Garmin Announces Low Priced Comm Radio/Navigator

Garmin GNC 355

Garmin on Sunday announced its GNC 355 GPS navigator and comm radio. The unit, which the company expects to begin shipping to its dealers in August, builds impressively upon the capabilities of the previously announced GPS 175 (WAAS navigator) and the GNX 375 (WAAS navigator with built-in ADS-B).

The GNC 355 is, like its mates, a touch-display WAAS navigator. Unlike the GNX 375, it's not an ADS-B solution, though it can display TIS-B traffic and FIS-B weather when paired with a compatible ADS-B unit. What it adds is a 10-watt nav/comm with a number of really cool features, including a comprehensive frequency database with the frequencies of airports, ATC facilities, and flight service stations, making them, one, easy to find and, two, easy to know that you're tuned to the right frequency. It also remembers recent, user-saved and nearest frequencies for easy access. Think you got the last frequency handoff the controller gave you, but you're 100% sure? The 355 will show immediately if you're right or wrong by automatically displaying the facility's identifier right below the frequency.

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A feature we love and can't wait to try out is standby frequency monitoring, which lets you listen to the ATIS, for instance, while listening to the frequency you're monitoring in the background.

Cost of the GNC 355 is $6,995. The Euro version with more 8.33 spacing, goes for $7,695.

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Isabel GoyerWriter

A commercial pilot, editor-in-Chief Isabel Goyer has been flying for more than 40 years, with hundreds of different aircraft in her logbook and thousands of hours. An award-winning aviation writer, photographer and editor, Ms. Goyer led teams at Sport Pilot, Air Progress and Flying before coming to Plane & Pilot in 2015.