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EFIS

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jbario(at)sbcglobal.net
Guest

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:31 pm Post subject: EFIS

Howdy fellow RV dudes and dudettes.  My partner Gary  and I are working on the fuselage of a RV-8A QB on an airpark called Alta Sierra  located about 40nm north of Sacramento, CA.  We are trying to come up with  a panel design as we hope to buy an EFIS and the non Van's supplied  instruments at Oshkosh next month.  We have most of the panel sorted out,  but are still considering two options for the EFIS - Blue Mountain and Grand  Rapids Technology(GRT).  We plan to get the engine monitoring feature on  whichever EFIS we select.  We will use the TruTrak Autopilot if we go with  GRT, or the Blue Mountain's autopilot with their system.  We have  looked at their web sites and have a general understanding how their systems  work, but we really need is feedback from folks who have installed and used  them.  We would appreciate any feedback, positive or negative, on the  install and operation of these systems.

 Do you find them reliable?

 Does the company back their product?

 Quality of customer service?

 Quality and speed of problem resolution to include return  to the vendor for repair and/or upgrade?

 Does the company meet projected dates for service,  upgrades and revisions?

 Are their prices stable?

  

 I know, sooo many questions.  Any help would be  greatly appreciated.  Obviously, we would love to hear real world  experiences that you may have had with these new gadgets.

  

 Thanks, Jim Barrilleaux

 jbario(at)sbcglobal.net (jbario(at)sbcglobal.net)

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luckymacy(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:38 am Post subject: EFIS

I have only had GRT in my plane so I can only speak from personal authority on that system for experimentals but I judge them against the avionics I test for a "major aerospace company" in my day job.  GRT is an impressive group.

  

 Reliable?  Very much so.  The hardware and software itself  is and just as importantly so is the company support, assistance and committment to growth (all SW upgrades including navigation & terrain databases have been FREE!)

  

 Yep, as good or better than anyone I've heard of.

  

 As good as it gets over the phone.  Like you are usually talking to a top designer or the owner every time if Sandy can't answer it for you and a lot of the times she can.  A day or two response via email is probably more average so I go to the yahoo group for items I know most users already probably know. You get quick feedback there with pictures or drawings if it helps.

  

 Check out the money back gurarantees.  In fact, just read over their website and then trust me when I say with me it's been proven true if something sounds too good.  There's an active GRT EFIS/EIS yahoo users group with hundreds of users there that share similar experiences to mine.

  

 They fell behind in delivering the sport version but then probably because of competition coming out with VFR only oriented products or competing announcements the functionality of the Sport product really increased to the point where it would have had to "slip" delivery date since it's a lot more product than originally envisioned from what I can tell.  I have the full up EFIS and not the sport.

  

 I don't think their prices have changed much in the two to 3 year time frame since I started to pay attention to them.  But it's a little apples to oranges between back then and now since what they did was make it even more possible to buy the system kind of a la carte and they just have more to buy if you want the whole enchalada (traffic, weather, internal GPS, etc).

  

 It's a growing product line but you'll be pleasantly surprised at how they come through time and again with additional free software and optional add on hardware at extremely reliable prices.  

  

 In short, because they don't spend much on magazine ads, most folks don't take them seriously if at all but once you actually see the system, realize what you are getting and the relatively cheap prices plus talk to users you realize they've really got a great line up going.  They haven't let up one iota since I took notice of them starting over 2 years ago.  Oh the other item is that their display resolution isn't as good as the higher prices garmins but then you realize that when you are actually using it in a bubble canopy like an RV8 it's super easy to read because the display actually gets sharper and crisper with direct sunlight and not freakin' glary and reflective like my Garmin's display....It's actually got a higher readability factor in the real world than my garmin even if the terrain or map isn't drawn as nicely.

  

 lucky

  	  Quote: 	
		  -------------- Original message -------------- 

From: <jbario(at)sbcglobal.net> 

    Howdy fellow RV dudes and dudettes.  My partner Gary and I are working on the fuselage of a RV-8A QB on an airpark called Alta Sierra located about 40nm north of Sacramento, CA.  We are trying to come up with a panel design as we hope to buy an EFIS and the non Van's supplied instruments at Oshkosh next month.  We have most of the panel sorted out, but are still considering two options for the EFIS - Blue Mountain and Grand Rapids Technology(GRT).  We plan to get the engine monitoring feature on whichever EFIS we select.  We will use the TruTrak Autopilot if we go with GRT, or the Blue Mountain's autopilot with their system.  We have looked at their web sites and have a general understanding how their systems work, but we really need is feedback from folks who have installed and used them.  We would appreciate any feedback, positive or negative, on the install and operation of these systems.

 Do you find them reliable?

 Does the company back their product?

 Quality of customer service?

 Quality and speed of problem resolution to include return to the vendor for repair and/or upgrade?

 Does the company meet projected dates for service, upgrades and revisions?

 Are their prices stable?

  

 I know, sooo many questions.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Obviously, we would love to hear real world experiences that you may have had with these new gadgets.

  

 Thanks, Jim Barrilleaux

 jbario(at)sbcglobal.net (jbario(at)sbcglobal.net)

- The Matronics RV-List Email Forum -

Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:

http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?RV-List

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