Owners of Avidyne IFD540 or IFD440 units, your wireless is ready, and Avidyne has a present for you worth $299.
Avidyne Corp. announced Dec. 11 that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi functionality built into the panel-mounted navigation, communication, and flight management units can be unlocked with a software update to version 10.1.1, the latest release. For a limited time, customers who register their equipment through the online owner’s portal (and those already registered) will receive a free MK10 Bluetooth keyboard, which can be used to input waypoints and flight plans, change the map range, and enter other alphanumeric data.
An upcoming software release will enable additional features and functions including page and tab selection. Avidyne noted in the Dec. 11 announcements that all of the hardware required for wireless control of the IFD540 and IFD440 was installed at the factory, and no additional wiring or boxes are required.
“The MK10 Bluetooth keyboard is the first enablement of wireless functionality for our IFD440 and IFD540 systems,” said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne president and CEO. “Avidyne will continue to add other wireless enablements over the life of these products using Bluetooth and WiFi capability, which will provide additional levels of system integration and ease of use.”
Avidyne secured certification of the IFD440 in June, the last of the major components in a product line developed for owners who wish to upgrade Garmin GNS 430/530 series units, along with transponders and autopilots. AOPA reported on the IFD540 in detail in 2014, getting an early look at the touch-screen interface and flight management features built into the units.
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