
CAUTION
The Global Positioning System is operated by the United States government, which
is solely responsible for its accuracy and maintenance. The system is subject to changes
which could affect the accuracy and performance of all GPS equipment. Although the
Garmin GNC 420 is a precision electronic NAVigation AID (NAVAID), any NAVAID can
be misused or misinterpreted and therefore become unsafe.
Use the GNC 420 at your own risk. To reduce the risk of unsafe operation, care-
fully review and understand all aspects of this Owner’s Manual and the Flight Manual
Supplement, and thoroughly practice basic operation prior to actual use. When in actual
use, carefully compare indications from the GNC 420 to all available navigation sources,
including the information from other NAVAIDS, visual sightings, charts, etc. For safety,
always resolve any discrepancies before continuing navigation.
The altitude calculated by the GNC 420 is geometric height above mean sea level and
could vary significantly from altitude displayed by pressure altimeters in aircraft. GPS
accuracy may be degraded by the U.S. Department of Defense imposed Selective Avail-
ability (SA) program. With “SA” on, GPS altitude may be in error by several hundred
feet. Never use GPS altitude for vertical navigation.
GPS receivers operate by receiving and decoding very low power radio signals
broadcast by satellites. It is possible that in some situations other radio equipment or
electronic equipment used in close proximity to a GPS receiver may create electromag-
netic interference (EMI) which may affect the ability of the GPS receiver to receive and
decode the satellite signals. In such event, the interference may be reduced or eliminated
by switching off the source of interference or relocating equipment.
The Jeppesen database incorporated in the GNC 420 must be updated regularly in
order to ensure that its information is current. Updates are released every 28 days. A
database information packet is included in your GNC 420 package.
Pilots using an out-of-date database do so entirely at their own risk.
ii
NOTE: This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC limits for Class B digital devices. This
equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instructions, may cause
harmful interference to radio communications. Fur-
thermore, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interfer-
ence, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by relocating the equipment or con-
necting the equipment to a different circuit than the
affected equipment. Consult an authorized dealer
or other qualified avionics technician for additional
help if these remedies do not correct the problem.
Operation of this device is subject to the follow-
ing conditions: (1) This device may not cause harm-
ful interference, and (2) this device must accept any
interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation.
The Garmin GNC 420 does not contain any
user-serviceable parts. Repairs should only be
made by an authorized Garmin service center.
Unauthorized repairs or modifications could void
your warranty and authority to operate this device
under Part 15 regulations.
INTRODUCTION
Cautions
GNC 420 RevC prelim.indd ii 5/19/2003, 9:02:43 AM