Aera 500 vs Garmin 495

[Guest davidh10]

OK, quick question:What's an "Air switch"?

I guess it is just a term. It refers here to the capability of the GPS to detect the start and end of the flight and thus enable or start and stop various functions including the timer that records actual flight time.

 

I'd also refer you to the discussion in this other thread that identifies some other types of air switches used to record flight time for maintenance purposes, so it is used more widely than just for GPS. Actually the term has been used by me, and others, but is not in the GPS manual.

 

 

[flying dog]

It was the GPS part which threw me.

 

Is there a setting in the AREA to determin minimum speed/height AGL when a flight starts?

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

It was the GPS part which threw me.Is there a setting in the AREA to determin minimum speed/height AGL when a flight starts?

If there is, I have yet to find it. I suspect this is a hard coded function in the firmware.

 

As you can fill in an"Aircraft Profile":-

 

• Cruise Speed.
   
   
  
• Maximum Speed (sets maximum speed shown on the HSI Panel).
   
   
  
• Fuel Flow (a fixed quantity per time, units selectable).
   
   
  
• Map Symbol (choose your aircraft icon)
   
   
  

 

 

{It is conceivable that "Cruise Speed" could be linked into an algorithm, but I'm just guessing. This of course could be IAS / TAS / CAS or the first number you thought ofi_dunno. There's no indication of usage.}

 

This is a function that gets no focus in the manual. The reference to 35kn is on page 40 under Vertical Navigation (VNAV) where it says the feature "is only available when navigating a DirectTo or flight plan and the ground speed is greater than 35 knots."

 

The implied reference is that there is a "Data Field" called FLT TIMER (defined as Total time in-flight). Somehow, the GPS determines the start and end of flight.

 

Empirically, in the Flight Log, if viewing the map track of a flight for which you have deleted the Track Log data, and it is a local flight, then the start and end of flight are marked at different points on the runway. Looking at my last flight, the start of the flight is closer to the threshold of the runway than the end of the flight. This alone does not advance our knowledge, except to acknowledge that it is fairly accurate in determining the start and end of flight.

 

I guess the only way to find out is to dial up the "Flight Numbers" Panel for takeoff and bore down the runway, delaying rotation if necessary, to see if the start is speed related alone. For landing, I'll be watching the runway at that point, not the instruments, although after touchdown, I could check before I drop below 35kn to see if it is still counting.

 

-------------------

 

If you want to save your track for viewing through the Flight Log, you need to have the Track Log data for that flight available.

 

If, as I do, you "Delete Current Track" as part of the start-up checks, then you would have had to specifically save the segment of track data pertinent to that flight (easily selectable in the save options: Entire Track / Past 24 Hrs / Past 7 days / Selected Flight / Specific Dates).

 

Weather is looking good out the window, so hopefully I'll get a flight in after work and will try the above test if possible.

 

Regards

 

David

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Aera 550 Filesystem

 

The PC is running Microsoft WindowsXP-Pro SP-3 and is up-to-date with patches.

 

The two removable disks that appear in Windows Explorer when the GPS is plugged in to the PC using USB can be seen in the first screenshot.

 

The remaining screen shots show the expanded filesystem tree on the "Garmin" Drive.

 

The "current.gpx" file in the GPX\Automotive directory contains automotive waypoints inserted through the GPS or using the web application at Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site, while the other two gpx files are ones I downloaded from http://www.geocaching.comand dropped there using Windows Explorer. These latter files contain one waypoint each.

 

If you add a waypoint file and then edit it using the GPS, the individual file will be deleted and the waypoint moved into "current.gpx"

 

The 1.gpx in E:\GPX\Automotive\GPX\Automotive\Archive is the automotive track log stored in a human readable XML file.

 

"Current.gpx" appears to be the user waypoints entered programmatically and a track log in an XML file. Presumably something triggers archiving the track log into files in the Archive directory.

 

I haven't played with this in aviation mode yet.

 

Downloaded GeoCaching Waypoint File in XML

 

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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?><gpx xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" version="1.0" creator="Groundspeak, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.groundspeak.com" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0 http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0/gpx.xsd http://www.groundspeak.com/cache/1/0 http://www.groundspeak.com/cache/1/0/cache.xsd" xmlns="http://www.topografix.com/GPX/1/0"><name>Cache Listing Generated from Geocaching.com</name><desc>This is an individual cache generated from Geocaching.com</desc><author>Account "Mr Emu" From Geocaching.com</author><email>[email protected]</email><url>http://www.geocaching.com</url><urlname>Geocaching - High Tech Treasure Hunting</urlname><time>2010-04-08T23:14:48.7277924Z</time><keywords>cache, geocache</keywords><bounds minlat="-38.240083" minlon="144.315" maxlat="-38.240083" maxlon="144.315" /><wpt lat="-38.240083" lon="144.315"><time>2007-10-17T07:00:00Z</time><name>GC16NDY</name><desc>Don't Need A Horse by Mr Emu, Traditional Cache (1/2)</desc><url>http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=aa08709a-382b-4a00-915e-b189b60bd4b1</url><urlname>Don't Need A Horse</urlname><sym>Geocache</sym><type>Geocache|Traditional Cache</type><groundspeak:cache id="711760" available="True" archived="False" xmlns:groundspeak="http://www.groundspeak.com/cache/1/0"><groundspeak:name>Don't Need A Horse</groundspeak:name><groundspeak:placed_by>Mr Emu</groundspeak:placed_by><groundspeak:owner id="966015">Mr Emu</groundspeak:owner><groundspeak:type>Traditional Cache</groundspeak:type><groundspeak:container>Regular</groundspeak:container><groundspeak:difficulty>1</groundspeak:difficulty><groundspeak:terrain>2</groundspeak:terrain><groundspeak:country>Australia</groundspeak:country><groundspeak:state>Victoria</groundspeak:state><groundspeak:short_description html="True"></groundspeak:short_description><groundspeak:long_description html="True">Receive more information such as cache descriptions and hints with a Premium Membership. Visit Geocaching > Groundspeak Memberships > Premium Memberships Purchased Through Paypal for more details.</groundspeak:long_description><groundspeak:encoded_hints>Hints available to premium members only.</groundspeak:encoded_hints></groundspeak:cache></wpt></gpx>

 

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[flying dog]

Thanks for all the info Dave.

 

I am still FOG (Feet on Ground) and looks like it will be that way for a long time yet.

 

Rain/bad weather.

 

I have Garmin's program called "Flight book" and it downloads flights from the GPS and makes a flightlog for you.

 

A bit of tweaking for times as I use engine time rather than flying time - and that is also on what I am billed.

 

It is kind of handy that the 96C can keep a few flights, so if I go away on holidays I can keep a lot of flights and then when I get home, download them to the 'puta.

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Garmin Aera 550 Air Switch

 

After today's cogitation and tonight's flight I am beginning to conclude that it is not just one simple on / off function.

 

This evening, I selected the "Numbers" screen before taxiing and then watched the Flight Time counter from line-up till it started counting. First I checked that it did not start when I was just gathering speed, and I purposely kept the engine revs lower than normal to make the take-off roll longer. Even when I hit rotate speed (55kn), It still read the total of the previous flight and continued to do so until I reached 380' AGL (800' MSL) at which it reset and started counting up air time.

 

At landing, the flight timer continued to count up until I slowed to approximately 20kt (IAS), when it stopped.

 

On the other hand the Flight Log, while it shows the same flight time, the flight track commences and ends on the runway. It is difficult to tell which marker is the beginning and which is the end, as they are not exactly co-incident with the start and end of the depicted track in the Flight Log.

 

In the Track Log, there is no start and end marker, but you can see both ends of the track. Again it is not obvious which is which.

 

It seems that to tell them apart, the flight will have to be started and ended on different runways.

 

When looking at the track on the Map Panel, you can see the full track starting from when the GPS was powered up, through taxi, backtracking, takeoff, landing, back tracking and taxiing.

 

The attached images show the AD portion of today's flight and a portion of an older Track Log from a nav to Mount Beauty (Note that the track log does not show that I landed, had morning tea and then flew out again This demonstrates a clear distinction between Flight Log and Track Log functions).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Thanks for all the info Dave.I am still FOG (Feet on Ground) and looks like it will be that way for a long time yet.

 

Rain/bad weather.

Hope the weather improves for you. The weekend isn't looking promising here, but it is often hard to tell till the day arrives.

 

I have Garmin's program called "Flight book" and it downloads flights from the GPS and makes a flightlog for you.

A bit of tweaking for times as I use engine time rather than flying time - and that is also on what I am billed.

The 5x0 Keeps a Flight Log, so you could accumulate those and transcribe into a paper log later. The times are actual Flight Time as determined in my above post, and it also keeps distance travelled.I log three separate times: Engine run hours for engine maintenance. Air hours and landings for airframe life / maintenance. Pilot flight time, for which I use a separate timer. In summer it is almost engine run time, but in winter it takes longer to warm up the engine and thus the Pilot log time is a bit less than engine run time. I carry three logbooks with me at all times, however I write the times on my kneeboard before getting out of the aircraft and then do logbooks at the end of the day. As the GPS only keeps one time, I have not looked at extracting it to the computer.

 

 

[JG3]

I just came back from a 2700nm trip with my new Aero 500.

 

Definitely mixed feelings.....

 

Good points:

 

Screen is brilliant! Very visible in all conditions.

 

Compact so fits well on then panel.

 

Press screen is not sensitive to false touches.

 

Bad points:

 

Press screen often needs a second press to register.

 

When in keyboard mode, it often registers the neighbouring letter, so have to use 'backspace' a lot...

 

Much more complicated procedures than the old Garmins for entering a user waypoint then going to it.

 

To enter a new user waypoint is easy enough:

 

HOME / POSITION / MARK WAYPOINT / enter name / OK / LOCATION / change coordionates / OK

 

But then there is no way to go direct to that waypoint.

 

First have to go BACK /BACK to get to HOME screen.

 

Then to go to that waypoint there are two ways that I know of:

 

1 - HOME / DIRECT TO / SEARCH BY IDENTIFIER / key in waypoint name / OK / ACTIVATE

 

or

 

2 - HOME / TOOLS / USER WPT list / select name / WAYPOINT INFO / hold down MENU button 3 seconds / ACTIVATE

 

In the old Garmins once you had entered a new user waypoint, or highlighted a user waypoint in the list, all you had to do was press GO TO and it was done. I used to use that feature a lot, and really miss it......

 

Maybe I'm missing a shortcut, and would be happy to be corrected.........

 

I guess I'll get used to it, but I sure did prefer the old standardized Garmin procedures.....

 

JG

 

 

[flying dog]

JG3,

 

You are missing the "GOTO" button which is if you press and HOLD the HOME button.

 

Then you get a pretty easy to work out "goto" screen.

 

I have not played too much with routes yet.

 

Especially flying.

 

I don't know where/how the "Nearest" works, but I think it is on the GOTO page.

 

 

[JG3]

JG3,You are missing the "GOTO" button which is if you press and HOLD the HOME button.

 

I don't get any difference if I hold the HOME button or just press it. Both brings the page with DIRECT TO, but then same procedure as I indicated earlier.

 

It is also possible to load the waypoints into ACTIVE FLIGHT PLAN, but that doesn't help for changes of plan along the way.

 

JG

[flying dog]

That's odd.

 

Pressing HOME quickly should take you to the main page with all the other "pages" listed.

 

HOLDING the HOME page opens the GOTO screen.

 

Or so I thought.

 

But there again: You know what thought did.

 

 

 

[piecrust]

Has anyone tried removing the speaker in the aera 500?

 

 

[rick morawski]

Has anyone tried removing the speaker in the aera 500?

I saw a video on YouTube that showed some one dismantling a Garmin Nuvi, the case looks almost identical to the area 500. If you look it up it will give you a fair idea how to get to the speaker.

Cheers

 

Rick

 

 

[Russ]

i've got a 500 for sale........complete.

 

 

[Roscoe]

I j

 

Has anyone tried removing the speaker in the aera 500?[/quoteI have the 500, why would you want to remove the speaker?

[piecrust]

I j

The gps is throwing my compass out, as suggested its more than likely the magnet in the speaker