Which PDA ?

Hi Bill,

I'm not sure what type of backlight is used but I've sent an e-mail to NK to
ask. I also asked what the current draw of the ClearNav is.

Of course the current draw is going to be somewhat high, but that is to be
expected. It is the price you pay for a sunlight readable display. If I
remember correctly, at the SSA Convention someone (Chip Garner I believe)
said it will draw about 400 mA at minimum brightness (still quite bright)
and 700 mA at full brightness. I believe my iPAQ hx4700 and iPAQ 210 draw
about 400 mA when full charged, with the backlight on full power. I imagine
that pilots with transponders, radios and ClearNavs will need to go to a
larger battery then they have used in the past. But everyone that has seen
a ClearNav in bright sunlight says it is very, very nice - worth the price
and the current draw.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com


"Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote in message
. ..
Paul, does the ClearNav have an LED backlight screen?

From my research, a screen brightness of 1000 Nits is required for a fully
"sunlight readable" screen. Most PDA's and laptops have about 200 nits.
To get 1000 Nits with a CCL backlight, requires more current that can
reasonably be provided in a battery operated device.

LED backlights seem to be much brighter and use less power than CCL
backlights.

Bill D


"Paul Remde" wrote in message
news:NLtUj.100280$TT4.58952@attbi_s22...
Hi Udo,

The best PDA available is the 1550. You can probably still find a good
one if you keep checking ebay every day for a week or 2.

I fly with an iPAQ hx4700 but I'm moving to an iPAQ 210. It doesn't have
a built in serial port so I have worked out a good solution with a CF
card serial port and a customer Nimbus cradle. The 210 seems a bit
brighter than my hx4700 indoors, but that may be due to the backlight in
the hx4700 getting dimmer over the 2 to 3 years I've had it. It is
similar to the hx4700 (maybe a little better) in sunlight.

Of course, the ClearNav is the best option. It is very readable in
sunlight. I have about 20 customers lined up to buy them - mainly for
that reason. I'm excited because I have been contracted to write the
manual for it. It is a great product that will be very popular. Let me
know if you want to get onto my waiting list.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Udo" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of upgrading my PDA for my GNII.
The display should be readable in sun light. Presently I use a1550 as
primary with a 302 and the 39xx as a back up with a 302A. Maybe I
should get a CAI Nav display and one good PDA. Which one? Please make
recomendations.
Udo

Hi Bill,

Below is the reply from Richard Kellerman at NK.

The ClearNav uses a cold cathode florescent (CCFL) backlight.

The current draw for the ClearNav is 600 mA at full brightness, 300 mA at
min brightness.

It is worth adding that we plan to allow the user to set the default
brightness level, and higher level to which the display will be driven for
about 30 seconds any time a button is pressed.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote in message
. ..
Paul, does the ClearNav have an LED backlight screen?

From my research, a screen brightness of 1000 Nits is required for a fully
"sunlight readable" screen. Most PDA's and laptops have about 200 nits.
To get 1000 Nits with a CCL backlight, requires more current that can
reasonably be provided in a battery operated device.

LED backlights seem to be much brighter and use less power than CCL
backlights.

Bill D


"Paul Remde" wrote in message
news:NLtUj.100280$TT4.58952@attbi_s22...
Hi Udo,

The best PDA available is the 1550. You can probably still find a good
one if you keep checking ebay every day for a week or 2.

I fly with an iPAQ hx4700 but I'm moving to an iPAQ 210. It doesn't have
a built in serial port so I have worked out a good solution with a CF
card serial port and a customer Nimbus cradle. The 210 seems a bit
brighter than my hx4700 indoors, but that may be due to the backlight in
the hx4700 getting dimmer over the 2 to 3 years I've had it. It is
similar to the hx4700 (maybe a little better) in sunlight.

Of course, the ClearNav is the best option. It is very readable in
sunlight. I have about 20 customers lined up to buy them - mainly for
that reason. I'm excited because I have been contracted to write the
manual for it. It is a great product that will be very popular. Let me
know if you want to get onto my waiting list.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Udo" wrote in message
...
I am thinking of upgrading my PDA for my GNII.
The display should be readable in sun light. Presently I use a1550 as
primary with a 302 and the 39xx as a back up with a 302A. Maybe I
should get a CAI Nav display and one good PDA. Which one? Please make
recomendations.
Udo

I happen to know Williams Soaring has some. 1520s and 1550s Check 'em out.

Paul Remde wrote:
Hi Udo,

The best PDA available is the 1550. You can probably still find a good one
if you keep checking ebay every day for a week or 2.
Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

I am thinking of upgrading my PDA for my GNII.
The display should be readable in sun light. Presently I use a1550 as
primary with a 302 and the 39xx as a back up with a 302A. Maybe I
should get a CAI Nav display and one good PDA. Which one? Please make
recomendations.
Udo

--
Message posted via AviationKB.com
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums...aring/200805/1

On May 7, 6:53*pm, Udo wrote:
I am thinking of upgrading my PDA for my GNII.
The display should be readable in sun light. Presently I use a1550 as
primary with a 302 and the 39xx as a back up with a 302A. Maybe I
should get a CAI Nav display and one good PDA. Which one? Please make
recomendations.
Udo

Udo,

I use a 3950 running SeeYouMobile. I address the contrast problem by
turning off the terrain so the background is white, then adjusting the
color and size of all symbols, lines, and fonts for maximum contrast.
I have no problem seeing what I need in sunlight.

I have both the anti-glare screen protector and a shiny, very clear
protector (I have a couple of the 3950s, set up identically, so I have
a backup). Both work well. I actually somewhat prefer the shiny
screen - the display is brighter, but you do have to adjust the angle
occasionally when you get reflections. The anti-glare screen is a
little dimmer (as expected).

See you at Ionia!

Kirk
66

On May 7, 4:53*pm, Udo wrote:
I am thinking of upgrading my PDA for my GNII.
The display should be readable in sun light. Presently I use a1550 as
primary with a 302 and the 39xx as a back up with a 302A. Maybe I
should get a CAI Nav display and one good PDA. Which one? Please make
recomendations.
Udo

Udo,

I have found the Ipaq 47xx is the best without the screen protector
for viewability and full backlight. I also updated the 4700 ROM to
Windows CE 6.0

ROM updates: http://wm6.flyingarizona.net/

Craggy Aero is also developing an instrument. Craggy Ultimate - Screen
Size 6.5 diagonal, sunlight viewable screen, with a backlight
controlled by potentiometer or photo sensor, VGA 680X420 twice the
screen resolution as the ClearNav.

http://www.craggyaero.com/ultimate.htm

Initial flight test were very favorable, no viewability problems with
direct sunlight.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

Hi Gang
My 2 cents worth. All of the current PDAs are very poor in bright
sunlight and are best in the reflective mode without a backlight.
I started with the 1550, then the 3750, then the Navman and most
recently the 5015 ( I think that's the number) which has a GPS and
lasts several hours with its internal rechargeable lithium battery in
the reflective mode. I use GN11. The 5015 is my preferred computer/
logger and is installed in the SparrowHawk.
You must declutter the screen of terrain for the little screen to be
intelligible. You should have a goose neck cradle firmly attached to
the instrument panel or something rigid and you must orient the screen
directly towards your face for optimum viewing visibility. When done
the system is just acceptable.
What are the characteristics of the perfect soaring PDA? For me a
much larger screen is number one. Secondly it must have a reflective
screen clearly usable in shade through bright sunlight - gets rid of
power problems. Must be self contained including battery, GPS, logger
(not secure) and a USB port (convertible to serial port) to connect to
a secure logger for down loading secure IGC files. Must be able to
operate with all the soaring programs such as SeeYou and GN11. Must be
portable and easily removable from its cradle in the glider so that it
can be interfaced with a computer and the battery must be rechargeable
through a USB port for convenience. Something similar to the Garmin
496 with GN11 and some of the stuff I have talked about
above...............?
Dave
Dave

One report on the SeeYou forum indicates the 3950 to be brighter than
the 4700. I'll compare my 3950 to Noels 4700 sometime.

None of those fancy panels will fit in my DG303 panel. So, the cost is
the screen, the bigger battery, a new panel, and perhaps a smaller
instrument or two. The alternative is to fly with a PDA, with map and
terrain turned off and 4 large NAV boxes. That is easy to see and use.
I'm not clear on what the new screens will add to my flying other than
the very sexy screen itself.

Something I've noticed is that the screens can be hard to read in
bright sunlight with dark gray sunglasses and much easier with those
amber sunglasses.


I am thinking of upgrading my PDA for my GNII.
The display should be readable in sun light. Presently I use a1550 as
primary with a 302 and the 39xx as a back up with a 302A. Maybe I
should get a CAI Nav display and one good PDA.
Craggy Aero is also developing an instrument. Craggy Ultimate - Screen
Size 6.5 diagonal, sunlight viewable screen, with a backlight
controlled by potentiometer or photo sensor, VGA 680X420 twice the
screen resolution as the ClearNav.

brianDG303 wrote:

Something I've noticed is that the screens can be hard to read in
bright sunlight with dark gray sunglasses and much easier with those
amber sunglasses.

I use "aviation" sunglasses that have an untinted bottom quarter, which
improves the visibility of the PDA a lot. While they aren't prescription
glasses, they do have a "bifocal" portion at the bottom that lets me
focus perfectly on the PDA.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org

On May 8, 12:28*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
brianDG303 wrote:
Something I've noticed is that the screens can be hard to read in
bright sunlight with dark gray sunglasses and much easier with those
amber sunglasses.

I use "aviation" sunglasses that have an untinted bottom quarter, which
improves the visibility of the PDA a lot. While they aren't prescription
glasses, they do have a "bifocal" portion at the bottom that lets me
focus perfectly on the PDA.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes"http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* * * New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" atwww.motorglider.org

Eric,

What brand and model are your sunglasses?

wrote:
On May 8, 12:28 pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
brianDG303 wrote:
Something I've noticed is that the screens can be hard to read in
bright sunlight with dark gray sunglasses and much easier with those
amber sunglasses.
I use "aviation" sunglasses that have an untinted bottom quarter, which
improves the visibility of the PDA a lot. While they aren't prescription
glasses, they do have a "bifocal" portion at the bottom that lets me
focus perfectly on the PDA.

What brand and model are your sunglasses?

I believe this is where I've ordered a couple pairs (search for R424 at
the site):

http://www.eyesave.com/_pgid_1__index.aspx

I've bought a couple elsewhere to use in my car and motorhome, so I can
see the TomTom gps better, and they all seem the same. Search for
"sunreaders" and you'll find more options. Amazon.com has a lot of
listings, too.

They also make "no-line" sunreaders, but I haven't tried them.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org