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#1
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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! |
#2
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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! |
#3
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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! |
#4
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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) |
#5
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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? |
#6
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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) |
#7
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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 |
#8
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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 |
#9
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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 |
#10
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Cub Driver wrote:
I use a Garmin III Plus, civilian model. See www.pipercubforum.com/garmin.htm Thanks for the link. I have had a 3+ for many years and a 3 Pilot (came with a recent 172 purchase) and you've provided a method to get more aviation use out of it (the 3+). The primary for our plane(s) has been the Lowrance Airmap 1000, we're on our second one (2000c wasn't available yet). I do however have a Magellan 315 that always has the most current airport database information, its available for free from he http://home.stny.rr.com/bkw/315 The 315's are by far the cheapest thing I've found out there. I picked mine up for $125 and that included the power adapter, serial interface and Datasend software (required for POI transfers). Reception has been excellent, even back inside the cabin mounted on the yoke. I have however seen more satellites at the same time, on the 3+. The 315 will hold around 18,000 POI's (Points of Interest), which allows me to do all of the 48 states, VFR/ILS and NDB approaches and Seaplane bases. You have to be careful to not overload it, Datasend will state that you are under the limit, but actually you do exceed it and it will fault during the transfer. A drawback of this unit over the others, is that it doesn't display roads. On the road I use a notebook with mapping software that gives visual/audible turn by turn instructions though... 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. I use rechargeables in the 3+ and assumed that they were replenished with external power. A recent trip to/from Ohio showed that they aren't... One downfall of the 315 is that it has an internal backup battery that cannot be user replaced. It is normally recharged by the 2 AA batteries and if it geaux's south, it'll eat those overnight. Otherwise a good 5 hours or more is likely with battery only operation from Alkaline or rechareables. Much more I assume if the internal battery is still good. Downside of pulling the batteries after every use is the need to reinitialize each time you fire it up... |
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