Pocket-PC checklist before flight

Greetings!

It's the beginning of our soaring season here in Australia - and
thought I'd start a checklist for setting a Pocket-PC before (and
after) use with navigation. During the week my Pocket-PC is an
invaluable work tool - but some of it's 'features' are nuisances
in flight!

Anyone out there checklist orientated and already been
here-done-that??

Power, and Display are two I am constantly grappling with . . .
the thing often seems to have a mind of it's own . . .

Also: What is the best way to handle reminders during navigation
program use? The reminders that pop-up are bad news whilst flying
(or driving).

I have discovered a setting in: Settings.personal.sounds&notif-
ications.notifications.select an event: 'reminders' (scroll right
to the bottom) UNTICK: "display message on screen". . .

But I am left wondering how do I ever see what those reminders
were now that I have switched off the pop-ups to the display?

There is often a series of reminder icons along the bottom of the
screen - but touching them simply makes them vanish.

Anyone know - or can comment?

Thanks and best regards,

Jim Kelly.

(My Pocket-PC is currently an iPaq H5550 with 'Windows 2003').

Power, and Display are two I am constantly grappling with . . .
the thing often seems to have a mind of it's own . . .

What navigation software? and do you use ship power (I hope) or
internal battery only?

Using ship power, set the Power (untick) 'Turn off device..... x
minutes'

If battery only, you should untick this as well in flight, but realize
it will drain right down if you forget to turn it off.

Careful with the unit between flights, pressing ANY button powers it
up, and if you have unticked the 'power off' setting you drain the
battery.

On external battery you can set backlight to full on and not to turn
off.


Also: What is the best way to handle reminders during navigation
program use? The reminders that pop-up are bad news whilst flying
(or driving).


Turn off display of reminders as you have discovered. You can keep or
turn off a sound warning. The icons appear as a reminder so it assumes
you will check manually later using the calendar (#2?) button.

but why are you scheduling things for a flying day anyway?? -)

Other .. get an SD card (512MB SD cards are low cost now, in Canada
anyway) or CF card and put all your flight files, profiles,
waypoiints, tasks, on it. One day you may lose all your data and have
to reset the device to 'empty of user data' to recover. On my SD card
I have everything, including Mobile SeeYou executables so I could
borrow any pda and go flying.

Buy a spare unit one day.

If you use your logger GPS, consider a CF GPS as backup. You mentioned
driving so I am guessing you have a GPS for it now.

Have a spare cable set around. Unless you have a local supply.

Check that your 5V power converter is high efficiency and will not
drain down your ship battery. Consider a separate battery just for PDA
power. Or at least separate from your other nav units. Terrible to
lose everything at once.

Backup to the SD card before and after any major software change. This
lets you restore a unit when it has to be hard reset and you do not
have your desktop or laptop with you.

Take backup to the desktop regularly, maybe Friday nights before a
flying weekend.

Winter is coming here, I envy you!! Have fun!

Bob

Thanks for the great advice Bob.

To address your questions:
What navigation software?
WinPilot for gliding, CoPilot for driving.


do you use ship power
Whenever possible - but we all need solutions for those times
when in another 'vehicle'.


Careful with the unit between flights, pressing ANY button
powers it up
Reminder popups turn the unit on too! (precipitating my main
question).


check manually later using the calendar (#2?) button
Mmm - I tend to often set reminders for longer than a day
("Fred's renewal proposal due in 10 days"). I have a feeling that
if such a warning occurs when the message displays are turned off
then the silly thing dismisses my reminder altogether . . .
Although I could expect to see it on the desktop - I worry that
the synch process will dismiss it there too if I don't remember
to look carefully before synching!!


get an SD card
Great advice, along with learning to use the backup program (easy
once you release what it is doing and DO send the backup to the
'storage-card' and not to the default location).


so I could borrow any pda and go flying
Nice benefit - I hadn't realised that! Obviously any licence
codes would need consideration.


Buy a spare unit one day
Bliss!


Here are the ways to reach the settings that I have determined
need consideration:
I have not been definitive as they need to be checked before and
after flights.

(for Windows Pocket PC 2003 - but not 2nd edition which may
differ)


Start.Settings.personal.sounds&notifications.notif ications.select
an event: 'reminders' (scroll right to the bottom) change
"display message on screen"!!

Settings.system.power.main:
When on battery power:
TURN OFF DEVICE if not used for [3] minutes.

When on external power:
TURN OFF DEVICE if not used for [30] Minutes.

Start.Settings.system.power.USB CHARGING:
Make sure tick is on [I use 'fast']

Start.Settings.system.backlight:
When on battery power:
TURN OFF BACKLIGHT if not used for [3] min.
TURN ON BACKLIGHT if button pressed, etc.
When on external power:
TURN OFF BACKLIGHT if not used for [10]min
TURN ON BACKLIGHT if button pressed, etc.

Start.Settings.system.backlight.BRIGHTNESS . . .
(brightness affects power consumption)

Some of these settings need to be different when NOT
flying/driving - so need changing frequently.

Hope this helps. Are there any other points Bob and I have
overlooked?

Cheers,

Jim Kelly