6 March 2018
Garmin has announced the GDL 50, a portable device capable of receiving Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) traffic and weather, GPS and aircraft attitude information for display on select portables and mobile devices. A remote-mount version of the GDL 50, the GDL 50R, is also available.
Joe Fournier writes: Garmin’s latest portable device the GDL 50, should be of interest to UK pilots. As a successor to the GDL 39 3D, the GDL 50 provides GPS position, AHRS attitude, ADS-B traffic and where available FIS-B broadcast weather to connected devices.
The $849 GDL 50 has an internal Li-ION battery, designed to last 8 hours and can be powered and charged by either the same proprietary connector used on the GDL 39 or by a standard micro-USB connector.
The FIS-B weather datalink broadcast that is available in America is presently also available on a test basis in limited areas in the South of England. Unlike the GDL-39, which has some third party compatibility, at present, the GDL 50 is only compatible with the Garmin Pilot app and the newer Garmin portable GPS devices.
