A different GPS question - Thoughts on Pocketfms

[Exasperated]

Greetings
Looking for a new GPS and have been looking at Pocketfms as an alternative.
Does anyone have any experience of it (especially in the UK) and what are the pros and cons of the system?
Will only use for VFR flying along with my trusty map of course but it looks too good to be true especially if you pay for the enhanced maps.
TIA
Ex

[Fuji Abound]

Pros

- excellent European cover (and much further afield as well)

- regular updates, and some very good regional user groups now forming

- good user configurability, including the ability to enter your own procedures should you wish

- solid maps, with all the vital inforamtion, including danger areas and class A airspace, often absent on some moving maps

- dirt cheap!!

Cons

- not always the perfect user interface for use in the air - see Anywhere maps for my view of the almost perfect interface, but it is not too bad

- the quality of the handheld is important. The application is processor intensive and requires lots of storage - for the more detailed maps reckon on at least a 512K SD card

- battery use is poor (not entirely the fault of the software). If you want to use it in the air without external power you will need a high capacity battery - you can then expect up to three hours.

I could add much more - let me know if you have any specific issues.


New and in theory faster maps are due very soon.

[Henry Hallam]

I use it as a nice big pretty moving map in combination with my Garmin Pilot III which holds the actual route and shows relevant airspace.

Generally good software and shows a lot of promise. It is great for some additional situational awareness, lots of towns and villages on the map which is handy, and I like the planning features, but I will not be using it for primary nav or even primary GPS yet.

I have experienced the occasional crash but my main gripe is the poor quality of the airspace information - ATZs are not shown at all, several low altitude airways are missing altogether and could easily be run into if unprepared. It would also be nice if it could display NOTAMs.

You do need a decent sized card but a 512MB card costs about £15 nowadays so that shouldn't really be a big factor.

[dublinpilot]

I use PocketFMS all the time, and am very happy with it.

If you already have a PocketPC PDA, then it's really a no brainier for VFR flying. It's clearly the cheapest way to a gps (if you already have the PDA) and it's an extremely capable system.

Firstly the disadvantages.

1. The database doesn't have a big company like Jeppesen behind it. It does have a small number of errors. Garmins etc have too, but PocketFMS probably has a few extra. If you do your planning properly using a chart, then this isn't a much of an issue.

2. The screen on most PDA's isn't particularly bright for use in direct sunlight. It is perfectly usable, but not quite as good as a colour Garmin.

3. As the PDA, GPS and software are all independent there is more room for problems to happen. In practise these tend not to be a problem once you've got your system to work. Software issues seem to be largely ironed out at this point.

4. You will need to power it from the cigarette lighter, to keep your PDA alive.

Advantages
1. Pretty much world-wide coverage.
2. Colour GPS.
3. Database updates are free.
4. Software updates are free, and regular.
5. The developers listen to their customers, and regularly add new features requested by them.
6. VRPs are included around European airfields. These are not included in Garmins. Don't know about other gps's.
7. Seamless integration with your PC makes planning, very very easy.


On balance I would whole heartedly recommend it. Or to put it another way, if my PDA/gps died today, I would buy another rather than a Garmin gps.

dp

[rubber]

does pocketfms cover the australia airspace as well?

[Fuji Abound]

Yes it does

[ex jump pilot]

I use Pocketfms on my Medion (which my wife bought for me from Halfords in the UK to stop rows in the car re which road to take). I've tried it out in the car to get more familiar with it and used it y'day (with flight plan) in the Cub I fly. Very happy with it as a supplement to my chart reading and to act as a 2nd opinion as to which way to go when leaving distant airfields to get home.
The dashboard screen is quite valuable as it give ground speed. Have yet to use it for estimating the wind.
The Medion doesn't have a very bright screen so a fair amount of the menu is unreadable and requires a bit of memory to click on the required item. In fact, I just toggle between the map and the dashboard. Just make sure that you set it up before you get into the aircraft (and turn it off to save some battery power).
The breadcrumbs file does reveal how much I wander about in flight.
Yes, the databases do have the odd error but I don't rely on them (that's why I know about the errors).
Overall, I'm very impressed with it. I've even used it in commercial flights to help stave off boredom...