Aviation GPS for newbie

[Jonathan Sorger]

Thanks to advice from several people, I sold the Garmin Streetpilot that
was given to me as a gift and now wish to 'convert' it into an aviation
GPS.

I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious
to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it...

I have read as many online reviews as I can find and am curious to hear
from those on this list.

I feel as though it's prudent to get one with long-ish battery life (I
rent planes and find that cigarette lighters don't always work). Also
backup in case of power failure...

Yes, I'd like a Garmin 296 but don't have the extra grand...

Thanks,

[hlongworth]

Jonathan Sorger > wrote in message >...
> I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious
> to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it...
>
Jonathan,
I bought the Airmap 1000 back in June (for something like $699)
based on good reviews and users' feedbacks (at rec.aviation.xxxx
newsgroups). The 5" display is very easy to see when flying. We
typically mount the Airmap on the copilot's yolk but sligthly tilted
toward the pilot so both of us can see the screen. If it wasn't for
the obstruction database in the GPS, we would not have continued with
our long x-country flight last month (NY-MI-MN-IL-NY)when the ceiling
dropped down to 1200' at Eau Claire, WI (visibility was 10nm so
spotting those tall towers shown along the route was not a problem).
I have also used the GPS for land nagivation. It does not give
turn-to-turn instruction but provides very detailed map down to street
level. Regarding battery usage, we use rechargeable AA NiMH batteries
(the charger & battery came with package - not sure whether all
dealers provide the same package). There is battery monitor feature
so you know when to change the batteries. I have not kept tracked of
battery usage but pretty sure a set of fully charged battery lasted at
least 10hrs. Since our GPS, MP3 player/voice recorder and Digital
camera all use AA batteries and SD flash memory cards, we keep a bunch
of spare batteries and cards in our flight bags for all of them.
Overall, we are very happy with our choice.

[C Kingsbury]

"Jonathan Sorger" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks to advice from several people, I sold the Garmin Streetpilot that
> was given to me as a gift and now wish to 'convert' it into an aviation
> GPS.
>
> I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious
> to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it...
>

Don't know about the 500/1000 but Lowrance has had a good rep as the dark
horse of aviation handhelds. I had an Airmap 100 for a while I was very
happy with, though to be fair I didn't ask much from it either.

If you *really* want to save money I would go on eBay and find a used Airmap
100 or Garmin 195. Probably under $200 for a full kit if you keep your eyes
peeled.

Best,
-cwk.

[Chris Ehlbeck]

Jonathan,

I just got a Lowrance Airmap 500 about 2 months ago. I am extremely happy
with the unit. Small in size, rich in features. It has an easy to read
screen. It's easy to navigate. I found it at Marv Golden,
www.marvgolden.com for $425.00. I had narrowed it down to the Lowrance
Airmap 500 and the Garmin GPS Pilot III. The lowest price I could find on
the Garmin was $499.00. The Lowrance also comes with: a yoke mount, an
external antenna and a DC cigarette lighter adapter. All of those "extras"
were extra for the Garmin and would therefore add about $100.00 to the
price. But the new Garmin GPS 96 is now selling for $469.00 and comes with
the extras.

But for what it's worth, I do not regret buying the Lowrance one bit!
--
Chris Ehlbeck, PP-ASEL
"It's a license to learn, have fun and buy really expensive hamburgers."

"Jonathan Sorger" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks to advice from several people, I sold the Garmin Streetpilot that
> was given to me as a gift and now wish to 'convert' it into an aviation
> GPS.
>
> I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious
> to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it...
>
> I have read as many online reviews as I can find and am curious to hear
> from those on this list.
>
> I feel as though it's prudent to get one with long-ish battery life (I
> rent planes and find that cigarette lighters don't always work). Also
> backup in case of power failure...
>
> Yes, I'd like a Garmin 296 but don't have the extra grand...
>
> Thanks,

[The Weiss Family]

> Jonathan,
> I bought the Airmap 1000 back in June (for something like $699)
> based on good reviews and users' feedbacks (at rec.aviation.xxxx
> newsgroups). The 5" display is very easy to see when flying. We
> typically mount the Airmap on the copilot's yolk but sligthly tilted
> toward the pilot so both of us can see the screen. If it wasn't for
> the obstruction database in the GPS, we would not have continued with
> our long x-country flight last month (NY-MI-MN-IL-NY)when the ceiling
> dropped down to 1200' at Eau Claire, WI (visibility was 10nm so
> spotting those tall towers shown along the route was not a problem).
> I have also used the GPS for land nagivation. It does not give
> turn-to-turn instruction but provides very detailed map down to street
> level. Regarding battery usage, we use rechargeable AA NiMH batteries
> (the charger & battery came with package - not sure whether all
> dealers provide the same package). There is battery monitor feature
> so you know when to change the batteries. I have not kept tracked of
> battery usage but pretty sure a set of fully charged battery lasted at
> least 10hrs. Since our GPS, MP3 player/voice recorder and Digital
> camera all use AA batteries and SD flash memory cards, we keep a bunch
> of spare batteries and cards in our flight bags for all of them.
> Overall, we are very happy with our choice.

I, too, am very happy with my Airmap 1000.
BTW, where do you get the obstructions database?
That would come in very handy...

Thanks,

Adam
N7966L
Beech Super III

[Darrel Toepfer]

The Weiss Family wrote:

> I, too, am very happy with my Airmap 1000.
> BTW, where do you get the obstructions database?
> That would come in very handy...

Uh, its included into the Airmap series, just zoom in close enough to
see the towers and their height...

http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Products/AM1000/AM1000_fullmap.asp

[The Weiss Family]

"Darrel Toepfer" > wrote in message
. ..
> The Weiss Family wrote:
>
>> I, too, am very happy with my Airmap 1000.
>> BTW, where do you get the obstructions database?
>> That would come in very handy...
>
> Uh, its included into the Airmap series, just zoom in close enough to see
> the towers and their height...
>
> http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Products/AM1000/AM1000_fullmap.asp

I misunderstood obstructions for terrain.
Does anyone know of a database for the Airmap 1000 that has terrain
elevation?

[Thomas Borchert]

Chris,

> But the new Garmin GPS 96 is now selling for $469.00 and comes with
> the extras.
>

Ah, and you just have to wonder where they came up with that form
factor, haven't you? ;-) Also, the buttons are still at the wrong end.

--
Thomas Borchert (EDDH)

[Darrel Toepfer]

The Weiss Family wrote:

> I misunderstood obstructions for terrain.
> Does anyone know of a database for the Airmap 1000 that has terrain
> elevation?

Terrain avoidance is coming to the 2000C, or was once advertised...

I would think that true color is required to show what to avoid. That
would rule out the 1000...

http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Products/AM2000C/AM2000C_fullmap.asp

A PC emulator of the 1000/500 is available here:
http://www.lowrance.com/Software/PCSoftware/demos.asp

[hlongworth]

Jonathan Sorger > wrote in message >...
> I'm debating a Lowrance Airmap 1000 (or possibly a 500) and am curious
> to hear opinions of happy/sad pilots who own it...
>
Jonathan,
I bought the Airmap 1000 back in June (for something like $699)
based on good reviews and users' feedbacks (at rec.aviation.xxxx
newsgroups). The 5" display is very easy to see when flying. We
typically mount the Airmap on the copilot's yoke but slightly tilted
toward the pilot so both of us can see the screen. If it wasn't for
the obstruction database in the GPS, we would not have continued with
our long x-country flight last month (NY-MI-MN-IL-NY) when the ceiling
dropped down to 1200' at Eau Claire, WI (visibility was 10nm so
spotting those tall towers shown along the route was not a problem).
I have also used the GPS for land navigation. It does not give
turn-to-turn instruction but provides very detailed map down to street
level. Regarding battery usage, we use rechargeable AA NiMH batteries
(the charger & battery came with package - not sure whether all
dealers provide the same package). There is battery monitor feature
so you know when to change the batteries. I have not kept tracked of
battery usage but pretty sure a set of fully charged battery lasted at
least 10hrs. Since our GPS, MP3 player/voice recorder and Digital
camera all use AA batteries and SD flash memory cards, we keep a bunch
of spare batteries and cards in our flight bags for all of them.
Overall, we are very happy with our choice.

[Chris Ehlbeck]

"Thomas Borchert" > wrote in message
...
> Chris,
>
> > But the new Garmin GPS 96 is now selling for $469.00 and comes with
> > the extras.
> >
>
> Ah, and you just have to wonder where they came up with that form
> factor, haven't you? ;-) Also, the buttons are still at the wrong end.
>
> --
> Thomas Borchert (EDDH)
>

Yes I couldn't help but notice the similarity of the Airmap and the new
Garmin. And the buttons are at the wrong end! With the Airmap you can use
them without obstructing the screen.
--
Chris Ehlbeck, PP-ASEL
"It's a license to learn, have fun and buy really expensive hamburgers."

[The Weiss Family]

"Darrel Toepfer" > wrote in message
. ..
> The Weiss Family wrote:
>
>> I misunderstood obstructions for terrain.
>> Does anyone know of a database for the Airmap 1000 that has terrain
>> elevation?
>
> Terrain avoidance is coming to the 2000C, or was once advertised...
>
> I would think that true color is required to show what to avoid. That
> would rule out the 1000...
>
> http://www.lowrance.com/Aviation/Products/AM2000C/AM2000C_fullmap.asp
>
> A PC emulator of the 1000/500 is available here:
> http://www.lowrance.com/Software/PCSoftware/demos.asp


Bummer.
That is the one feature I don't have that I wish I did...
Maybe on the next one I get...