which handheld gps?

new units are coming out all the time. for those of us in the market
for our first big boy gps handhelds; any pireps please? just do the
2k$garmin and be done with it? what's the real annual commitment to
keep that up and......

my lowrance fishfinder really works fine and will always be in my bag
but it's time.

is the avmap too big?

dan

I sold my Garmin III+ and bought a 296, and while it is a great toy, I
regret having made the change.

The 296 interferes with my (handheld) radio, it's hard to read the map
display when the day is bright (lots of glazing in the Cub), and I
have yet to find a place to mount it securely. (It's not just the Cub.
I had the same problem in the car with the provided mounts: the unit
shakes, and the display can wash out in bright light.)

It is however much easier to use than the old Toblerone bar III+. And
the rechargable battery enables me to cut down on my visits to BJ's
Wholesale Club.



-- all the best, Dan Ford

email (put Cubdriver in subject line)

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
the blog: www.danford.net

"Cub Driver" wrote:
I sold my Garmin III+ and bought a 296, and while it is a great toy, I
regret having made the change.

My Garmin III Pilot was a great little unit and I also regret selling
it--should have kept it for a backup. However, that design is getting
pretty old and I wouldn't recommend buying one unless a used one could
be had cheaply.

I, too, am less than thrilled with the 296, mostly because of ergonomic
issues:

o The power cable is difficult to remove and my second one is about to
fail because of the stress this puts on the plug.

o Inserting the GPS into its yoke mount is too fussy with the power
cable plugged in. It's easy with the cable unplugged, but then plugging
in the power cable is difficult.

o Having to acknowledge so many "anti-litigation" screens is annoying.

The display washes out somewhat in a bright cabin, but it remains
readable and is a worthwhile tradeoff for the long-lived rechargeable
battery, IMO.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

I have a 296. I've had a SkyMap IIIc. To be honest, if I were to do it
again, I'd probably get the ControlVision software for my Dell Axim. If
you already have a good PDA, its a lot less expensive and you get a
good (possibly better) flight GPS out of it.

is the avmap too big?

No -- it's awesome. And the new IV is a bit smaller than our IIIC, which is
even better.

If you're renting, though, it may be a bit clunky to remove/install for each
flight. It requires on-board (cigar lighter) power to light up that huge
color screen.

We've got ours yoke-mounted. See pix of our installation at:
http://alexisparkinn.com/new_interior.htm
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

houstondan wrote:
new units are coming out all the time. for those of us in the market
for our first big boy gps handhelds; any pireps please? just do the
2k$garmin and be done with it? what's the real annual commitment to
keep that up and......

my lowrance fishfinder really works fine and will always be in my bag
but it's time.

is the avmap too big?

My personal preference is for a smaller unit, and I think monochrome is fine. I
have a Garmin 196 and I like it. The monochrome display means longer battery
life. The smaller size (compared to 296) means it fits gracefully on my yoke.

May I suggest something a bit different?

I own a couple of handheld GPSs (including the very nice Lowrance
Airmap 500), and the handheld GPS I have come to use most often is a
Navman PiN PocketPC with built-in GPS ($499 - review at
http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles...n-Pocket2.html)
coupled with the freeware PocketFMS (www.pocketFMS.com). There are
other several other good software packages available for it (see
www.palmflying.com for a full list) if you don't like PocketFMS.

There are several reasons I use this now instead of a dedicated
aviation unit:

1. It cost the same/less than most dedicated aviation units
2. It has a very nice, large, bright colour screen
3. The aviation data is very easy to download, given the connection to
a PC
4. It has a built-in road mapping system for when I get to my
destination
5. It includes a ton of other useful PocketPC feature (Spreadsheets,
flight planning
6. You can add WiFi (many FBOs now have free wifi) with an inexpensive
card. With the WiFi, you can download weather etc. and have it overlaid
on the PocketPC moving map GPS
7. It locks on to the GPS satellites better than any of the other GPS
units I have used
8. It comes with a very useful and sturdy 'suction cup' mount. I have
flown 100 hours with it (including some rather bumpy IMC) and never had
it come loose. I *have* had yoke-mounts come loose before tho.
9. The aviation software (I have used a few different packages) is very
easy to use. The eraser tip of a pencil works just fine to select most
things, and you can assign the buttons (in some of the programs) on the
front of the unit to do the things you do most frequently.
10. It runs off the lighter connector, or it's own built-in battery. I
have seen about a 4-5 hour battery life if it is running on the
internal batteries.
11. It is very compact and convenient. I use it as my PDA, and have
(more than once) had the chance to pop down to a local FBO at lunch and
go up for a couple hours. Very nice to have a backup GPS with you at
all times.
12. You can play solitaire on it when sitting out the rain at the FBO
waiting to launch

There are many fine units out there. But I prefer ther NavMan setup I
have to my buddy's Garmin 295, the Garmin 196 in another plane I fly,
and my Airmap 500. Just something to consider.

Cheers,

Cap

houstondan wrote:
new units are coming out all the time. for those of us in the market
for our first big boy gps handhelds; any pireps please? just do the
2k$garmin and be done with it? what's the real annual commitment to
keep that up and......

my lowrance fishfinder really works fine and will always be in my bag
but it's time.

is the avmap too big?

dan

On 24 Jan 2005 20:48:56 -0800, "houstondan"
wrote:

new units are coming out all the time. for those of us in the market
for our first big boy gps handhelds; any pireps please? just do the
2k$garmin and be done with it? what's the real annual commitment to
keep that up and......

I have had a 295 for 3+ years. I love it. They are available (used)
for $1000 on eBay.

Firmware updates are free. Jepp database updates are available on
the Garmin website for, I think, ~$35.00.

It is a VFR tool, so there is not a legal requirement to keep the av
database up to date, although it is a pretty good idea to refresh at
least once a year.

-Nathan

I have a 296 and I love the thing. I have a few other GPS units ,but the 296
is my favorite. The more I learn about it the more I like it. It takes a
little time to figure out all the functions. I did want to try the new
Garmin Ique http://www.sportys.com/acb/showdetl....roduct_id=7282
Good luck.

wrote in message oups.com...
May I suggest something a bit different?

I own a couple of handheld GPSs (including the very nice Lowrance
Airmap 500), and the handheld GPS I have come to use most often is a
Navman PiN PocketPC with built-in GPS ($499 - review at
http://www.pocketpccity.com/articles...n-Pocket2.html)
coupled with the freeware PocketFMS (www.pocketFMS.com). There are
other several other good software packages available for it (see
www.palmflying.com for a full list) if you don't like PocketFMS.

There are several reasons I use this now instead of a dedicated
aviation unit:

1. It cost the same/less than most dedicated aviation units
2. It has a very nice, large, bright colour screen
3. The aviation data is very easy to download, given the connection to
a PC
4. It has a built-in road mapping system for when I get to my
destination
5. It includes a ton of other useful PocketPC feature (Spreadsheets,
flight planning
6. You can add WiFi (many FBOs now have free wifi) with an inexpensive
card. With the WiFi, you can download weather etc. and have it overlaid
on the PocketPC moving map GPS
7. It locks on to the GPS satellites better than any of the other GPS
units I have used
8. It comes with a very useful and sturdy 'suction cup' mount. I have
flown 100 hours with it (including some rather bumpy IMC) and never had
it come loose. I *have* had yoke-mounts come loose before tho.
9. The aviation software (I have used a few different packages) is very
easy to use. The eraser tip of a pencil works just fine to select most
things, and you can assign the buttons (in some of the programs) on the
front of the unit to do the things you do most frequently.
10. It runs off the lighter connector, or it's own built-in battery. I
have seen about a 4-5 hour battery life if it is running on the
internal batteries.
11. It is very compact and convenient. I use it as my PDA, and have
(more than once) had the chance to pop down to a local FBO at lunch and
go up for a couple hours. Very nice to have a backup GPS with you at
all times.
12. You can play solitaire on it when sitting out the rain at the FBO
waiting to launch

There are many fine units out there. But I prefer ther NavMan setup I
have to my buddy's Garmin 295, the Garmin 196 in another plane I fly,
and my Airmap 500. Just something to consider.

Cheers,

Cap



Are there any issues with reception using the built in antenna?