Garmin’s GDL39 portable ADS-B receiver is just one choice in a crowded market of capable low-cost solutions. In our view, the GDL39 has been shadowed by the competition because it lacked some of the advanced features that buyers might expect from a modern portable ADS-B receiver. For example, while other brands sport full AHRS functionality, the utilitarian GDL39 is stark, by comparison, offering little more than an integral Bluetooth GPS receiver.
The new $849 dual-frequency GDL39 3D—in conjunction with the updated Garmin Pilot tablet app—steps the unit up a notch, with a clever attitude indicator function. But it’s not the glass panel lookalike you might expect. Instead, Garmin keeps it simple with an old-school onscreen attitude indicator, plus other supporting round-gauge instruments. We think the presentation is refreshingly simple and effective.