GPS...what now?

[Admin]

Thought I would get opinions on where to now with GPS units etc.

 

The whole GPS unit market has dwindled considerably due to online Apps on mobile phones and tablet PCs. One advantage the GPS unit had for a while was its size of around 5" making it ideal for mounting into or on top of a panel compared to the small or large sizes of mobile phones and tablets. That advantage has now also dwindled with the size gap narrowing...Samsung Note (5.3") and the 8" tablets.

 

You have full planning and moving map apps like AvPlan but one problem of these apps is the platform they use...you have to either have Android or Apple devices. This means that you may have to be locked in to a high cost device that you don't like just to be able to use the app of your choice. GPS units historically have used the same mapping software, i.e. Jeppesen, whether you choose an Avmap or a Garmin etc.

 

So, as a topic for an interesting discussion, what is going to happen, which way are we going to go, what is the market going to steer towards (the old argument of whether technology tells us what to use or we dictate what technology we want to use)...what would you like to have/see happen in the area of GPS and in-flight navigation?

 

 

[facthunter]

Till you are achieving TSO'd status and needing it for your operation the whole thing is unapproved and your choice is to use as supplemental information. Quite a lot of effort has been put into making all this data useable and it is quite developed but I know not when or how will be officially used. Nev

 

 

[mlpinaus]

The real issue with the 7" GPS is the lack of any available map updates that I know of...

 

Marcus

 

 

[cscotthendry]

I was working with OzRunways on my iPad yesterday and *poof* it just vanished off the screen. I've heard others mention crashes too. I've never had the Garmin do that. Also, to use OzRunways on iPhone or iPad, it needs to be a 3G device so that it can get the GPS signal, OR you have to buy a separate GPS/bluetooth device and hope that the wireless connection between the two doesn't get interference or cause trouble.

 

For the time being, I'm sticking with a dedicated GPS unit in the plane with OzRunways as a secondary backup. That also frees up the iPad in case the "navigator" wants to play solitaire on a long flight.

 

 

[cscotthendry]

One thing the dedicated GPS manufacturers could do is to bring down the price of their map updates along the lines of what OzRunways are doing. With some competition in the aviation GPS market (finally) we may see some sensible pricing in that regard. Historically, Garmin have been pretty expensive for their updates.

 

 

[jakej]

Ian,

 

I don't see the need portable Gps's disappearing for a while despite iPad use & Gps 'pucks' as used by Dynon. 1. Portable is useful for other purposes, is a backup for an onboard EFIS & if OZRunways or iPad fails then you have another Gps source & 2. A Gps is needed for all aftermarket Autopilots & Fuel flow systems like the JPI FS450.

 

Jake

 

 

[Dieselten]

I'd like to see Garmin resume production of the 495/496 series GPS units which fit the panels of our sort of aircraft instead of making GPS units the size of an A4 notepad which take up way too much panel real-estate.

 

I'd like to see Garmin drop the now thoroughly-outdated, slow and cumbersome 196 model. All it has going for it is it's cheap. I'd rather pay for a decent, capable and up-to-date 496 which is the same size and does so much more. A good way to lower the price would be to drop the land and marine navigation out of the software and use the extra bytes for more aviation stuff, such as a larger database etc. It's an aviation GPS...I already know how to find the airport by road, and if I need to know the water depth then I probably have more pressing problems with my aeroplane in the first place!

 

I'd like to see Garmin drop the entire Aera 500 series, which are nothing but automotive units re-worked for aviation - the voice-coil speaker in them is a real trap if mounted near a panel-mounted compass. The touch-screen idea is a poor one for use in an aircraft as well.

 

I'd like to see Garmin double the screen resolution on the 695/696 series units.When you have a display that big, make it high-res, not like some kid's been drawing on it with a crayon.

 

Finally, I'd like to see people still carrying printed charts in case their GPS, or ipad, or whatever, dies. I've never seen the batteries in a paper chart go flat, ever!