Av Map -- An absolutely stunning color GPS

http://aviation.c-map.com/ProductInfo/AVMAP/ekp3c.asp

Mary and I picked up one of these things in OSH, and I'm absolutely stunned
that there has been virtually NO discussion of this almost unbelievable
"hand-held" here on the groups.

When my Airmap 300 started to get hinky, I started down the road toward
getting a new one. I was initially aiming for the new Garmin 196, until I
discovered (much to my dismay) that Garmin does not have the obstruction
database that Lowrance and others have had for years.

In the land of high towers, this was a deal-killer. I really LIKE knowing
where those big ol' 2000 foot TV antennas are...

My next thought was the new Lowrance Airmap 500. This unit looked really
promising, and they were FLYING off the shelves at OSH due to a very fair
price -- but the display is actually SMALLER than my old 300's. This was
unacceptable to both Mary and me, who are both getting to the age where
small type is starting to look REALLY small these days...

So, we started looking at "the other guys" in the market. As my 12 year old
son and I were wandering the seemingly endless avionics displays in the big
display hangars, he suddenly grabbed my arm and pointed across the room at
an incredibly bright, clear, and HUGE GPS display that was easily double
(triple?) the size of the Garmin 295.

It looked oddly familiar, but incredibly bright and detailed, and it was
bigger than any panel-mounted multi-function display we'd seen. Joey
literally dragged ME over to the booth to see the thing, and I just happened
to walk right up to the guy who had invented the danged thing! (Only in
Oshkosh!)

The reason it looked so familiar was that it was originally a Magellan
product. When they were bought out by a foreign company, the new owners
decided to ditch the aviation line, and the C-Map -- the company that
subcontracted the construction of it -- approached the new owners and asked
if they could buy the product line. A deal was worked out, and they ended up
taking over the "AvMap" line.

They have continued to develop it in the ensuing years, and have recently
upgraded both the processing speed and display. The results are almost
unbelievable! The display is so big that you can zoom out to see what's
WAAY out ahead, while still retaining enough local detail to be truly
useful. And the difference between gray-scale and color GPS is like night
and day, with all sorts of airspace details now visible at a glance.

Vern (the original developer at Magellan, who jumped ship to be with C-Map)
proceeded to demo this incredible unit to me (and a crowd of on-lookers) for
the next 45 minutes. This thing can do ANYTHING -- it even has all the
instrument approaches stored! By the end of the demo, I knew this was the
GPS for us -- and Vern said he hadn't demonstrated more than 5% of the
unit's capabilities.

Being so large, the AvMap is designed to velcro to your thigh, like a
knee-board. However, I found the unit to be quite warm to the touch, so I
decided that I would like to yoke mount it instead. What a great view! It
fits perfectly between the ram horns of my yoke, doesn't block any of the
primary instruments -- and literally gives you a grand-stand, brilliantly
colored view of your progress over Mother Earth.

I've only flown a couple of hours with it now, but it's truly remarkable.
If you are in the market for a color GPS, I strongly recommend taking a look
at C-Map.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay,
Thanks for letting me play with your new C-Map at the N40Fest03.
We didn't have time to talk then, but the questions I have a
1) Are the fonts changeable and scalable? The one displayed is quite
large.
2) Can you customize the checklists?

I like the yoke mount solution and the display size.
Did the battery pack come with the unit?

Mary and I picked up one of these things in OSH, and I'm absolutely
stunned
that there has been virtually NO discussion of this almost unbelievable
"hand-held" here on the groups.

How much did it cost?

$1535.00 (at Sarasota Avionics), plus tax. All told, it cost about $300
bucks more than a 295, with a screen three times bigger.

AND the obstruction database. AND the approaches. AND a much easier (IMHO)
user interface.

It's *that* cool.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Thanks for letting me play with your new C-Map at the N40Fest03.

No problem -- it was great meeting you!

We didn't have time to talk then, but the questions I have a
1) Are the fonts changeable and scalable? The one displayed is quite
large.

Yes. (Although I haven't found them to be too big.)

2) Can you customize the checklists?

Don't know -- I haven't played with that feature yet.

Did the battery pack come with the unit?

Nope -- I picked that up at one of those ubiquitous "Battery Mart" booths in
the big hangar buildings...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Guess you have not read my post on this GPS. I bought mine about 14 months
ago.

Shoot -- I musta missed it, Hank!

It's an awesome unit. Have you had to update the database yet? (I'm
hopeful that their update service is good?)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Hey Mikey, I think he likes it!

Jay Honeck wrote:

Mary and I picked up one of these things in OSH, and I'm absolutely
stunned
that there has been virtually NO discussion of this almost unbelievable
"hand-held" here on the groups.

How much did it cost?

$1535.00 (at Sarasota Avionics), plus tax. All told, it cost about $300
bucks more than a 295, with a screen three times bigger.

AND the obstruction database. AND the approaches. AND a much easier (IMHO)
user interface.

It's *that* cool.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

--
--Ray Andraka, P.E.
President, the Andraka Consulting Group, Inc.
401/884-7930 Fax 401/884-7950
email
http://www.andraka.com

"They that give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin, 1759

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
Mary and I picked up one of these things in OSH, and I'm absolutely
stunned
that there has been virtually NO discussion of this almost unbelievable
"hand-held" here on the groups.

Pretty impressive looking unit. Their web site is a bit sketchy, though. I'd
like to see some screen shots of the other available pages, particulary the
HSI display.

Some questions:
How many data fields can be displayed with the HSI?
Is the number of fields changeable?
Does the HSI have a "set OBS and hold" feature?
Can approaches be quick-loaded as routes (FAF to runway only on my 295)?
Is there a vectors-to-final option when an approach is selected?
If vectors-to-final is available, is the final course line depicted on the
moving map?
If you slew the map pointer to an airport or navaid, is bearing and distance
automatically shown?

Congratulations on your choice. I've been a loyal Garmin customer but I have
a bad feeling about them now that they've bought UPSAT. They were already
developing what I call a "Microsoft attitude" that can only get worse now.
We need to buy from their competition every chance we get.

Sorry I missed ya'll at OSH.
--
Dan
C172RG at BFM

Does it have the provision to download a track file to a computer?

Dang it, Sydney, after a week away I'm so far behind at work, I may never
get to look at the stupid thing again.

I'll try to check this out ASAP.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Geez, Dan, I don't know when I'll be able to play with it again (six days
away from the inn has left things pretty much a shambles...), but I'll
answer what I understand...

How many data fields can be displayed with the HSI?

Don't know.

Is the number of fields changeable?

Yes.

Does the HSI have a "set OBS and hold" feature?

Don't know.

Can approaches be quick-loaded as routes (FAF to runway only on my 295)?

Don't know.

Is there a vectors-to-final option when an approach is selected?

Don't know.

If vectors-to-final is available, is the final course line depicted on the
moving map?

Don't know.

If you slew the map pointer to an airport or navaid, is bearing and
distance
automatically shown?

Yes.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

t's an awesome unit. Have you had to update the database yet? (I'm
hopeful that their update service is good?)

I had a bit of problem with the upgrade delivery. Guess they fired a few prople
and tell me the upgrades will come 3 times per year without me bugging them.
On one upgarde the card must have been defective, The unit just did not
function properly. They replaced the card and everything is AOK. I think the
cost for upgrade is $276.00, but do not quite me.
# upgrades per year
Hank N1441P