Any app can request various level of accuracy in background GPS use. As Rowan explained, we use none.

A "to do" app that warns you to do a task when you are in the city may request only very broad and infrequent location updates with almost no extra battery use.

A turn-by-turn navigation app, or a workout tracker may request full accuracy while in the background and indeed chew through battery.

MFD is getting close; you can already buy sensors that work with the iPad and some software that uses them.

My main gripe with them is that they all work over WiFi, which is a pain in the butt. I would hope one day they become Apple licensed "Made for iOS" and can use USB or at least Bluetooth. Nothing like a reliable wired connection for your MFD and PFD...

The problem with ADS-B is that all the affordable stuff is now made for UAT 978 use in the US only. Remember that the FAA re-broadcasts mode-C targets so if you get a UAT receiver you get traffic even for those not aircraft ADS-B out equipped. That's immediate value and they are selling like hot cakes in the US.

For our 1090ES system, it is clearly a chicken and egg problem. Even if a $1000 box existed to receive the air-to-air only broadcasts, you would still only pick up 1% of GA aircraft? Who would pay for that? In Europe the level of ADS-B adoption might be quicker and it may become feasible for manufacturers to make products we too can use, but they won't ever be as useful or good value as in the US. (Thousands of RA-Aus planes operating in G only will simply never install ADS-B out.)

For what it's worth, I have just used OzRunways in anger for the first time, in a small SLA aircraft. Worked a treat, once I worked out how to put my left leg behind my right ear etc ... and the inbuilt GPS was always locked on ... without a remote receiver. So, I suggest you try using it first, before investing in a remote receiver.

Ships were using the old Satnav and GPS plotters were getting more common when I first went to sea as a lowly deckhand and when I did my masters ticket years later I had to show I could do celestial navigation....I've never used a sextant in anger since!

Used it today on a trip Bathurst to Taree. For some reason approaching Newcastle to pick up the Williamtown coastal route the tracking wanted to take me well inland. I had the VTC and also a Garmin Aera 500 and it's easy to keep Australia on the left but a good reason to carry the charts and not rely on the IPad.

Checked it when I got to the motel and the entered plan was correct. I use a Dual XGPS150.

How do you put a twisting and turning track between two waypoints, like the coastal route past Williamtown, into a plan? :confused:

I created a few custom waypoints although these just give a rough route and provide continuity between crossing the coast at each end of the coastal segment. The position problem occurred about 10 miles inland approaching REDHEAD. The planned track was COORANBONG - REDHEAD but the display was displaced up towards MT SUGARLOAF.

If you don't seem to be showing up in the right place make sure the little circle at the bottom left (the cardinal marker circle) is BLUE and not empty. If it's not blue, press it and the map will re-centre on your position.

XXX
Good point. At the time I was a bit busy and just ignored the IPad. Thanks.

The best thing you can do is to take a screen capture (when the issue is occurring) and post it here or send to OZRunways. Even better if you have the lat and long showing in the capture, that way the developers can tell if OZRunways is showing the correct position based on the information being provided to the application by the inbuilt iPad GPS.

I had a ferry yesterday which required the Bass Strait s/e route southbound, and the positioning displayed on the WAC consistently deteriorated until Flinders Island by which time it was some ~8nm out (from visual check).

I eventually brought OzRunways back into check when I changed maps to the Launie VNC, after which a return to the WAC became accurate.

Is this a 'known problem', or one that needs consideration?

John - best bet is to do what I said in my last post #680. If you press the round button and the power button at the same time and send it off to the guys they can tell if the coordinates being received from the inbuilt GPS are accurate or not. (assuming the lat long is being displayed when you take the capture)

I went down to Flinders a couple of weekends back and didn't experience any issues to I doubt there was a map issue or anything as the guys that go there would have said something.

Were you using track-up mode? We have had some reports of the map overlay "drifting".

In 3.0 the map engine is completely rewritten and track-up is rock solid, complete with working pan and zoom without dropping out of track up.

XXX,

If it had remained on an inaccurate presentation I would have used my 4th and 5th hands (I drive a helicopter, remember!) and taken a screen shot, but my immediate consideration was getting it working.

Hence my query: changing map selection from WAC to VNC fixed the erroneous indication. Is this a known problem, is it something for the backroom boys to worry about?

No, it was in north up. I'm hopeless at following an upside down map and that has followed me into 21st century displays ;)

Men use north up.
Women use track up. :ok:

I know what you mean John, I've had some similar issues but mine have always been traced back to reception. Seems OZRunways is (obviously) only going to be as good as the GPS signal that has been supplied to it.

I've used the new version and the map scrolling, speed thereof and general usability or maps appears to be far superior.

Flight Plans
 

Hey fella's, can you submit a flight plan via NAIPS etc from OzR?

Get the NAIPS iPhone app from the same crowd as Ozrunways for getting weather etc and filing/updating flight plans.

For $10, the NAIPS app is probably the most essential tool for Australian aviators. It has limited functionality suited to it's role, but does a great job.

Flight Plans
 

SkyWagon, I use AvPlan app for my pre flight briefing / flight plan submission from my IPad. Haven't needed to use NAIPS for over a year now.

I'm thinking of buying another iPad as a backup/toy for Mrs Bits. I've bought Ozrunways for my iPad, but can I download it onto (my backup) or do I have to purchase another copy?

Love it by the way.
DB