Pda/gps

[Yellow Duck]

Does anyone have the PDA/GPS set up in their aircraft. Been looking at them. I currently have the Garmin 196.

Good- Bad points ?

[paulp]

Re: Pda/gps

Howdy Lee,

What is a PDA/GPS? I also have the 196 and I love it.(After I figured it out!)
Now, I wouldn't have anything else. However, my learning curve is very shallow so that is probably why I'm so attached to the 196!

[ohlinger]

Re: Pda/gps

Lee,
We have owned and used the Anywhere Map system. I purchased it about 2 or 3 years ago. I bought an IPAQ 3955 on e-bay and then purchased the Anywhere Map software and GPS from Control Vision. We powered everything from an accessories outlet we have in the plane. Great system, it is really nice to be able to download updates from the internet just before a flight. It has a lot of bells and whistles to it that we do not use. Most of our flights are short hops of an hour or less.
The one thing I did not like about the system was the wires in the cockpit. There is a plug on the bottom of the PDA that has two wires coming out of it. The one wire goes to the power outlet in the plane, and the second goes to the GPS receiver. So in an effort to get rid of the wires and to have the system self sufficient in terms of power, I experimented using Bluetooth. Our PDA did not have Bluetooth capabilities so I purchased on e-bay a sleeve for it that would make it Bluetooth compatible, along with a Holux GR-230 Bluetooth GPS. I had some trouble getting the Bluetooth sleeve to work with IPAQ, but once I did, the system worked well. The problem I had with this set up was 1) not enough battery capacity in the IPAQ to run the Bluetooth sleeve and IPAQ for much more that an hour, 2) when the system did not want to work, it was a real PITA to get it working again, 3) when the PDA battery went dead, you lost everything, and needed to start over with downloading the software, drivers etc……. Also, the newest version of Anywhere Map appears to be testing the capabilities of the 3955, as the system was a little sluggish with longer screen refreshment times.
So I have since purchased a refurbished 2415 IPAQ (I think that is the right model number) that has Bluetooth and Wifi built into it. The system seems to work great so far. Hook up with Bluetooth is easy, I can go to the clubhouse and connect wireless to the internet and download updates to Anywhere Map. I have not flown with this set up, but have used it in the car, leaving it on for 4 hours on a single charge. So battery life has improved dramatically. It is so neat to set this small GPS receiver on the glare shield, and have it connect to the IPAQ with no wires in the plane.
I am happy with Anywhere Map. They seem to be constantly making updates to their product to make it better and a more friendly system. Right now you can watch your plane taxi on an airport diagram if you have the system set up correctly. Kind of neat……..helps make navigating on the ground at a bigger airports easier.
Hope this answers some questions you have….

Mark Ohlinger
46 Bellanca Cruisair
46 Clip Wing T-Craft
48 Bonanza under restoration

[Yellow Duck]

Re: Pda/gps

Thanks Mark, answers some questions. What about cost? The 396 has lot of bells and whistles and sells for $2495. I have seen the one Vic has.Very neat. But I have always liked the idea of a PDA. Do you use it as such, and in the aircraft?

[ohlinger]

Re: Pda/gps

Lee,
I do not know much about the 396. I have not seen one. I have a fried that has one and he is very happy with it. I have not flown with him to see what it can and can not do.
Here is the link to the Anywhere software. They have it on special for $95.00. I do not know if that includes any subscription time or not. I know I pay around $200/year to be able to download updates anytime I want form the internet. I think they update the sectional portion every 28 days and the trf portion every hour. If you want approach plates, that cost more.

Anywhere Map Software

http://www.anywheremap.com/detail.aspx?ID=23

Here is link to the GPS I have……I think I paid around $65 for mine a year ago

http://cgi.ebay.com/Holux-GR-230_W0QQitemZ5843538291QQcategoryZ73362QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Here is a link for the IPAQ 2415 I have…..paid $275 for it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-iPAQ-2415-512-MB-Like-New_W0QQitemZ5647475961QQcategoryZ67410QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you want weather, there are way to add that, but I am unsure of costs for it. I download weather radar on my cell phone, so I use that just before a flight to get an idea of what the weather is doing before I leave.

We have used the Anywhere map with wires a lot in the Bellanca, but I have not had muchof a chnace to use the blutooth set up in the plane....It has been too cold and the T-Craft is down for an annual inspection. I hope to have it flying in the next couple of weeks if I do not get carried away with doing some other project on it........
Hope this helps…..

Mark Ohlinger
1946 Bellanca Cruisair
1946 Clip Wing T-Craft
1948 Bonanza under restoration

[Yellow Duck]

Re: Pda/gps

Thanks Mark, went there and bid on two items. How is the weather on your cell phone ?

There is also the Garmin IQue 3600A with docking pad and program and pda for $1099 or 599 with trade in of my 196 from GPS World.

https://www.gpsworldsupply.com

[srf471]

Re: Pda/gps

Lee,
I went the PDA route for a while, but I got fed up with the wires dangling and the connection problems (seemed to mess up at the worst of times). So I sold it all on EBAY and purchased a 396. It was the best thing I did!!! I power it from my airplanes battery (12v plug) and I have one wire on the panel to the XM antenna. I only have the XM Lite subscription (radar, metars, tafs, TFR's, etc) but it's all I need. Also, having XM radio in the cockpit is a real nice plus. Lastly it is really simple to move it to my cars, which I do a lot since it has aviation, automobile and boating modes. On land it gives you turn by turn directions. You should check one out thoroughly before you invest in the PDA setup, I think you'll find the extra features worth the bucks

Nick
N58075
N471F

[Victor Gisclair]

Re: Pda/gps

Lee I agree with Nick I love mine.