Lowrance GPS

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"

Jonathan,

that Lowrance cannot deliver


How do you know that? Maybe they just don't want to yet. After all, XM
requires quite an investment from the buyer and is usable only in the
US.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Q1 -- Why should I buy the color system over the B&W?

We went from the Airmap 300 to the 2000c.

Color makes a world of difference. You can simply display much more (and
more easily interpreted at a glance) information with color than you can
with grayscale.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Bought the 1000 about 6 months ago for $250 by using my 300 trade in.
The 2000 was $300 more. I have wondered if I should have gotten the
2000, but I am perfectly happy with the 1000. It is a very nice unit.
Actually I think the bw may be easier to read. From the pictures I've
seen it appears less cluttered. YMMV

Casey,

Q1 -- Why should I buy the color system over the B&W?

Many people feel that the different colors add to clarity and decluttering of
the image. If the plane(s) you normally fly have a color GPS (e.g. Garmin 430)
anyway, I would say you can do withou color. If the Lowrance is going to be
your only moving map, I'd prefer color.


Q2 -- Can either the 1000 or 2000c be loaded with the land database and used
to navigate on the ground?

Absolutely. In fact, you can generate land maps for the US of areas that are of
interest to you with the MapCreate software that's included on your PC. You
then transfer those files to an SD card and put that into the Airmap. If you
load a Jepp update onto that same SD card, both will be displayed together. In
that case, you can finely tune what should be displayed and what not. Or you
simply switch SD cards once you want to navigate on the ground. It all happens
on SD card, and both the card reader and detailed customizable road maps for
the US are included with the unit.


Q3 -- Anybody ever time out a set of fresh alkaline batteries?
How long did they last?

What they say on the site is accurate. The 1000 will last several hours,
depending on how much you use back lighting.

The 2000c will last 1 to 2 hours, so you'll want external power.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Casey,

Oh, one more thing: The color variant comes with terrain, if you want
that.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Just FYI, the 1000 is great for basic VFR. I just sold mine to get a Garmin
196, as the 196 includes published approaches from the FAF (no VNAV). The
1000 has waypoints only. I know you cannot legally fly an approach with the
196, but if it all goes dark, then this could be a real help. I liked the
fact that the 1000 could take standard memory cards, I hate Garmin for the
way they rip you a new one for their proprietary memory.

- Barney
"Casey Wilson" N2310D @ gmail.com wrote in message
news:spgzf.13264$Zo.7881@trnddc07...
Hello all,

I put away a few pennies here and there and now its time to invest in a
good GPS receiver. I've decided that the Lowrance will give me all I need.
And maybe more since I won't be doing any IFR. (Yes, I know it isn't IFR
rated anyway. The point is I won't need it for IFR backup, etc..)

Q1 -- Why should I buy the color system over the B&W?

Q2 -- Can either the 1000 or 2000c be loaded with the land database and
used to navigate on the ground?

Q3 -- Anybody ever time out a set of fresh alkaline batteries?
How long did they last?
Same question(s) for NiMH, please

Q4 -- Any druthers on a different brand?

Go Fly!

Casey

Color displays eat up batteries. I you power it off the airplane, thats
not an issue. I have a Garmin 195 which is Black and White and it has
served me well. If you fly a lot, batteries are a hassle. I would try
and get a solution that doesnt mean batteries, if possible. If that is
not possible, I'd get a Black and White unit. They do the job, and you
are waaaay better off with a B&W working unit than a color that has run
out of power and is now shut down.

"Doug" wrote:

Color displays eat up batteries. I you power it off the airplane, thats
not an issue. I have a Garmin 195 which is Black and White and it has
served me well. If you fly a lot, batteries are a hassle. I would try
and get a solution that doesnt mean batteries, if possible. If that is
not possible, I'd get a Black and White unit. They do the job, and you
are waaaay better off with a B&W working unit than a color that has run
out of power and is now shut down.

How long does it run on a set of batteries? With Rechargeable NiMH
batteries affordable this may not be that big of an issue.

Ron Lee

The Garmin 296 and 396 use a big lithium battery. They both will go 8
hours on GPS only. When you plug in the XM on the 396 the life goes to
4 hours. I usually just plug the XM in when I need a weather update. I
also carry a spare battery and can also use ships power.

Garmin leads the way in GPS and the other manufacturers are just
playing catch up. There is no comparison, the 396 is the cutting edge
and has the best form factor and user interface.

Karl
"Curator" N185KG