbo jet.  The installation will use an approved WAAS antenna.

At a minimum we'd want databases that would allow filing /G and flying all approaches the aircraft is capable of.  We'd prefer the entire US but could make do with a smaller area, say, east of the Mississippi.

There are other options, such as approach plates.  While these would be nice, I don't think they add actual capabilities to the aircraft.  So we could skip them if they are expensive (and we have plates on the yoke mounted GPS and the iPad).

We are probably typical of the low end of the installed GPS market.

Could you tell us the prices for the databases we would need?

Thanks - that describes it well.  We will have a bunch of options starting at around $500 and topping at about 1AU.

The Jet Assist Bottles would require a multi-engine rating.  The FAA would take twenty years to certify it.  The insurance company would want a whole lot of money if they were willing to sell us a policy at all.  And our home airfield doesn't sell Jet-A.  So I don't think we'll be needing high IFR charts any time soon.

No, not necessarily.     

Do you have prices for European coverages?

Central Europe:

Central Europe looks like it's $450/year for the Nav data (terrain is free) and $170/year for the Obstacle data.  I think there might be a $15ish increase in 2014 pricing - Jepp still owes us that.  That cost is for as many Avidyne units as you can fit in your cockpit.    Charts looks like it is $2140/year for Central Europe.  There are a number of other smaller segments for Europe on the Charts side.   There is no bundled package of all products at a much cheaper price when outside the US.

Australia:

Nav data is $370/year (possible $15ish price increase for 2014) (terrain is included free).  Aussie Obstacle data is $140/year (same possible modest price increase).   Charts data is $195/year and I don't see any smaller segmentation slices of Australia offered.

Hi Jim,

AviJake wrote: To file/fly /G, you will need Nav, Obstacle and Terrain data.   As you say, Charts are not necessarily required to file/fly /G.   I know you said no TAWS-B but the baseline IFD540 comes with FLTA and that requires Obstacles. The prices estimated here are subject to an approximate $15 increase, depending on the age of my data. You can further scrape away at that by going with just East/Central US Nav data at approximately $370 per year and East/Central US Obstacle data at approximately $140 per year for a total of $510 per year.    That looks like it's your lowest cost option.  Eastern/Central US Nav and Obstacle data and no Charts.  (Terrain is included for free.)

$510 is lowest cost option?  My current jepp subscription for East/Central USA is $330 for non-waas GNS430:

Revision Service.28-Days.Annual
NavData.Coverage.Garmin.GNS 400/500 Series East/Central USA
29-MAR-14 through 28-MAR-15

Guess the waas and obstacles run up the cost.


Edited by FORANE - 07 Feb 2014 at 6:02am

Jake,

I double checked - $515 / year.

To be very clear, I can't see approach plates, SID's or STAR's but these procedures are programmed into the box along with airways, Nav data and obstacle info.

I don't plan to use the IFD 540 to view charts (not sure what specific charts we're talking about) or approach plates. My ipad has all that.

What do I really get (in plain English) in the CNX 80 for $515 / year?

Data on every single airport including frequencies, runways, etc.
All published approaches (ILS, LPV, VOR, NDB) plus SID's, STAR's, etc. are in the box and are programmable procedures includable in the flight plans
All airways are in the box and are programmable into flight plans
All ARTCC frequencies

I probably get more, but that's what sticks out this morning. Perhaps the Terrain feature is driving it up $150 / year?

Am I required to have that? We have MSA's now and the box will call out 500' on approach.

One of my goals is to keep database costs under control.

Regards, Jim

Thanks Jake.

My CNX 80 subscription is for North America.

Regards, Jim

Will do.   It looks like Jepp currently brackets that coverage.  I see "Full USA" and "Americas" but I don't see "North America".

Yes, that is the new segmentation Jepp is currently considering.

Do you know which Garmin database problem that one is?   If you are talking about the missing LP approaches problem they have, then no, the IFD540 does not have that missing approach problem.

oskrypuch wrote: A North America bundle, that is all CONUS+Canada, would be much appreciated! * Orest

I am presently paying $420.00 to Jepp for my Apollo GX-60. It gives me Western North America which includes Alaska and Mexico. Of course that is GPS enroute and Approaches only. The GX-60 does not have ILS approaches.

Anyway, similar coverage would be fine with me. I rarely go East, but I do go to Alaska and Mexico.
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The Garmin Service Bulletin supporting pdf doc that Geoffrey posted the link has a number  of issues they identify.   The IFD540 is unaffected by most or all of that.  I didn't do an exhaustive test of every example they list but to give you a sense of the comparison, here's what I've proven:

Thanks. Generally good news.

Forget charts on the IFD540 in Europe. Even a single country coverage like France or Germany is over $500. Jeppesen doesn't have any interest in the piston-based IFR market in Europe and are pricing to discourage it. You can get all the country AIP IFR charts yourself in pdf format on a tablet for free with a little effort or comfortably via a more reasonably priced subscription (Rocket Route, EuroFPL, various iPad apps), and most IFR pilots I know are going that route. Then the $2000/yr difference can be spent on fuel for flying.

Certainly that is a good question for Steve….. are the prices mentioned for "standalone" charts on the IFD540, or are they additional to an existing Jeppview subscription? If the former, what is the add-on price for an existing Jeppview user?

For those who were asking about the database update time, I updated my IFD540s today with current databases.  I used two USB drives, one in each IFD and it took 13:22 to update the following:

US