PDA GPS software Which one??

Hi,

Firstly I'm in Australia and VFR. I have a Garmin III Pilot, but am also
about to purchase an iPaq PDA. Rather than upgrade to a colour GARMIN
(296/396) at megabucks I thought I could get similar functionality using
the PDA. Costings seem to be PDA nil (it's a sunk cost I'm going to buy
it anyway), Bluetooth GPS AUS$100 or so on e-bay, and the software
(Anywhere map special US$95 and NavGPS US$290).

The Anywheremap seems the standout bargain, at current exchange rates
I'm looking at about an all up cost of AUS$232 for software and GPS.

I'm e-mailing both companies with these questions, but I'm pretty darned
sure they will recommend their own product. For those that have used
either or both (and compared to say a G296):

1. Which of these two would you buy, and why?
2. Functionality compared to Garmin's offering?
3. Ease of use compared to Garmin?
4. Base mapping (Garmin has the intl Pacific Base map for Aus). The
Jepp DB has all of the avaiation info including control zones etc etc.
Do these systems have at least the same info depicted?
5. Updates - If I don't update the Garmin it still works with the 'old'
database. Do these keep functioning without updating the database. I
have no real reason to update more than once a year or so?
6. Any other advice much appreciated....

reply to group or kevinblack at bigblue dot net dot au.

Thanks,
Kevin

Kevin Black wrote:

Hi,

Firstly I'm in Australia and VFR. I have a Garmin III Pilot, but am also
about to purchase an iPaq PDA. Rather than upgrade to a colour GARMIN
(296/396) at megabucks I thought I could get similar functionality using
the PDA. Costings seem to be PDA nil (it's a sunk cost I'm going to buy
it anyway), Bluetooth GPS AUS$100 or so on e-bay, and the software
(Anywhere map special US$95 and NavGPS US$290).

The Anywheremap seems the standout bargain, at current exchange rates
I'm looking at about an all up cost of AUS$232 for software and GPS.

I'm e-mailing both companies with these questions, but I'm pretty darned
sure they will recommend their own product. For those that have used
either or both (and compared to say a G296):

1. Which of these two would you buy, and why?
2. Functionality compared to Garmin's offering?
3. Ease of use compared to Garmin?
4. Base mapping (Garmin has the intl Pacific Base map for Aus). The
Jepp DB has all of the avaiation info including control zones etc etc.
Do these systems have at least the same info depicted?
5. Updates - If I don't update the Garmin it still works with the 'old'
database. Do these keep functioning without updating the database. I
have no real reason to update more than once a year or so?
6. Any other advice much appreciated....


Try PocketFMS.
It's donationware and works well on most PDA's.
Downside is that it uses NIMA for the base-data which means
that Oz is not totally covered/accurate. (a recently introduced
system for users to update information in their local area from
the ERSA/etc is gradually improving that though)

On Wed, 09 Nov 2005 09:05:46 +1100, MC wrote:


Try PocketFMS.
It's donationware and works well on most PDA's.
Downside is that it uses NIMA for the base-data which means
that Oz is not totally covered/accurate. (a recently introduced
system for users to update information in their local area from
the ERSA/etc is gradually improving that though)

Great prog see: http://www.pocketfms.com/

Anywheremap is a great product, IMO, --- BUT --- , I would not recommend
it for anyone outside of the USofA right now. They don't really have any
kind of data, outside of the USofA, and they don't update data (in years)
outside of the USofA.

"Kevin Black" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Firstly I'm in Australia and VFR. I have a Garmin III Pilot, but am also
about to purchase an iPaq PDA. Rather than upgrade to a colour GARMIN
(296/396) at megabucks I thought I could get similar functionality using
the PDA. Costings seem to be PDA nil (it's a sunk cost I'm going to buy
it anyway), Bluetooth GPS AUS$100 or so on e-bay, and the software
(Anywhere map special US$95 and NavGPS US$290).

The Anywheremap seems the standout bargain, at current exchange rates
I'm looking at about an all up cost of AUS$232 for software and GPS.

I'm e-mailing both companies with these questions, but I'm pretty darned
sure they will recommend their own product. For those that have used
either or both (and compared to say a G296):

1. Which of these two would you buy, and why?
2. Functionality compared to Garmin's offering?
3. Ease of use compared to Garmin?
4. Base mapping (Garmin has the intl Pacific Base map for Aus). The
Jepp DB has all of the avaiation info including control zones etc etc.
Do these systems have at least the same info depicted?
5. Updates - If I don't update the Garmin it still works with the 'old'
database. Do these keep functioning without updating the database. I
have no real reason to update more than once a year or so?
6. Any other advice much appreciated....

reply to group or kevinblack at bigblue dot net dot au.

Thanks,
Kevin

NAV GPS Pro has coverage for Australia.
http://www.flynavgps.com/downloadavdata.shtml
I use it in Conjunction with the PC/EFIS in North America and it works
fine...
Michelle

Kevin Black wrote:

Hi,

Firstly I'm in Australia and VFR. I have a Garmin III Pilot, but am
also about to purchase an iPaq PDA. Rather than upgrade to a colour
GARMIN (296/396) at megabucks I thought I could get similar
functionality using the PDA. Costings seem to be PDA nil (it's a sunk
cost I'm going to buy it anyway), Bluetooth GPS AUS$100 or so on
e-bay, and the software (Anywhere map special US$95 and NavGPS US$290).

The Anywheremap seems the standout bargain, at current exchange rates
I'm looking at about an all up cost of AUS$232 for software and GPS.

I'm e-mailing both companies with these questions, but I'm pretty
darned sure they will recommend their own product. For those that
have used either or both (and compared to say a G296):

1. Which of these two would you buy, and why?
2. Functionality compared to Garmin's offering?
3. Ease of use compared to Garmin?
4. Base mapping (Garmin has the intl Pacific Base map for Aus). The
Jepp DB has all of the avaiation info including control zones etc etc.
Do these systems have at least the same info depicted?
5. Updates - If I don't update the Garmin it still works with the
'old' database. Do these keep functioning without updating the
database. I have no real reason to update more than once a year or so?
6. Any other advice much appreciated....

reply to group or kevinblack at bigblue dot net dot au.

Thanks,
Kevin

In article
,
Kevin Black wrote:
Firstly I'm in Australia and VFR. I have a Garmin III Pilot, but am also
about to purchase an iPaq PDA. Rather than upgrade to a colour GARMIN
(296/396) at megabucks I thought I could get similar functionality using
the PDA. Costings seem to be PDA nil (it's a sunk cost I'm going to buy
it anyway), Bluetooth GPS AUS$100 or so on e-bay, and the software
(Anywhere map special US$95 and NavGPS US$290).


You may save some bucks with a PDA-based system, but you will give up
the reliability and accuracy of a purpose-built unit.

As far as I know, most of the PDA-based systems are geared toward the
domestic U.S. market, and I'm not aware of any of the PDA software
vendors who use the Jepp navigation database. In my experience, even
the domestic U.S. data from these companies is fraught with errors and
inaccuracies, so I can't imagine that foreign data would be any better.

A PDA or TabletPC-based system may be a great way to go for backup, but
I wouldn't want to rely on it for anything--ever.



JKG

"Jonathan Goodish" wrote

A PDA or TabletPC-based system may be a great way to go for backup, but
I wouldn't want to rely on it for anything--ever.

I always thought portable GPS's were for backup, and just another tool in
the pilot's bag of tricks!
--
Jim in NC

In article ,
"Morgans" wrote:
A PDA or TabletPC-based system may be a great way to go for backup, but
I wouldn't want to rely on it for anything--ever.

I always thought portable GPS's were for backup, and just another tool in
the pilot's bag of tricks!

It depends on your definition of "backup." If you don't have an IFR
certified GPS, you can not file for IFR enroute or approaches. However,
I routinely file airways and then ask for direct, effectively using my
portable GPS as a primary navigational reference. As long as you are in
radar contact, this practice is legal.

My point is that the portables from Lowrance and Garmin are more
reliable, and use navigation data that is much more reliable, than many
of the TabletPC/PDA software vendors.

In the case of AnywhereMap, I've found fairly obvious and frequent
errors in their navigation data. They are missing low-level obstacles.
The software does not compute great-circle routes. The software was
otherwise riddled with bugs and quirks that made it impossible to use as
any type of reliable IFR reference, in my opinion. It did do well for
weather display, though it only displays a fraction of the XM weather
information that the Garmin 396 displays. There still exists a bug that
makes it impossible to reliably use the PocketPlates product along with
AnywhereMap--this was going to be fixed "soon" months ago.

If I had a panel-mount GPS with the Jepp database, I probably would have
kept the AnywhereMap system. It should be fine for VFR-only use.




JKG

Jonathan Goodish wrote:

It should be fine for VFR-only use.

Which is what the OP said was his case ("Firstly I'm in Australia and
VFR.").

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/TknoFlyer
http://www.pocketgear.com/products_s...veloperid=4415
Reduce spam. Use Sender Policy Framework: http://spf.pobox.com
____________________

Is any portable GPS "IFR certified?" I don't believe you can presently
use any portable GPS as a primary instrument for flying enroute or
approaches and still be "legal," even if you are in radar contact. I
may be incorrect.