GPS Choices ... Garmin296/496, Skymap3C, Lowrance2000C

[PH-UKU]

OK folks - anyone out there willing to share their experiences of some of the GPS units above ?

FWIW - I had an Avmap EKP-IV ... after 18 months, 3 replacement units, a broken nipple :eek: and possibly the worst customer support in the world .. I gave up. Nice display and nice map ... but don't expect the Italians to respond to emails or complaints. At least Harry's have treated me fairly :ok:

Now looking at one of 3 possibles, but intend to put it in as a panel mount.
Garmin296/496 - what is the difference ? Can we get the Tfc info + Wx in UK?
Lowrance 2000C - cheap and cheerful - how good are the maps ?
Skymap 3C - Well tried and tested I believe - anyone got screenshots of West Scotland?

Mostly for VFR tootling around Scotland, so good map presentation (particularly depiction of lochs and terrain ;) ) would be preferable.
Also planning some Euro-trips, so maps must have European databases.
Easy to input/goto user waypoints, VRPs and nearest airfields.

All help appreciated ... and might even lead to a wee water landing (http://www.scotlandonfloats.com) ;)

[Mariner9]

Not tried the rest, but IMHO the Skymap IIIC is the dogs whotsits for VFR flying.
Don't have a screenshot from Scotland, but here's one from Spain showing high terrain, sea, VRP's etc. We's requested a transit of Alicante's airspace (the purple arc shows the boundary), and they'd asked us to route DCT to VRP "November Echo." Easily achieved from within the GPS flightplan with a couple of button presses...
http://i9.tinypic.com/4grjmsz.jpg

[IO540]

Much depends on what you want it to do.

The Skymap 3 doesn't contain batteries, so it's 100% aircraft power and unless you make up a battery pack it won't be any good if you get a power failure.

I have just bought a Garmin 496, for use as a backup GPS and a TAWS device for IFR. It's nice enough but I wish the screen was bigger.

the worst customer support in the world

I can believe that, having nearly bought that unit. They have a good marketing setup in the USA but in Europe they are absolute total idiots.

[nouseforaname]

Skymap 3c is crap. It's REALLY old technology and massive. And really slow. We've got one in the a helicopter and it does the job there but to be honest for fixwing flying i'd panel mount a Garmin 496. You get so much more feature wise for your money and you get terrain I think.

Garmin are miles ahead in the GPS world I think....

[n5296s]

All depends on what you need I guess. I just bought a Lowrance 600C for $499 as a backup for my in-plane Garmins. It's an incredible deal - for that you get the unit itself, including internal battery holder, yoke clamp kit, suction mount, auxiliary antenna, ship's power cable, ...

It's quite a small display, which in my case is what I want. I looked at another couple of devices which were much more expensive and then you had to pay even more for mounting hardware and the like.

The weather has been so cr@p that I haven't actually taken it up in the plane yet, but it looks as though it has all I need and more. Definitely a happy customer, so far anyway.

n5296s

[JTobias]

I fly Fixed and Rotary wing and operate an Enstrom 480 helicopter which has just had a full avionics refit (in fact it was completed yesterday). Originally it had a gimball mounted skymap IIIc which I hardly ever used. I just didn't like the screen resolution or the way it displayed features. I much preferred the Garmin 496 (previously I had a 296).

Yesterday, however after viewing my new panel in the hangar, I think I am going to be pleasantly surprised by the new kit which has been fitted. The Skymap IIIc has been replaced by a KMD 150 which is effectiveley the panel mount version. The screen seemed much brighter, but sadly I can't fly the aircraft yet due to another technical issue which is being resolved, so I don't really know how much better it is. I have also panel mounted the Garmin 496 using the panel mount kit and this looks great.

IMHO I would go for the 296 (not the 496) unless spending the extra cash isn't an issue. You will not notice the faster refresh rate, the preloaded VRP's can be loaded manually from a csv file (I have them if you want them) and you can't use the wx feature yet.

If you want any more help just let me know.

[SkyHawk-N]

JTobias,
The KMD150 is not a panel mounted Skymap IIIC, a panel mounted Skymap IIIC is a Skymap IIIC with a panel mount kit.

The KMD150 is a Color Multifunction Display/GPS.

Anyway, I like the Skymap. True it doesn't have batteries (although a cigarette lighter power cable is supplied), but installed in the panel the size is a bonus. Easy to see and easy to push the buttons. It does have terrain and the speed of it is just fine. Support from the manufacturer has been great.

No complaints from me or anyone else who has flown my aircraft.

Here is a picture of the GPS showing Newfoundland on the Cessnas delivery flight to the UK....

http://www.csharpprogrammer.com/pictures/gps.jpg

[SkyHawk-N]

Here is the Skymap IIIC user guide. It may help someone considering buying one.

https://www3.bendixking.com/servlet/com.honeywell.aes.utility.PDFDownLoadServlet?FileName=/TechPubs/repository/1100110431_9.pdf

[PH-UKU]

Well went along with an open mind and tested all three today.

1- Skymap - not impresed - reminded me of Spectrum 48k (crossed with a mobile phone brick) with a looooong clunky update when you zoom in/out. Kept waiting to see chunky space invaders drop down from the top line ...

2- Garmin - nice looking unit, small screen, very intuitive menus and easy to use buttons and nicely presented info - especially airfield info. But found the mapping lacking. Colours looked very washed out and the detail level seemed poor - depiction of water features was very 'blocky'. Example, Loch Tulla (just south of Glencoe) doesnt even feature and it is about 2.5 miles long. And some of the high ground is just plain wrong - some out by 1000 feet.

3- Lowrance 2000C - was pleasantly surprised. Better map presentation than both the other (will help the situational awareness 'switch' between GPS map and quarter mil chart). Loch Tulla was well depicted, accurate outline. Seemed to lack placenames or river/loch names. Buttons (particularly the 4 way joystick pad) not as responsive as Garmin and GOTOs needed an extra couple of presses. Buttons will take a wee bit of getting used to, but two presses for airfield info is good. Terrain heights more accurate than Garmin but tricky to find exact peaks... anyway should be looking out the window :E
£200 cheaper than Garmin :eek:


Now if Garmin did a bigger and more detailed display (with touchscreen) then they'd be onto a total winner !!
Any other user comments from the real world ? Ease of inputting waypoints, use in the field ?

[IO540]

And some of the high ground is just plain wrong - some out by 1000 feet

Do you have an example? I know that Jeppesen terrain data is routinely out by anything up to a few thousand feet and mostly in the unsafe direction (open up Flitestar for an easy way to see this) but the Garmin 496 has elevation data which, according to Garmin, is taken from the SRTM (http://mac.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/factsheets/fs07103.html)radar imagery and this data is accurate to 100ft in the USA and 300ft outside. It has been found to be uncannily accurate in various locations, with mountaintop heights being spot on (and having obviously been manually fixed-up). I have just installed a G496 for use as a TAWS device - it's cheap at 10x the price, literally, just for this. The same data is also available for the GNSx30.

Back to the subject, I don't think there is a clear contender. Based purely on look and feel, the Avmap EKP IV would easily win IMHO. But the support is terrible and it will probably die in the market as the distributors gradually drop it.

The Skymap 3C is out of date by about 5 years, although it does everything it says on the tin. I fly behind a KMD550 MFD which is basically the same technology, and the display is OK. Then again, I have a separate GPS which drives the MFD (KLN94) and that takes care of the user-input interface, which on the Skymaps is horrid. I used to load flight plans from Navbox into my Skymap 2 and avoided touching it after that. There are serious defects in the elevation data there too, with the terrain colouring, and spot heights, being way off.

That leaves Garmin, Lowrance, etc and it's down to preference. I have little experience with these.

[tangovictor]

Flymap
have you seen tried this ?

[IO540]

Yes, we have been here before :)

A tablet based GPS offers additional possibilities, at a generally higher price than any aviation GPS.

[tiggermoth]

Flymap - is that the one that runs on Windows (or Windows CE on a Pocket PC?). I wouldn't trust my life to Bill Gates.