Guest Oakilydoakily Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Can anyone suggest a reasonable GPS that is not over the top in functionality and reasonably priced. I have been looking at the Garmin 196, but I'm told it could be an overkill for what I need. My trike is a bare minimum - Altimeter, Tacho, ASI, Eng Temps. I plan to do a lot of cross country... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Crezzi Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 If you are navigating properly and just want a GPS for ground speed & heading and reassurance then you don't need the functionality of a 196. I haven't used it myself but a local triker was very satisified with his Garmin eTrex handheld which cost less than $150. Spend the $1000+ cost saving (compared to a 196) on fuel to do lots of cross country flights ! Then you'll know if you need the features of a more complex GPS - if so, sell the eTrex and buy one. Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I have just ordered some smaller GPS units from the Avmap stable called GEO PILOT II PORTABLE GPS however I want to have a look at them closer before I can comment on them. I will have them at Natfly however I think they will still be an overkill for what you need - Crezzi's post is a good ide Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Also read my review here. I swear by this solution, as do some other people who have since tried it. It would work well in a trike too. All for $300ish. I bought another one for the wife last weekend (made the mistake of telling her it was a backup for mine). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oakilydoakily Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Geez, once I get my head around this it looks like this solution is good value for money. How do you think the screen would hold up to an open cockpit as far a lighting goes? What sort of mount should I use or would I manufacture one up with aluminium and velcro? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Oakilydoakily Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thanks Crezi, I dont know really why, but I think I like the idea of a map as well. A quick search and the Etrex appears to be discontinued? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Crezzi Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 A quick search and the Etrex appears to be discontinued? Thats modern technology for you - out of date 5 mins after you bought it ! No doubt it was replaced with something similar though. An ally and velcro mount would do the trick or there are a multitude o f options here - RAM Mounting Systems, Inc. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slartibartfast Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 Geez, once I get my head around this it looks like this solution is good value for money. How do you think the screen would hold up to an open cockpit as far a lighting goes? What sort of mount should I use or would I manufacture one up with aluminium and velcro? I find it to be great in sunlight. If you had to, a hood would be simple to make. It comes with a very good suction mount - good in the sense of the bit the GPS mounts to. Suction caps aren't real good. You could screw or glue the suction cap end somewhere. The GPS slides in and out of the mount easily to take it with you. It locks in place on the mount very well. You could then use it in the car too. I bought an ebay mount to leave in the car. It attaches to a vent. It's easy to run Ozi in the air and the standard car program on the ground. Cheers, Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayKay Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 A quick search and the Etrex appears to be discontinued? The Etrex Vista HCx is still available. Nice small unit with colour moving maps. Takes standard OEM microSD cards. You can upgrade the base map to Shonky Maps or Tracks4Australia at no extra cost. Can also load 1000 custom waypoints (airfields) and 50 routes. USB2 support for fast maps and data upload and download to your PC. You could mount it on one end of the crossbar and it has long batterly life. Sturdy enough to take the hammering a trike will give it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest johnxt582 Posted March 17, 2009 Share Posted March 17, 2009 I have a Garmin 96C with RAM mount in an XT912. Very happy with both units. I bought the C (colour) as I felt the screen offered better daylight viewing than the 96 (greyscale) and price wasn't that much more. The RAM mount is B-138-GA6 and is adjustable every direction plus it stays in place when taxying. I like the size and it mounts next to the radio on the console. 12v lead plugs into Cig lighter. Can take it on & off the trike in seconds thanks to the RAM mount. The 96C is very easy to use with lots of aviation info at yr fingertips...airspace class, runway directions, radio frequencies blah blah blah. Prices have crept back up with the poor A$, I paid $800 for mine, saw them as low as $650 now back up to $900 mark. 96 is cheaper, RAM mount was about $50. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now