Glider Independent Palm Nav Setup

John Doe wrote:
Hi All,
I am looking for some advice on a palm nav setup,
snip

I'm using a Palm M500, SoaringPilot, and a Haicom HI-204S (~US$100)
serial GPS mouse with a 4xAA battery supply. A fully charged M500 gave
me over 8hrs operation with charge still remaining in a driving based
trial.

I keep the Palm in the glider pocket or my Camelback during flight but
plan to use a velcro patch to attach it to my trouser leg as a
"kneeboard" when I want it as a part of my flight instruments. I velcro
the GPS mouse to my sunhat.

I use this system as a barograph and for flight logging rather than
navigation or tasks at present. SoaringPilot has an altitude vs time
plot screen.

The main problem I found was ensuring the GPS cable connector stays
connected to the Palm throughout the flight. After trying several
third-party cradles and some quick serial cable prototypes, I solved the
problem by modifying a clip-on PalmModem to "pass through" the serial
data lines to the RJ11 port where I connect the GPS using a custom
adapter cable. My external 4xAA battery for powering the GPS is plugged
into the power input socket on the Palm Modem. I understand some iPAQs
have a good latching/retaining mechanism on their connectors.

Cheers
Neil
Christchurch, NZ