AV8OR Anyone?

cessna182b

Line Up and Wait
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Sep 7, 2008
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SANTA BARBARA, CA
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Display name:
DAVID JOHNSON
Are there any members out there who are learning the ropes of the BK AV8OR GPS? I'm looking for comments and suggestions.

I've got mine (no WX yet), and am gradually getting it arranged to suit myself. First flight I tried to use it without cracking the "manual" - and succeeded- but there was obviously much to be learned. The second time
went noticeably better, but the screen presentation still needed some rearrangement (took care of that afterward). Generally, I'm pleased - but time will tell. A road trip went better on the first attempt - but I couldn't figure out how to reverse the course for the return trip (and consequently missed a turn in a strange city). For the most part, I don't care for the voice prompts - and find the speaker volume inadequate.

As others have noted, the power and antenna connections come out of the unit at awkward places - though both could be resolved by switching to right angle connectors. Anybody have sources for these? (I believe that the antenna connector is of the "MMCX" variety).

I have yet to arrive at a satisfactory mounting arrangement in the plane. The yoke mount won't fit my Cessna (shaft too small) - and I don't like them anyway. I took the car windshield mount apart and inserted a 1/4-20 bolt and washer in the bottom of the upper half. Then I attached this assembly to an angle bracket and clipped it to the browshield of the panel with a large spring clip. This worked, but has several drawbacks: 1. It is not solid enough (moves around a bit due to vibration or maneuvering), and 2. It is too close to my face (can't see it without magnifier lenses - which I don't like to use). I have since fabricated a non-swiveling mount attached directly to the spring clip - but haven't has a chance to try it yet.

Other comments: The display is bright enough, but could benefit from the addition of a visor. The plastic cradle is rather flimsy and has an insecure grip on the unit. Metal would be better.

More later. Comments?

David Johnson
 
There is a really long thread about it on the Red Board. After reading it I am not as interested in obtaining one as I was at first.
 
I purchased one at Oshkosh and have been following the postings on the Red Board. I really don't have many complaints about mine. However, I didn't go into the purchase thinking I was getting a 396 or 496 either. People have to realize that you are getting an $1,150 gps (if you include the weather receiver). There are reasons it is cheaper. If those reasons bother you, then don't get it. I wanted a good gps with basic weather capabilities. That is what I got, and it was cheaper than anything else. I looked at the AWM Atc as well, but to me it was slow and had a bunch of things I really don't need. Why spend the extra approx. $400 if I'm not going to use the features. Just my $.02
 
However, I didn't go into the purchase thinking I was getting a 396 or 496 either. People have to realize that you are getting an $1,150 gps (if you include the weather receiver). There are reasons it is cheaper. If those reasons bother you, then don't get it.

Soooo... What might those reasons be? :dunno:
 
See the Red Board for most of the reasons. Here's some I can think of off the top of my head:
-some have complained about where the cords plug in . . . that it is odd. I agree, however it doesn't bother me
-resolution doesn't seem to be at the level of the garmins
-some think it is a little "cartoonish" in how it displays the information
-reports of problems getting the weather to work, or having it reset, etc. I haven't had any of those problems, so maybe I would feel differently if I had. I can say that I have had excellent support from both BK and Wxworx when I've had questions/issues
-some say that it doesn't show your course when viewing the weather screen. I'm not sure I follow this one, as mine does show that information

There are many more "gripes" on the red board post. If I can find it, I'll post the link. 6 of one half dozen of the other in my book. I could come up with a list just as long, if not longer, on the ATC. Doesn't mean I don't like the ATC, I think it is a great piece of machinery, just not what I needed.
 
See the Red Board for most of the reasons. Here's some I can think of off the top of my head:
-some have complained about where the cords plug in . . . that it is odd. I agree, however it doesn't bother me
-resolution doesn't seem to be at the level of the garmins
-some think it is a little "cartoonish" in how it displays the information
-reports of problems getting the weather to work, or having it reset, etc. I haven't had any of those problems, so maybe I would feel differently if I had. I can say that I have had excellent support from both BK and Wxworx when I've had questions/issues
-some say that it doesn't show your course when viewing the weather screen. I'm not sure I follow this one, as mine does show that information

There are many more "gripes" on the red board post. If I can find it, I'll post the link. 6 of one half dozen of the other in my book. I could come up with a list just as long, if not longer, on the ATC. Doesn't mean I don't like the ATC, I think it is a great piece of machinery, just not what I needed.

I am one of the folks who participated in the "red board" thread. I returned my AV8OR. Why?

- Poor physical desgn.
** It has cords sticking out of 3 sides. That makes the unit's footprint much larger and makes the wiring more of a rat's nest than it needs to be.
** The on/off switch is poorly placed and very sensitive. Touch it and the unit shuts down. Unlike *aviation* GPS's where it takes a 2-3 second button push to turn the unit off.
** Poor contrast (or brightness) on the screen. Very hard to read in my RV.

- Poor software.

** Can't see airspace information and weather at the same time.
** Unit locks up when switching modes. Wanna use the automotive function and switch back and forth to see the weather along your drive? No can do. The unit will lock up and you'll have to reboot.
** The bluetooth XM connection has to be manually reset every time you turn the unit on. Or every time you accidentally turn the unit off by bumping the on/off button. By manually reset, I mean you have to go into a configuration screen and re-connect the bluetooth. Unlike your cell phone bluetooth earpiece which automatically connects.

For me, it was a situation where (my opinion) Bendix/King didn't put the time and effort into properly developing the product before rolling it out. A couple of weeks of beta testing, followed by a few physical design changes and some software fixes and it would have been a world beater. The software issues can be fixed, but you're stuck with the hardware issues.

I wasn't going to be stuck with a $1200 (including bluetooth XM box) unit that had so many obvious shortcomings. It would have just frustrated me for the 10 years I'd have used it. Instead, I'll save up a few more bucks and buy a Garmin. Overpriced, but without any glaring design/execution flaws.
 
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I am one of the folks who participated in the "red board" thread. I returned my AV8OR. Why?

- Poor physical desgn.
** It has cords sticking out of 3 sides. That makes the unit's footprint much larger and makes the wiring more of a rat's nest than it needs to be.
** The on/off switch is poorly placed and very sensitive. Touch it and the unit shuts down. Unlike *aviation* GPS's where it takes a 2-3 second button push to turn the unit off.
** Poor contrast (or brightness) on the screen. Very hard to read in my RV.

- Poor software.

** Can't see airspace information and weather at the same time.
** Unit locks up when switching modes. Wanna use the automotive function and switch back and forth to see the weather along your drive? No can do. The unit will lock up and you'll have to reboot.
** The bluetooth XM connection has to be manually reset every time you turn the unit on. Or every time you accidentally turn the unit off by bumping the on/off button. By manually reset, I mean you have to go into a configuration screen and re-connect the bluetooth. Unlike your cell phone bluetooth earpiece which automatically connects.

For me, it was a situation where (my opinion) Bendix/King didn't put the time and effort into properly developing the product before rolling it out. A couple of weeks of beta testing, followed by a few physical design changes and some software fixes and it would have been a world beater. The software issues can be fixed, but you're stuck with the hardware issues.

I wasn't going to be stuck with a $1200 (including bluetooth XM box) unit that had so many obvious shortcomings. It would have just frustrated me for the 10 years I'd have used it. Instead, I'll save up a few more bucks and buy a Garmin. Overpriced, but without any glaring design/execution flaws.

For some of your points we must have different hardware:

-My power button does not shut the unit off unless you hold it for 3-4 seconds. You have to hold it down for 1-2 seconds just to get it to go into "sleep" mode, and it can be brought out of that by touching the power button.
-I don't have the reboot problem you mention - works like a champ for me

I'll spot you all the rest - they just aren't things that bother me and I knew about most of them prior to buying. Money is more important to me right now that those "faults."
 
For some of your points we must have different hardware:

-My power button does not shut the unit off unless you hold it for 3-4 seconds. You have to hold it down for 1-2 seconds just to get it to go into "sleep" mode, and it can be brought out of that by touching the power button.
-I don't have the reboot problem you mention - works like a champ for me

I'll spot you all the rest - they just aren't things that bother me and I knew about most of them prior to buying. Money is more important to me right now that those "faults."

Those things *might* be software configurable. Allegedly, Bendix/King is shipping units with improved software over the version I purchased on the first day of Osh. I'm not following the situation closely any more, now that mine has been returned, so I don't know that to be true. If it is true, there is probably a software download somewhere that will help out existing owners with the older software.
 
Sonds to me that King tried to get their new product out of the door by OSH. My gess is that the next couple of firmware updates maight make this thing a better box. You'd hope that Bendix wouldn't adopt the release buggy software on time, and fix it later with updates methodology. I guess releasing a product at Airventure makes a date driven release schedule unavoidable.

Just out of curiosity, has Bendix King released any software updates yet?
 
I am one of the folks who participated in the "red board" thread. I returned my AV8OR. Why?

- Poor physical desgn.
** It has cords sticking out of 3 sides. That makes the unit's footprint much larger and makes the wiring more of a rat's nest than it needs to be.
** The on/off switch is poorly placed and very sensitive. Touch it and the unit shuts down. Unlike *aviation* GPS's where it takes a 2-3 second button push to turn the unit off.
** Poor contrast (or brightness) on the screen. Very hard to read in my RV.

- Poor software.

** Can't see airspace information and weather at the same time.
** Unit locks up when switching modes. Wanna use the automotive function and switch back and forth to see the weather along your drive? No can do. The unit will lock up and you'll have to reboot.
** The bluetooth XM connection has to be manually reset every time you turn the unit on. Or every time you accidentally turn the unit off by bumping the on/off button. By manually reset, I mean you have to go into a configuration screen and re-connect the bluetooth. Unlike your cell phone bluetooth earpiece which automatically connects.

For me, it was a situation where (my opinion) Bendix/King didn't put the time and effort into properly developing the product before rolling it out. A couple of weeks of beta testing, followed by a few physical design changes and some software fixes and it would have been a world beater. The software issues can be fixed, but you're stuck with the hardware issues.

I wasn't going to be stuck with a $1200 (including bluetooth XM box) unit that had so many obvious shortcomings. It would have just frustrated me for the 10 years I'd have used it. Instead, I'll save up a few more bucks and buy a Garmin. Overpriced, but without any glaring design/execution flaws.

I'm the one who started this thread - and would like to weigh in on my own impressions of the unit.

First off, I agree that the connections issue leaves something to be desired - but on the other hand, they are easily solved. Right angle power plugs are available at Radio Shack (their P/N 273-1705). I'd caution anyone planning to install one to use the existing cigarette lighter plug, rather than a substitute. This is due to the fact that the BK plug has a regulator inside, dropping the source voltage (10 - 30 V) to 5 Volts.

As for the antenna plug, Amphenol P/N 262136 may be just what you need. Here is a link: http://www.alliedelec.com/search/se...262136&Ntk=MfrPartNumber&sid=11C6B9B176EB&i=2 I haven't seen one yet to verify this, but believe it to be a right angle adapter of the correct series.

As for the "Laundry List" of other gripes, these are valid points - but the good news is that just about every one can be addressed by way of firmware updates. Hopefully they will be in the near future. The screen brightness could be better (compare it to the Avmap units) - but has not been a problem for me.

The bottom line is that I am not disappointed with this unit - and am looking forward to the expected improvements. I have been a Garmin user
(GPS 92) for years, and have been very happy with that unit's performance. However, the AV8OR' capabilities blows it away - and for not a lot more money than what I originally spent. In "Bang for the Buck" the AV8OR is a hands down winner.

I do feel that the Garmin 396/496 is vastly overpriced - and a "clunker" in the form factor department (doesn't fit anywhere very well). Garmin can do better (ever look at their marine units?). Perhaps they will get off their duffs and do something about it now.
 
Dumb Question #3124: What is the "Red Board", and where is it?

Thanks!

Not a dumb question! I found the purple board by chance...then saw references to the red board and didn't even know AOPA had a board...so joined that...then I heard references to the blue board (this one) and took forever to figure out what it was. All three are different and fun. I participate in all three now.
 
Oh, and I meant to also say....
Went to Aircraft Spruce with my flying buddy with cash-in-hand (his) to buy one of these...Took it out of the box to play with it...decided that we could BAAELY read the letters on the screen and the touch-screed buttons were too small. The screen itself was much smaller than we expected (using a pair of Lorance 1000Cs now). Yes, we're old with old man eyes, but...We decided that we couldn't use it.
 
This is an incredible advancement in handheld gps technology. Try to get your hands on a demo... you won't want to let go. Here is an easy link for more product details. http://www.av8or.com


Strangely, this exact same post appeared on one of the RV forums. And surprise, it was the poster's first post, just like this one.

Not that first time posters can't offer something useful, but this one reeks of spam...
 
Strangely, this exact same post appeared on one of the RV forums. And surprise, it was the poster's first post, just like this one.

Not that first time posters can't offer something useful, but this one reeks of spam...
I don't think Honeywell has to stoop that low for advertisement.
 
I don't think Honeywell has to stoop that low for advertisement.

Probably not, but I can just see some wet-behind-the-ears intern making posts like those thinking s/he was "getting the good word out"...

I just thought it was an odd and obvious drive-by post.
 
Probably not, but I can just see some wet-behind-the-ears intern making posts like those thinking s/he was "getting the good word out"...

I just thought it was an odd and obvious drive-by post.
I agree. I was tempted to ask on what basis this person made these judgements, but decided not to at the time. OTOH, if they wish to come back and tell us WHY it's so great and actually offer some useful information, I'm all ears (or eyes, as the case may be).
 
I'm feeling a little awkward about it but the truth is I was trying to increase the hit count on the domain name "av8or.com". I'm trying to sell the domain to an avionics dealer. Sorry for the hassle... I'll delete the post. Dave
 
Dave,
Do you fly, or is your interest in this strictly trying to increase the value of a domain?
 
Well, welcome to the board! Intentionally or not, you stumbled across a great gathering of pilots here. Why don't you introduce yourself! (Don't worry, that certainly wasn't the most inauspicious first post I've seen.)
 
I'm feeling a little awkward about it but the truth is I was trying to increase the hit count on the domain name "av8or.com". I'm trying to sell the domain to an avionics dealer. Sorry for the hassle... I'll delete the post. Dave


Seeing that the jury has found you guilty, I now sentence you to spend all the money you make off that domain flying... And then come back and tell us where you flew! :yes:
 
Ok, My name is Dave Kirsten from Lodi, CA. My flying career started when I was 17 (in 1971). I flew family Cessna 172's, and 182's until purchasing my first Supercub in 1989. I'm now flying a 1989 PA-18 (N4153M) and actively participate in a forum called supercub.org. This recent June we held the forth annual Johnson Creek (Idaho) supercub fly-in, an event I organized. I'm also a partner in a 1963 Cessna 172. I am in my 30th year as a commodity dealer. I'm married with a son (25) working for me, and a daughter (22) who just graduated from CU Boulder. She just informed us her mission is not complete in Boulder and apparently has no immediate plans to move back to Lodi.
 
Where would she go from Boulder? Good school, good name, beautiful area... but, there are drawbacks given my personal philosophy.
 
We agree, when we visit her in Boulder it is difficult to leave.
 
Not familiar with Lucille's but I will ask my daughter about it. We see her in two weeks so maybe we'll give it a try. Our current favorite is Jax Seafood.

http://www.jaxfishhouseboulder.com/
I can't recall Jax but then I'm not at all a fan of seafood. My girlfriend at the time was a seafood fan but had very little of it around me. We lived up in Sunshine Canyon above the city. College kids often rode their bikes up there or up Boulder Canyon.

Here's the site for Lucille's. The place to go for pasta is out in Louisville. I can't recall the name. I want to say the Blue Parrot but that's not it.

I haven't been there since 1992. Gosh, I can't imagine what has changed since then.
 
Jax is on Pearl Street, a short walk from my daughter's condo. I googled the Blue Parrot and there is a restaurant by that name in Louisville. I'll check into it.
 
Ok, My name is Dave Kirsten from Lodi, CA. My flying career started when I was 17 (in 1971). I flew family Cessna 172's, and 182's until purchasing my first Supercub in 1989. I'm now flying a 1989 PA-18 (N4153M) and actively participate in a forum called supercub.org. This recent June we held the forth annual Johnson Creek (Idaho) supercub fly-in, an event I organized.

Oh man... Flying a Super Cub into Johnson Creek... Droooooooooooooooool. *happy sigh*

Now I need a Super Cub so I can fly it to your event. :yes:
 
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