GPS Nearest Airport feature

I was surprised too - it seemed to me that the whole GPS mentality is about
where you're positioned with respest to where you're going, not where you've
been. Sometimes when you're out over "the back hills" you're not close
enough to a visual reporting point to be able to give the tower a report
that's accurate enough for seperation purposes - would be nicer to be able
to say "Crossing the GPS equivalent of your 272 radial at 18 XXX DME"



"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
Slightly OT, but what I would really LOVE to see is a GPS selectable
field
that gives me a bearing FROM a reference, instead of TO one.

My Loran will do that. It would surprise me if GPS units didn't generally
allow that.

Ummm ...

Having checked it out my 296 on the NRST screen shows bearing and distance
TO (not from).

Are we talking about the same function here, or are you looking in a
different area?

Thanks

CC



"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
Gawd Dang - and I've got a 296 as well!

Thanks for the heads up - I'll have to check it out. To be honest, I very
seldom use the 'nearest' function - I mostly just configue the first page
with timers / gps state - the 2nd with enroute infor - and the 3rd for
approach related stuff. Would still be nice to be able to have something
like a BGF (BearingG From) field though.

Cheers,

CC


"Jon Woellhaf" wrote in message
...
"Cockpit Colin" wrote, "... what I would really LOVE to see is a GPS
selectable field that gives me a bearing FROM a reference, instead of TO
one."

The Garmin GPSMAP 296 does that -- at least for the nearest airport,
VOR,
NDB, Intersection,City, or Waypoint (your choice). I have mine set to
nearest VOR. Right now, for example, it says "From Jeffco VOR (BJC): 8.9
nm
S 162°m." This makes it a snap to report position.

Jon

Hi, CC.

I thought I may have confused you.

The field to which I'm referring isn't on the page accessed by pushing the
NRST button.

It's on what Garmin calls the "Position Data Page." In Aviation mode, that's
the one you reach from the Map page by pressing Quit once. The field in
question only appears when this page is configured for "2 Columns (Small)."
In this configuration, the ten fields on the right-hand half of the page are
changed in the usual manner. The left-hand half of the screen has four
fixed-type data fields. The bottom one is the "Nearest" field we're talking
about. Push Menu and select Change Nearest Type to configure this field as I
described.

Regards,

Jon

"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
Ummm ...

Having checked it out my 296 on the NRST screen shows bearing and distance
TO (not from).

Are we talking about the same function here, or are you looking in a
different area?

Thanks

CC



"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
Gawd Dang - and I've got a 296 as well!

Thanks for the heads up - I'll have to check it out. To be honest, I very
seldom use the 'nearest' function - I mostly just configue the first page
with timers / gps state - the 2nd with enroute infor - and the 3rd for
approach related stuff. Would still be nice to be able to have something
like a BGF (BearingG From) field though.

Cheers,

CC


"Jon Woellhaf" wrote in message
...
"Cockpit Colin" wrote, "... what I would really LOVE to see is a GPS
selectable field that gives me a bearing FROM a reference, instead of
TO
one."

The Garmin GPSMAP 296 does that -- at least for the nearest airport,
VOR,
NDB, Intersection,City, or Waypoint (your choice). I have mine set to
nearest VOR. Right now, for example, it says "From Jeffco VOR (BJC):
8.9
nm
S 162°m." This makes it a snap to report position.

Jon

Steepest ... An airport right under you would be about the steepest. If
I could choose between an airport 1000 feet below me and 5 miles away,
and another 7000 below me and also 5 miles away, the lower airport has
the steeper descent.

Thanks Jon - now that you mention it I have seen the field before - the
"penny never quite dropped" though.

Thanks for that.

I suggested it to Garmin several years ago and got a "thank you for
contacting garmin - thank you for your suggestion - many improvements come
about because of people like you etc" response - then when the 296 came out
I suggested it again - and got the exact same eMail.

Trying to get any action out of Garmin is like mating elephants

Cheers,

CC

"Jon Woellhaf" wrote in message
...
Hi, CC.

I thought I may have confused you.

The field to which I'm referring isn't on the page accessed by pushing the
NRST button.

It's on what Garmin calls the "Position Data Page." In Aviation mode,
that's
the one you reach from the Map page by pressing Quit once. The field in
question only appears when this page is configured for "2 Columns
(Small)."
In this configuration, the ten fields on the right-hand half of the page
are
changed in the usual manner. The left-hand half of the screen has four
fixed-type data fields. The bottom one is the "Nearest" field we're
talking
about. Push Menu and select Change Nearest Type to configure this field as
I
described.

Regards,

Jon

"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
Ummm ...

Having checked it out my 296 on the NRST screen shows bearing and
distance
TO (not from).

Are we talking about the same function here, or are you looking in a
different area?

Thanks

CC



"Cockpit Colin" wrote in message
...
Gawd Dang - and I've got a 296 as well!

Thanks for the heads up - I'll have to check it out. To be honest, I
very
seldom use the 'nearest' function - I mostly just configue the first
page
with timers / gps state - the 2nd with enroute infor - and the 3rd for
approach related stuff. Would still be nice to be able to have
something
like a BGF (BearingG From) field though.

Cheers,

CC


"Jon Woellhaf" wrote in message
...
"Cockpit Colin" wrote, "... what I would really LOVE to see is a GPS
selectable field that gives me a bearing FROM a reference, instead of
TO
one."

The Garmin GPSMAP 296 does that -- at least for the nearest airport,
VOR,
NDB, Intersection,City, or Waypoint (your choice). I have mine set to
nearest VOR. Right now, for example, it says "From Jeffco VOR (BJC):
8.9
nm
S 162°m." This makes it a snap to report position.

Jon

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Chris W" wrote in message
newsu6Vd.84$Ci7.63@lakeread07...

where the nearest airport is. It tells me that there is an airport 5
knots to my left and 10 knots to my right.

You mean "nautical miles"? "Knots" is a measure of speed, not distance.

Maybe the "airports" were on aircraft carriers?
That would work... g

have a plan on where you are going to go if your loose power, you are
just asking for something bad to happen.

Now, you've written "loose" twice. It's "lose". I only "loose power"
during takeoffs and climbs.

Yeah, I noticed that too...

I also noticed that "loose" is active, while "lose" is passive...
g

Pete

--
Jeff Shirton jshirton at cogeco dot
ca

Keep thy airspeed up, lest the earth come from below
and smite thee. - William Kershner
Challenge me (Theophilus) for a game of chess at Chessworld.net!