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Should I upgrade my Garmin 430 to 430W?

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Rykymus

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I had planned on doing this several months ago, with a quote of about $4,000 to upgrade my existing 430 to WAAS and install the new antenna. That was put off when other more urgent problems in the aircraft needed attention. Now, my maintenance shop says that Garmin will stop supporting the 430 starting Jan 1, and that the price of upgrade from 430 to 430W will double.

Although I don't care to pay double, it isn't the cost that is the issue. I'm planning on having a full annual done (6 months early) to find and correct any issues that need attention, as I don't trust the guy that did the pre-buy/annual. (Too many things have been popping up after the fact that should have been caught.) I am hesitant to spend on upgrades and such until I am sure that the plane is in good shape and completely airworthy.

Furthermore, I don't know when I'm going to do my IFR. (I want to do it right away, but I have other responsibilities that need to come first.) More likely, It will be in the fall/winter of 2015. And it is my understanding that although it would be nice to have the WAAS unit to train with, it is not required. (My plane is IFR already.) I don't plan on flying in crappy weather. I am getting my IFR to improve my skills and to be able to get in and out when the fog rolls in. (Which happens a lot in the valley here, and along the coast, which are my most common destinations.)

I've been searching for answers online, but have come up empty.
1) IS Garmin discontinuing support for the 430 as of Jan 1 2015?
2) Will Garmin still be providing updates for the 430 database?
3) Do I really need the WAAS unit for IFR training?

Another thing is, I'm not sure how long I'll have this plane. My hopes were to step up to something larger, (like a Saratoga or Matrix), however, I won't know if this is even feasible for at least another year or two.

Any advice would be welcomed.
 

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