Suggestions for GPS for PP (Renter) for around $200

kimberlyanne546

kimberlyanne546

Final Approach
Joined
Jun 9, 2011
Messages
7,726
Location
California
Display Name
Display name:
Kimberly
I did a thread search but was unable to find the answers I needed (if I'm wrong please point me to the correct thread).

Though one day I may rent from another airport, for now I am going to keep flying from Petaluma. The 152 and the 172 do not have GPS.

Several pilots have told me that I can buy one for $200 - is this true? Are there monthly fees too? Can I use it in my car when I am not flying or are they strictly for planes?

Sorry but I have never owned a GPS and have no idea. It would be cool if I could use them on hikes, drives, and flights.

Specifically I wanted one due to the Bravo / Charlie airspace around San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, etc.

Thanks everyone for any advice you can give. I don't mind buying used either.


Kimberly
 
I have a Lowrance Airmap 500. You could probably find one for a few hundred now, or less. I haven't updated the database, nor have I even turned it on in years. The iPad with Foreflight does a better job.
 
Also, do I throw these things up on the dash, or attach them to my yoke, or hold them in my hand, or . . . ?

Here is the 152 panel on my side:


6134142937_6ee1a91bbd_z.jpg



And on the other side:

6134734696_85452180e8_z.jpg
 
I personally use a Garmin 496, so can't comment on the functionality of this model directly, but it appears that a new Anywhere Map can be had for $395 with mail in rebate: http://www.sportys.com/PilotShop/product/14490 I'm sure you can search Ebay for something cheaper. This particular model comes with a yoke mount.
 
Up your budget just a little and I have an Anywheremap Quadra MAX with lifetime updates I'd be willing to sell. I don't think you're going to get anything tremendous for 200 bucks. IIRC the lowrances are not supported or updateable anymore, could be wrong. I just did a test run at buying my system it's 840 bucks - 150 buck mail in rebate so that's 690 for a new one, make me an offer if you want. I'd be willing to take a 100 bath over what I can sell it for on eBay just to not have to deal with eBay :)
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Also, do I throw these things up on the dash, or attach them to my yoke, or hold them in my hand, or . . . ?
Click to expand...

It depends, I like the yoke mount, when I take mine out of the plane to a rental, There was a friction mount I had with my aera that I just tossed on the dash and worked OK in smooth air. The Quadra I have, i haven't found a use for the dash mount, it's suction but I don't know what it would stick to for over 15 minutes. (No I didn't sell my Aera to buy a Quadra, my Aera was stolen) you might find a slightly stolen Aera in a Memphis Ghetto for 200 bucks..... :mad2:
 
bartmc said:
Up your budget just a little and I have an Anywheremap Quadra MAX with lifetime updates I'd be willing to sell. I don't think you're going to get anything tremendous for 200 bucks. IIRC the lowrances are not supported or updateable anymore, could be wrong. I just did a test run at buying my system it's 840 bucks - 150 buck mail in rebate so that's 690 for a new one, make me an offer if you want. I'd be willing to take a 100 bath over what I can sell it for on eBay just to not have to deal with eBay :)
Click to expand...

I'm pretty bad at negotiations and I don't have the money (yet). Let me know what you would sell it to me for and I'll let you know how soon I can afford to buy it, if the price is low enough. That is, of course, assuming my car doesn't need anything, my dog doesn't get sick, etc. You may be stuck with eBay!
 
Which one you choose will depend on what you want it to do. For VFR only (no color, no weather) the Garmin GPS Pilot III is a nice small unit. Does everything I need it to do and is easy to use. Haven't looked at used prices, maybe a few hundred?. Easy to mount on the yoke, or use a suction cup mount.

The color units with weather are really cool, but I really don't need all the bells and whistles they has. If I were an IFR rated pilot doing longer cross countries, the extra features would be more useful.

Gary
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I did a thread search but was unable to find the answers I needed (if I'm wrong please point me to the correct thread).

Though one day I may rent from another airport, for now I am going to keep flying from Petaluma. The 152 and the 172 do not have GPS.

Several pilots have told me that I can buy one for $200 - is this true? Are there monthly fees too? Can I use it in my car when I am not flying or are they strictly for planes?

Sorry but I have never owned a GPS and have no idea. It would be cool if I could use them on hikes, drives, and flights.

Specifically I wanted one due to the Bravo / Charlie airspace around San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, etc.

Thanks everyone for any advice you can give. I don't mind buying used either.


Kimberly
Click to expand...

I am kinda amazed in this day and age you have had NO experience with GPS, either in the normal day to day stuff or getting your PPL. Once you find out how kool it is you will NEVER go back to anything else.:nonod:.. I have an old hand held unit sitting around here somewhere,, if I find it I will send it to ya for free...

Ben.
 
Get an Ipad + Foreflight subscription.

You can find the basic used ipad 1 for around $250. Then buy the $100 bad elf GPS. You'll absolutely love ForeFlight. I know its a little over budget but.. fork it over! See if you can find some crap laying around your house you can sell on e-bay or something.

Not only will you get a GPS but an excellent pre-flight weather planning tool, chart subscription and whatever else. Get someone to demo fore flight for you before you buy an old gps for $200.

Plus you're in cali and you're not cool unless you live the i life. At least that is my impression of california, never been.
 
Last edited:
Do you have a android phone? If so look at the Naviator app. It's better on a tablet but you can try it out for free for 30 on your phone.
 
dell30rb said:
Get an Ipad + Foreflight subscription.

You can find the basic used ipad 1 for around $250. Then buy the $100 bad elf GPS. You'll absolutely love ForeFlight. I know its a little over budget but.. fork it over! See if you can find some crap laying around your house you can sell on e-bay or something.

Not only will you get a GPS but an excellent pre-flight weather planning tool, chart subscription and whatever else. Get someone to demo fore flight for you before you buy an old gps for $200.
Click to expand...

Can you download weather in flight through XM with this unit?
 
Do you have an IPhone? If so, Foreflight is $80 a year. It will give you a GPS, flight planning, WX radar, sectional charts, A/FD.........

It's tough to beat for a low budget GPS. When you subscribe, you get two licenses so that you can run it on an IPHone AND an IPad.

You can use it in the car, but it does not have road maps. Most all of the handheld GPS units have road maps as well as air nav.

I was watching ebay for an older unit in the $200 category and never could really find anything I wanted to take a chance on. Once I found Foreflight I never looked back. If I had more room in my tiny little cockpit, I'd get an IPad. You don't have to get a GPS receiver for an IPad if you get the right IPad model. The Iphone also does not need an external receiver, it is built in.

Doc
 
Last edited:
I was going to say, your average iPhone has a GPS in it and can be had for well under $200. I bet there are apps you can download that give you GPS capability. I know there are apps that give you weather.
 
Anthony said:
Can you download weather in flight through XM with this unit?
Click to expand...

That is either happening soon or it has already happened. I think the price tag is around $200. I'm sure someone here knows the answer to this.
 
Yes, once you set up a route in Foreflight you press the MAPS button, you then have about a dozen choices for overlays including current weather radar, satellite cloud pictures, sectional charts, fuel locations and that's about all I've used of these dozen choices.

Google Foreflight and go look at the demonstration on their website. GPS capability is only a small portion of its capability. Flight planning is quick and easy, it will even arrange and I think even file your flight plan.

Doc
 
First thing I bought after my PP in the C152 was another headset and a used Lowrance Airmap 500. Great GPS, and could do a lot with a long battery life. Great for me as a VFR pilot, guided me to NY/WV/ and along the NJ coast quite a few times.

I sold it not long ago with box and accessories for $150, in the thought of going with a Garmin Aera. Look on the classifieds here and the AOPA boards for them.

The Aera units are really nice units and can be used in the car and the plane. You may be able to watch over the next few months and pick up some used Aera 510's as some people may jump up to the 796 that was just released.
 
TMetzinger said:
Garmin GPS96 or 96C maybe?
Click to expand...

If you wanted a dedicated GPS rather than an IPhone/IPad application this would be a good choice for a renter. It's a neat package with a good receiver and they have been around long enough that you can find them not too far outside your stated budget.

Doc
 
Agree that if you have an Android or iPhone then your best budget option these days is to get an app for that. If you don't, you are welcome to try out my Garmin GPS III Pilot which is '90s tech but still very useful. It has been sitting in a box at home for a year so I'd be happy to see it used, you can borrow it for a month or two to see whether you like it. Let me know.
 
My GPS is located to the left of my Tiger's cockpit in a mount, but if I were renting and moving it from plane to plane, I'd put it on the yoke.
 
dell30rb said:
Get an Ipad + Foreflight subscription.

You can find the basic used ipad 1 for around $250. Then buy the $100 bad elf GPS. You'll absolutely love ForeFlight. I know its a little over budget but.. fork it over! See if you can find some crap laying around your house you can sell on e-bay or something.

Not only will you get a GPS but an excellent pre-flight weather planning tool, chart subscription and whatever else. Get someone to demo fore flight for you before you buy an old gps for $200.
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree with dell30rb except I would go for 3G model to avoid dealing with cables or another BT unit and will get WingX instead of FF. For $25/year more you get geo-referenced airport diagrams which is fantastic to the new pilot and extended runway centerline. Both those features help a lot to the new pilot. Add RAM yoke mount and you got complete setup.
Cost $300(iPad)+$100(one year WingX subscription)+$65(yoke mount)=$465
Way off the budget but convenience and functionally are totally worth it.
Cheaper option - get iPhone and SkyChartsPro $20/year. Less functionality and smaller screen but close to the budget.
 
I'm in agreement with others that suggest an Ipad with an air nav app, simply because it's useful for a lot of other things besides navigating when you aren't flying the airplane.

Just as a funny anecdote, I was flying a coworker of mine to Reid Hillview, and just as I came over the mountains the 430 crapped out. I didn't have a problem with nav or finding the airport, but my coworker, who is a non pilot but an aviation buff, whipped out his Ipad and displayed our position complete with airpace boundaries. He was pretty proud that he got to "save" the day.

Also, downloadable WX is fairly useless here most of the time except in the mountains.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I did a thread search but was unable to find the answers I needed (if I'm wrong please point me to the correct thread).

Though one day I may rent from another airport, for now I am going to keep flying from Petaluma. The 152 and the 172 do not have GPS.

Several pilots have told me that I can buy one for $200 - is this true? Are there monthly fees too? Can I use it in my car when I am not flying or are they strictly for planes?

Sorry but I have never owned a GPS and have no idea. It would be cool if I could use them on hikes, drives, and flights.

Specifically I wanted one due to the Bravo / Charlie airspace around San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, Half Moon Bay, etc.

Thanks everyone for any advice you can give. I don't mind buying used either.


Kimberly
Click to expand...
For $200 or less there aren't many good options. You could go with a hiker unit that allows computer downloaded waypoints and load up a bunch of airports but that's a lot of work and kinda kludgey. At that price point I think your best bet is a Garmin Pilot III or a GPS196. Both are monochrome aviation units for which you can still get DB updates (the update will likely cost a substantial portion of your budget).

I've seen Pilot III (not to be confused with the "Street Pilot III") units advertized for less than $100. The can use standard alkaline batteries and are pretty capable for the price albeit with a fairly small screen.

The 196 is the monochrome version of the 296/396/496 line and shares the same screen size and most of the features (except weather). It might be hard to find a good one for $200 but they're not a lot more than that. They do use a rechargeable battery which could be pretty worn out on a used one but aftermarket replacements are available for around $25 last time I checked.

There are no fees for GPS use but for aviation use it helps to update the internal database periodically (once a year is usually sufficient for VFR) and that costs anywhere from $50 to $150 per update.
 
N801BH said:
I am kinda amazed in this day and age you have had NO experience with GPS, either in the normal day to day stuff or getting your PPL. Once you find out how kool it is you will NEVER go back to anything else.:nonod:.. I have an old hand held unit sitting around here somewhere,, if I find it I will send it to ya for free...

Ben.
Click to expand...

Really? I can send you a self-addressed flat rate pre-paid envelope so you don't have to do anything other than stick it in the mail. Thanks.
 
I have a blackberry torch and I just don't think I could rely on service in some remote areas - can't really rely on my phone much anyhow.

I hate iPads and even saw a Toshiba tablet that I did not like - could not do simple things like internet stuff due to the android operating system. I can't "touch" anything since my fingers for some reason have no circulation or at least not enough to make that electrical connection.

Tablets are not under $200 with GPS inside are they?
 
jtheune said:
Do you have a android phone? If so look at the Naviator app. It's better on a tablet but you can try it out for free for 30 on your phone.
Click to expand...


That or my preferred Android aviation app: Avilution Aviation Maps. Not only does it have moving maps (Sectionals, Low and High Enroute IFR, TAC), it also has a VERY nice "flight pad" section for taking ATIS/AWOS notes, clearances, etc. It also has airport information, instrument approaches/departures, weather overlay, etc. It's the closest android app to Foreflight for ipad, imo.

The app is free, but requires a $4.95/month subscription. All of the maps and data are kept current as well.

The nice thing about it is I have it on both my android tablet (Motorola Xoom) and android phone (Motorola Bionic), so I have a backup if one dies in flight. I don't need separate subscriptions for the two devices. I personally like Motorola because the GPS chips they use always seem to work better than the ones in other android devices (especially Samsung.) Although, you can also use an external bluetooth GPS received with these if the internal GPS doesn't work well enough. (The internal GPS on my Motorola units work fine, though.)


-Clayton
 
Last edited:
kimberlyanne546 said:
I have a blackberry torch and I just don't think I could rely on service in some remote areas - can't really rely on my phone much anyhow.

I hate iPads and even saw a Toshiba tablet that I did not like - could not do simple things like internet stuff due to the android operating system. I can't "touch" anything since my fingers for some reason have no circulation or at least not enough to make that electrical connection.

Tablets are not under $200 with GPS inside are they?
Click to expand...

To be honest, aviation is one of the very few facets of my life about which I am not overly stingy, since my life often depends on it. A good aviation GPS is something you should have. Seriously, it gives you unrivaled situational awareness. If you haven't got the cash right now fine, save up. But I wouldn't go cheap, unless you really understand the tech, the way some of these guys do.
 
bartmc said:
Up your budget just a little and I have an Anywheremap Quadra MAX with lifetime updates I'd be willing to sell. I don't think you're going to get anything tremendous for 200 bucks. IIRC the lowrances are not supported or updateable anymore, could be wrong. I just did a test run at buying my system it's 840 bucks - 150 buck mail in rebate so that's 690 for a new one, make me an offer if you want. I'd be willing to take a 100 bath over what I can sell it for on eBay just to not have to deal with eBay :)
Click to expand...


How has this worked out for you I forgot to ask? I'll just be doing day and night VFR stuff. How long does it last on battery power or is there a way you hook it up in flight? I don't remember if the planes have a cigarette lighter input or not.
 
steingar said:
To be honest, aviation is one of the very few facets of my life about which I am not overly stingy, since my life often depends on it. A good aviation GPS is something you should have. Seriously, it gives you unrivaled situational awareness. If you haven't got the cash right now fine, save up. But I wouldn't go cheap, unless you really understand the tech, the way some of these guys do.
Click to expand...

Well right now it is just sectionals. So something is better than nothing. But there should be ways I can get used stuff. I just don't like tablets and touch screens.
 
pericynthion said:
Agree that if you have an Android or iPhone then your best budget option these days is to get an app for that. If you don't, you are welcome to try out my Garmin GPS III Pilot which is '90s tech but still very useful. It has been sitting in a box at home for a year so I'd be happy to see it used, you can borrow it for a month or two to see whether you like it. Let me know.
Click to expand...

I have to vote for the Garmin III Pilot, too. I've had one for years and prefer it over the 196 I have. It fits nicely in the corner of the glareshield, easy to see but doesn't get in the way of seeing outside (the 196 is blocks too much of the sky for me). I have to use the yoke mount on the 196 and really don't like that.

The advantage of any of the aviation GPS is that you can easily see airspace limits. What I don't like about ForeFlight is the clutter - for VFR flights, you see the VFR sectional just like the paper. With an aviation GPS you can choose how much clutter on the screen. When I'm flying, I only have airspace & major roads turned on. I really don't care about frequencies, topography, etc. But I do need to know when I'm about to get too close to an MOA or Restricted area out here! (Rocky Mtns). I can glance at the Garmin and see exactly what's going on without having to "interpret" the screen.
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Really? I can send you a self-addressed flat rate pre-paid envelope so you don't have to do anything other than stick it in the mail. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I found the old unit,,,, put in new batteries and it did boot up. It is sitting on my deck now looking at the sky "searching" for satellites to refresh its brain. If it does wake up I will PM you for an address to send it too... No charge ma'am... That is assuming it will wake up... :dunno::dunno:

As Paul Harvey used to say " Stay tuned for news"...:D

Ben.
 
N801BH said:
I found the old unit,,,, put in new batteries and it did boot up. It is sitting on my deck now looking at the sky "searching" for satellites to refresh its brain. If it does wake up I will PM you for an address to send it too... No charge ma'am... That is assuming it will wake up... :dunno::dunno:

As Paul Harvey used to say " Stay tuned for news"...:D

Ben.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Fingers crossed. Just PM me where to send a package (and the dimensions) and I'll send you something so all you have to do is place it in the package - I'm thinking flat rate priority mail box with bubble wrap.


Kimberly
 
If the unit Ben offered doesn't work out, here's another option I didn't see mentioned: the iFly 700 <http://ifly.adventurepilot.com/>. I've never laid hands on one, but this unit seems to receive pretty good reviews for a VFR GPS. It is a bit above your price range, but they do show up once in a while used on eBay or AOPA for sale list.

That said, I really love my iPad and ForeFlight! I find it useful enough that I pretty much always have it in the 172, even though that plane has an in-panel KLN89B GPS. You don't need an iPad 2; the original 3G iPad works fine - that's what I have. I have found no need for a separate GPS receiver either. You can find a used original iPad for not much more than your budget.
 
Last edited:
BrianR said:
You don't need an iPad 2; the original iPad with WiFi works fine - that's what I have. I have found no need for a separate GPS receiver either. You can find a used original iPad for not much more than your budget.
Click to expand...

How are you getting position data into ForeFlight on a non-3G iPad without an external GPS of some sort?
 
This is my cheap pos:

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/R6QuQuo_eIkjCWE1gEjCrA

But it doesn't have an aviation map and you have to put most airports in by hand. But it only costs batteries to run. And it tells you where you are.

The menu button got torn off, so the duct tape holds it in place.

I usually toss it on the glare shield and ignore it.
 
I've used a Garmin GPS Map G96 and 295...

The G96 is black & white only which I'm not really a fan of, and the 295 is the oldest color screen VFR GPS Garmin made. You will need a serial to USB converter cable to update the maps, unless you have a really old computer. And those USB converter cables can be flakey...

IMHO the symbology takes some getting used to. I personally passed up the opportunity about two years ago to buy a used 295 from another local pilot for $300 and didn't regret it at all. But this is granted I have never needed more than 3 paper sectionals to get anywhere I have flown before. :D

I just bought my first Android smart phone recently and started using Naviator, which I like alot. It uses sectional maps which I waay prefer over what you get even on a new Garmin 496. Next time you buy a new phone, keep it in mind.

Otherwise I would just take that $200 bucks and use it to go out and FLY! :yesnod:
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
Thanks. Fingers crossed. Just PM me where to send a package (and the dimensions) and I'll send you something so all you have to do is place it in the package - I'm thinking flat rate priority mail box with bubble wrap.


Kimberly
Click to expand...

Believe it or not............. It WOKE up,, and actually went into the 3D mode and displayed the elevation within 5 feet.... Not bad for an ancient unit.... It currently shows 43` 35`80 / 110`45`22 and 6410 MSL.... My deck it is sitting on is 6404 MSL. This is a Magellan 2000 handheld I bought to tune snowmobiles when we were riding up in the mountians at 13,000+ feet. It ain't a aviation unit, BUT, It is user friendly and the menu is easy to navigate. It will teach you the basics of GPS and bring you up to speed on stuff like initialization, coord system, satellite constellation lay out and enough other stuff you need for understanding the GPS concept to give you an excuse to use it on every hike you go on, and even flights too :yesnod::yesnod:.

PM me and I will ship it out to you tomorrow... I already have some prepaid U.S. Mail Priority boxes so I can eat the shipping charges. Helping up and coming pilots is what POA is all about...

Ps. You might even be able to google Magellan 2000 and print out the users manual for it. :dunno::dunno:
 
I never had a GPS in the Chief.

Of course I'm flying VFR (and low enough to know what's what), have a sectional, and avoid busy or TFR-y airspace.

IFR is a whole 'nother thing. I won't fly IFR without XM weather and 'spherics on board. Embedded CB are just too scary.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top