Handheld GPS adaptible to aviation

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
Airspace does, especially after 9/11.

The GPS is just there to get you on your route - it's up to you to make
sure the route works. If you go on a flight without first marking your
route on a CURRENT sectional or l-chart and then comparing it with the
current TFRs, you deserve to be shot down.

A proper GPS would have all that information in its database.

GPS technology, especially on the receiver end, is still in its nascency.
Eventually, the GPS will have just as reliable a database as a printed
chart, because it will be updated in real-time, and the database copied to
the GPS will be the same one used to print the charts.

I agree that today, especially for non-IFR-certified GPSs, the GPS is
missing a fair amount of extremely important information. But it doesn't
have to be that way, and if it stays that way for any significant period of
time, we're just a bunch of idiots (who deserve to be shot down).

Pete

Semantics, I'm done with the thread. Pilots need to look
out the window, it is nice if they know what to look for on
the ground.



--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Peter Duniho" wrote in
message ...
| "Jim Macklin" wrote
in message
| news:B5rOf.115811$QW2.94652@dukeread08...
| I do if I'm going to someplace that I have never been to
| before and only know by name. The chart IS that
| information.
|
| The chart is a *means* to obtain that information. It is
not that
| information itself, nor is it the only means of obtaining
that information,
| nor was your original statement restricted only to
navigating to unknown
| destinations.
|
| Try again?
|
|

On Sat, 4 Mar 2006 14:05:02 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote:

I've had my Garmin 195 for 10 years now and I've updated it once. Never
seen any problems with that - airports don't move that often or that far.

I'm relieved to hear it. I've never updated my 296. I let the free one
slip by because I thought USB II was different somehow from the USB
port on my puter, and I've never felt inclined to pay for an update.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email: usenet AT danford DOT net

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
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In a previous article, usenet AT danford DOT net said:
On Sat, 4 Mar 2006 14:05:02 +0000 (UTC),
(Paul Tomblin) wrote:
I've had my Garmin 195 for 10 years now and I've updated it once. Never
seen any problems with that - airports don't move that often or that far.

I'm relieved to hear it. I've never updated my 296. I let the free one
slip by because I thought USB II was different somehow from the USB
port on my puter, and I've never felt inclined to pay for an update.

One caveat: before I updated, my GPS was old enough that I had to look up
the old ids for some airports which changed to ICAO identifiers when they
started reporting METAR. So I'd flight plan to KOGS, but put N00 into the
GPS.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Things should be as simple as possible, but not simpler.
-- Albert Einstein

Robert M. Gary wrote:
If you are looking for something loo cost, consider buying a PDA with a
CF slot and just running something like PocketFMS (its free). You could
also buy a $15 copy of MS streets for it for use in the car too.

I just picked up a Navman PiN 100 from Fry's for $190... Added a 2G SD
card for $70 (which will have a $20 rebate)... It comes with a GPS and
an automotive type moving map... I downloaded PocketFMS for it also...
So, for $240, I get a GPS with an aviation and road moving map in
addition to a MP3/WMA player that can hold plenty of songs dependent
upon how much I fill it up with the various maps... The only complaint
that I have is that the headphone connector is the 2.5mm plug like the
cell phone headsets instead of the 3.5mm plugs like normal audio
headsets... I haven't had a chance to try it out in my plane yet
though...

Hi all; I'm replying to my own post that started this thread because
there were too many good posts to reply to all of them.

In case anyone cares, I got a Magellan SporTrak Map and uploaded the
nearest 200 public use airports and VOR's to my home as user waypoints
using EasyGPS. (When the time comes, I could choose up to the 500 most
useful waypoints for any particular trip.)

The unit is currently only $105 at PlanetGPS. It's definitely on the
cutting edge of obsolecense, but its basemap corresponds surprizingly
well to the way the features look from 3,000 feet.

It also works well in one hand -- fits comfortably with buttons that
are easy to use. That's why I didn't do the PDA route -- I don't want
to have to land after dropping three styluses on the floor.

Thanks for the helpful suggestions and thoughtful discussion.

If all you do is fly in the local area, not regularly updating the
database is probably no big deal. If you go cross country however,
you'd be unpleasantly surprised by the number of identifiers that
change over time. With TFRs and such, it could get you into a nasty
situation.

In a previous article, "150flivver" said:
If all you do is fly in the local area, not regularly updating the
database is probably no big deal. If you go cross country however,
you'd be unpleasantly surprised by the number of identifiers that
change over time. With TFRs and such, it could get you into a nasty
situation.

Not a big deal if you always check your flight plan against current charts
and NOTAMs.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
The WWW is exciting because Microsoft doesn't own it, and therefore,
there's a tremendous amount of innovation happening.
-- Steve Jobs

Robert M. Gary wrote:
If you are looking for something loo cost, consider buying a PDA with a
CF slot and just running something like PocketFMS (its free). You could
also buy a $15 copy of MS streets for it for use in the car too.

Finally got a chance to use the Navman PiN 100 today in flight with
PocketFMS... Works great... Visible during daylight -- unlike my laptop...
With the 2G memory card, I was able to put all the aviation and road maps on
the machine... Unfortunately, the road map software loads extremely slowly
when you have that much configured on the machine... Not sure if it is
better than the aviation GPS units, but it's good enough that I won't be
taking my laptop on every flight with me from now on...