Thinking of a GPS...
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 13,787
Likes: 0
From: EuroGA.org
KCDW
I have a plane with a top end panel mounted GPS etc but have been playing around with a PDA for use as a backup GPS in case of a total electrical failure.
Presently the backup is a Skymap 2 (monochrome, low-res screen) aviation GPS in a bag, but one can get a Toshiba E800 with a 640x480 display which beats any piece of avionics for display quality. I am using a bluetooth GPS receiver with the PDA, and the PDA is running OziExplorer. It is a great solution if you can get the CAA (or whatever) charts scanned into big TIFF files.
But...
If the GPS is turned off/on the PDA doesn't reliably lock back on, and doesn't make it clear, either!!
If the PDA is turned off/on, likewise.
It is possible to get the PDA into a state where is shows you about 20 miles away. This is obviously completely unacceptable. The cure is to reload the map file!!
One has to merely touch the PDA touch screen where there are some "buttons" and the thing responds to the button press and of course does something unwanted.
So I think that PDAs are OK if you set them up at the start of a flight, check for correct operation then, and not touch them. They are probably good, with non-aviation maps, for passengers to look at so they can see in familiar terms where they are.
It's a real shame because the promise is there; aviation GPSs use very dated technology. But the products are too flimsy and the software has not been written with pilots in mind. For example it would be trivial to offer an option to completely disable the touch screen.
For real navigation, I would never use a PDA as my only GPS. I would get a moving map aviation GPS, current-design. Not e.g. the Garmin 195 which is widely sold but is a 10 year old design.
And get a rooftop aerial fitted if you can.
I have a plane with a top end panel mounted GPS etc but have been playing around with a PDA for use as a backup GPS in case of a total electrical failure.
Presently the backup is a Skymap 2 (monochrome, low-res screen) aviation GPS in a bag, but one can get a Toshiba E800 with a 640x480 display which beats any piece of avionics for display quality. I am using a bluetooth GPS receiver with the PDA, and the PDA is running OziExplorer. It is a great solution if you can get the CAA (or whatever) charts scanned into big TIFF files.
But...
If the GPS is turned off/on the PDA doesn't reliably lock back on, and doesn't make it clear, either!!
If the PDA is turned off/on, likewise.
It is possible to get the PDA into a state where is shows you about 20 miles away. This is obviously completely unacceptable. The cure is to reload the map file!!
One has to merely touch the PDA touch screen where there are some "buttons" and the thing responds to the button press and of course does something unwanted.
So I think that PDAs are OK if you set them up at the start of a flight, check for correct operation then, and not touch them. They are probably good, with non-aviation maps, for passengers to look at so they can see in familiar terms where they are.
It's a real shame because the promise is there; aviation GPSs use very dated technology. But the products are too flimsy and the software has not been written with pilots in mind. For example it would be trivial to offer an option to completely disable the touch screen.
For real navigation, I would never use a PDA as my only GPS. I would get a moving map aviation GPS, current-design. Not e.g. the Garmin 195 which is widely sold but is a 10 year old design.
And get a rooftop aerial fitted if you can.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 517
Likes: 37
From: Kelowna Wine Country
After weeks looking at every conceivble combination on the Interenet I spent hours at Sun and Fun looking at Garmin, Lowrace and other units. Jeez some of theose big screen jobs are clever, and pretty too. My wife wasn't interested because they all come in black case, don't any of these guys ever learn?
Well I'm a sucker for a deal so in the end I plumped for an Airmap 1000 because it was going about $150US under regular street price. It was my choice anyway but I would have left it a couple of months more and then bought over the Inet.
It was my choice mainly for its huge screen, my cockpit is about as bright as can be (Searey, nearly as greenhouse as a glider) but it is always easily readable, I like its intuitive controls, one day soon I'll get round to the manual, Easy loading of data bases (just plug in a standard SD card), easy PC software and it usually sets up just walking arojund my deck.
Roadmap databases are available but generally I prefer maps in the car.
I liked the colour displays on the Garmin products but the screens were much smaller and considerably more expensive. So far I am very pleased with the Airmark.
Well I'm a sucker for a deal so in the end I plumped for an Airmap 1000 because it was going about $150US under regular street price. It was my choice anyway but I would have left it a couple of months more and then bought over the Inet.
It was my choice mainly for its huge screen, my cockpit is about as bright as can be (Searey, nearly as greenhouse as a glider) but it is always easily readable, I like its intuitive controls, one day soon I'll get round to the manual, Easy loading of data bases (just plug in a standard SD card), easy PC software and it usually sets up just walking arojund my deck.
Roadmap databases are available but generally I prefer maps in the car.
I liked the colour displays on the Garmin products but the screens were much smaller and considerably more expensive. So far I am very pleased with the Airmark.
