The new Garmin GDL 52 portable, dual-frequency ADS-B In receiver and SiriusXM satellite link seems to have a little bit of everything. To start with, it provides traffic data—including audible alerts—aviation weather products and audio entertainment. The unit also includes a WAAS GPS which will provide aircraft position, speed and altitude information.
To display the information and control the functions, the unit interacts with Garmin portables—like the aera 660 and 795/796—and mobile devices with Garmin Pilot. For Garmin aviation portables and apps with SVX synthetic vision technology, the GDL 52’s built-in attitude sensors allow it to act as a backup attitude reference. The unit is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which can last up to 5 hours on one charge.
The GDL 51 is pretty much the same deal without the ADS-B In traffic capabilities. It specifically provides SiriusXM weather and audio and GPS data. The battery on the 51 can last up to 7 hours. Both units will also be available as a remote-mount ’R’ version.
For the GDL 52/52R and 51/51R, Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B) weather products (and traffic for the GDL 52/52R) are subscription-free, though the audio entertainment and SiriusXM Aviation weather require a subscription plan. The anticipated price for the GDL 52/52R is about $1,199. Orders are being taken, but the company doesn’t expect the 52 to be available until the last quarter of 2017. The GDL 51/51R costs $699. The 51/51R and the 52R will be available beginning in August.
Learn more at Garmin.
