 |
Matronics Email Lists
Web Forum Interface to the Matronics Email Lists
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
icubob(at)newnorth.net
Guest
|
 Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:09 am Post subject: pda/gps |
 |
|
hi michel, a few years ago i downloaded a very cheap program to use my palm pilot for navigation. no complaints, it worked as advertised. from somewhere i acquired the wiring harnesses to hook the palm pilot to my garmin 12. what i ran into with the harness was that although it charged the gps it didnt charge the palm pilot! that made the harness useless as far as i was concerned. i have since found a vendor who makes a correct harness for $65. do you know of any suppliers for the harness that charges everything? at this point the palm pilot would be a ''backup''. i am starting to lean towards a used ebay aviation handheld as a backup rather than dumping $80 on a harness.
bob noffs
[quote][b]
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
|
|
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Michel
Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 966
Location: Norway
|
| Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:34 am Post subject: pda/gps |
|
|
| Quote: | From: bob noffs [icubob(at)newnorth.net]
do you know of any suppliers for the harness that charges everything?
|
Alas, Bob, it's a jungle out there. As you know, the IT has gone wild and competition is so hard that they confuse you just to be able to do comparison impossible. That's what my son, who works for the major Norwegian telecom provider, tells me.
A Palm is not a PocketPC. Different software. PocketFMS, which is what I use and know well, works on the PocketPC software, which is Microsoft Mobile Windows.
Garmin/Jeppesen is today dominating the market. Good products. But if we - the pilots - want to be able to choose, we need at least two competing products. If you buy, e.g. a Lowrance, you still buy the Jeppesen's database. What we need is someone else who gather all data, those found in the AIPs but also those from different non-AIP (understand, private) airfields. If you want to do it correctly, you have to check all the data and update it for every AIRAC, i.e. every 28 days.
To do that for a worldwide database is a Herculean work.
But that's what PocketFMS does. Actually, I am the guy who maintains the Norwegian part of the database. I am not paid for that, I do it simply because I feel those guys need a help so that they can get started.
Hardware and software vary. Each product says that their hardware is better (screen resolution, readability in sunlight) and their software is also better (WX display, flight planning, etc.)
The truth is that the most important factor is the accuracy of the database. Airspace infringement is a big problem over here and I think it is too in the US. When ATC says: Avoid Romeo one two because active, it is not time to answer: I don't have that Restriced area on my GPS moving map.
PocketFMS used to be 'donationware.' But they had to give up that when the DAFIF database was no longer available. Everything then had to be done by hand and at least two persons had to work at maintaining the database on full time basis. Even if aided by a bunch of helping benevolants.
The main advantage of PocketFMS is that you can run it on the hardware you want - as long as it is Microsoft compatible. Flight planning is on the PC, then you sync to your PDA or PND and go and fly. The GPS is incorporated in those units and if you connect it to your aircraft battery, you are in business.
I have two PDA but I newly bought a cheap Mio PND, the type that you have in your car. I simply sync the program from the PC on a SD memory card and insert it in the PND. Lo and behold, instead of the road nagivation software, I have PocketFMS with all of its functions.
The drawback of PocketFMS is that you must subscribe on a yearly basis. You then get all the 13 updates from the AIRACs. But, unlike other products, you cannot buy only one update. That's a policy the founders of PocketFMS have decided: Safety first. If you fly with e.g. 9 months old data, it may not be accurate; airspace changes very often, at least here in Europe. With the yearly subscription that costs 150 Euro, you know that you have the latest data anytime. When I fly e.g. from Norway to Belgium, crossing Swedish, Danish, German, Dutch and Belgian airspaces, I want to stay away from problems and fly VFR safely.
Cheers,
Michel Verheughe
Norway
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200
<pre><b><font size color="#000000" face="courier new,courier">
| | - The Matronics Kitfox-List Email Forum - | | | Use the List Feature Navigator to browse the many List utilities available such as the Email Subscriptions page, Archive Search & Download, 7-Day Browse, Chat, FAQ, Photoshare, and much more:
http://www.matronics.com/Navigator?Kitfox-List |
|
_________________
Kitfox 3 - Jabiru 2200 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
Get Email Distribution Too!
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
