Handheld GPS: Lowrance or Garmin? [Archive]

Heliharm

15th May 2006, 12:58

I have been looking for a handheld GPS and as I look at the price the Lowrance is much cheaper than the Garmin. I there a big difference between the two? The Lowrance Airmap 600c looks a nice model to me with a lot of features, even terrain alert.
And if I want to buy a chart for this GPS device, for instance Spain, which of the chart suppliers is then the best? Jeppesen or any other? Which has tje most accurate data with all the villages etc?
I hope that anyone can give me some info.

Thanks, Heliharm :cool:

SASless

15th May 2006, 14:35

My only experience with portable GPS units is the Garmin. I have two myself and have used a third version. All three are great pieces of kit. Maps are readily available. I would not consider anything else but that is because I have not used anything else and find the Garmins good value for cost. During all of the years I have used the Garmins....not one problem of any kind. Updates are available and easy to obtain and install.

B Sousa

15th May 2006, 14:37

Magellan, Lowrance, Garmin.....all pretty good and you usually get what you pay for. Make sure you get one that is upgradable.
Personally Im a Garmin fan. www.garmin.com and usually buy over the internet using something like this to compare prices. www.pricegrabber.com
I have purchased from here www.gpsnow.com with good results.

CopterD

15th May 2006, 14:38

Hey Heliharm,
already missing the FMS? :)
Good to see everything is going well in the south,
Ciao,
D

malabo

15th May 2006, 15:17

Nobody I know with a Garmin 296 or 396 has any regret of not having an FMS. The really odd thing is that I see these handheld Garmins even in aircraft that have already got God's Gift to FMS systems, or any other GPS system except a Garmin 530 or 480.

I agree with SASless, I'd go Garmin, probably 296 if I wasn't in North America. They were heads above when I started using their handhelds years ago (no, the panel-mounts weren't any hell in those days), and now seem to be at the top on both. You can download both Jepp aviation data, and TAWS terrain data for most parts of the world, over the internet. If you buy the accessory datacard you can load all kinds of other map information (1:50,000 terrain, streets of any city or town, etc) from the Garmin Mapsource CD's.

Malabo

Helinut

15th May 2006, 20:23

There always seem to me to be 2 advantages to a portable GPS, if you are working in a freelancy sort of way:

You can put in a full plan at your leisure before you get to the airfield and get involved in hassle; and

You really, really are familiar with your own kit and there is a comfort feeling to that

22clipper

16th May 2006, 01:28

I had a Garmin 89 for years & recently got an airmap 500. The AirMaps menus aren't as intuitive as the Garmin & the LCD contrast is poorer which makes for harder reading because they also use a smaller font than the Garmin.

The airport runway orientation feature on the Airmap is nice but, if I had my time over again, I think I would go Garmin.

Gordon Bennet

16th May 2006, 02:13

The Lowrance screen redraw is quicker, but the software and support for Lowrance in UK can best be described as cr*p. Whoever sells it must live in a cottage somewhere with a permanent answerphone, so it's difficult to get your waypoints on unless you key in every one. As a result I ebayed by Lowrance and went with Garmin.

If you want a basic non-aviation one, I can recommend the 76S, because it also has an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter, in case you are away from base. Disadvantage of that and the 96C (they have the same case) is that they don't lie flat with the power plug in.

The 296 is worth every penny.

G

Heliharm

17th May 2006, 14:19

Thanks for the info, seems that Garmin has taken the trophy on this one.

Heliharm :cool:

leee

18th May 2006, 09:12

If its a cheap gps your looking for though.
I just bought a lowrance 500 with the jeppesen international database from http://www.airplanegear.com/lowrance.htm
its says $399 but when i emailed for a price it was $299 with the colour one down to $399. Ended up costing about 180 pounds with delivery, i got it in a week, and it came with lots of extras like a sucker mount and a yoke mount (whatever that bits for :E ) data card reader and map create software. Seems like a good bundle.
Leee...

helidecks

18th May 2006, 21:34

Garmin is good and support there if needed. Jeppesen plates/charts are clear and seen their new CA charts very nice.:ok:

biplanegear

7th Jun 2006, 21:58

[quote=Gordon Bennet]The Lowrance screen redraw is quicker, but the software and support for Lowrance in UK can best be described as cr*p. Whoever sells it must live in a cottage somewhere with a permanent answerphone, so it's difficult to get your waypoints on unless you key in every one. As a result I ebayed by Lowrance and went with Garmin.

If you want a basic non-aviation one, I can recommend the 76S, because it also has an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter, in case you are away from base. Disadvantage of that and the 96C (they have the same case) is that they don't lie flat with the power plug in.

The 296 is worth every penny.

I suggest you read the current UK Pilot magazine Airmap2000c review and the comment on excellent Airmap service from the importer www.delahay.co.uk (http://www.delahay.co.uk).

I purchased from them, they are the only Airmap people in the UK who have been importing Lowrance gps for ten years and know more about the products than all of the other sellers put together.

They did tell me that many pilots do not read the manuals provided in the box.

Would I buy from them a gain, you're damn right I would, they know all about airmap.

They will not support you if you cannot quote the airmap serial number or if you have bought your airmap from abroad, personally, neither would I in my business if someone else had taken an order and then I was expected to offer free advice.

Maybe you should read the manual as I was told, most of it is all in there if you look.

And yes they do have a business premises and the proprietor has been current as a pilot for over 40 years on a variety of types, so he does know a little about flying he told me.

nigelh

8th Jun 2006, 00:09

sounds like you are him:=

Gordon Bennet

8th Jun 2006, 00:40

All I know is that when I tried to get software to communicate with the thing I rang some number near Ipswich several times and left a message on a cheap chinese answering machine. No courtesy of a reply.

At the time, the Lowrance package looked good, but at least Garmin supply the waypoint software with their machines. It would have cost me more in the end to get the Lowrance operational the way I wanted it.

Maybe Lowrance have got their act together. Who knows? Not by what you said:

"They will not support you if you cannot quote the airmap serial number or if you have bought your airmap from abroad, personally, neither would I in my business if someone else had taken an order and then I was expected to offer free advice."

Who said I wanted free advice? I wanted to buy more stuff! It was a N American machine and I wanted some maps. Not the way to treat prospective customers at all. I wouldn't have lasted long in my computer business if I had that attitude. Free advice and good service is why I always go back to Kwik-Fit.

Gord

ron-powell

8th Jun 2006, 04:17

Hey guys:

Been a Garmin owner since 1995, but just sold a Garmin 12XL and bought a Lowrance Airmap 1000. I was looking for a backup aviation receiver with ground map features. The Airmap display is almost 5” square, which is nice on these eyes. Runs on 4 AA bats for about 10 hours. It also has a hard plastic cover which completely shields the front of the receiver so it can take a beating in a bag.

Besides some nice aviation functions, the big seller, beyond the display, was that the Airmap uses a standard SD card for memory. You pull it out of the unit and plug it into a card reader, so the receiver doesn’t talk directly to your PC via cable. The receiver also lets you delete user data. But as bad as that might sound, you have a copy of it on the SD card for reload. This function allows you to have different groups of data, so things don’t have to be cluttered on the display. This has been extremely helpful at work with normal waypoint route planning and plotting hazards.

Ron Powell

biplanegear

8th Jun 2006, 11:21

[quote=Gordon Bennet]All I know is that when I tried to get software to communicate with the thing I rang some number near Ipswich several times and left a message on a cheap chinese answering machine. No courtesy of a reply.
--------------------------
:= I don't know why you are slating the agent, they are not based anywhere near Ipswich, because I have called on them at their business premises where I was made most welcome, so what is the name of the company, you thought, you were trying to contact, all sounds a bit vague to me, that sort of internet talk can damage a business that,frankly doesn't deserve it.:=

:) No, unfortunately, I am not him, wish I was, I fly nearby at a local club.:)

Gordon Bennet

10th Jun 2006, 00:16

blave

10th Jun 2006, 06:58

I used to own a non-aviation Garmin unit - until I left it in a rental car in Denver :* . I also had a 195 for a while, but it was too big so I went back to my original aviation GPS - an Airmap 100, which is a very nice fit when velcro'd to the very basic kneeboard that I use for helo flying. I bought that over the competing Garmin unit (forget the model number) due to the long list of included accessories, which were (are) all expensive add-ons to the Garmin units.
However, if I buy another aviation handheld, it will probably be a Garmin. I can't really put a quantitative finger on it but I like their user interfaces better. I have a fair amount of experience with their panel mount GNS430/530s and those are truly stellar units (at least w.r.t. the State Of The Art these days). Garmin tends to be fairly consistent in their user interfaces from unit to unit, at least as much as is possible (the GNX80 that they inherited from their acquisition of UPS's aviation hardware branch is a notable and sad exception). Right now I'd probably buy the Garmin 96, although their PalmOS-based unit is interesting since I'm a long-time PalmOS user.
My subjective analysis of the costs of Lowrance and Garmin products is: Garmin knows that they own the (aviation) GPS market so they set fairly high prices. Lowrance knows that Garmin owns that market so they try to price their units more attractively (or, at least include more accessory bits) to stay in the game.
I suspect folks at Lowrance would disagree with my analysis :} .
Dave Blevins
USA

biplanegear

12th Jun 2006, 11:03

I wouldn't have rung whoever it was if they hadn't been putting themselves out as "agents" for Lowrance in whatever pilot magazine I was reading and able to supply the bits and pieces I needed. Whether it was the people you are mentioning or not I don't know and frankly I don't care - the essential point is that Lowrance have lost a customer (me) because of the lack of support for their product, and it is unlikely that I will consider their products again. Your agents might be nice guys, but demanding a serial number before they will do business is not a good way of keeping customers! Personally, if I have to use Lowrance products under conditions like that, I will buy Garmin every time.

G :rolleyes: When I visited this fellow, we had quite a chat about airmaps and learnt that others had got on the bandwagon in the UK just shifting boxes with minimum product support, so I can appreciate how he felt if others were trying to undermine them while they offer support for their customers free of charge.

He told me that one particular company had attempted to put him out of business by initially selling grey imports and crashing prices overnight, he believes selling at a loss, so I can understand his stance, I would feel the same, wouldn't you ? :D

He's apparently had people on the phone taking up his time wanting to know about the airmap they bought in the states, you know, to avoid vat.

I would say the same, go back to your supplier, if they sell a box, then they should support it.

I find him an agreeable fellow, met him recently at the local field where showed me the new airmap600c, two other pilotshops in the UK have immediately crashed the price of it and they haven't even got one in stock yet, he tells me, he's not worried tho', he is still the most competitive by far.:ok:

Heli_Sticktime

12th Jun 2006, 16:25

Have owned a Garmin since the GPSIII came out, four units later I own a 296, I agree, Garmin is the way forward:ok:

magbreak

12th Jun 2006, 17:49

I use an Ipaq 5455 with a Navman sleeve at present (soon to be updated). I use a program called Pocketfms and if I need an OS map I can download from Fugawi which gives OS coverage of the UK. Memorymap also do the CAA 1:250000 and 1:500000 charts which can be loaded on as well.

Then into the car and Tomtom shows me the way :O

HELOFAN

13th Jun 2006, 22:03

I am just about ( god I hope its soon ) go to school to do my CPLH.

I was planning to pick up a lap top and GPS to help me in my training.

I was pretty stuck on the Garmin 396 till I litterally stumbled on this page when I wasnt looking for a GPS.... Anyway I digress.

www.aviationsafety.com/fl_190.htm

I looked at the comparison it does with the 396 ( right hand side of page about half way down ) and am now interested in this if it is a good thing.

Has anyone heard of this manufacturer and does anyone know of this GPS ...good reports or bad , I am interested.

:ugh: Choices choices....it makes my head hurt !

HELOFAN

14th Jun 2006, 19:58

No Replies tells me something about this product I think.

HF

Heli_Sticktime

15th Jun 2006, 17:27

I'm not sure Helofan, I own a 296 as I said earlier and am very happy with it, but that FL19 looks amazing....or too good to be true:hmm:
I would definitely speak to someone who actually owns one before buying it. As for the 396, I don't know if it's worth you spending the extra money on the weather feature unless you're going to use it in the states. It doesn't work here in SA, not sure if it works in the UK?

HELOFAN

15th Jun 2006, 17:48

I am going to be doing my training in the States and then hopefully be working there for the next year, so it would be handy but after that & outside the USA ...... will its main function still work ?

The weather feature looks very handy & makes me wonder why it doesnt work outside of the states.....

The big question is , if any of the units are used out side the states for example , will they work in other parts of the world , like Australia , or do you have to get it rechipped ( $$$$ for no real reason ) or download all the different maps as well ?

Its a lot of money to spend , not sure if I want to keep adding $$$$ and lots of it just to keep the tool working .

Thanks for your input, from what I could see on the site , it is only going to work in the USA cause of all the XM stuff and doesnt seem to mention anything out side of USA .... then again neither does the Garmin but I am sure it does..... doesnt it.

Will the GPS ( Garmin or any other ) work out side the USA ( excluding the features that require XM or US suported stuff ) ???

HF

Heli_Sticktime

15th Jun 2006, 20:36

Helo, Garmin has three main geographic regions it caters for, but this only relates to geographic and Jeppeson(airfield) data, the units will work anywhere in the world from a GPS point of view. However if you buy the unit in the states for instance, and you move to Oz, you wont have airfield data like frequecies, names & co-ordinates, and you possibly won't have terrain data either, but the unit will still have the basic base map of the area. You'll have major towns and roads etc. I doubt the weather will work as I'm pretty sure it's only for the USA and part of Europe.

When they ship the units they load the info for that particular area, you can buy the memory cards with additional info if you like. If you're unsure of where you are going to work I'd wait before buying the unit, but then again you could sell it, I have always sold my old units when I have upgraded without much advertising. Good luck:ok:

HELOFAN

15th Jun 2006, 20:43

Thanks for your input , much appreciated.

I think , I will pick one up when I get there & make the decision with the pressure of having to have one then.

HF

Aussie Andy

23rd Jun 2006, 12:18

Well have read the various comments and have deceide to go for a Lowrance 1000 -- just ordered it from George Delahay (http://www.delahay.co.uk/acatalog/) as he had best price and a number of people have said they got good service.

The reason I have decided to order the Lowrance AirMap 1000 is because I have a Garmin GPS-III Pilot which I have been using happily for a few years, but it has a some weaknesses that I don't like and want to improve upon:
GPS III's display is small and resolution not fabulous... ok in HSI mode but map is not ideal. Not too bad for seeing airspace boundaries, and relative position of airfields, but wanted something a bit bigger and a bit better than the GPS-III's display.
The buttons on the small Garmin unit are a touch fiddly, especially the arrows which make it just as easy to enter "up" as "left" for example -- this has been an issue when diverting due wx say, using the the "Direct To" function -- you can be fiddle-farting around with the arrow buttons trying to seelct your alternate airfield... its doable but not ideal.
Garmin units don't have global basemap, and I want to be able to use the unit when travelling both in the US and Australia, as well as day-to-day here at (my new) home in Blighty. The GPS-III (and I think most other Garmin units) have basemap data for one part of the world or another, burned into ROM in the factory, and can't be readily changed by the user; whereas I am told the Lowrance has a basic global basemap, with low detail, and you can use their (somewhat poor) software to upload more detailed local base-maps for a given area if you wish.So time will tell if the new model will live up to my hopes -- I will let you know how I get on!

Andy :)

BlenderPilot

23rd Jun 2006, 13:37

Aussie Andy,

Garmin Units do have a Global Base Map, I have an old Pilot III that has been used from in a good part of North and Central America as well as Europe and Africa, you are right that Garmin units come preloaded with a permament Base Map for a certain region, what happens for example is that if you purchase the Americas region version all of the American continent will have a extremely detailed map with roads and cities and the works, and for Europe and Africa for example it will only have country borders, large cities and rivers, lakes. but no roads. I still prefer this to using a non Garmin GPS.