Handheld GPS Recommendations?

Shopping for a handheld GPS. Anyone have recommendations, advice, or cautions?
What features are "must haves"? Which did you think you'd use but don't? Thanks
in advance!

I would recommend www.cockpitgps.com.

It's a must have - a great work! You should get an answer to all of your
questions there.

Apa


"Shirley" wrote in message
...
Shopping for a handheld GPS. Anyone have recommendations, advice, or
cautions?
What features are "must haves"? Which did you think you'd use but don't?
Thanks
in advance!

I have an Lowrance Airmap 500 and love it. Ships with yoke mount, Mapcreate
6 software, a MMC/SD card reader, a 32mb card for the Airmap and an external
antenna all included.

For approx $400, well worth the money. Has an excellent HSI screen.

Ardna



"Apa" wrote in message
. cable.rogers.com...
I would recommend www.cockpitgps.com.

It's a must have - a great work! You should get an answer to all of your
questions there.

Apa


"Shirley" wrote in message
...
Shopping for a handheld GPS. Anyone have recommendations, advice, or
cautions?
What features are "must haves"? Which did you think you'd use but don't?
Thanks
in advance!

Shirley,

Shopping for a handheld GPS.


Well, a few questions to narrow the field:

1. What's your budget?
2. Do you want color?
3. Do you want land navigation, too?
4. Do you own a PocketPC PDA?

Many people tend to look only at the Garmin line of products. However,
Lowrance has a very attractive range, too, and both Jay Honeck and
Aviation Consumer like the AvMap EKP.

Depending on what you need, the choice is more or less between

1. Small, cellphone form factor, light, ultraportable - the Lowrance
Airmap 500 and the new line of Garmins fill that bill

2. Big display greyscale unit. The Lowrance Airmap 1000 and the Garmin
196 do that - at different prices.

3. Big screen color display. Airmap 2000, Garmin 296 and newer, AvMap.

If you answer 4. in the positive, you might want to use your PocketPC
with some software - might provide more options, but adds the "hassle"
factor of PCs.

if you need car nav, too, the Airmap 2000 seems to be the most
cost-effective solution.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

I use a Garmin III Plus, civilian model. See
www.pipercubforum.com/garmin.htm

Sometimes I hanker for a 196, sometimes for a 296. Meanwhile the plain
vanilla version gets me where I'm going and is marvelously thrifty
with batteries.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Expedition sailboat charters www.expeditionsail.com

Thomas Borchert borchert_thomas asked:

1. What's your budget?

Open to all, just don't want to buy the most expensive if it has a lot of
features I'll never use, and don't want to buy one for half the price and wish
I'd gotten the one with everything!

2. Do you want color?

That's one of the things I wanted input on. How important is it? Does it make
it easier or more difficult to see? I've heard that the color one is harder to
see in sunlight. Is that true?

3. Do you want land navigation, too?

Not my first criteria, but wouldn't mind having it.

4. Do you own a PocketPC PDA?

No.

Many people tend to look only at the Garmin line
of products.

That's all I've seen/read about so far.

the new line of Garmins fill that bill

I was about to take the plunge and get the Garmin 296 when someone said that at
Oshkosh, Garmin just introduced a two new ones for half the price. Do they have
half the features, too? How do they compare to the 196 and 296?

Is the G296 the ultimate, "probably won't ever need anything else" choice?

Shirley,

don't forget, you're getting my take on this. YMMV.

2. Do you want color?

That's one of the things I wanted input on. How important is it? Does it make
it easier or more difficult to see? I've heard that the color one is harder to
see in sunlight. Is that true?

I don't think so. If the planes you fly usually have a panel mount color unit and
the handheld will be a pure back-up, IMHO you don't need color. In all other
cases, it makes the map much better to read.


3. Do you want land navigation, too?

Not my first criteria, but wouldn't mind having it.

The upscale color units come with that as an option. What you want, though, is
true turn-by-turn instructions, ideally with voice annunciation. Garmin's 296 has
an add-on kit (for a fee) for that with no voice, AFAIK. Lowrance promises that
feature AFAIK including voice for a future free software upgrade to the 2000c.
Not sure about AvMap.


I was about to take the plunge and get the Garmin 296 when someone said that at
Oshkosh, Garmin just introduced a two new ones for half the price. Do they have
half the features, too? How do they compare to the 196 and 296?

They do have fewer features, among them a much smaller display and fewer display
options. Look at the Garmin site for specifics.


Is the G296 the ultimate, "probably won't ever need anything else" choice?

Probably not. It all depends on your needs and preferences. As I said, I think
the Lowrance units are VERY interesting, since they tend to offer the same or
more at a lower price - e.g., look for the accessories that are included. Also,
if you want a truly luxurious display, the AvMap looks awesome. Don't know about
their support, but my simple e-mail inquiry regarding international mapping went
unanswered. They are definitely the smallest company of the three - which can be
both good and bad.

Look at the price for database updates, too, although you'll probably only need
one per year or so.


--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

Thomas Borchert wrote
Well, a few questions to narrow the field:

I would add a few:

Will you fly IFR? Will you have an IFR GPS when you do? With moving
map?

Many people tend to look only at the Garmin line of products. However,
Lowrance has a very attractive range, too, and both Jay Honeck and
Aviation Consumer like the AvMap EKP.

Frankly, I have been very underwhelmed with the Lowrance products.
They're well-built and they work fine, but the user interface feels
like it was designed by an engineer with the help of a low time pilot.
I find it counter-intuitive; an airline pilot friend of mine bought
one of the high end models (a 1000, I think, which, it terms of
price/performance blows away the Garmin) and found it unusable - he
bought a Garmin and is selling the Lowrance on Ebay.

My suggestion is try before you buy - and by try I mean make a flight
with one. You may discover that you like the Lowrance user interface
just fine since you're not already used to something different; then
again you may not.

Another friend of mine has a PDA-based system; I find it essentially
unusable since it requires the use of the stylus. On the other hand,
I don't normally use a PDA at all. If you use your PDA all the time,
you may find it to be the most convenient system.

A lot of this will depend on how you use the GPS - for VFR-only use,
you can get by with something that will just **** you off when you get
a reroute IFR. All I'm saying is, don't overlook the user interface.
At this point, most GPS units have more functionality than the average
pilot really needs. What really differentiates them is the user
interface.

Michael

A lot of this will depend on how you use the GPS - for VFR-only use,
you can get by with something that will just **** you off when you get
a reroute IFR

One reason I have the AvMap. Ease of operation and big screen
Hank 172 driver

Shirley wrote:
Shopping for a handheld GPS. Anyone have recommendations, advice, or cautions?
What features are "must haves"? Which did you think you'd use but don't? Thanks
in advance!

Four years ago I paid $800 for a Garmin GPS 195.
It had the largest screen at the time and battery life was 6-8 hours per
set of six AA batteries.
As with all electronics technology, Moore's Law applies.
We now have bigger, brighter, color, battery efficient portable GPS units.
I certainly canot afford to replace my "old" handheld unit just because
something better has come along. I don't feel I have gotten my moneys
worth out of it, so I will continue to use it for many more years, as
long as it continues to work properly.
Several ways to save money a
a)purchase something fairly new on eBay that the original owner found
deficient and is willing to get rid of at a loss.
b) purchase used (a couple years old).
c) purchase a factory remanufactured/reconditioned unit.