What fields do you use on your Garmin Pilot 3
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What fields do you use on your Garmin Pilot 3
Now settling down with my Pilot 3, and very happy I am with it too.
Still need to get my head round what data is appropriate on which page and would appreciate any other views.
Here is what I have at the moment:
Map Page - standard page used for general situational awareness and providing information for TRPACER reports
Speed
Dist to Next
Time to Next
ETA at Next
Note I don't use Altitude as I don't think it is that accurate on the GPS - correct me if I am wrong.
HSI Page - used for steering guidance onto course
Course
Bearing
Track
Off Course
RoadMap Page - totally useless function as far as I am concerned, but at least provides space for more data. Question is what?
Any ideas?
Still need to get my head round what data is appropriate on which page and would appreciate any other views.
Here is what I have at the moment:
Map Page - standard page used for general situational awareness and providing information for TRPACER reports
Speed
Dist to Next
Time to Next
ETA at Next
Note I don't use Altitude as I don't think it is that accurate on the GPS - correct me if I am wrong.
HSI Page - used for steering guidance onto course
Course
Bearing
Track
Off Course
RoadMap Page - totally useless function as far as I am concerned, but at least provides space for more data. Question is what?
Any ideas?
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Just use the basics on mine, have turned off all controlled airspace warnings and altitude. Just use for backup to confirm I am where I thought I was on hazy days. Useful in an aircraft without DME, at least it then provides distance to destination. Don't remember it having a roadmap page.
Maybe I should use it more.
Maybe I should use it more.
The Original Whirly
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Spent a happy Christmas break after I bought it learning how to use everything on it. After that found I only used the map page as a back-up, and sometimes the "Go To" function. Which means I've now forgotten how to do everything else!
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I've had my P3 since the summer and to be truthful, I've not had enough flying to really use it properly.
I think my fields are set to:-
Speed
Distance to Next
Turn Left or Right,
working on the principle that if I know speed and distance, I can roughly work out Time to Next and I can add that to Wristwatch to give me my ETA.
Keeping the display fields constant between pages means that I don't have to keep flipping to & fro, looking for the right info.
I think the RoadMap is the page with the route in a black line and 'marker boards' at each waypoint. I quite like that page, you fly to the line and then follow it.
At the end of the day - what you show is a personal choice, there is so much information that its easy to drown in the data. As Whirly said, knowing how the 'Go-to' function works is a good idea
Mono - the airspace warnings are somewhere in 'settings' .
I think my fields are set to:-
Speed
Distance to Next
Turn Left or Right,
working on the principle that if I know speed and distance, I can roughly work out Time to Next and I can add that to Wristwatch to give me my ETA.
Keeping the display fields constant between pages means that I don't have to keep flipping to & fro, looking for the right info.
I think the RoadMap is the page with the route in a black line and 'marker boards' at each waypoint. I quite like that page, you fly to the line and then follow it.
At the end of the day - what you show is a personal choice, there is so much information that its easy to drown in the data. As Whirly said, knowing how the 'Go-to' function works is a good idea
Mono - the airspace warnings are somewhere in 'settings' .
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I'm using a Garmin 196 and I don't know how similar it is to the P3. I find it useful to have the split screen view of map and data fields - Dist Next, Speed, ETE Next, ETA Next, HSI.
Nearing destination I usually go to "full screen map" for clearer detail of the area. A problem with mine recently was that it kept switching itself off mid-flight for some reason (fine vibrations?). Strangely it has apparently cured itself of this.
I assume the P3 has similar function to the 196?
Nearing destination I usually go to "full screen map" for clearer detail of the area. A problem with mine recently was that it kept switching itself off mid-flight for some reason (fine vibrations?). Strangely it has apparently cured itself of this.
I assume the P3 has similar function to the 196?
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I just love the pilot 3, nice and easy to program,just make sure you turn them bloody alarms off!!!!! I use distance to next waypoint, tthe pointer(very handly) speed and distance, had to spend abit of time in my bedroom playing but all done now!!! Also make sure you do the programing on the ground as trying to do it in the air on your own is a bit of a nightmare!!!
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Surprised at how little people seem to use the functions (with the responses so far).
hollywood285 - why is the pointer useful? Surely you can get that info from where you are on the map as against the course-linne.
DF1. The P3 Map Page has similar functions to the 196, but doesn't have an HSI on the same page, you need press page to get the HSI. I have NavBox Pro, and it too is a gem for uploading routes to the P3.
Kolibear. I've confused everybody by calling the HighWay Page the RoadMap Page. Just does what the HSI does in my view. But horses for courses I guess.
Happy to hear more suggestions...
hollywood285 - why is the pointer useful? Surely you can get that info from where you are on the map as against the course-linne.
DF1. The P3 Map Page has similar functions to the 196, but doesn't have an HSI on the same page, you need press page to get the HSI. I have NavBox Pro, and it too is a gem for uploading routes to the P3.
Kolibear. I've confused everybody by calling the HighWay Page the RoadMap Page. Just does what the HSI does in my view. But horses for courses I guess.
Happy to hear more suggestions...
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df1
I seem to remember Garmin publishing this as a problem with the P3 a year or two ago. It is something to do with slightly loose batteries and if you ring them they will supply you with an insert for the battery case that stops it recurring...don't know if this is the same problem with the 196.
i have just got a P3 to replace my 89 and its something of a revelation!! I'm amazed at the difference between having 9 channels and 12. I used to quite often struggle to get a lock on my 89 but i put my p3 on in my living room and it locked on it about 3 secs with an EPE of 30 feet!! Not bad for in-doors!!!!
I seem to remember Garmin publishing this as a problem with the P3 a year or two ago. It is something to do with slightly loose batteries and if you ring them they will supply you with an insert for the battery case that stops it recurring...don't know if this is the same problem with the 196.
i have just got a P3 to replace my 89 and its something of a revelation!! I'm amazed at the difference between having 9 channels and 12. I used to quite often struggle to get a lock on my 89 but i put my p3 on in my living room and it locked on it about 3 secs with an EPE of 30 feet!! Not bad for in-doors!!!!
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Monocock asked.
How do I turn off the airspace warnings that flash up every 10 flippin' seconds?
Go to setup in the menu, scroll along the top to Airspace, just turn off what you don't want, like all of them in my case.
How do I turn off the airspace warnings that flash up every 10 flippin' seconds?
Go to setup in the menu, scroll along the top to Airspace, just turn off what you don't want, like all of them in my case.
We had one at my old work. Came in handy over the North Sea. I tended to navigate with it using the map page + ETA dest, ETA next fix, groundspeed & (I think) dist to next fix. I made frequent use of the E6B functions to get wind info. Necessary for me due to range & alternate limitations when the wind was strong.
I loathed that bloody circular/oval cursor button! I lost track of the number of times I nearly tossed the thing overboard because the cursor would move 90 deg to where I intended. Why the hell couldn't they have put 4 arrow keys on it like Lowrance did for theirs?
I loathed that bloody circular/oval cursor button! I lost track of the number of times I nearly tossed the thing overboard because the cursor would move 90 deg to where I intended. Why the hell couldn't they have put 4 arrow keys on it like Lowrance did for theirs?
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Slightly off topic, but...
Planning to get one for my birthday in the spring, so: P3, 96 or 196? (Don't think I need colour, unless someone wants to suggest why I do!)
P3 - cheap, small & easy to mount; screen rather small
96 - screen bigger, but more expensive;
196 - lovely big screen, and not that much more than a 96, but probably overkill
At the moment I have a very basic eTrex, which I bought to see if I would actually use it - and I do, mostly for pseudo-DME. But I've flown a 172 with the 2001 Nav fit (i.e. big colour screen GPS) and now I'm spoilt and want one in every plane I fly...
Tim
Planning to get one for my birthday in the spring, so: P3, 96 or 196? (Don't think I need colour, unless someone wants to suggest why I do!)
P3 - cheap, small & easy to mount; screen rather small
96 - screen bigger, but more expensive;
196 - lovely big screen, and not that much more than a 96, but probably overkill
At the moment I have a very basic eTrex, which I bought to see if I would actually use it - and I do, mostly for pseudo-DME. But I've flown a 172 with the 2001 Nav fit (i.e. big colour screen GPS) and now I'm spoilt and want one in every plane I fly...
Tim
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tmmorris,
the p3 is extremely good value now - due to be discontinued soon I believe. This is what I use, and find that the screen is plenty big enough in real world use, and the whole unit is nice and compact compared with most of the others.
It has so much functionality, that you can tailor your readouts to suit - I thought before I got it that I'd use it for lots of things, but I find that I only use it as backup to sanity check my location and heading to destination - it has saved me those 'where thefkar-we' moments. From the comments above, it seems that most use GPSs in the same vein - so why pay more for something bigger, bulkier, and no more 'real world' useful ......
A
the p3 is extremely good value now - due to be discontinued soon I believe. This is what I use, and find that the screen is plenty big enough in real world use, and the whole unit is nice and compact compared with most of the others.
It has so much functionality, that you can tailor your readouts to suit - I thought before I got it that I'd use it for lots of things, but I find that I only use it as backup to sanity check my location and heading to destination - it has saved me those 'where thefkar-we' moments. From the comments above, it seems that most use GPSs in the same vein - so why pay more for something bigger, bulkier, and no more 'real world' useful ......
A
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Very well made point, Algirdas.
Here I am trying to squeeze more functionality out of it, and it seems that I already use it more ways than most others! Presumably I too will soon become blase, and use it as a sanity check and for the occaional "goto"
.
Begs the question, what are the VFR guys using their whizzo £1k units for???
Here I am trying to squeeze more functionality out of it, and it seems that I already use it more ways than most others! Presumably I too will soon become blase, and use it as a sanity check and for the occaional "goto"
.Begs the question, what are the VFR guys using their whizzo £1k units for???
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I used to have the Pilot III and have just moved onto the 96C. Both units are pretty much the same size, screen doesn't seem much bigger, but the resolution on the 96C is much better.
My main suggestions for what fields to use include using the "Next Waypoint Name" on the Map & HSI. No matter what other fields you use, without this you could be steering towards the wrong place! On the map page I use the Pointer, Time To Next, and Dist. The pointer is useful as an emergency brain dead guide should you become confused for any reason.
I mostly only fly with the HSI page as it allows for more accurate track control. You can perfrom an "OBS Set & Hold" as you approach your destination to input the Runway centerline. Couple this with the VNAV & you've got a mini ILS.
As for the 96C, my sugestion is that you will get much more for your money staying with the Pilot III. The 96C comes with a Yoke Mount which is OK but very bulky. The P3 is beter as it has a neat little screw on the back that allows you to make a simple mount to attach it to your kneeboard.
The 96C doesn't come with a carry case so add £13, It doesn't have an external aerial, so add £70, and doesn't come with a Serial Port cable, so add £23. (It does come with a USB connection but my version of Flitestar only works via the Serial port.)
So, I bought it for £445, and spent £106 on extras, plus postage and the total investment was around £580!! I sold my old Pilot III for around £220. Now I realize who got the better deal.
The features on the 96C are nothing special at all. The Obstacle alert facility doesn't seem to work in the UK as Jeppesen hasn't included them in the database. The "Select Approach" function which allows navigation to the FAF & MAP on published instrument approaches souds useful, but is actually quite confusing. The waypoint management system requires too much button pressing and feels disorganized.
The good points about the 96C are that its COLOUR and that it only uses only 2 x AA batteries which last much much longer than the Pilot III. The 96C comes with a nice software program which allows you to download your flight history. The Pilot III has this facility via Flitestar, but the 96C is much better as it not only displays the Track, but also Height, Speed, Times and can be displayed as a profile (altitude X-section) so you can monitor the accuracy of your climbs & descents.
So, stay with the Pilot III if you can, but if you want to upgrade to the 96 series get the 96C over the greyscale 96 otherwise you won't notice the difference and feel ripped off!!
My main suggestions for what fields to use include using the "Next Waypoint Name" on the Map & HSI. No matter what other fields you use, without this you could be steering towards the wrong place! On the map page I use the Pointer, Time To Next, and Dist. The pointer is useful as an emergency brain dead guide should you become confused for any reason.
I mostly only fly with the HSI page as it allows for more accurate track control. You can perfrom an "OBS Set & Hold" as you approach your destination to input the Runway centerline. Couple this with the VNAV & you've got a mini ILS.
As for the 96C, my sugestion is that you will get much more for your money staying with the Pilot III. The 96C comes with a Yoke Mount which is OK but very bulky. The P3 is beter as it has a neat little screw on the back that allows you to make a simple mount to attach it to your kneeboard.
The 96C doesn't come with a carry case so add £13, It doesn't have an external aerial, so add £70, and doesn't come with a Serial Port cable, so add £23. (It does come with a USB connection but my version of Flitestar only works via the Serial port.)
So, I bought it for £445, and spent £106 on extras, plus postage and the total investment was around £580!! I sold my old Pilot III for around £220. Now I realize who got the better deal.
The features on the 96C are nothing special at all. The Obstacle alert facility doesn't seem to work in the UK as Jeppesen hasn't included them in the database. The "Select Approach" function which allows navigation to the FAF & MAP on published instrument approaches souds useful, but is actually quite confusing. The waypoint management system requires too much button pressing and feels disorganized.
The good points about the 96C are that its COLOUR and that it only uses only 2 x AA batteries which last much much longer than the Pilot III. The 96C comes with a nice software program which allows you to download your flight history. The Pilot III has this facility via Flitestar, but the 96C is much better as it not only displays the Track, but also Height, Speed, Times and can be displayed as a profile (altitude X-section) so you can monitor the accuracy of your climbs & descents.
So, stay with the Pilot III if you can, but if you want to upgrade to the 96 series get the 96C over the greyscale 96 otherwise you won't notice the difference and feel ripped off!!
I use mine for backing up dead reckoning technique, and as such, I use the eta at next, dist to next, and pointer (as my brain does become a little dulled up there).
Yawning dog, take the point about next waypoint name. A simple mistake, but one easilly made I guess.
I've got the best use of mine since I started playing with the functions whilst being a passenger in a car. Could make the odd f%^k up, without upsetting anyone.
At the moment, I'm trying to get to grips with the freeware here but yet to find one that suits my needs, guess I'm going to have to fork out £70 on a pofessional syste,m.
Yawning dog, take the point about next waypoint name. A simple mistake, but one easilly made I guess.
I've got the best use of mine since I started playing with the functions whilst being a passenger in a car. Could make the odd f%^k up, without upsetting anyone.
At the moment, I'm trying to get to grips with the freeware here but yet to find one that suits my needs, guess I'm going to have to fork out £70 on a pofessional syste,m.
GPS fields
Although I rarely use my GPS, much less than I expected to when I bought it, I find the most useful fields are Track, GS, distance-to-next and time-to-next on the same page.
If the timings on the plog aren't quite working out during the cruise, which can be confirmed by the time-to-next giving a different estimate from the plog, I'll adjust the aircraft heading until the GPS TRK is the same as the plog TRK. The compass/DI then makes it easy to see the drift. Couple that with the groundspeed, it allows me to work out the actual wind vector in flight. Plog revisions made easy, and quicker (in my experience) than using the numbers observed on previous legs.
Someone mentioned that the GPS 3 has E6B functions to do just this, which I never realised. I might have to experiment, provided it doesn't need too much button pushing in the air, as my sausage-like fingers would make a dogs dinner of it.
If the timings on the plog aren't quite working out during the cruise, which can be confirmed by the time-to-next giving a different estimate from the plog, I'll adjust the aircraft heading until the GPS TRK is the same as the plog TRK. The compass/DI then makes it easy to see the drift. Couple that with the groundspeed, it allows me to work out the actual wind vector in flight. Plog revisions made easy, and quicker (in my experience) than using the numbers observed on previous legs.
Someone mentioned that the GPS 3 has E6B functions to do just this, which I never realised. I might have to experiment, provided it doesn't need too much button pushing in the air, as my sausage-like fingers would make a dogs dinner of it.
