GDL 39 Optional GPS remote antenna required?

If the GDL is remote mounted (not a sky view), external ADSB antenna, and its bluetoothed to a 796, does the 796 pass GPS position to the GDL39 over the bluetooth?
Trying to figure out if I need the remote antenna or not dedicated to the GDL 39. Seems silly to have to need that if its talking to a gps through 796. I can see the need for the GPS data if it were not talking to a gps, in the case perhaps of just talking to an iPad passing weather as an example.

I was acutally going to hard wire the GDL39 to the 796 BUT the only serial port you can do that on is 1, and Serial 1 is the only one with the serial in/out functions I need to interface to other devices with the 796. The pass through serial on the GDL39 is not an option as that data stream type 796 to GDL39 is not what other devices will use for protocols for flight plans etc.

Thanks for your help.

Mike,

Yes, the GDL-39 needs to have its Internal GPS working independent of the 796. Remote mounted under the panel most likely will need the external GPS antenna.

Serial 2 on the 796 has all the same protocols as serial 1 with the exception of the Garmin Transfer Protocol so I don't see any reason why you can't use it for integrating with something else.

The GDL39 can pass thru several protocols even though the primary protocol is the Garmin Transfer Protocol but I am not sure passthrough even works with a 796 since it has two full serial ports available.

Hello Kahuna,

Yes, Brian is correct that you may use serial port 1 on the 796 to hard-wire connect to the GDL39 (using Garmin Data Transfer) and then use port 2 on the 796 to connect to your other device(s). You can, of course, also use Bluetooth if you prefer.

In either case, the GDL39 will either need to use it's internal GPS antenna or an external antenna (when required), to obtain the GPS signal.

The rationale behind the GDL39 having an internal GPS is that you can just power it up and it is ready to support external devices like tablets (over Bluetooth) that don't have a GPS and need that information as well as traffic and weather.

The 796 doesn't support serial port pass-through with the GDL39 like the other portables because it has 2 serial ports.

As mentioned in previous posts, we do indeed want to enhance the programming in the GDL39 to accept GPS data from our portable GPS and G3X products so you will not need to have a separate GPS antenna when you have the GDL39 remote mounted, but that feature is not yet available.

You have probably heard that we are already providing the pressure altitude measurement from a G3X system to the GDL39, so when the GDL39 is used with that system, it determines traffic separation using the higher quality altitude G3X sensor that the pilot and transponder are using instead of the GDL39 internal pressure altitude sensor. We want to do something similar with GPS.

Good questions. Let us know if we can help further.

Thanks,
Steve

Thanks Steve and Brantel.
Ext. GPS antenna it is then for the remote mounted GDL39.

Note, the internal GPS on the 796 is the least sensitive of any portable GPS I have owned. I can be in a metal hanger, run around inside the house, and still show full bars of GPS coverage and strong Sat signals.

I just did a software update on the 796 and wallah, the serial 2 list of protocols is now the same as serial 1 with the exception of the Garmin data transfer. Excellent. Looks like Garmin is adding additional protocols on the ports with time. Thanks

Kahuna said:

Thanks Steve and Brantel.
Ext. GPS antenna it is then for the remote mounted GDL39.

Note, the internal GPS on the 796 is the least sensitive of any portable GPS I have owned. I can be in a metal hanger, run around inside the house, and still show full bars of GPS coverage and strong Sat signals.

Click to expand...

It is amazing is it not?