Difference between GMA 245 and 345?

Having trouble determining the difference between these two Garmin audio panels. They look pretty much the same and seem to have a similar set of features, but the 345 is a couple of hundred bucks more expensive. They both have music, bluetooth, intercom, etc. What am I missing?

GMA 245

GMA 345

Maybe...

Maybe

345 is for General Aviation

245 for experimental

Just guessing...

345 has a marker beacon receiver.

Draker said:

Having trouble determining the difference between these two Garmin audio panels. They look pretty much the same and seem to have a similar set of features, but the 345 is a couple of hundred bucks more expensive. They both have music, bluetooth, intercom, etc. What am I missing?

GMA 245

GMA 345

Click to expand...

Hello Ryan,

The GMA 345 has a marker beacon receiver, and carries a TSO certification, so it can be installed in certified aircraft.

The GMA 245 has no marker beacon, no TSO, but it does have more buttons/features related to music, and a CAN interface to integrate with G3X Touch.

For example, the GMA 245 dedicated "Radio Mutes Music" button allows you to rapidly turn this capability on/off at will. At times when you are not communicating with ATC and just monitoring the radio, you might choose to turn off Radio Mutes Music so music is never interrupted, and as soon as you start to use ATC, you can easily re-enable this feature with a touch of the button.

The dedicated "ICS Mutes Music" button gives you a lot of flexibility in how you listen to music. If you have a passenger (or pilot) who is irritated with having to talk over music, you can press this button to enable music muting anytime anyone speaks on the intercom, but at times when you just want to turn the music down lower and speak normally on the intercom with music in the background, you can quickly turn off intercom music muting.

Regardless of how you listen to music, both audio panels have a dedicated Music On/Off button which allows the pilot to quickly enable/disable music.

The GMA 245 works great both with/without G3X Touch, but the primary advantages of having G3X Touch configuration is to have optional on-screen controls and more flexibility for using individual music sources and volumes for pilot, copilot, and passengers. The RV-10 customers with back seats take advantage of this.

Despite what these two pictures might imply, they are both the same width and height.





Thanks,
Steve

Steve, thank you very much for the info. It looks like the 345 would be overkill for a VFR-only panel. Perhaps not even necessary for an IFR-ready plane, however I am unfamiliar with the equipment requirements for instrument flight.

Marker beacons? Do they still use those? (Just kidding).. I haven?t used those, or even seen them in an advanced cockpit for...... decades?? Maybe I exaggerate, but I wouldn?t wire a new IFR install with them. You?ll need to include an antenna, or split one (like an ADF) to receive it. Seems like the 245 has more functionality for a homebuilt, IFR or VFR.

The 245 is just an awesome Audio panel for the money.

COM SWAP?

What exactly will the discrete COM SWAP function do? Will it swap the freq from STBY to ACTIVE on the currently selected COM radio or does it change the active MIC from COM1 to COM2 and vice versa?

Thanks,

Com1/2 swap

COM swap will exchange COM 1 for COM 2 and visa versus. Most radios also have a discrete of their own for frequency flip/flop, which changes the active / stby freq on that particular COM.

So basically you can do both if you want.

supik said:

What exactly will the discrete COM SWAP function do? Will it swap the freq from STBY to ACTIVE on the currently selected COM radio or does it change the active MIC from COM1 to COM2 and vice versa?

Thanks,

Click to expand...

Hello Igor,

COM SWAP (GMA 245/245R Input Discrete)

The COM SWAP input discrete on the GMA 245/245R, when grounded, selects the other COM radio for transmission. It is just like reaching up and pressing the COM1 MIC button or the COM2 MIC button (whichever one is not currently selected).



COM Freq Swap (GEA 24 Input Discrete)

If you have the GMA 245/245R installed with a G3X Touch system, there is a second input discrete function that can be utilized. The COM Freq Swap input discrete, when grounded, causes the system to swap the active and standby frequencies on the currently selected COM radio. The audio panel's selected
microphone channel is used to determine which radio receives the frequency swap command.

Thanks,
Steve

Steve,

Is it all valid for the gma 345 as well? I'll need the marker beacons here in Europe..-unfortunately

Thanks a lot!

I guess the COM FREQ SWAP is not available with the gea24 & gma345 combo as the gma345 does not talk to the g3x system.. -is my assumption correct?

Thanks,

supik said:

I guess the COM FREQ SWAP is not available with the gea24 & gma345 combo as the gma345 does not talk to the g3x system.. -is my assumption correct?

Thanks,

Click to expand...

Hello Igor,

That is correct. Presently the GMA 345 installation with a G3X Touch system supports COM SWAP (native to audio panel), but does not support the nice COM FREQ SWAP function described above because the G3X Touch system does not communicate with the GMA 345 and doesn't know which COM radio is selected on the audio panel.

We are adding RS-232 communication with the GMA 345 in an upcoming G3X Touch release, so help is on the way!

Thanks,
Steve

g3xpert said:

...

We are adding RS-232 communication with the GMA 345 in an upcoming G3X Touch release, so help is on the way!

Thanks,
Steve

Click to expand...

Steve,

that's great news! I love GARMIN Experimental!!!

supik said:

Steve,

that's great news! I love GARMIN Experimental!!!

Click to expand...

Hello Igor,

You are very welcome and thank you for the kind words.

The new G3X Touch interface to the GMA 345 audio panel will provide two new features:

1. Marker beacon annunciations on the PFD (O/M/I).

2. Knowledge of which COM radio mic channel is selected on the GMA 345 which allows users to take advantage of the COM FREQ SWAP discrete to swap the active and standby frequencies on the selected COM radio for the radios that are currently remotely controlled including GTN 635/650/750, GNC 255, GTR 225, GTR 20, GTR 200, and GTR 200B. This is in addition to the touch screen controlled frequency swap already supported. We understand there may also be 3rd party radios that follow the published protocols for these radios, but we haven't tested any of these units.

Thanks,
Steve

The G3X Touch V7.00 software that provides this added support for GMA 345 audio panels has now been released.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?p=1324084

Thanks,
Steve