Value for money GPS
I posted something on the flyer.co.uk forum recently about use/conversion of land GPS handheld units vs aviation handheld units.
I don't really want to flame all the forums, but I'm really interested to see if anyone has had experiences with various modern handheld GPS units and could relate those for the benefit of all.
On the other forum, we established a few things.....
1. I'm a self-confessed tight old g*t, looking to beat the aviation GPS resellers and get me a bargain unit that's useful for VFR flight.
2. As a baseline/ideal, comparing units & functionality to a Garmin Pilot III (b&w moving map, HSI) retailing at c.£445 in the UK (which I think is an excessive price - bah humbug).
3. All the current garmin GPS range (land & air) can handle up to 999kts so speed range isnt an issue with any unit.
4. Garmin say you cant load aviation software into their land units because there's a hardware difference.
5. By the time you import an aviation unit into the UK from the US, VAT & delivery make the price difference negligible.
So - for slow VFR flight, using a GPS solely as a backup aid to good ole map reading, compass and stopwatch, does the extra price of a Pilot III pay off compared to buying a (say) Garmin II+ or III+ and working off a road map database?
Some of these land units cost as little as £100 or so - granted, not moving maps, but seemingly good enough to get you around between waypoints.
...and now I've just spotted some Magellan units at around £100 with optional aviation databases at £80 extra. Anyone with experience of these?
All opinions valued.............