With start up, earlier this week to do some pattern work (haven't flown in about a month), my 430W told me I had no Jepp data along with the error message "User Card Format Unknown". Everything was just dandy on my previous flight, so I thought maybe this was another way to tell me to update the data card. I went home and did the most recent update. No problem updating the card..............same error when installed in the 430W.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Can good data cards go bad without warning? The 430W system has been in my panel for 5 years now and this is the orginal data card. The Garmin manual is not telling me anything.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated..........

Stan Schrek
N6395P in NJ

Stan, any chance you have the terrain and nav cards reversed? I would try a new card next, that would be the easiest. Let us know what it was when you get it fixed so when it happens to me I'll know!

Thanks

Mark

The problem is with the card. I borrowed a card and all worked fine. Just sent to Jepp for a new one......$200. It seems that that these cards have a useful life. This one has been in use for five years. That's a lot of updates and use.

I would try to reload the card. If you call Jepp (I'm assuming you have a subscription), they will put the file back up, so that you can download it again. It may be just a fluke, and the card may really be ok. If it's a bad card, you shouldn't be able to download sucessfully, and that should confirm the situation one way or the other. I've never had a card failure, and I've owned mine for more than 5 years. I suppose it can happen, but I've never heard or seen it before. I do use two cards, rotating the card every month. That way I never erase last months data. Since you've already ordered a second card, you might want to try that arrangement if the first card in fact proves to be useable.

Dave Gitelman

Stan:
Do you also have a regular garmin 430 without the WAAS, maybe in another plane? I know they are not compatable and probably would also
give you that error.

Good Luck
Gary

Dave,
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried the procedure and no joy. The card will not update. I assume as these items age, problems will arise. The card has been through many updates and handling overthe course of five years. Hey, I think I have an updated panel! Time sure flies by.
Stan

Stan,

Here's a thought, maybe way off base, but a thought anyway. I don't have a 430, but keep my 480 updated in the same way. Recently (the last year or so) the data bases have expanded to a point where the old cards are over capacity and you have to buy a new card with a larger capacity, 64 megs as opposed to 32 megs. What is the capacity of the card you are having trouble with?

My card holds two databases, the expiring one and the new one. The radio checks the date and selects the one that's current. That way you can download a database a few days before it becomes active. Your old card might be rejecting the new database because it doesn't have enough room for the old (still current) database and the new database. If you erase the old database, will the card accept the new database? Maybe the 430 system works different. Just a thought.

Sincerely,
Skip Dykema

Hi Skip,

The 430/530 don't work that way. When you update the card, the first thing that happens is the entire database is erased. You are then starting with a clean card. If the 430/530 is WAAS enabled, then the card must be significantly larger in terms of capacity (not sure what that number is, as it doesn't appear anywhere on the card), to hold all the info that is downloaded. If not, as I understand, the standard card still works for non-WAAS units.

I alternate between two cards. That way I always have last months data to fall back on if a problem were to develop in the card presently in use.

Dave Gitelman

Ditto Dave's card management. One in the unit, one in the anti-static sleeve inside a tiny box in the bag that always goes flying with us in the plane with charts etc. but is stored at home. When it is time to update, the card is already home.