FREE TRANSPONDER OFFER
Printed From: Avidyne
Category: Avidyne General
Forum Name: IFD 5 Series & IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM
Forum Description: Topics on Avidyne's IFD 5 Series and IFD 4 Series Touch Screen GPS/NAV/COM
URL: http://forums.avidyne.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=412
Printed Date: 26 Apr 2024 at 5:13am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.01 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: FREE TRANSPONDER OFFER
Posted By: pburger
Subject: FREE TRANSPONDER OFFER
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2014 at 7:50pm
|
Okay, I'll just say that I'm a bit disappointed.
I think I'm in for a $10.5K for the IFD-540 with the tray. I put my money down in 2012 for a 440 and then topped it up for a 540 in 2013. With a list price of $17K for the 540, I figured the street price would be around $15K, giving me about a 5K discount for prepaying. My fear was that the street price would actually be down around $12.5K, at which point the $2K saved would probably not be worth sitting on the sidelines all this time. Well, after certification I was pleasantly surprised to see that the street price (for now) is about $15.6K (based on the national advertisers). Even when I found out that they were shipping new units prior to fulfilling all of the preorders, I was still okay because I had that $5K bonus going for me. Now, with an offer of a free $4K transponder for someone who just walks up to the counter, my discount or bonus or whatever you want to call it for paying early is diminished considerably. So, if I want to buy the IFD-540 and an AXP-340 right now, I can shell out $15.6K and get on the list with my installer next week. Or, I can wait until mid-November to get my unit, pay an additional $4200 for the AMX-340, and have a total cost of $14.7K. (I'm leaving installation out of this analysis because it will be the same in either case) Whatever the case, the hook is set, and I'm resigned to waiting it out. I'm only going to buy the IFD-540. If I buy the 340, I will just feel foolish for waiting 2-1/2 years to save a grand. I was willing to buy the full Avidyne suite (240, 340, and 540) if there was any kind of bundled pricing offered, but that question was asked and answered at Oshkosh. Oh well. It is what it is, and it ain't what it ain't... I'll be all smiles again when I get the e-mail/phone call that my unit is ready to go.
|
Replies:
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 15 Sep 2014 at 10:45pm
|
Avidyne's sales/marketing is, to put it politely, weird. The AXP340 transponder originally had a list price of about $6K. This was much higher than any of the competition, even the Garmin. Eventually they dropped it to $4K. The transponder offer shows the price at $4250 - maybe that includes a tray. One of the big selling points of the IFD 540 GPS is that it can replace a GNS 530W without wiring changes. And one of the big selling points of the AXP340 transponder is that it can replace a KT 76A without wiring changes. However if both are installed the wiring must be changed to connect the GPS to the transponder. This makes for a strange bundle. The promotion involves trading in your old transponder. So it isn't really a $4240 value. I can't imagine what Avidyne will do with a bunch of random untested transponders. If I were taking that deal I'd probably go on eBay and buy an old Cessna ARC or Narco transponder to trade in rather than giving them my KT 76C which has more resale value. I'm an engineer, not a salesman. But I can't imagine our sales staff willingly passing up an opportunity to upsell a bundle. And in this business word of mouth is important. The best advertisement for an IFD is a plane on the field that has one. And a full Avidyne stack with the audio panel, transponder, and maybe TAWS is a better advertisement than an IFD sitting below a Garmin panel and above a King transponder. I'm amazed I haven't gotten a phone call telling me that my IFD will ship in a few months, offering help picking an avionics shop, and offering to sell me additional Avidyne stuff at a modest discount. Reducing the price by roughly 20% two months after start of shipping might cause people to think the IFD is not making the target sales numbers. And finally, competing with the GTN 750 with tchotchkes like Bluetooth and an inflated price difference (which drops a lot of you don't have TAWS in one but not the other) isn't a winning strategy. You should be touting your core strengths, such as the hybrid interface, better touch, and FMS. You should do this consistently - every time. The message should always be "Our GPS is better". OK, enough ragging on Avidyne. Please let me know when my IFD is going to ship. |
Posted By: brou0040
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 12:38am
| So is the free transponer deal available to pre-purchasers? |
Posted By: Keezdisease
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 6:01am
| No it's only to new purchasers. I called today and they said the box will ship in a week to 10 days if you order now. Really frustrating as I am in month three and they still can't tell me when I'm going to get my units that I paid for almost three years ago. I think it is a bum wrap and my confidence in Avidyne is quickly diminishing to nothing. When I called they said that all month one orders have been filled but all the people I know of still haven't heard from them on ship dates. Furthermore when I spoke to sales today they still can't give a date for my units to ship. This is all so frustrating because lip service solves nothing but helping to lose satisfied customers. |
Posted By: MysticCobra
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 8:13am
|
There are plenty of us on the pre-buy list who are anxious to get our units. Are you saying that you know people with month one dates who haven't been contacted by Avidyne for shipping arrangements? At least some month one folks have gotten their units, because they've posted here about them. As for dates, Steve posted dates two weeks ago for how the production months lay out: http://www.avidynelive.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=238&PID=3467&title=ifd540-certification-status#3467" rel="nofollow - http://www.avidynelive.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=238&PID=3467&title=ifd540-certification-status#3467 Are you saying that's not good enough and you want them to identify on which specific date unit x will ship out the door 4-8 weeks from now?
|
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 8:40am
|
Month 1 has NOT been completed, despite what anyone may have been told. I can't find any sales guys who admit to sending this message but we know there are still Month 1 folks who have not been contacted or have had their units shipped yet. That crew is trying to work their way through the list. That being said, it is not reasonable for Month 3 folks to expect a specific ship date at this point. The Sales/Ops folks are trying to knock out the rest of Month 1 and early Month 2 people right now. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: bellanca1730a
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 9:04am
|
Most of the criticism on these boards has struck me as at least a little premature. I have consistently felt that the critics should sit back and give Avidyne a chance POST-certification to make good on their promises and build up their brand equity as a company that takes care of its customer base. Smart business would have been to deliver units to early adopters first. That would have sent a huge message about customer loyalty that even new customers would appreciate. Instead, this new offer effectively says there is no particular value in having been an early adopter, as without the incentive of time (getting our units before the general public) the only remaining incentive is money (getting better discounts than the general public). I'm getting a very different message about customer loyalty. I'd say it's novice on the part of your sales and marketing folks, but the fact that management didn't kill the idea suggests that either your management team is short-sighted or the company is in financial trouble. This is just bad. ------------- Sean Andrews Bellanca Super Viking |
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 9:17am
|
I'm part of the management team - not sure I follow the leap to being in financial trouble. I'm not that bright and I could be short sighted and not even know about but.... Our plan from the very first day the pre-buy plan was conceived was that 1/2 of all monthly shipments would go out to pre-buy folks who got the substantial price break and 1/2 of all monthly shipments go out to new buyers at the much higher price. If you think of the costs of building these units, that makes perfect and complete sense. We also knew that production ramp up would take a while and that's why we used the "full-rate production" term. It could be argued that we haven't hit full-rate yet but we are keenly aware that early folks have been waiting a long time and are highly anxious to get their IFDs so we tried to declare the month definitions as noted above. We do not share the opinion that somehow this screws over the pre-buy folks. Month 3 folks are still getting their units in month 3 of production. Month 5 folks in month 5, etc, etc, etc. The above paragraph sounds defensive and it is. It's also the truth and reality and addresses the #1 critique of the online participants. Would we like every single pre-buy person to have their unit tomorrow? You bet! Can we do that? No chance - we need to stick with the monthly deliveries per the agreements to keep operations smooth and predictable from a company perspective. That will make everything work out better in the longer term too. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 9:59am
|
Avidyne is delivering on the letter of what they agreed to do; so far, not a lot more, and not with a lot of perceived "love" for the prepurchase group, but this is after all a business relationship. The free TXP offer , coming out just after I paid for one, is very disappointing. It seems like a second advantage program, without the 3 year delay part. I have my units. They should install this week. Time for me to move on... ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: Keezdisease
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 10:40am
|
Jake I certainly didn't make up the information about your sales guy making the statement that all month 1 people's order had been filled. My point is and was this. After several calls and emails to sales with them stating that someone would get back to me on the delivery month, not specific day, but the month, no one has made that call or email. It is rather frustrating when someone is holding 30,000.00 of your money and state that three months after cert you will get your unit when here we are two months after cert and one month isn't filled yet the street buyer is a week out. Frustrating yes. I would compare at as being an early buyer for a new car and them holding your money then only filling half of the prebuy orders. Then selling to the public on a first come basis the other half. My view on this is several people partnered with avidyne on this project and now that you have gotten certification all we want to know is a concise timeframe because obviously month three doesn't mean to is what avidyne thinks it is. Very very frustrating as was the refund process that took four months. I'm not being a trouble maker but I will not be made out to being unreasonable as I didn't write your sales agreement I only read it and signed it. Month three means 90 days after cert not 90 days up to half of production. |
Posted By: bellanca1730a
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 10:49am
|
Short-sighted = you are so focused on incentivizing new customers that you fail to appreciate the customer-service impact to your existing customers. And btw, I haven't been critical of the half-and-half production allocation until this latest offer which further erodes, if not eliminates, the early adoption incentive. It may be within the legal bounds of our agreements, but it certainly is outside the spirit of them - and I'm telling you this latest move does not engender goodwill among your early adopter base. Financial trouble = if you were aware of the above and did it anyway, what other explanation would you offer? Feedback is a gift. The easier thing for a dissatisfied customer to do is remain silent and take his business elsewhere. So you can assume a defensive posture if you like, but the company has created a customer-service dilemma. The wise move at this point would be to listen and address with more than rhetoric these legitimate customer concerns among customers who have already demonstrated loyalty to the company. ------------- Sean Andrews Bellanca Super Viking |
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 11:41am
|
"Feedback is a gift." Agreed. That is exactly why this forum exists (and for product Q&A). I run Product Development here and I try to answer every single question and any other post the is looking for a response. I'm told over and over this is not a great idea (except by the competition who love coming here to learn what they can and act accordingly) but I'm not going to stop because I think it is a great idea, despite my, and its, communication challenges. There is a lot of dirty laundry that gets aired here and while it's surely not pleasant, it's a hugely worthwhile effort. I'm sure the belief that Avidyne is in financial trouble will never go away. We've been accused of that uncountable times over the past 20 years so that one, I'm just going to start ignoring - that's not feedback, just an unfounded assertion. I'm embarrassed if my posts have made someone feel like they're being called out as unreasonable or troublemakers or whatever - that must be my lack of communication skill. Don't know what else to say about that one. The Sales/Ops crew here are working to improve our customer service as fast and as hard as they can. We are listening and any proof of that will be in Acta non Verba. Let's see what we can do. Keep the feedback coming, please. It makes a difference even if you don't think it's getting through. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: jblodgett
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 12:39pm
|
Steve, After three years of waiting for my IFD-540 this is an almost unbelievable slap in the face to the early adopters who funded the development. I believe with this move Avidyne will have destroyed whatever remaining goodwill there was between the company and the early adopters. No amount of defensive posturing will change that situation. |
Posted By: Keezdisease
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 12:42pm
|
Only feedback I have is this. Can the company tht is holding thirty thousand dollars of my money give me a definitive month related to what month three means in normal terms so I can plan accordingly. Certification took place in early August. Why can't Avidyne tell me (us) the month in which I am to receive my units. I would think based on contract that October would be that month. |
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 12:58pm
I thought we did back on 2 September with this post in the IFD540 Certification Status thread:
------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
AviJake wrote:Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 3:32pm
|
Steve: I suspect (no, actually I am sure) that your transparency has been what kept most of us in the Avidyne fold over the last 3 years, and you communicate well. Myself included (I confess) I believe that expectations around this prepurchase program were set at too high a level. Some of that Avidyne did. Some of that, we did to ourselves. It was and is, in fact, a discount. I did the math to see what kind of discount it turns out to be: I used the DJI as a comparison for the time value of money. Having done so, allowing for 21% appreciation over the last 3 years I've had a deposit with you, and assuming you are selling the IFD540s at 12.5K now, and the AXP340 at $3.3K, I saved 15%. Had the IFDs come to market in a year, that savings would have been 22%. So, the two years longer delay cost me 7%. Those numbers are somewhat better if your current price is > 12.5K. Not the huge savings I had wanted, but a savings nonetheless. The meaningful question in this regard would be "Was a 15% cost savings worth three years?" No way to quantify that. One last thought - I think in part the Avidyne going broke theme may arises in part from all the "if we go bankrupt before delivery...." content in the prepurchase agreement. I'd still buy a DFC90 if you would get me servos.....<G> ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: SB Jim
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 5:09pm
|
Avidyne could salvage a some customer goodwill from the early adopters (I'm one; month 2 is my scheduled month to receive a 540) by offering us some type of deal on a transponder, audio panel, etc. I'm listening. Make me an offer I can't refuse. I've already bet on Avidyne once. Jim |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 6:23pm
|
Upthread, that was an interesting depreciation suggestion, of following the DOW, but not very realistic. No one knows where the DOW could/would go. I think that taking the "cost of money" as 5% would be more fair. But, for the restless natives, here is a suggestion. How about 50% off a transponder, or 30% off an audio panel, if purchased to ship with the prebuy 540 units. Offer valid until 30 Oct, must be paid by then. Just a thought! ;-) * Orest |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 6:58pm
|
The Dow was the most readily available index I could lay hands on - my investments are beating that, so the Dow IS fair, but using a 5% compounded over three years also works; it's all time value of money, just what index you use for comparator. ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: glassanza
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 7:14pm
|
It is very sad to see some of the true long haulers (ddgates, paul, brou0040) second guessing their decision to make the pre-buy investment when the mission is all but complete. I think this thread shows the true character of David Gates, a person I know only from this forum, and I commend David for biting his lip because I get the feeling he has more to say with regard to the 340 promotion. You know things are in the toilet when Orest has to come cheerlead for support for Avidyne, maybe someone should take note of that ...I have to agree with ddgates initial statement, it's a business thing as it should be. Pre-buyers typically will not buy another 540 down the road so new business has to be the focus for Avidyne moving forward. With regard to Steve's comments, first you seemed to get a little pissed about the rocks being thrown at management and included yourself as a part of that team then indicated that you were just heading up product development. To your credit (and it's a big credit) I believe you have made an effort to answer all questions raised on this forum and that is appreciated. So here we are, possible lack of disclosure about not filling all the pre-buys before selling retail and retail packages which appear to diminish the value of the early investment. More rocks hurled at Avidyne's financial fortitude which as we all know is unfounded, companies don't go out of business...they reorganize thanks to bankruptcy protection and come out the other side debt free as an LLC or some other corporate derivative...God Bless America, we need it now more than ever. ------------- GDC25 |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 7:32pm
|
Glassanza: No sir, it is you who demonstrates character, but your comments are appreciated. At the end of this journey, I conclude that all of us bought into this thinking we would get a "deal" - and to some degree we have, or will, when units are delivered to us all. I sense some grumblings because the deal doesn't turn out to be quite as good as we had expected; in truth, not many are. There has been way too much dual messaging, leading to rancor and distrust. Avidyne should learn from this. This would make a good HBR case for pre-production marketing, and post production management. I would not have done the free transponder promo this close to STC with many sensitive nerves exposed. but that's just me. I hope everybody gets what they want out of this; I hope the product is good, and I also hope that Avidyne handles the post delivery phase of software upgrades with some deference to the history of this release. To paraphrase Maverick (about AviJake), he could be my wingman any time; I've seen no disingenuous intent from him at all, and he deserves a comment about his character as well. ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: tony
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 9:08pm
| Steve, I do believe that if it had not been for you and this board, I would have bailed more than a year ago. You kept this thing going and your transparency has been outstanding. There are some aspects of the company (sales) that are less than stellar. I vote they promote you from vice president of product development to president of the company so you can fix this mess. I have no doubt you'd fix it. |
Posted By: MysticCobra
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 9:58pm
|
For what it's worth, Avidyne has been holding my money for two years. When I put my money down, I knew I taking a huge risk. The compensation for that was a significant discount on the unit, and a refund clause in the contract. To date, the only thing Avidyne has done that is different from my initial discussion with the sales rep is slip the delivery date. I knew when I bought that that was a risk. It didn't then, and doesn't now, bother me. I appreciate Avidyne's strong attempts to communicate with their customers (and their competitors and anyone else who happens to read this public forum) throughout the process so that those of us with skin in the game had a fair idea of what was going on. I'm happy to see that the production line is running. I look forward to getting my unit in a couple of months. Not everyone on the wait list is disgruntled or has lost their goodwill toward Avidyne. In my mind, the true test will be in the next few years. Will the box be robust and reliable? Will the data subscriptions remain affordable? Will new features and capabilities be added to the unit in a timely fashion and for reasonable fees? Those things, for me, will carry far more weight in determining my long-term satisfaction with Avidyne.
|
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 10:48pm
|
Often, good things come to those who are patient. And hats off to Steve, for staying calm, forthcoming and a true gentleman.
* Orest P.S. ..  I WANT MY IFD540! |
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 10:58pm
|
Steve, I have never suggested that Avidyne was in financial trouble or bankrupt here or in any other forum. I only meant to say what I thought was obvious - if these things were selling like, say, the iPhone 6 Avidyne wouldn't be discounting them so soon after introduction. I'm probably still a bit bummed that the salesman who contacted me last November never got back to me with answers to my questions. If he did he probably would have sold me an Avidyne audio panel at the discount price. I suppose I should have tried to contact him again but frankly it is not the job of the customer to chase the salesman. I've gotten the answers since from this forum and from reading the pilot's guides and installation manuals. As to whether this forum is a good idea, without it we probably would have bailed when the initial ship date wasn't met. If your competition is reading this they're probably thinking "I wish my company had the cojones to run an open forum". It would be really nice if Avidyne's sales and marketing managers would participate - we'll try to be polite, really. Glassanza, I'm not planning to bail. From what I've seen the IFD 540 is the best General Aviation GPS ever. I originally picked it because it was the largest display that would fit in our panel but as the documentation became available we could see how well designed and powerful it is. But they missed their month one date. This is the first major avionics upgrade for our plane since we purchased it. I need to pick a shop to do the work. I used to build military prototype equipment - I'm fussy about wiring. Before I start talking to avionics installers I want to feel confident that I know when they can do the installation. And I don't have that feeling yet. David, As far as Steve being a wingman, I'm told he used to fly a Warthog. Compared to that, dealing with us is probably a walk in the park. |
Posted By: brou0040
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 11:14pm
|
I think the problem is that since my pre-purchase agreement, there has been very little except disappointment - none of them really huge, but they have compounded. Delivery schedule is obvious, but that was supposed to be offset by unannounced features that we were "sold." Wifi may be one, but that's all I can think of at the moment, and it's not yet functional. We've been told that an update letter from the COO was promised, that full rate would be as soon as certification, that efficiencies were found in the production line and everybody moved up, etc - none of which have become reality. Now we have to wait for full price month allocations to sell out before moving on to the next month's pre-purchase units - or it seems, and the value of our pre-purchase has diminished. Now I'm more or less expecting something else will come up that doesn't live up to expectations. I'm also not a fan when I get a defensive response saying my words are not exactly what Avidyne has said in the past. If we're going to stick with exactly what was said and not the way things have been going, then I'd have been flying around with my unit for quite some time. At this point I think Avidyne needs to start proving negative comments wrong by doing good on what they say and work on rebuilding customer confidence rather than playing defense. |
Posted By: roltman
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 11:24pm
|
I too have to agree with ddgates (granted my month 1 unit was delivered at 9:42am today). As for the comment about slapping (my words) pre-purchaser by announcing this this discount, I provided Avidyne with data on my panel and they know full well I still have one Garmin 430W and a 330 XPNDR in my plane. I put my toe in the water over 3yrs ago with the full intention of evaluating this unit before I dove in head first with a complete panel. I don't know how many others did what I did, but I am intrigued as a pre-purchaser by the offer, and it may influence how quickly I make up my mind. As a result this latest offer has my interests and who knows what'll happen after my 700nm trip home this Friday from my avionics shop. Thank you Steve for your support, and I have confidence you'll lead this project into the future. |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2014 at 11:44pm
Let's hear ALL about it, soon! * Orest |
Posted By: etekberg
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2014 at 8:21am
Month 1 has come and gone, and still no delivery. Yet I understand from your own words that you are still shipping units for sales? Why does Avidyne treat me like such crap?
|
Posted By: Gary T
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2014 at 11:31am
|
I suspect that Avidyne is having difficulty finding buyers for the full price 540 ( first months production ) and sales of the transponder may be slow as well. We have received a substantial discount on the early offer. I think Avidyne may well need to provide an incentive for the full price 540 by offering the transponder for free rather than discounting the price of the 540. ------------- Gary-T |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2014 at 12:10pm
|
I would suggest it would be a good gesture for Avidyne to make some sort of discount offer on the TXP to early adopters of the 540 (perhaps a bundle with the comm panel) if they have not already quietly done so. ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: wingmate88
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2014 at 12:56pm
+1 ------------- Max |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2014 at 8:06pm
|
Well asking is always Ok! * Orest |
Posted By: Cascade
Date Posted: 17 Sep 2014 at 9:01pm
|
What was the Biblical parable about the laborers who arrived late in the day being paid the same as those who showed up early? Early and late workers were given exactly what they were promised and both willingly accepted the deals they were offered; but the early guys working in the sun all day couldn't stand it, felt insulted, and grumbled when the latecomers were treated with generosity. It's awkward to shake hands on a deal, and then gripe later when somebody else shakes hands on a different deal. ------------- Cascade |
Posted By: Gring
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2014 at 9:10am
| It was the "Parable of the workers in the Vineyard" and illustrates the point well. |
Posted By: bellanca1730a
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2014 at 9:35am
|
Perhaps ... if Avidyne is God's Messiah and their units give eternal life ... no? ... then maybe this is business, and good business is a finessed balance of legal agreements and customer service. I agree with the sentiment expressed earlier in this thread, that I bet on Avidyne once and I am willing to bet on them again. I offered some feedback, Steve clearly articulated that Avidyne is listening and I now am eager for their considered response. ------------- Sean Andrews Bellanca Super Viking |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2014 at 10:34am
|
Guys, after all, it is an avionics purchase, not a morality play. ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: TurboPA30
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2014 at 4:12pm
|
Steve, having been one of the people that waited more than 3 years for my 4 units, I would like to suggest the following: 1) The warranty period for us should be extended by the time we waited longer than the initial promise (i.e. a good 2 years) 2) There should be some special offer for us to buy additional Avidyne kit, like TWX670, AXP340, MLX770 etc. The ones that held out for so long are invaluable ambassadors for the brand, and should be appropriately rewarded. Thanks for your consideration Robert
|
Posted By: Jrlumpp
Date Posted: 18 Sep 2014 at 8:51pm
| Great point made robert |
Posted By: SB Jim
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2014 at 9:31am
| Many of us have been acting as valuable ambassadors for Avidyne, defending our decision to pre-buy an IFD 540 against the legion of Garmin followers who seemingly have bashed our decision on a weekly basis for the past 3 years. |
Posted By: pburger
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2014 at 11:44am
This is very true. I have been taking abuse for quite some time from my Garmin fanboy friends. I explain all the cool features that the IFD-540 has, and they say, "well where is it?". Garmin v. Avidyne (and all others) reminds me of Apple v. Android. Android phones are cutting edge -- better screens, better cameras, more features, but there are still people that want an iPhone because it is an iPhone ("...but it's an iPhone!"). It really is an uphill battle. I think one of the best (if not THE best) tools at Avidyne's disposal is word of mouth. Seeing is believing. I went to an FAA safety seminar last month about ADS-B. The presenter was a Garmin rep. He did a decent job of explaining what ADS-B is, the requirements, the mandate, etc. However, all of the solutions were Garmin. I'm paraphrasing, but the general message was: "You need a 330ES for the ADS-B OUT. You'll need a panel-mount box, either a 430W or 530W, or a 650 or 750 for the position source. You then need a GDL-88 for the IN." I finally couldn't take it and raised my hand. I brought up the point that there are other manufacturers out there. I mentioned FreeFlight, and I also mentioned AVIDYNE. I mentioned that Avidyne has a 1090ES transponder, and that Avidyne's panel-mount unit (the 540) can serve as a position source and thus meet the mandate. The Garmin guy probably wasn't too happy, but this was supposed to be an FAA-sponsored safety seminar, not a Garmin sales presentation. My point is that we are the early adopters, we are on the front lines. We are Avidyne's best sales tool. We have plopped down our cash and we really, really want the Avidyne unit to be the best thing since sliced bread. We want to sing the praises of Avidyne. We want our decision to stick it out to be validated. I hesitated to mention this earlier, because I thought it was a little too whiny or bitchy, but at Oshkosh this year, I almost felt like I was dismissed when I mentioned I had put my money down two years ago. I don't need a pat on the back or to be coddled, or whatever, but I just felt like I got the cold shoulder from the rep after that. I asked about the possibility of some kind of show discount for buying a transponder and audio panel and was told no, and that was that. I was ready to write a check if there was even a little bit of a discount. Now, I've sworn off paying extra for the Avidyne logo on those other boxes. My brand loyalty could have been cemented at that point, but it was eroded a little bit. When I heard that half of all units produced would go to walk-up buyers, it was eroded a bit more. And the transponder offer to walk-up buyers has eroded it even more. As I said earlier, once I get my box, I'll be all smiles again. It's just a freakin' airplane radio, after all. |
Posted By: tony
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2014 at 4:20pm
| pburger, very well said |
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 19 Sep 2014 at 11:02pm
|
pburger, I suggest you buy the audio panel that best suits your aircraft and your mission. There are some real differences between the various panels available. I've read the pilot's guides for the ones I think are contenders and parts of the installation manuals to clarify some details. If I can get my notes into a coherent form I'll post them in the AMX 240 section of the forum. |
Posted By: MikeK
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 1:06am
|
Hi Steve, Above, you wrote that Month 1 isn't completed yet, and that it was "not reasonable" to expect specific dates for Month 3 shipments. But in response to Keezdisease's question about Month 3 you referenced an old post:
If Month 1 isn't done yet, even though it's after 15 September, what are the implications on the later months? Are you expecting to catch up to the dates you posted above?
|
Posted By: MysticCobra
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 1:25am
On 16 Sept, Steve posted:
He didn't explain why Month 1 wasn't complete. Might be because units weren't available to ship; might be because folks were hard to track down or hadn't selected an avionics shop to do the work. Dunno. But if they were starting into Month 2 shipments as of Sept 16, then that's consistent with the schedule he posted.
|
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 8:08am
|
Yes, when I posted those dates, I also noted that it would likely take us a few weeks of Month 2 to catch up with Month 1 folks and that's still the expectation. We do expect to catch up with those posted dates. I'm not saying this is the case for all of the Month 1 folks by any means but yes, there are lot of people who are still trying to figure out when and where they want the install done. We also had that slow ramp up in the factory for the first few weeks as we were trying to increase the efficiency of the factory build up/check out processes which meant there were very few units available. That seems to be sorting itself out nicely now. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: Keezdisease
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 10:22am
| The latest kick in the teeth for me is this. I bought my boxes with racks and connectors. I have a pending sale on my airplane and of course I can't even get one of my boxes. I asked my installer to call avidyne and spoke with them myself as well to at least get one unit or a rack kit. We were told No. We asked if we could but a new avidyne and get one of my rack kits as Garmin has told there dealers if they install a 540 in a garmin rack they will strip them of their dealership. Avidyne told us no on the rack. We asked if I could then get a box and rack at retail and they said we will have it in a week. Talk about a squeeze play. I have no choice but to buy the retail box. Congrats avidyne you sold me three prebuys and one retail box just so I can sell my airplane. I'm glad they are working with us.....not. |
Posted By: brou0040
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 11:20am
|
Can you explain how not accepting your unit in your given month affects the delivery schedule and the reliability of getting the unit when you plan to receive it? For example, I assume several people may not want to receive their unit at the moment Avidyne is able to supply it since we have no way to plan for it and may choose to delay the unit until it is more convenient for them to put their airplane down in the shop. If I I get contacted for my month 2 delivery, I'm most likely going to say hold on to it until later, I'll let you know when it's in the shop. Once I'm past my anticipated delivery, I'd expect that my unit would be immediately available for shipment at a later date and not have to wait for some other delivery schedule. Can you shed some light on how this would play out?
|
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 11:38am
|
Right, all I was trying to do was to both respond to MysticCobra's question/speculation and to note that just takes time for our reps on the phones to reach that Month 1 person and then often several calls and days of determination that they'd like to delay their unit ship dates. All perfectly fine, just part of the slow-speed process. I'm not trying to overstate the significance of that example, just point out it's real and one of many reasons why the deliveries are not lightning fast. We're building (or trying to build) the units in much closer to a "just in time" method as opposed to the more expensive "build up a ton of inventory and store them on the shelves" method. Therefore, it's entirely possible, especially in these first few months, that a Month 2 customer's unit won't be sitting on the shelf and immediately available if they deferred shipment and then say in Month 3, decide now is the time. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: SB Jim
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 11:40am
|
Jake, Regarding installation, it's a catch 22. I contacted 3 or 4 shops earlier this year regarding installation estimates and none replied. Presumably that is because the 540 wasn't certified. I'm slated for month 2 but don't know when that will really occur. It's hard to shop for an installer when I really have no idea when I'll get the box. I'll recontact some shops this week and see where that leads, but I'm guessing they'd rather spend their time on business that is more certain. The sooner I can get a real ship date out of you guys the sooner I can get a shop to commit. Regards, Jim |
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 11:44am
|
Yup, sounds like an unpleasant Catch-22. There are enough installs conducted now that a host of dealers have first-hand experience. Avidyne Sales/Service guys can contact you directly and maybe the two of you can jointly work out a shop to your joint satisfaction, at least for a quote you can hang your hat on. Any interest? ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: SB Jim
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 11:55am
|
Yes. I'm in Southern California so if Avidyne has a shop or two they like out there please let me know. Even better if they've done some 'clean' 540 installs as I don't have a 530. Regards, Jim |
Posted By: brou0040
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 6:27pm
I wasn't trying to read too much out of the delay contacting people. I'm trying to understand the process for not accepting a unit in the contract month. If you are doing the just in time method, then can I assume that if I'm month 2 and don't take delivery of my unit, but in month 5 I say I'd like mine now, would I be the next order to the factory? I wouldn't want to go to the end of the line, wait for full-purchase sales for that month, or anything else that may affect deliveries. I'd like to think that my waiting is over and that I'd be at the front of the line when I give the notice. At some point, production should stabilize and you should be able to give a time frame from order to delivery. Is this how it is going to work? If not, what is the plan?
|
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 21 Sep 2014 at 6:34pm
|
Yah, I think so. By Month 5, we should be very stabilized. I think the best advice for you or anyone else in a similar situation is to make sure Avi sales contacts you or vice versa a month or so in advance of your desired install and make sure you get a commitment of the plan. These are good guys on the Avidyne side of the phone trying as hard as they can to satisfy the person on the other end. Sometimes that doesn't go well but usually it does. Toward those ends, if I were you, I'd be all over the phone/email space 30ish days out to nail a plan. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: MikeK
Date Posted: 22 Sep 2014 at 12:32am
|
Hi Steve, Thanks for the clarification and answer to my question!
|
Posted By: paulr
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2014 at 3:09pm
| Yes, please do, Paul-- surely I'm not the only one who would find this kind of comparative research valuable. |
Posted By: 1964-m20e
Date Posted: 24 Sep 2014 at 4:11pm
|
Jake and all I was told that I could get
a discount on the APX340 since I was an early adopter of the IFD 540 or 440. I believe the discount was something like $500 and
this is great. My
suggestion to Avidyne is that the discount be at least enough to make the APX
340 about $200 less than the street price for any of the comparable XPNDRS
(King, Garmin etc.) This way you make the early adopters feel good for being an early adopter and they can get a Mode S XPNDR that meets ADSB-out requirments for less than they’d pay for anything else on the street. |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 11:02am
|
(deleted)
|
Posted By: paulr
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 11:11am
| Orest, I asked my dealer to call yesterday too but haven't heard back from him-- but I suspect the answer will be the same as yours. |
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 5:08pm
|
paulr, I posted my audio panel evaluation in the AMX 240 section of the forum. |
Posted By: paulr
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 5:17pm
| Thank you, paul! I will look forward to reading it. |
Posted By: paulr
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 5:20pm
|
My dealer spoke to Avidyne, and between the two of them, I was offered the AXP340 for $2500 as opposed to the dealer's normal price of $3500. That's not nothing, although it's not as good a deal *on the transponder* as new purchasers get. I don't know where that $1000 came from (whether a discount from the shop or Avidyne). Having said that, the landing page at Avidyne's web site doesn't have any terms or conditions, so I understand why some of the other early buyers feel badly done by: the offer says clearly "buy a 540, get a 340," with no limitations or exclusions. Steve, you might want to consider clearly defining the T&Cs on future offers as you roll out the 440, the PFD4000, and whatever other goodies y'all have up your sleeves.
|
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 5:26pm
|
I'm certainly not an expert, but... Recently Avidyne was running a different promo, buy something, get a discount ($1K) on something else. I think that's the 1K you mentioned. BTW you did $500 better than I did months ago on the TXP when I bought it. Good for you. I also bought a TAS605A. Not sure how I did.
------------- David Gates |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 9:19pm
|
(deleted)
|
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 9:51pm
|
$3995 is the retail price according to the information on the Avidyne price list. Of course an avionics shop could charge less and make it up by charging more for something else or by inflating the installation charge. What you need to do is to find someone who is buying a dual IFD 540 setup. He'd be eligible for two transponders and you could make a deal for one... |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 25 Sep 2014 at 10:29pm
|
That is an interesting idea. * Orest |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2014 at 2:43pm
GOOD NEWS. Full marks to Avidyne Sales, they called me regarding my apparent contradiction regarding Transponder discounts to pre-buy 540 folks. My dealer had spoken to the International distributor, through which they have to deal with, who didn't know anything about any of this. The deal is, much as noted upthread, when your pre-buy unit is ready to ship the sales rep that calls will ask if you are interested in any other equipment. If you are, then they will deal directly with your dealer to lower his dealer cost for that one unit (or units). They have promised to dealers that once units are certified, there will be no more company-direct sales, and that is why they are structuring it this way. They also want to tie the discount to a specific shipped unit, to ensure the end user gets the benefit. So, then the dealer will pass that savings on to the customer, and you get your "deal". He couldn't give number specifics right now, but he indicated it would be a discount that you would take notice of. Still have to see the numbers, but all that being case, I'm pretty sure I'll grab a transponder along with my pre-buy 540. This is a quality operation, that really seems to care! *Orest
|
Posted By: glassanza
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2014 at 6:46pm
|
Until I read the "Early feedback on the IFD540" thread and Orest's "buyer beware" post regarding the free add-on Aeroplan program I would have sworn that "Orest" was a pseudonym the marketing department came up with to combat negativity with positive reinforcement for the 540, 340 and 240 product line. Obviously I was wrong and Orest and I are in the same boat, we both have a 540 coming soon and would love to put a 340 with it (ddgates sorry for me asking for an additional discount). So the 240 reviews are really good (I have one coming), the 340 is pretty much just a box I put 4 numbers in so other than ADS-B compatibility today there is not much to brag about other than being FAA compliant in 2020 with a 540. My point being why not discount to folks who want a full Avidyne green and black stack? It would be impressive to see and even more impressive to see in action with potential Avidyne customers sitting in the right seat. Pre-buy folks get a credit based on the discounted price differential on future purchases or something to make them at least feel whole TCAS, PFD, (tee shirt...) etc. and get as much of your equipment as you can in your customer's airplanes. Just a thought... ------------- GDC25 |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2014 at 6:56pm
|
Agree. $500 delta aside, I think a good deal was struck, and I am in install now for my 540s etc. In my case, couldn't pass up the PMA450 my shop is "throwing in". "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make" ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2014 at 7:07pm
No, I'm the REAL deal. There was also my post about the ASPEN/ACU/ACU2 http://forums.avidyne.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=381&title=requires-baro-input-and-aspen" rel="nofollow - Baro Input Req'd thread. I call them as I see them, but happy to give accolades where they are deserved. * Orest |
Posted By: MikeK
Date Posted: 29 Sep 2014 at 6:00pm
That is good news! It does have one complication, though, which is that my airplane is in the shop already, so the avionics folks could be making progress on a 340 while we wait on my 540 window to come along. We could just go ahead and start now, but of course without knowing the real pricing it's a little tough. I will suggest that the avionics guy call Avidyne and try to work something out.
|
Posted By: pburger
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2014 at 1:01am
| Well, I got an email, not a phone call. They did not ask me about other equipment. I told my dealer about the reports of Avidyne giving a $1K discount off of the dealer price, and he said he would shoot them an e-mail. I'm still waiting to hear about that. Pretty simple: If they'll sell me a xpndr for $2500, I'll buy it. If not, I'll buy either a Trig or a King. We'll see how it goes... |
Posted By: glassanza
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2014 at 7:26am
|
+1 ------------- GDC25 |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2014 at 9:08am
The discount will only be offered by Avidyne for units (transponder, audio, etc.) that would be sent along with pre-ship purchased 540 units. To that end, Avidyne sales insists on making that arrangement, only following a discussion with yourself, the purchaser. The Dealer is unlikely to be able to arrange that directly. As I mention upthread, the reason is that Avidyne wants to ensure that your discount gets directly to you. Give Avidyne sales a call now, if you're interested. * Orest |
Posted By: pburger
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2014 at 11:13am
| Thanks Orest. I'll call them. |
Posted By: tony
Date Posted: 30 Sep 2014 at 9:05pm
|
Orest, I got my email today wanting to make arrangements for my IFD540 delivery. I asked about any discounts they were offering. I got the following response. " You can have your Avidyne dealer contact the Sales team regarding the special pricing for the Transponder." kinda feels like I got the cold shoulder and I'm no longer part of the family...... |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2014 at 12:21am
|
"After the love is gone..."??? I think this just references their switch from central to absolute dealer sales. ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: GMSutton
Date Posted: 01 Oct 2014 at 11:57pm
Yes, but you got it backwards! In the case of mobile phones, Apple was the innovator and therefore is Avidyne's counterpart here. The other companies like Samsung have been playing catch up and lagging on innovation, thus playing the role of Garmin! As a Month 5 advance purchaser, it now looks as if I'll be waiting until 2015 for my IFD540. No matter; I imagine it will still be the most advanced and innovative navigator on the market then as now. Mike
|
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 9:23am
Although Apple was the one to bring a full screen phone to the market recently (this was tried in the 90's by others, but failed because of hardware limitations), they have fallen seriously behind in technology. Android devices have leapfrogged ahead in speed, power, screens, sizes etc, and as a result in popularity now outselling iOS 5 to 1. In that sense, I would see Avidyne very much as Android in the analogy, at least in the former aspect, and hopefully soon the latter. Apple relies on a very loyal core following, that won't buy anything else. They can leverage that by keeping their prices and margins high, and the pressure to innovate is less. That may well be Garminesque, but in my view Garmin will have to seriously rejig their strategy in the changing GPS/COM market. But really, I think the analogy does not fit very well. And before this explodes into a A vs G thread, lets devolve back to G vs A, or better still just Avidyne. * Orest |
Posted By: SB Jim
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 9:50am
|
In the panel mount WAAS GPS/Nav/Com Garmin has been operating without competition since they bought UPSAT in May, 2004. Until now as Avidyne has begun rolling out the 540. In terms of installed base, market share, customer loyalty, etc. Garmin remains the market leader by a wide margin. Those of us who took a chance on the IFD 540 hope that changes (of course). |
Posted By: 1964-m20e
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 2:06pm
| Part of my reason to go with the Avidyne. |
Posted By: Old Bob
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 3:24pm
|
Good Afternoon Santa Jim, I ordered the ID-540 in the very last days of the 2011 Oshkosh Air Venture. My credit card shows the sale went through on August 4, 2011. I have never been advised of my position on the list and I have never been contacted by Avidyne. I did finally make a call yesterday and have now been advised that my shop should hear from Avidyne by the third week of October. Don't know what "month" that equates to. Sure would like to get it installed. I am interested in the Transponder. We will see what my dealer has to say! Happy Skies, Old Bob |
Posted By: SB Jim
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 3:40pm
|
Good afternoon Old Bob, I expect you're at the end of the Month One buyer list. Avidyne appears to have had trouble ramping up production. The good news for you is that yours is a slide in replacement so the installation will go quickly. I bought mine when I saw you (and Larry) at ABS Las Vegas so I'm in month two. Other than marketing info. on purchasing an IFD 540 I've not heard from Avidyne in a long time. It seems to me they should be sending out confirmation emails giving us some kind of early warning. Mine is a clean installation; I'd like to copy your installation. But I can't get a shop to start doing quotes (I don't have a shop selected, the one I used previously closed their doors) until I've got something specific. I look forward to hearing about your experience. Regards, Jim |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 4:51pm
|
The pre-buy INCLUDES not only the dealer markup, but also the installation fess, and for US buyers includes the shipping. You shouldn't have to pay for any of that. Pre-buy users also get an extra year's warranty (1yr -> 2yr) included. * Orest |
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 5:19pm
|
I don't think the pre buy included install... ------------- David Gates |
Posted By: Royski
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 5:35pm
I wish!  |
Posted By: pburger
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 10:40pm
Would that it were so... Maybe that's some special deal for Canadians? Or maybe just special deal for Orest because he has the most forum posts? |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 02 Oct 2014 at 10:57pm
Hey, I'm up for that! I must have been thinking of the dealer markup allowance. But, if it is just a clean slide in/slide out install, then it shouldn't be much more than a few hours labor for setup and books. * Orest |
Posted By: MysticCobra
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2014 at 7:23am
| I think some of the very early pre-buys may have also covered installation, but as others have pointed out, most of the pre-buys do not. |
Posted By: KIM
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 1:59pm
|
Steve, isn't it embarrassing for you, not to answer your confident prebuyers. You let them alone with speculations, and everyone gets a different statement. I'm wondering how sympathetic the IFD 540 prebuyers are. They paid a lot of money in advance, and must see now, that the spontaneous customer gets a nearly same or better deal, and even gets the unit before. What kind of company philosophy does this management do? But anyway the prebuyers take care of this curious company, who cheated them over years. I dont know, if this is Avidynes style of bussiness, but I think it is time to clear this confusion. If Avidyne has a powerful and competitive product, you have to say in this forum in the name of the management, what is going on: To blame the prebuyers furthermore as at least 2 years, or to give them a bonus (or not), and don't do a state secret with delivery dates! For me the reputation of Avidyne is arriving a minimum, and i regret this. But it is the consequence of a very poor job of the leadership and sales team in this context. Klaus ------------- Klaus |
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 2:45pm
|
Klaus, There are definitely some things in your post that have me confused and maybe I should give more credit to the language barrier and I suspect I'm ill-equipped to properly address your post but.... Am I embarrassed? No and I'm not even sure what you're trying to say. We've cheated customers over the years? You've got to be kidding me. We're blaming pre-buyers and have been doing so for years? I have no idea what you're talking about. I definitely can't follow the point you're trying to make with "state secret with delivery dates." ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 3:11pm
|
FWIW ... * Orest <-- very sympathetic 540 pre-ship buyer
|
Posted By: ddgates
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 4:39pm
|
The facts are simple: Avidyne had a <very> prerelease discount program. Some of us took advantage, though the advantage may turn out to be less than our wildest dreams, it remains an advantage nonetheless. Many wanted a clear path to a digital autopilot; no joy, disappointing but may happen at some point. Avidyne was not deceptive about how they would deliver units once approved. Again, most aren't getting maximal responsiveness, but Avidyne is performing on what they agreed to do, and from a business perspective, not having units to sell outright at market price at release would have killed Avidyne's rollout. What would you do, sir, if it were your business and your investment, in an environment where for FAA and other reasons they couldn't build up a large inventory prior to approval? Reaction to the transponder bundle could have been blunted by proactive communications to the prerelease group; they are attempting to remedy now. Lessons learned. There has been some cross messaging; not unusual when you have multiple sources. That said, I have seen no deception or questionable business practices. Quite the contrary, communications have been largely transparent, and I suspect the VP Development has spent a great deal of what should have been family time answering customer questions and concerns on Avidyne Live. It is certainly inappropriate to beat on him or question his ethics. My install should be done in about 10 days - and as one who got onboard this barge early I have to say I am happy that I should see electrons flowing <in the right direction> soon. You will see the alphabet equivalent of a happy dance on this board when that happens. After all of this, I look forward to the innovations Avidyne will deliver to my (installed) equipment, and am certainly open to further product purchase from this company should such products emerge.
------------- David Gates |
Posted By: Victor
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2014 at 6:05pm
|
Very well said David. +1 Victor Mooney M20J Sydney, Australia |
Posted By: bellanca1730a
Date Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 9:59am
|
Concur - well said, David. ------------- Sean Andrews Bellanca Super Viking |
Posted By: Paul
Date Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 4:20pm
|
I hadn't realized it before but Garmin recently reduced the price of their GTX 330 ES and offered an additional reduction when bought with the GTN 750. I suppose the free transponder and e-mail with a comparison between the IFD 540 and GTN 750 is Avidyne's response. In that context it makes sense. |
Posted By: AviJake
Date Posted: 06 Oct 2014 at 4:22pm
|
Yup. ------------- Steve Jacobson sjacobson@avidyne.com |
Posted By: Jrlumpp
Date Posted: 04 Nov 2014 at 8:36pm
| Does anyone know for sure that Aspen is charging a $2,000 unlock fee to allow the Avidyne ADS B transponder to display on the Aspen 1000? |
Posted By: oskrypuch
Date Posted: 04 Nov 2014 at 9:39pm
|
That unlock fee is for supplementary data display. It is not just for Avidyne data, but any traffic source, weather, spherics, etc. * Orest |
Posted By: Jrlumpp
Date Posted: 04 Nov 2014 at 11:42pm
| My point being is that any discount by Avidyne on their transponder is cancelled out by the $2,000 unlock charge from Aspen to allow it to display on a pro 1000. The Aspen rep told me that their ads b unit has no unlock charge and puts traffic in 3D on their pro 1000 with synthetic vision. For those doing a Avidyne/Aspen install with ads b , the choice seems to be Aspen for the transponder. |