Lowrance GPS

The magnets aren't a big deal--really. Garmin provides a total of 11
feet of cable to run the XM receiver well away from the compass if the
magnets bother you. The folks who find the magnets absolutely
unacceptable appear to be a very small minority of consumers.

My point, though, was that Garmin does NOT use magnets in their GPS
antennas, and Lowrance does NOT have XM capability. Personally, I'm
willing to live with the magnets (though I agree their presence is
puzzling) to get a capability that Lowrance cannot deliver. Who's to
say that Lowrance won't have magnets in their XM unit, if they ever
bring one to market?



JKG


In article ,
Dave wrote:
Ummm.. but when you want to use the XM Rx, they DO have magnets, and
they want to install them in a light aircraft, and they affect the
compass, and , and, and, .....

On some other pilots groups, there is much discussion and disgust...

It's a hot topic, and costing Garmin reputation..

The magnets are very difficult to remove, and removal (they have made
it very clear) will void the warranty, do not admit it is a problem or
concern, and (apparently so far) have no intention of correcting it..

(according to Garmin replies pasted in the NG's)

And the XM is expected soon for the Lowrance...

I do not own anAviation Garmin, what I relate here is from others who
do, and thet appear quite dissappointed..

Dave


On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:30:34 -0500, Jonathan Goodish
wrote:

In article ,
Dave wrote:
We like it very much, has exceeded our expectations....

And NO FREAKING MAGNETS in the antenna with instructions to mount it
on the cowl!! (beside the compass) !!

WHAT was Garmin thinking??


Garmin's antennas do not contain magnets. The issue with magnets and
the Garmin 396 has to do with the XM receiver. As far as I know,
Lowrance doesn't have XM capability.



JKG

Yes..all good points...

But certianly a flub on their part, and the 11 ft of cable is not
necessarily convenient.



On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 21:33:30 -0500, Jonathan Goodish
wrote:

The magnets aren't a big deal--really. Garmin provides a total of 11
feet of cable to run the XM receiver well away from the compass if the
magnets bother you.

The cowl just seems to be the fav place for most ofus, remember many
users of the portable units are renters, and do not have the luxury of
"installing 11 ft of cable" to get around this issue.

The folks who find the magnets absolutely
unacceptable appear to be a very small minority of consumers.

Possibly, but seems to be a significant %age of the few who use the XM
option.. but I have no data on this, or ever will have..

My point, though, was that Garmin does NOT use magnets in their GPS
antennas,

Correct

and Lowrance does NOT have XM capability.

Yet,...... lately, the DO have a habit of delivering on what they say
they will...

Personally, I'm
willing to live with the magnets (though I agree their presence is
puzzling) to get a capability that Lowrance cannot deliver.

Who's to
say that Lowrance won't have magnets in their XM unit, if they ever
bring one to market?

I hope they are wise enough to at least learn from Garmin's mistake..

Being "second" in introducing a new feature is not always a bad
thing..

We will see...

Cheers!

Dave



JKG


In article ,
Dave wrote:
Ummm.. but when you want to use the XM Rx, they DO have magnets, and
they want to install them in a light aircraft, and they affect the
compass, and , and, and, .....

On some other pilots groups, there is much discussion and disgust...

It's a hot topic, and costing Garmin reputation..

The magnets are very difficult to remove, and removal (they have made
it very clear) will void the warranty, do not admit it is a problem or
concern, and (apparently so far) have no intention of correcting it..

(according to Garmin replies pasted in the NG's)

And the XM is expected soon for the Lowrance...

I do not own anAviation Garmin, what I relate here is from others who
do, and thet appear quite dissappointed..

Dave


On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:30:34 -0500, Jonathan Goodish
wrote:

In article ,
Dave wrote:
We like it very much, has exceeded our expectations....

And NO FREAKING MAGNETS in the antenna with instructions to mount it
on the cowl!! (beside the compass) !!

WHAT was Garmin thinking??


Garmin's antennas do not contain magnets. The issue with magnets and
the Garmin 396 has to do with the XM receiver. As far as I know,
Lowrance doesn't have XM capability.



JKG

In article ,
Dave wrote:
Yes..all good points...

But certianly a flub on their part, and the 11 ft of cable is not
necessarily convenient.

While not ideal, Garmin's solution is certainly more convenient than a
comparable WxWorx + PDA or TabletPC installation.

I suspect that the magnets in the XM receiver were not a mistake, but
rather an intentional design element that appeals to the automotive
market. Garmin was able to reduce production costs on the receiver by
manufacturing only one type of receiver.

Still, I would have preferred to see a magnetic base that screws on to
the receiver. Such a design element could be easily excluded from the
aviation kits, but included with the automotive kits. However, I just
don't see why the magnets should be of big practical impact for most
people.



and Lowrance does NOT have XM capability.

Yet,...... lately, the DO have a habit of delivering on what they say
they will...

I haven't seen any official comment from Lowrance on an XM-enabled
portable GPS unit.



Being "second" in introducing a new feature is not always a bad
thing..

No, but Garmin has done just about everything right with their
implementation. I hope that Lowrance does bring a unit to market at a
lower price, because I think that XM weather is fantastic, and a
capability that more pilots should employ.

Comments interspersed below..

On Sat, 21 Jan 2006 12:31:08 -0500, Jonathan Goodish
wrote:

While not ideal, Garmin's solution is certainly more convenient than a
comparable WxWorx + PDA or TabletPC installation.

Agreed... much better....

I suspect that the magnets in the XM receiver were not a mistake,

They were not, they just did not think very much about the aviation
market..

In fact, they did not think at all...

but rather an intentional design element that appeals to the automotive
market.

Correct

Garmin was able to reduce production costs on the receiver by
manufacturing only one type of receiver.

Ummm... a lot of customers would have appreciated it if they had
"saved" the cost of the magnets....

Still, I would have preferred to see a magnetic base that screws on to
the receiver. Such a design element could be easily excluded from the
aviation kits, but included with the automotive kits.


Agreed....


However, I just
don't see why the magnets should be of big practical impact for most
people.

They are not, for MOST customers, but they are aparently an serious
issue with the pilot customers, and should be..


Simply put, it is in the instruction books on flying, boating,
navigation, the manuals for the compasses, (marine & aviation),
placards on instrument panels, even some sunglasses....DO NOT, EVER,
FOR ANY REASON , place ANY object near the magnetic compass, in case
it MIGHT affect it.

Regardless if you or others EVER use it, it is the LAST available
directional instrument available when everything else goes tango
uniform.

I use mine constantly, to set the DG, and to cross check all
directional equipment...

Then, all of a sudden, we have an experienced aviation manufacturer
BUILD magnets in a device to be placed on the cowl of an aircraft !!

Then when CUSTOMERS complain, with VERY valid reasons to do so,
Garmin says, in effect, leave them in, or void your warranty.... (!)

If Lowrance or any other manufacturer "has to catch up" well, they
have a great opportunity..

The (alleged) leader just stumbled.... big time...

And instead if saying , "oops, sorry, lets fix this now" , they say,
tough, thats the way it is, don't void your warranty.....

Not the best marketing/service strategy in a tight , well connected
market - hmmmm?

.........word travels fast.... (and has)

Dave




and Lowrance does NOT have XM capability.

Yet,...... lately, the DO have a habit of delivering on what they say
they will...

I haven't seen any official comment from Lowrance on an XM-enabled
portable GPS unit.



Being "second" in introducing a new feature is not always a bad
thing..

No, but Garmin has done just about everything right with their
implementation. I hope that Lowrance does bring a unit to market at a
lower price, because I think that XM weather is fantastic, and a
capability that more pilots should employ.

In article ,
Dave wrote:
Simply put, it is in the instruction books on flying, boating,
navigation, the manuals for the compasses, (marine & aviation),
placards on instrument panels, even some sunglasses....DO NOT, EVER,
FOR ANY REASON , place ANY object near the magnetic compass, in case
it MIGHT affect it.

None of my books make such a statement. I suspect that the deviation
cards in the aircraft most of us fly are not very accurate, unless you
have a compass swing done periodically. There are lots of things that
surround the magnetic compass that could affect it. A portable XM
receiver that can be easily removed if the compass is your last hope of
survival doesn't rate very highly on my list of concerns.


JKG

Jonathan Goodish wrote:

I suspect that the deviation
cards in the aircraft most of us fly are not very accurate, unless you
have a compass swing done periodically.

The one in my Maule was way off. The card provided by the factory said it was 5
degrees off all the cardinal headings. With the engine and avionics on, I saw
from 5 to over 15 degrees off those headings using a Army nav compass.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

The magnets aren't a big deal--really.

I admire your brand loyalty -- but the consensus of every pilot I know (and,
more importantly, every pilot I know who has purchased a 396) is that Garmin
really, REALLY didn't do their homework with that antenna.

It's almost as dumb as the floppy disk manufacturer that included a
refrigerator magnet with every disk...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article dQqAf.714892$x96.30673@attbi_s72,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:
The magnets aren't a big deal--really.

I admire your brand loyalty -- but the consensus of every pilot I know (and,
more importantly, every pilot I know who has purchased a 396) is that Garmin
really, REALLY didn't do their homework with that antenna.

It's almost as dumb as the floppy disk manufacturer that included a
refrigerator magnet with every disk...


It has nothing to do with brand loyalty and everything to do with
reality. The reality is that if you position the XM receiver away from
the compass, the magnets make no difference. Even on the glareshield of
most aircraft, the magnets should make little to no difference. I don't
know about you, but I rarely use my compass as my primary navigation
source.

My assessment is that Garmin did "do their homework" with the
receiver--it is a far superior design to the WxWorx equipment. The
magnets are in the receiver because Garmin markets the same receiver to
the automotive market, where the magnets may be beneficial. I suspect
Garmin's market research shows a much greater market in automotive than
in aviation.

Regardless of your opinion on the magnets, the fact is that if you want
XM weather in a hand held GPS, you have only one choice--Garmin.



JKG

Regardless of your opinion on the magnets, the fact is that if you want
XM weather in a hand held GPS, you have only one choice--Garmin.

For now.

As with everything in our economy, a little competition ought to help. If
and when Lowrance jumps into the on-board weather market, it'll get
interesting...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Regardless of your opinion on the magnets, the fact is that if you
want
XM weather in a hand held GPS, you have only one choice--Garmin.

For now.

As with everything in our economy, a little competition ought to help.
If and when Lowrance jumps into the on-board weather market, it'll get
interesting...

It's not just Garmin we need competition for: I'm also rooting for WSI
to form a strong alliance--perhaps with Lowrance--to put some
subscription price pressure on XmWx.

I've now flown with the 396 for several months, and the days before it
seem like the dark ages--like before GPS or ANR headsets. There is a
huge market for this technology if the price comes down a little.
$2,500 + $30/mo. is simply too steep for many people.

--
Dan

"The future has actually been here for a while, it's just not readily
available to everyone."
-- some guy at MIT