Microlighters

I am thinking of investing in a GPS but I would like to have an HP iPaq integrated GPS unit - I am pretty fond of the iPaq and would love a hybrid system that I can use more than just when taking off.

Any suggestions?

Preferably the GPS unit must be Car-mountable and Trike mountable (I have an Aerotrike Safari with T-Pod currently so I would need a mounting solution)

Map support and colour is a must - just coz I want it...

I am open to comments, ideas and suggestions

DH

A fellow technophile!

DH for mounting solutions look no further than RAM mounts. American. They have mounting solutions for everything you can think of. I think the website is www.ram-mount.com.

DH - check out EasyCockpit from
http://www.aviationdirect.co.za/products.htm
If I were going the PDA route, this would be top of my list. Know a couple of guys that use it and they say it's awesome.

I use EasyPlan on my PC and love it.

I have Easyplan too... have not had much to plan yet, but it was surely easy

Easycockpit is very nice and updates are local and regular. Lokal is LEKKA and it works....

Sorry, but I have the nasty habit of replying to myself a lot of the time...

Localisation is VERY important! And off course I would like a unit that integrates into the car as well.

Have any of you had a look at http://www.tracks4africa.co.za ? I client of mine introduced me to it... Until I saw this site I was pretty much content with my Garmin GPS 12 BUT MAPS ARE SO KEWL!

DH, I use the HP iPAQ 2750 with a Fortuna Bluetooth GPS module and run EasyCockpit. Very easy to set up and although I have only used it to log one flight I think it is a great combination. It doesn't support automobile navigation though.

Ok all, pls excuse my dumbness to the topic, but what is the difference between Easy Plan, and Easy Cockpit?? What are the pro's / con's, and what type of flying is each suited. (Micro's, heli's, A380's, Space Shuttle etc??)

KB, it is quite easy once you have the software installed:-

1. EasyPlan runs off your Desk-top or Lap-top (or both) and you use it as an interface to EasyCockpit. You use it to plan your flights and to down-load your flights on your return.
2. EasyCockpit runs on your PDA (with a GPS connection) and is the GPS software and logger for your flights.

You can use them for all types of aviation.

Wart: How easy is it to mount and use an iPAQ 2750 in a trike??

The only thing that would worry me is it's resilience to wet weather seen as it's fairly exposed on a trike. It would be different in a closed plane.

The last thing you would need is the unit blowing due to mist, moisture ingress etc.

I know most GPS's are rated waterproof to IEC 529 IPX7 standards

Griffin, there is a rubber "all weather" housing for the iPAQ and the mounting cac be made up using the saddles that plumbers use to hold pipes in place (add some velcro for ease of installation).

Morp, it is a moving map so even if you haven't loaded a flight plan it works very well with terrain warnings etc. (the audible is a bit soft for a trike). It even auto-adjusts the scale the closer you get to your destination airfield, or planned out-field landing.

I am yet to use this extensively so these are my initial observations.

DH-What do you mean by ''localisation''?

The IPAQ and Easy cockpit sounds great. I would also like to use in car. Have you come across any suitable s/ware for road use?

There seems to be a large range of PDAs. Is the 2750 particularly suited to this use? This is a whole new area to me!

I went for the 2750 because of its processing power. There are others and in fact HP have just launched a PDA with integrated GPS and GSM capabilities; the prcossor is just not as powerful as the 2750.

Once you have the PDA and GPS, it is a case of then finding suitable software to operate the road navigation side if you want. That is the great flexibility of the PDA option. I use it when travilling to pick up my Email as it has WiFi and most airports are geared up for that too.

I played around for a while with different PocketPC applications with my GPS, but in the end decided that a the PocketPC was not reliable enough (crashes or freezes too often) and is not very eay to operate with gloves. Eventually ended up buying a Garmin GPSmap 296 which is awesome.

If you are still keen on the PocketPC look at OziExplorer with the South African aviation maps available from the department of surveyor general for free (scanned copies of the normal printed maps). Also look at PocketFMS ( http://www.pocketfms.com ) for free pocketPC aviation software with local data.