Question about PDA w/ GPS

[BuckTurgidson]

Hello All,

Long time lurker, infrequent poster with a question(s).

Christmas is coming up and I was planning on buying myself a PDA. I want to get one that either has GPS built in or one that can have it added to it later. I believe that the new Garmin PDA does not have an aviation database in it.

What PDA would some of you recommend?

Do you know of any that can also receive uplinked weather and/or are WAAS capable?

I saw someone who had a Compaq PDA with a slick yoke mount and an aviation GPS, any idea where to find something like that? (I should have asked him

)

Thanks

 

[ready2fly]

I've heard that Compaq's iPaq is pretty good depending on which one you get (there are different models with various memory packages).

I'd like to know if anyone has any knowledge with the Sony Clie'?? If so, can Anywhere Map programs be loaded onto this particular unit??

This unit runs for around $150.

 

[aloft]

I think AnywhereMap is PocketPC-only; Sony CLIE runs PalmOS. AnywhereMap's Palm product has a greatly reduced feature set. The reason for this is that most current PocketPCs have a much faster processor and greater available RAM than present PalmOS offerings (along with correspondingly higher prices, naturally).

Given my experience with handheld GPS for aviation use, I'd say that unless there's a provision to remote-mount the GPS antenna, it won't prove satisfactory to you. Using only its internal antenna, I've completely lost GPS signal with my Garmin GPSMap 76 with the unit in a yoke mount due to electrical interference from the engine or instrument panel; I now run an external antenna to the back window and have enjoyed [estimated] accuracy down to 7 ft when airborne.

If you're set on a PDA-based solution, instead of the Garmin/Palm unit, I'd go with the best iPaq you can afford, and would consider the new Bluetooth GPS receivers now available ; that's just one less cord to deal with in the cockpit.

 

[BuckTurgidson]

Thanks, I was interested in the Ipaq. I am not necessarily set on a PDA based solution. I just need one for work and I thought that I could kill 2 birds with one stone. I am now using a Lowrance airmap 100 that I got on ebay for a couple of hundred dollars. It works just fine for what I need. I don't have a yoke mount or anything. I just set it on the glareshield and look at it occasionally. I fly/ferry a lot of different planes and I am not always sure of the accuracy of the avionics so I carry the lowrance and a handheld nav/com as backups.

 

[BoDEAN]

I have an iPAQ 2215 and love it! Will never go back to palm.