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How Often do you update your GPS?

behindpropellers

behindpropellers

Registered User
NE Ohio
I usually fly our '57 172 all over the place east of the missisipi, most of it is VFR but sometimes I do light IFR in it when I need to. We have a IFR approach approved XL300 GPS that is great for this kind of stuff when there are ceilings above 800' or so. The problem that I have is that I usually only fly it IFR for 6-7 mos. out of the year, no ice thank you. I wanted to update the GPS for the next month since it is getting an annual and probably the new engine, so it will not fly for two months or so. The GPS is out of date so I wanted to do a single update for now so it would be current. Well I was pretty shocked when I called jeppesen for the update and they told me a single downloaded update was $99.00. I thought that was unreasonable since their yearly cost is only $290. I wish another company would get into the business of updating GPS's to make the prices more reasonable. How often do you update your gps? IFR or VFR Gps?

Tim
 
VFR never, they don't move airports. Actually I did recently because they changed a bunch of identifiers around here.
 
Yeah Steve, but then you have to go out and buy a new sectional every 6 or 7 years, so the identifiers match up.
 
Mine has not been updated since I purchased it. Does anyone know if Garmin is still supporting the GPS Pilot III, I suppose I ought to update it now that they aren't selling them anymore.
 
If you are intending to attend Osh Kosh or know someone who is Garmin was providing one time updates for $35.00 at SnF and I presume will do the same at Osh Kosh. I am sure an e mail will verify. John
 
rrb - Jeppesen still sells one time and monthly updates for the Garmin Pilot III. Garmin still supports discontinued products - check the link here for the discontinued products - its near the bottom of the page and the GPS Pilot III is on the right hand side.
 
I heard that in the lower 48 the FAA was ramp checking folks using their GPS for VFR flight and checking to see if it was current. I guess it is illegal to use your GPS for VFR navigation if it is out of date - but I don't really know for sure. I have updated once a year, at 35 dollars a pop, it seems about the right time period for updates.
 
Ron, I save all those old sectionals so they match whats in my GPS. However every now and then someone comes by that doesn't have one and I give them away.

The first time I met Ron I was admiring his SC at the gas pump when he asked me if I had a spare chart. I think it was at least 5 years old but like I said they don't move the airports. Cathy and I were scud running through Arkansas one time, she had the chart in her lap keeping us away from towers and stuff while I looked out the side window when we flew over this huge airport with a control tower. I nearly %$#@ my pants. Looked at the chart and it showed nothing. We finally determined it was Clinton International under construction. Man did I give a big sigh of relief. :oops:
 
Steve, that reminds me of the time "someone" was flying an a/c somewhat faster than a cub, watching out for towers and stuff. He was using to loran going sort of direct to and avoiding the scud. The loran did not have special use airspace in the database at the time. Suddenly he noticed directly below was a real serious looking military installation. He got pretty serious about finding exactly where he was on the chart. Since that time he has been much more careful about keeping track of restricted areas. He hopes they never require Mode S !

Names, dates, aircraft type, location, regions have all been disguised to protect the guilty.
 
You really have to be careful now. With AWACs patrolling the US 24/7 they can track your primary (non transponder) target to anywhere in the country if they want.

My buddy updated my GPS111 off the internet for $35.00 last fall.
 
Handheld updates are relatively inexpensive, so I usually update mine annually. I've updated the GX55 in the panel once, and will never update it again ($$$).
 
A few years back I used an older King handheld GPS/COM. Works great as a little handheld radio, but the GPS function began to become interminton and now just flat out wont work. I have never had it updated. I believe it says sometime in 1997 was its last, but someone told me that you have to keep them somewhat up-to-date because the GPS wont know where to look for the satellites at the current time. Is there any truth to this?

Jake
:crazyeyes:
 
Your supposed to update those things???????????

Jacob Papp said:
A few years back I used an older King handheld GPS/COM. Works great as a little handheld radio, but the GPS function began to become interminton and now just flat out wont work. I have never had it updated. I believe it says sometime in 1997 was its last, but someone told me that you have to keep them somewhat up-to-date because the GPS wont know where to look for the satellites at the current time. Is there any truth to this?

Jake
:crazyeyes:
Click to expand...

Yes there is truth to that, around 1999 or 2000, I had one do the same thing it was a Garmin 100 and it just stopped functioning and would never lock on to a satellite for navigation, They had done some sort of shift or satellite adjustment many months earlier and I had not used the GPS for 6 months and it had not picked up the change (Tech support told me something like that anyways I'm no GPS expert) They had me do a Cold reboot of the GPS and then a fresh set of batteries and let it sit out in satellite view and do an autosearch for 6-8 hours and let it update itself with all the applicable data. They said even when it locks on within the first hour or two to leave it run for a long time as it needed the data as it had been inactive for so long. Its worked fine since then. I dont know if they all do that but it worked for my unit.

David.
 
Jacob Papp said:
A few years back I used an older King handheld GPS/COM. Works great as a little handheld radio, but the GPS function began to become interminton and now just flat out wont work. I have never had it updated. I believe it says sometime in 1997 was its last, but someone told me that you have to keep them somewhat up-to-date because the GPS wont know where to look for the satellites at the current time. Is there any truth to this?

Jake
:crazyeyes:
Click to expand...

If you know how to operate your GPS , with a full battery charge Go to the initialize/find/ set up page and tell it where its at leave it out side for 30 to 45 minutes. I'm willing to bet it will boot up. IGuess that's basically what's been said before me. But be patient. Intermittant operation can come from a bad antenna.
 
When I got my SC three years ago I did a one time update for its Garmin 150 because the old card expired back in the 1900?s.

I see that they have now lowered the price to just $175.00 for a single update.

The monthly update service seems cheap by comparison.

I?m not sure if this applies to all units but the Garmin cards need to be updated/replaced every 28 days.

I would think (read hope) that possessing a current chart would let you off the hook in an inquisition.
 
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