Advice for an absolute GPS nub

[Deano777]

I am looking into buying a GPS, I want it for 2 things, flying and driving, there must be a way of combining the 2? I was thinking along the lines of a PDA or Ipaq to do the job, I dont want to buy brand new so eBay will probably be my 1st port of call, can anyone tell me how I go about getting the software for a particular unit etc and what software, maybe give some tips as to the best unit to buy.
I am a complete nub when it comes to GPS' as I like the traditional means of navigating, but as Im going to use it for driving I may as well incorperate the 2

Thanks in advance

Dean

[Whopity]

The type of software normally used in cars will not be much use in an aeroplane as it is invariably "road" based with little other information.

Probably the best mapping software is Memory Map; it utilises UK 1:250000 charts 1:500000 aviation charts (at a price) and 1:50,000 charts if you want more detail.

Its usefull on the ground and in the air in that it shows you where you are, but not much else.

PDAs even when fully bright can appear quite dim in an aeroplane or car on a sunny day!

The first thing to ask yourself is What do you actually want it to Do? Then look for something that does what you want. The PDA is a good solution if you don't really know, and want flexibility to experiment. They are not very robust and need a power supply to keep them going; the connector is usually the weak point of the system! Garmin units can be much more robust, tailored to various needs such as aviation, but the mapping may not have the same detail.

The mapping software will probably cost more than the GPS Unit!

[Mike Cross]

There's a huge variety of stuff.

For in-car use you really need something that will give you turn by turn directions. This is not as simple as it seems. You're heading north up the A3 and want to go west on the Hogs Back. Although the roads cross each other you can't get from one to the other in that direction, you have to take a link road half a mile before the junction. If you're heading east on the Hogs Back you can join the A3 northbound at the junction but not southbound. These are the things that a proper car navigation package will deal with. Memory Map will not, all it does is show your position on an OS map.

Everyone has their own favourite, you need to find out what yours is, the trouble is it's not easy to test drive them.

[jabberwok]

My normal GPS is a Garmin GPSIII Pilot but I have also been experimenting with software on a PDA. I have an HP4150 and have loaded this with both the Tom Tom road software and PocketFMS. Both work extremely well using the Tom Tom bluetooth GPS receiver.

It was not all plain sailing though. It took some time to get Pocket FMS working properly - this involved a Registry tweak to get it to lock onto the GPS receiver.

Whopity is right on a couple of points. The PDA screen can be pretty awful in direct sunlight. Avoid this and the display is good - twice the size of the Garmin display and in colour too! For some screenshots see here (http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/04fs/tutorial/GPS.htm). Yep, the article is aimed at users of FS2004 but don't be fooled as I have used the PDA in our Citation flights too.

You will also have to seriously think about cost. If you are trying to pick up a PDA cheaply you will still have to budget some serious money for the road software, GPS receiver, a memory card (ideally 512Mb) and the aviation software.

[M14P]

Garmin 296 with automotive pack does all the things that you require with a lovely display, excellent turn-by-turn directions and a really good rechargeable battery.

As far as eBay is concerned be VERY careful since GPS seems to be one of the 'bait' products for defrauding the unwary out of large chunks of cash.

Adams (either online or just wandering in at Biggin Hill) seemed to be the best in terms of price, helpfulness and out and out product knowledge...

m

[TheOddOne]

I've just bought the Garmin GPSMAP 96 monochrome version after 23 years of using map, compass & stopwatch. I used it for the first time on Monday for a 3-leg 50nm trip having already done the flight plan on the map and kneeboard. I'm still feeling my way with it. I really don't see me ever being able to just put a route into it, then just follow the GPS, so it will, for me, only ever be a backup and an indication of how close I am to controlled airspace etc. I know of people who seem to just jump in, no map, fire up the GPS and find their way in all weathers, but I can't see myself doing that!

The 96 fits on the yoke on a PA28 nicely and is easily readable in daylight without the backlight on. There seem to be plenty of satellites penetrate to the unit without an external aerial. The bottons are easy to use even with gloves on.

I've tried it in the car, too, and all I can say is that I've been able to calibrate the speedometer more accurately, pretty useless with the basic aviation map for road use.

I'll persevere with it during the summer, but at over £300 for a base model I could have done another 4 hours flying with the money. Maybe one day I'll be thankful that I've made the investment.

I tried reading the handbook but I still don't feel confident that I know how to use it properly. I tried out the 'go to' function a few times as that's probably what I feel I'd get benefit from most in an emergency, but I found I had to search from basics for locations, a bit time-consuming and fiddly if you had a problem. I also found I was 'head-in' for a lot longer than I like, not good when you're traversing between the LHR, LTN & STN zones! I knew where I was, but not what I might have collided with!

I think I'd like to do a few flights as a pax to get to play with it properly in the air to get the hang of it - perhaps it's just my aged brain that's too set in its ways to take to it quickly.

Cheers,

The Odd One

[Captainkarl]

Ha ha! Now I have a use for my disused IPAQ 1910! For flight sim! and maybe a GPS!! Jabberwok could you explain what you did to get Pocket FMS

"It was not all plain sailing though. It took some time to get Pocket FMS working properly - this involved a Registry tweak to get it to lock onto the GPS receiver."

It seems confusing but if I can get it to work it would be like a FREE GPS unit to me!lol

Thanks

[jabberwok]

Most of the setup for the PDA is described here (http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/04fs/tutorial/GPS.htm) with links included to the software needed - GPSOut for FS and PocketFMS.

http://www.homepages.mcb.net/bones/04fs/tutorial/GPS2.jpg

I have included the settings I used but they may not be universal. I checked some aviation forums and the PFMS forum first and found that users reported various combinations that would work. Trial and error got me the one that fitted my own kit.

The O/S of the PDA is important as I think PocketFMS is only for Win2003 at the moment - I think a Palm version is being worked on.

[Deano777]

Guys thanks for the replies
I havent really got a budget in mind, Im not "too" concerned with the PDA screen being a little dark in sunlight as I will always use the ol' plog & stopwatch, I guess I dont really know why I want one, I just feel the need to get one :\ I just got a promotion at work so I feel like treating myself (shh dont tell the wife) and thought I may as well combine the 2.
Thanks for the replies anyway, it's given me something to work with, any other comments / suggestions feel free to fire away

Rgds

Dean

[S-Works]

Garmin 296 and auto pack as stated above is suberb. Clear and easy to use and readable in any light. Great battery life, and even audible turn by turn directions. It is better than the built in GPS in my car.

[Fuji Abound]

IMHO for road use there is no substitute for TomTom Navigator on a PDA. The voice commands are excellent as is the map particularly in 3D mode. Third party software to enable the inclusion of speed radar cameras for example is also very useful.

For the plane the decision is much more difficult. There are a few packages around like FMS. The problem is they provide little more than a moving map as useful as that can be. The downside is that they are quite difficult to actually use in the air if your detail is changing or perhaps in IMC when you don’t want to be fiddling with the interface. I personally reckon that Anywhere in terms of its concept is by far and away the best product because it is really simple to change destinations or weigh points en route, display extended centerlines so useful for accurate positioning in marginal weather and a host of other easy to use features. The downside is they have not up dated the eastern database for sometime (it is an American product) which is a great shame because otherwise it would be perfect. In fact this is not the end of the world and I still find it is the easiest of the PDA aviation products to use.

I have found the TomTom bluetooth receiver excellent for its rapid acquisition time and ability to pick up satellites even when the receiver is shielded. The absence of cables is also a real bonus.

In my view other than for occasional use any pda really needs to have some means of connecting to mains battery. The battery life is not great and if you start to “rely” on the system you will find when you get to your destination you have inadvertently left either the receiver or PDA switched on so that by the time you are ready to return home the batteries are flat!

[grow45]

Does anybody have any experience with the new Garmin Iqe 3600a (the one with the dedicated aviation cradle) which seems the ideal solution for somebody who does not have either a GPS or a PDA and is in the market for both.

g45

[Footless Halls]

I've always been a "map 'n' stopwatch" kind of navigator, but after a couple of nasty experiences decided I must carry a gps as a backup.

having been an 'early adopter' of pda's I looked very carefully at the Tom Tom/Pocket FMS concept.

Thing is, the times in the cockpit when you REALLY need a gps is when the workload is high and your attention on the gps itself is low.

I decided against the pda route in the end as I felt (feel) that pda's are just not robust enough.

In the end I decided on a Garmin 196. OK, so it's not colour, but it's very robust and well-designed. it takes a bit of getting used to, but a couple of trips as P2/nav will help you get experience. And you are ALWAYS going to use it as backup to your PLOG so you can build up experience with it as you fly.

I've used it on the road & I find it fine for that too, though I'm happy to compromise my road nav rather than aviation nav as I'm less bothered by the road stuff.