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GPS

supilot

supilot

FRIEND
i'm interested in getting a gps for my supercub. should i buy a handheld like the pilot III or the 295...........or should i spend the big bucks and fill that slot in with a 430?

what are the pros and cons and which would you all recommend? a 430 is not in my budget at this time, but perhaps in the future IF i think it would be the most rewarding. i'm thinking a 430 might be a little overkill though. thoughts?
 
Personally, I love my GPSMap 195. They've discontinued new sales but as people move up to 196's' and 295's they are cheap on e-bay. When rebuilding the cruiser I decided to build in the 195 power setup because I like it enough I don't plan to change for a long time. I like having the portability because I can take it in the car on cross country trips and rarely need to pull out a map. If you have the dough, go for a 196, man they are nice, but not another $1000 better than my very old 195.
 
I use a Garmin Pilot III, for the size and price, It's pretty good, although the 196 looks good as well, with the nautical and land data base, you can land in the water, navigate to the shore, and still find your way home by road :wink:
Pete
 
Also, the 196 has a WAY faster processor than any other handheld GPS, thus the map will update faster than you can scroll it.
See www.garmin.com for a comparison between the various GPS products.

Bent
 
I like the panel-mounted Garmin 250 GPS / COM. We operate out of an urban field that is located within dense airspace. My favorite thing is that there is a database of all frequencies all teed up ready to go. It makes finding an ATC or Approach frequency a breeze.
 
I had the 250XL in my previous plane and liked it. I regularly fly a Super Cub with a Pilot III and a Husky with a 295. I like the handhelds features like most recent airports. You don't have to punch in the identifier, it saves the recent airports, you scroll down and hit enter and you go. The Pilot III is great and the 295 is awesome. You can use the map and the HSI head. All depends on your budget.

klm_ak I would keep that map open even with the GPS. It caught up to me.
 
I use the pilot III GPS and have it mounted on the instrument panel top between the V brace. I'm just getting so that I can use all the features ..I Guess it may be time to change now and learn something new. I flew all the way to Alaska and back and hardly opened a sectional. Those pilot III are great for the low and slow.
 
Handy gadgets indeed...........I can't fly anymore without one. The days of reading highway signs and watertowers are over........and you can fly crosscountry over ominous terrain in a straight line. I use a 250XL with a 92 backup. Any thoughts on which is the better of the 295 or th 196?
 
I like the GPS III for the size. The 295 seems to block too much windscreen area. (Both Gary and Jim have 295's on the right hand of their glareshields while Jerry has a III Dave)

Speaking of watertowers, I had an old out-of-date database GPS 55 and ran into nasty weather on the way to Chicago (hey - it popped up and started forming around me). The old machine was of limited help and I had to circle a watertower for a while, though in the end it did save me from having to explain to farmer Brown and the local gendarmes why I landed in his field.

Brad
 
I've got a 250XL panel-mount, and I really like it. It's small so it fits nicely into the standard panel, but has enough information to keep me clear of controlled airspace. My backup is a chart on my knee.

Anne.
 
I use the 196, its small, detailed and fast. I just did some night flying with it the other night and had to turn the screen down to its lowest setting of brightness because it was blinding me. I cant imagine what the color 295 would look like at night. On my 196, I can flight plan with fuel stops and do VFR instrument approaches with the HSI vertical glidepath capabilities. Over all it is GREAT, but I always have my sectional open and know where I'm at on paper. It only takes one time for that battery operated, made in China, electrical piece of equipment to go out. I always use my GPS as a backup to the old paper map when I am over unfamiliar ground.
 
I have a 195 mounted in my cub on a ram mount (hardwired to a breaker) and the antenna in the window works great. If I had the money the the advantage of the 196 is the speed of the processor, if you fly in busy areas with a lot of clutter you can do a better job of "de-clutter" with the 196. Also finally Garmin made the databases interchangable and included the "city data" in the 196.

(I was privileged to see the mount that Crash did for his new "Topcrash" I80 supercub and his PA14 that recessed the 196 in the panel (still removable and yet doesn't get in the way!

By the way the 295 eats batteries, as well does the 195. The only way to go is to hardwire to the a/c powr.

Best survival tool in the airplane is a cell phone/sat phone and a handheld GPS! I carry a spare GPS111 on long trips.

Tim
 
III and 196

The III is terrific and I used one for 3 years in my J-3. Last week I was at NBAA and played with the 196. I must say, it is amazing and I think I will put one in the -11. The big thing for me is the integrated maps. That's one thing that I did not like about the III--90% of my flying is lakes and roads, so the aviation database didn't give me a whole lot. With the 196 you get the whole enchilada and then some.

I'd love to have the III with an integrated database and more powerful processor because the size is excellent. I've also flown with the 430 and 530, but the capability is well beyond the airplane when you are talking cubs.

Bottom line--both the III and 196 are excellent products and worth their weight in gold. Just depends on what type of flying you do. Garmin is a winner.
 
Has anyone else ever experienced lockup with the 295? I have, twice, both times while flying about 1500' over an outer marker for an ILS. When this lockup has occurred, the only way to clear it was to physically remove the batteries; removing the external power and trying to cycle power didn't work (the device wouldn't respond to any inputs).

I called Garmin about it, and they said external electrical signals could do that. I pressed, and found out that there is a reset sequence (kind of like CTRL-ALT-DEL), but using it caused the device to lose all user stored information. I can't remember what it was, since if that happens again, I expect to just wait until I can land, and remove the batteries.

I've considered running without batteries, so that disconnection from external power would get the desired reset. Hasn't really been much of an issue, so my batteries are still in place. I guess it's just a lesson to stay on top of your pilotage and dead reckoning, even when using a GPS!
 
I have a 196 in the Cub and love it. Extremely quick processor and it's an even sweeter box if you get the Topo enhancements. I got mine at Bronco One in Phx. and could not have been happier with the cost or customer service :p . I also have an E-trex velcroed to the panel as back up on long stints and have used it as far as ND - AZ (as a sole nav-aid)...small but works and even has an HSI. One great thing about the 196...Ran low on batteries in flight once, and changed them en-route, and much to my surprise the thing picked up right were it left off (no need to rework all the legs to the trip etc...) like it was never even off. :D
 
I rebuilt my cub panel for the garmin 295. I can still take it out in 2 minutes . As for using it a night its great, the screen turns to a black background and you can dim it easily. Yep mine used to freeze up and it wasn't due to the external power. I've done all the updates through garmin and haven't had the problem since. Check this link for pictures. (Its a homebuilt "duh") http://www.supercub.org/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album47&id=aaf
 
Rookie,

I have never had a lockup with the 295, but one of my mentor pilots has a few times. That could potentially be quite a glitch for those who have come to rely on them
 
That's my point. Rely on one, but don't.

I was running 2.28 of the software. That was the last version, until about two weeks ago (Garmin has 2.30 as of 10/2/03).

It could be that external power makes the box more vulnerable. I'd sure hate to be faced with really needing to reset, and removing the AA batteries while flying.
 
For a good option to the Garmin stuff.... take a look at www.controlvision.com

Great system and you get a PDA to boot. Has terrain warning plus many other features.

Can also get approach plates... system will monitor (show) your position during the approach on the plate displayed.

Cheap updates too.
 
The 196 rules.

I have a 195, a 92, an etrex, a 420, a 430, a 300, and a 250, and have used a 295, a bunch of lowrance and king stuff and my personal opinion is the 196 overall is the best thing going. GREAT battery life, excellent format, great easy to use feautres ("goto recent is one of my favorites"), and to top it off, it is also a logbook with free logbook software.

If you add the detail chip, you can load in topo maps or highly detailed street maps, or river maps and then stick it in your car, boat, or plane.

The 295 is a great unit, but the color sucks the life out of batteries when you have to run it on them.

There was some rumor of a "296" that would be color and have terrain avoidance. Personally, I wouldn't wait because it will suck down batteries also.

Just my opinon.

Oh yeah, and I also think Garmin is better than most of the other brands, not just because they are based here, and I own stock, but because they just work better...

sj
 
thanks for all the responses.....

anyone know of any great deals on the garmin 196?...or is ebay my best shot?
 
Rookie,

I have my 195 mounted with connection to A/Cpower and I also have batteries in it. The problem with the 195 is when connected this way and you shut off the "ext powr" the unit imediately reverts to "Bat" power. All is well in theory, however if you leave the panel "gps" switch on and get out of the plane the GPS continues to run until the batteries drain, leaving you with a dead GPS when pulled from the mount? I got a tip to install an insulating sheet between the power plug and the unit when installed on the AC mount. (I used a small piece of static bag) and left a little tab sticking out so that if I needed the battery power I could just slide it out while still connected. (just a thought that might work for you to try for the "reset feature".

SJ: your wife must be a superwoman to put up with all your gadgets? and my wife thought I had a lot of toys!!

Tim
 
Tim - she is...

Of course the power off problem is fixed in the 196...


I am going to have to have a gadget sale soon...

sj
 
I took that picture coming up on the MT/WY line about 70 miles SW of Billings enroute to Larrys place in Sunlight Basin. I was at 10500 but had to climb to 11300 or so to get over the ridge. 8244 prop with 850 tires. The higher up you go your indicated airspeed goes down. Had a little headwind.

Larrys place
http://www.supercub.org/upload/lp.jpg
 
Dang Alan, that is PRETTY!

Can you take me there sometime?

sj
 
Cool!

Me too! Me too!

I've just added Montana onto my Mid Life Crisis Flight '04.

I've got to go to that field. Swaps available for those of you who come to fly in the wilds of Maine.

Oh, and I'll bring my 196.
 
garmin says the 196 gets between 4 and 16 hours of battery life. thats a pretty big spread so i was wondering what kind of battery life you all have gotten out of yours. granted i will run it off the ac anyways, but its nice to know. does anyone put their 196 in their car to use the driving turn by turn feature?
 
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