Garmin GPS

[sandman]

Just wanting to know is the Garmin 495 a better unit then the Aera 550. The Aware Airspace GPS's, are they better again for navigating in the country areas or are the designed specifically for areas around controlled airspace.

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

I think you will find the 495 is obsolete.

 

I like my 550.

 

Don't know about "Aware" GPS.

 

 

[kaz3g]

Just wanting to know is the Garmin 495 a better unit then the Aera 550. The Aware Airspace GPS's, are they better again for navigating in the country areas or are the designed specifically for areas around controlled airspace.

Garmin have had to head upmarket because of the arrival of so many android devices and the iPad. The 495 has been an excellent GPS and still gives great service. But it does not give the chart details that are available on something like the Airbox Aware 5+. This gives you electronic access to the WAC, VTC and VNC charts that you already use in paper form. It allows you to plan on them and to follow your flight's progress simultaneously on both paper (still legally required) and on the moving map version.

 

I personally wouldn't recommend one of the cheaper versions offered by Aware. For a basic Moving map GPS think about the Rec Flying unit which I have found exceptionally reliable.

 

I recently got an iPad provided by my employer and Ozrunways was a logical choice for me. I am about to buy a bluetooth GPS receiver to enhance the performance in remote areas.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Dieselten]

I despair of Garmin portable aviation GPS products. (That is a statement of fact...what follows below is merely personal opinion).

 

The 495/496 family were superb...so they promptly discontinued them in favour of a re-worked automotive GPS, (the entire Aera family), yet still continue churning out the moderately capable (and monochrome) GPS196. If you want a cheap aviation portable GPS with a colour display, you're better off with a GPS 96C.

 

The Aera in any incarnation will not be installed in any aircraft I own. Too small, has a voice-coil speaker that will pull a magnetic compass off-course if mounted too close, user-hostile menu system, touch-screen not all that impressive due to the small size of the screen. IMO a genuine sheep in wolf's clothing. You don't make a good aviation GPS by re-working and re-packaging an automotive one.

 

Clearly, Garmin are intent on forcing aviation users into the 695-series and their more expensive (and capable) higher-end derivatives. It's hard not to conclude they have the lion's share of the market and they fully intend to manipulate their market by removing their best-sellers and introducing larger and more expensive units to replace them.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

D

 

couldnt agree more, I have warned of Aera problems with speakers heaps of times, I could understand it if Garmin was new on the scene and we are talking a v1.0 product butFFS theyve been doing aviation GPS's for decades and must have pilots (who are clearly no longer useful as theyn must be all on drugs!!!) in the design loop.

 

Subtle, as alwaysAERA = Overpriced JUNK designed by engineers who havent flown anything ever!!! Stay well away

 

In Fact ask of any possible candidate, is it compass friendly does it have one or more voicecoil speakers fitted ( I mean in our aircraft what possible use is a speaker!!!! other than in an earmuff) If it is useful it better have a 12 inch base driver to get over the top of the ambient noise and unlikely to be compass friendly to your aircraft and probably the ones either side of you!!

 

Andy