We are now on month 13 of my new Class 3 Aspen install trying to get it right.  The people at Aspen are becoming increasingly non-responsive - my Avionics guys (I have 3) think they're having some serious personnel issue with the change in ownership and the brain trust employees aren't liking who they work for so they're leaving, but I digress.  It's taking 2-3 months to get replacement warranty service.

After 3 MFD's on a Class 3 system (Beechcraft Duke) and 3 RSM's, we appear to have a stable PFD/MFD/RSM interface... right up to the point you try to link the GPS units or fly the plane.

Yesterday's fun - Neither GPS 1 or GPS 2 flags went away on either PFD or MFD.  When we accelerated and decelerated, the system flagged and shut down both units because it requires a valid GPS signal to back up the attitude solution (part of the Class 3 software).  It's weird that both PFD and MFD did it because the MFD is supposed to use the G430 as primary but,,,

My Avidyne-focused question is:  I did not enter a route yesterday because I forgot the 540 needs a route before removing the yellow GPS flag at the top of the 540.  It knew where I was at on the airport, displayed my track, displayed the identifier for my active COM frequency, so it had satellite lock, but the technical question is:

"With an Amber GPS flag on the Avidyne 540, will it stop the output of GPS location to the other components of the system (Aspen Pro 2000, EX500, etc) and keep them from obtaining GPS data?"

I'm trying to figure out if I have a continued Aspen problem or if there's something else going on with the connections.

For the record, the system has worked previously, on and off, with the PFD with a used donor RSM from my avionics guy waiting for a working RSM from Aspen (my warranty has now expired since we've technically had it installed a year, even though it hasn't been a working system at any point yet and flying has been limited - 3 round trips in a year all VFR with the system in some sort of non-functional status here or there).  This one just popped up yesterday with the GPS flags on both GPS 1 (the 540) and GPS 2 (the 430) on the ground and after a high speed taxi run and a normal slow braking and Aspen fault, we elected not to take it up even though it was severe clear until we could figure out what's going on.

Thanks,

As long as the GPS has a position, the IFD will output that position on the 429 bus to the Aspen - regardless of the color of the nav source in the upper right hand corner of the IFD.

You have to not only put a destination in the flight plan, you also have to ACTIVATE it by going direct to that station.  

It’s a two step process, not just loading the flight plan, it has to be active with an active waypoint to navigate to before the yellow GPS light will go out.

The output problem was a settings issue that Thom Duncan helped me sort out via text message in about 15 minutes with picture exchanges even though he didn’t install the system.  He’s pretty awesome.

Thanks,