When ADS-B Out became mandatory in some airspaces in 2020, I just assumed my aircraft was fully compliant. After all, it’s equipped with a modern Garmin avionics suite: a G500 PFD/MFD, GTN 750 and GTN 650 navigators and importantly—a GTX 33ES remote ADS-B transponder. Good to go, right? Apparently not.
A single radio call from Denver Center telling me they weren’t receiving my ADS-B Out data sent me spiraling down a rabbit hole of research, phone calls and unexpected lessons. Spoiler alert: Even the most advanced setups can fail compliance.