Q: Best possible portable GPS to be used with FalconView?

[jir]

Hiya all!

I'm a danish naval LYNX helicopter pilot trying to find the best possible equipment for my squadron and is hoping some of you gentlemen can give me a helping hand.

I am trying to find the best possible portable GPS to be used with FalconView/PFPS. I have tried to google for information, but can't find any information regarding what GPS is compatible with the programs.

The GPS is to be used when flying, so it should not be too small and if possible NVG compatible (dim max without blinding the NVG is OK).

Do you have any suggestions and what are your experience with the GPS you use?

Is it possible to get a GPS which can not only use the overlays but also use the maps from PFPS?

Thank's guys.....

 

[skidkid]

We used the Garmin 396/496 in Iraq. A man smarter than I was able to download all aplicable check points into the GPS. The screen is very usable on a kneeboard and there are a wide range of mounting options. The battery seemed to last about 3 hours. The screen is dimable so NVG friendly if not completely compatible. I have tried some of the "moving map" GPS kneeboards provided by various contractors and dont really like them, still like paper. The Garmin was a nice compromise and gave us a solid moving map capability once we downloaded map sheets and points. I think they cost about $1500 a copy over the counter.
In CONUS it works with an XM radio antenae and gives us a weather radar capability, makes hunting and pecking under the weather much more comfortable.
Nothing but good things to say about this piece of equiptment but like any other gadget is can be an SA blackhole if you let it suck you in too much

 

[lowflier03]

It all depends on what you need. The biggest problem with all the large screen GPS units is battery life. You'll get about 3-4 hours depending on the model. With the small handheld units you are looking at about 24 hours on a set of batteries. Of course then you have the small screen. Depending on space, etc. I have seen people use a handheld GPS connected to a laptop running PFPS with alot of success. You can use the maps from PFPS on smaller GPS units, but you have to do some conversion on the format. I personally use a Garmin Etrex Vista HCx as a backup in the Aircraft with no issues. It has a night display mode that has been good with goggles. Though the screen is probably too small for most people to do real nav with.

 

[Zissou]

I ran a Garmin to my Toughbook as LowFlier described. Worked great.

Are you using Falcon View or Falcon Lite?

 

[Deepsea 31]

jir, I'm curious. If you went through the Naval Aviation training pipeline here in the U.S. to get your wings, do you wear U.S. Naval Aviator wings-of-gold in the Danish Navy?

Deepsea 31 out.

 

[jir]

First of all.....Thank's guys! I really appreciate your kind help. Please keep it comming :icon_mi_1

Zissou: We don't have it yet, but the squadrons next door uses the normal FalconView, not the lite version, so I am working on getting that.

Deepsea31: It's okay to be curious...we all are :icon_tong I recieved the wings-of-gold in Pensacola, but I don't wear them, because we have our own wings.

I have seen that there is a Google Earth Tool for PFPS. Why whould you use that? Is it not possible to do the exact same things in PFPS using satellite pics?

I heard that the PFPS course at Eglin is way too much for rotary guys, so I was wondering if you might know of a basic course somewhere specifically for helo crew or if you can give me a POC?

 

[busdriver]

We in the Pavehawk world currently fly with a Panasonic CF-18 as a moving map laptop, running Falconview with our GPS feed from the aircraft nav system. However, as a backup I carry the serial cable that allows me to hook my Garmin eTrex up as a nav source instead. Falconview won't work with the newer GPSs (USB cable) but will work with the older RS-232 cabled systems. So, if you're willing to fly around with a small laptop, any GPS that has a serial port cable should work as a nav source for Falconview's moving map feature.

 

[Pags]

I never knew such capabilities existed...I need to dig into FalconView more. All we use it for is to slick our PCMCIAs and upload points to our TACT display...no moving map here....despite lockheed having designed one years ago.

 

[jir]

Unfortunately the LYNX is not quite as big and has the space of the '60, so we need a portable GPS and not a laptop. We still fly around with a conventional cockpit and a very old TDS system, which they won't spend money on upgrading, because they work on getting new helicopters for us....within the next 10 years :icon_tong

Some of you guys talk about Garmin GPSs, but what about AvMap GPSs? I e-mailed AvMap and asked about compability with FalconView, in which they responded, that none of their GPSs are compatible unless FalconView uses standard NMEA sentences for transmitting an receiving
Flight plans and Waypoints with outside and a proprietaty sentence for
tracks. Does any of you guys know, if any AvMap GPSs work with FalconView or is Garmin the best choise?

 

[busdriver]

I don't know about AvMap, but if you think the AF 60 has extra room in the cockpit, you are very mistaken. The CF-18 is a touchscreen laptop that allows you to rotate the screen so it turns into a large tablet computer. I usually use it to brief a nav leg then put it on the glare shield, screen down to get it out of the way. By no means is this arrangement convienent, but it works and since the AF won't pay for us to get a proper integrated moving map system, we deal with it. In many ways a paper map is better but a moving map display gives you the ability to instantly regain SA on where you are in relation to everything else.

I get the impression these abilities in Falconview are new to most of you, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I'll help you out as best I can.

 

[skidkid]

I share the small cockpit issues with you. In 03 we were offered a very large tablet PC with a knee strap on it that plugged into a Garmin Etrex and we were suposed to fly with it. Huey guys with a big cockpit liked it Cobra guys not as much. Again the 396/496 with the 3" or so screen is nice, it is not PFPS but it is compatible and a work around for not having an inherent moving map.

If they would give me a good moving map with BFT capability (which is over the shelf these days) life would be great but until then I will fly with the Garmin which oh by the way was donated to su by the company (slight product plug).

 

[jarhead]

Wow, only 3 hours? I use the Garmin 196 on a regular basis and can get around 12 hours out of it on 4 AA's, though the majority of it is daytime use so I turned off the backlighting, which soaks up battery life. I'm familiar with the differences between the 196/296/396/496 Garmin models but didn't realize the battery life was that different.

fly safe
S/F

We used the Garmin 396/496 in Iraq. ... The battery seemed to last about 3 hours. ...

 

[busdriver]

God the knee strap idea was the worst. For a very brief time we had someone pushing this PDA sized thing that would act like a moving map kneeboard that apparently Apaches used, the only problem being the screen is so small you would only get nav data 3 or 4 miles ahead on a JOG. Not to mention the fact that the Pavehawk has a MATT radio, there's simply too much data available to display on a 4 inch screen.

 

[JT Eagle]

Who are you kidding jir? You know that THIS is the most important piece of kit in a Danish Lynx cockpit:


Photo JT
(No, we weren't flying at 90 AOB, but not sure how to rotate the pic)

 

[skidkid]

Wow, only 3 hours? I use the Garmin 196 on a regular basis and can get around 12 hours out of it on 4 AA's, though the majority of it is daytime use so I turned off the backlighting, which soaks up battery life. I'm familiar with the differences between the 196/296/396/496 Garmin models but didn't realize the battery life was that different.

fly safe
S/F

I wish they ran on AA but it is rechrargeable battery that comes with it. Using the XM antenae drains juice fat.