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#1
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Aviation GPS for newbie
Thanks to advice from several people, I sold the Garmin Streetpilot that
was given to me as a gift and now wish to 'convert' it into an aviation GPS. I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it... I have read as many online reviews as I can find and am curious to hear from those on this list. I feel as though it's prudent to get one with long-ish battery life (I rent planes and find that cigarette lighters don't always work). Also backup in case of power failure... Yes, I'd like a Garmin 296 but don't have the extra grand... Thanks, |
#2
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Jonathan Sorger wrote in message ...
I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it... Jonathan, I bought the Airmap 1000 back in June (for something like $699) based on good reviews and users' feedbacks (at rec.aviation.xxxx newsgroups). The 5" display is very easy to see when flying. We typically mount the Airmap on the copilot's yolk but sligthly tilted toward the pilot so both of us can see the screen. If it wasn't for the obstruction database in the GPS, we would not have continued with our long x-country flight last month (NY-MI-MN-IL-NY)when the ceiling dropped down to 1200' at Eau Claire, WI (visibility was 10nm so spotting those tall towers shown along the route was not a problem). I have also used the GPS for land nagivation. It does not give turn-to-turn instruction but provides very detailed map down to street level. Regarding battery usage, we use rechargeable AA NiMH batteries (the charger & battery came with package - not sure whether all dealers provide the same package). There is battery monitor feature so you know when to change the batteries. I have not kept tracked of battery usage but pretty sure a set of fully charged battery lasted at least 10hrs. Since our GPS, MP3 player/voice recorder and Digital camera all use AA batteries and SD flash memory cards, we keep a bunch of spare batteries and cards in our flight bags for all of them. Overall, we are very happy with our choice. |
#3
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"Jonathan Sorger" wrote in message ... Thanks to advice from several people, I sold the Garmin Streetpilot that was given to me as a gift and now wish to 'convert' it into an aviation GPS. I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it... Don't know about the 500/1000 but Lowrance has had a good rep as the dark horse of aviation handhelds. I had an Airmap 100 for a while I was very happy with, though to be fair I didn't ask much from it either. If you *really* want to save money I would go on eBay and find a used Airmap 100 or Garmin 195. Probably under $200 for a full kit if you keep your eyes peeled. Best, -cwk. |
#4
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Jonathan,
I just got a Lowrance Airmap 500 about 2 months ago. I am extremely happy with the unit. Small in size, rich in features. It has an easy to read screen. It's easy to navigate. I found it at Marv Golden, www.marvgolden.com for $425.00. I had narrowed it down to the Lowrance Airmap 500 and the Garmin GPS Pilot III. The lowest price I could find on the Garmin was $499.00. The Lowrance also comes with: a yoke mount, an external antenna and a DC cigarette lighter adapter. All of those "extras" were extra for the Garmin and would therefore add about $100.00 to the price. But the new Garmin GPS 96 is now selling for $469.00 and comes with the extras. But for what it's worth, I do not regret buying the Lowrance one bit! -- Chris Ehlbeck, PP-ASEL "It's a license to learn, have fun and buy really expensive hamburgers." "Jonathan Sorger" wrote in message ... Thanks to advice from several people, I sold the Garmin Streetpilot that was given to me as a gift and now wish to 'convert' it into an aviation GPS. I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it... I have read as many online reviews as I can find and am curious to hear from those on this list. I feel as though it's prudent to get one with long-ish battery life (I rent planes and find that cigarette lighters don't always work). Also backup in case of power failure... Yes, I'd like a Garmin 296 but don't have the extra grand... Thanks, |
#5
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Jonathan,
I bought the Airmap 1000 back in June (for something like $699) based on good reviews and users' feedbacks (at rec.aviation.xxxx newsgroups). The 5" display is very easy to see when flying. We typically mount the Airmap on the copilot's yolk but sligthly tilted toward the pilot so both of us can see the screen. If it wasn't for the obstruction database in the GPS, we would not have continued with our long x-country flight last month (NY-MI-MN-IL-NY)when the ceiling dropped down to 1200' at Eau Claire, WI (visibility was 10nm so spotting those tall towers shown along the route was not a problem). I have also used the GPS for land nagivation. It does not give turn-to-turn instruction but provides very detailed map down to street level. Regarding battery usage, we use rechargeable AA NiMH batteries (the charger & battery came with package - not sure whether all dealers provide the same package). There is battery monitor feature so you know when to change the batteries. I have not kept tracked of battery usage but pretty sure a set of fully charged battery lasted at least 10hrs. Since our GPS, MP3 player/voice recorder and Digital camera all use AA batteries and SD flash memory cards, we keep a bunch of spare batteries and cards in our flight bags for all of them. Overall, we are very happy with our choice. I, too, am very happy with my Airmap 1000. BTW, where do you get the obstructions database? That would come in very handy... Thanks, Adam N7966L Beech Super III |
#6
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The Weiss Family wrote:
I, too, am very happy with my Airmap 1000. BTW, where do you get the obstructions database? That would come in very handy... Uh, its included into the Airmap series, just zoom in close enough to see the towers and their height... http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Pro...00_fullmap.asp |
#7
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"Darrel Toepfer" wrote in message . .. The Weiss Family wrote: I, too, am very happy with my Airmap 1000. BTW, where do you get the obstructions database? That would come in very handy... Uh, its included into the Airmap series, just zoom in close enough to see the towers and their height... http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Pro...00_fullmap.asp I misunderstood obstructions for terrain. Does anyone know of a database for the Airmap 1000 that has terrain elevation? |
#8
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Chris,
But the new Garmin GPS 96 is now selling for $469.00 and comes with the extras. Ah, and you just have to wonder where they came up with that form factor, haven't you? ;-) Also, the buttons are still at the wrong end. -- Thomas Borchert (EDDH) |
#9
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The Weiss Family wrote:
I misunderstood obstructions for terrain. Does anyone know of a database for the Airmap 1000 that has terrain elevation? Terrain avoidance is coming to the 2000C, or was once advertised... I would think that true color is required to show what to avoid. That would rule out the 1000... http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Pro...0C_fullmap.asp A PC emulator of the 1000/500 is available he http://www.lowrance.com/Software/PCSoftware/demos.asp |
#10
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Jonathan Sorger wrote in message ...
I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it... Jonathan, I bought the Airmap 1000 back in June (for something like $699) based on good reviews and users' feedbacks (at rec.aviation.xxxx newsgroups). The 5" display is very easy to see when flying. We typically mount the Airmap on the copilot's yoke but slightly tilted toward the pilot so both of us can see the screen. If it wasn't for the obstruction database in the GPS, we would not have continued with our long x-country flight last month (NY-MI-MN-IL-NY) when the ceiling dropped down to 1200' at Eau Claire, WI (visibility was 10nm so spotting those tall towers shown along the route was not a problem). I have also used the GPS for land navigation. It does not give turn-to-turn instruction but provides very detailed map down to street level. Regarding battery usage, we use rechargeable AA NiMH batteries (the charger & battery came with package - not sure whether all dealers provide the same package). There is battery monitor feature so you know when to change the batteries. I have not kept tracked of battery usage but pretty sure a set of fully charged battery lasted at least 10hrs. Since our GPS, MP3 player/voice recorder and Digital camera all use AA batteries and SD flash memory cards, we keep a bunch of spare batteries and cards in our flight bags for all of them. Overall, we are very happy with our choice. |
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