Buying new GPS and would like your input

[Floatsflyer]

It's time for me to upgrade my current GPS. I'm a self-proclaimed techno idiot who doesn't have much interest in avionic gadgets and even less in reading gadget manuals. So I would appreciate your help and informed opinions on identifying the perfect GPS for me based on this personality profile and the following essential requirements:

Portable
Touchscreen, moving map
Larger size for easy, bright readability including in sunlight
Highly intuitive and extremely simple and easy to use so that the manual is almost redundant
Expandable
Fast and easy to update data
Price is not a factor as it is less important than the above requirements

I have done my own research and have narrowed my search down to 3 possibilities. Your input is much appreciated in helping me to make an informed and wise choice. Thanks!

[FlyingRon]

You're not going to give us any hints as to what you've narrowed it down to?

You'd be hard pressed to beat the iPad with your choice of a number of programs (ForeFlight, WingX, Garmin Pilot, etc...) I use ForeFlight and haven't even seen the manual. You won't get one easier to update/subset the data. When the software improves, it's easily updated as well.

[ysifly2]

iFly720

[FrankCordrey]

I currently use the iFly 700 ( haven't upgraded to the new 720 - yet ). It works very well. I back that up for charts, weather, A/FD, etc ( and moving map GPS also ) with a Samsung Tab 10.1. My tab is on the Verizon network so I can check weather, etc anytime I stop even if the FBO is closed. Both are very easy to use/update and much cheaper purchase and keep updated. I do find that the 10.1 is a bit large for my cockpit though ( C-150 ). I am considering downsizing the 10" to the 7" version.

[Jim Heffelfinger]

well, there are a few choices - depends on how leading edge you want to go.
Bendix King is slipping out of their AV8OR series and the ACE can be found lightly used for under $500. In fact you might find a new one for that. It meets the majority of your list.
Garmin has a few products but I am not a fan of them in general - Just my personal preference and I have little knowledge of their line of units.
The ipad has really taken off. A recent AOPA survey has 52% of pilots (reporting) say they use it in their flying. 2.5 years after introduction. It has a number of apps that support flight operation as well as thousands of others. If anything the ipad ( IMHO) is too versatile. With ability to have lots of clutter to work through.
Andriod based tablets are just a half step behind on applications available for their OS.
All tablets are needing an external GPS chip ( a la Bad Elf ) to be consistently reliable.
The ipad is sometimes difficult to see in bright sun and it is really a large footprint that may be difficult to "mount" somewhere. Much depends on how much room you have in the cockpit , stick or yoke, open space on the panel ...etc.
Since this is a techie topic you will get lots of replies ...

[MickYoumans]

I am using an iPad 2 running WingX and love it. I have a Cherokee and have the iPad mounted with a Ram yoke mount right in front of me. My iPad is the 3G version with the built in GPS receiver. I have an external bluetooth GPS receiver, but never use it because the internal one works great for me. If your airplane has a bubble canopy you might want to try out an iPad before going that route to check out readability in the sun. I don't have any problems reading mine since I have a ceiling over me. The nice thing about the iPad based programs like WingX and Foreflight is the ease of updating. WingX warns me when any items are about to expire. Updates are provided free with your subscription and are very easy to download. The other nice thing about going with one of the iPad apps is that they are constantly updating and adding new features to these programs. So far, all of my program updates have been included in my subscription price. At $100 a year it sure provides a lot of bang for the buck.

[MickYoumans]

The other good thing about going with the iPad apps is they all have a 30 day free trial period so you can give them a try to see which one you like the best. All of them are great but you will want to see which one fits your personal flying needs the best.

[Chris In Marshfield]

In my experience, while I absolutely love the iPad and Foreflight, it is almost always too large for any airplane I fly in, especially that one there on the left <<==.

I have an iFly 700, and plan to upgrade to an iFly 720 soon. The 720 is the right size for me (doesn't obscure any instruments, and isn't bulky), and it meets all of your stated requirements, including having a transflective screen (like the Fujitsu tablets), that makes daylight readability amazing.

That's my choice!

Best regards,
Chris

[ysifly2]

"The other good thing about going with the..." ifly700/720... when your "charts" expire... it still works, you can still plan a flight, GPS tracking, etc.. it ALL works. When your subscription(s) for the ipad service expire, the application stops working.
I have the ifly720 hanging on my panel and use for every flight. I like it secured where I have it, because in turbulence I can rest my hand on the top of the panel, to keep my finger from bouncing around, and still touch the screen to do what I need to do. When I recently flew on a 2400 mile round trip cross country... I purchased a 3mo subscription to Foreflight to use for preflight planning for the weeks in advance (weather, routing, airport selection, alternates, etc....) while sitting on the couch. Used it "some" in flight. I kept the ipad right next to me, and if I needed to look for an alternate airport, or some particular information on our destination or whatever, I would pull the ipad out (my digital chart information tool) and find what I needed. Meanwhile, my ifly700 continued to show me all my current information.

my $.02

Bryan

[Riley Winglowe]

I highly recommend the iFly. I wouldn't trade mine for three Garmins! So easy to use, and they are constantly improving them by implementing user requests.

[bob butler]

I have a 720 iFly GPS in my RV-6A. The company is relative new and still has some bugs that are being resolved with software updates. Yes, i have had some problems since buying it at sun n fun 2011. The company has been extremely responsive to my problems. I expect a software update within the next few days that will hopefully solve a new problem and provide some new interesting features. I really like the maps and the other many features. The 720 upgrade from the 700 incorporated a brighter screen for day time use. I made a quick removal, swival attachment to my panel. It also has a great street GPS capability that we use on our road trips. The unit is wireless and easy to get online for updates of maps, TFRs, etc. I have it talking to my Trio autopilot that works just great. For the money, I consider it a great deal.
Bob Butler

[sgoldin]

Easy to use all features many sizes, will be here in 10 years. Also avail on IPAD. I like IPAD but it has real sun light problems not good if it is the only device you use.

Just my 2 cents

[Floatsflyer]

Easy to use all features many sizes, will be here in 10 years. Also avail on IPAD. I like IPAD but it has real sun light problems not good if it is the only device you use.

Just my 2 cents

sgoldin, thanks for your post. Which Garmin, in your opinion, meets my requirements?

[skyranger2]

First you have to decide if you want to go the iPad route or dedicated GPS.

Personally, although the iPad with Forflight is much loved,
I lean to dedicated GPS.
Many reasons. One of which is the size of the iPad in my space limited cockpit.
Also have seen iPads (which are generally very reliable) flake out inexplicably and unexpectedly more often than dedicated GPS's.

If price is REALLY no object as you say, why not get one of those multithousand dollar units that includes virtual vision?

I got an iFly 700 a year ago. For price, functionality, feature set, ease of use, IMO you can't beat it.
Their customer service is excellent.
And if it makes any difference to you it's designed, builts, sold, and supported in the USA.

A few months ago I replaced the iFly 700 with the iFly 720.
Only reason is the screen is brighter and with my cockpit having a skylight the brighter screen was necessary.

Alex

[Greg S]

+1 for the iFly. No more $10 sectionals, loaded with features and customer service that actually believes in SERVICE.

[RickFE]

Portable.......................................... .................................................. ........................Check
Touchscreen, moving map............................................... ..............................................Chec k
Larger size for easy, bright readability including in sunlight.......................................... .........Check
Highly intuitive and extremely simple and easy to use so that the manual is almost redundant.....Check
Expandable........................................ .................................................. ........................Just not sure.
Fast and easy to update data.............................................. ...........................................Check
Price is not a factor as it is less important than the above requirements

IFly720. Get an ADS-B receiver and get Weather also.

Has wifi. You can download the WX even if you don't ADS-B right before you go.

Low Altitude IFR charts, VFR charts, entire country for slightly over $115 (I got 15 months) per year. Includes airport data base. You can take it home and use it to preflight. All the approach plates and airport diagrams have an overlay for situational awareness. Allows you to put an extended RWY on the chart to help you orientate for landing.

I have flown with a Garmin 296, 696, but I really love the IFly720.

[Floatsflyer]

Thanks so much for your responses and opinions, they were very helpful. The results so far are overwhelmingly in favour of the ifly700/720. Many of you like the ipad plus apps but I want a dedicated GPS as I don't need another computer in the house(already have 3 newish laptops and an old desk top).

The ifly720 definitely meets my needs and from all the remarks their customer service is outstanding. The features, capabilities and especially ease of use are perfect for me. The only negative is no internal rechargeable battery but I can live with that. It was one of the 3 units I was considering through my own research, the other 2 were Avmaps. I also looked at GPS discussion groups on sportpilottalk.com where the ifly is highly recommended by a large majority as well.

I was surprised that only 1 person here recommended Garmin(I asked him/her which one but they never replied). Perhaps this could be a clue as to why the Garmin booth at Osh this year had very little traffic. Are they losing market share because of a poor attitude towards customers and their own hubrous??

I talked to the guys at the Osh ifly booth. They are very warm, inviting, friendly and eager to talk about their product. They gave me all the attention and time I needed to discuss their remarkable device. These guys genuinely love their product and their customers and it shows.

[Kyle Boatright]

I was surprised that only 1 person here recommended Garmin(I asked him/her which one but they never replied). Perhaps this could be a clue as to why the Garmin booth at Osh this year had very little traffic. Are they losing market share because of a poor attitude towards customers and their own hubrous??


A couple of thoughts...

Garmin makes excellent handheld units. But they don't have anything new this year, so the wave of new product adopters for Garmin has peaked. At this point, most people who want a Garmin handheld have one. Also, the market is switching to tablet based solutions. So Garmin isn't generating much interest.

For a long time, there has been an undercurrent of anti-Garmin. As soon as Garmin introduced a handheld with XM, they completely dominated the market because there were no truly competitive products. Lowrance had been a decent competitor, but fell out of the market. Bendix/King tried with the AV8OR, but that was just a bad product (I bought one of the first ones).

So those of us with who have been waiting on something other than a Garmin finally have a good choice - the iFly units.

Which will probably be my next GPS, in the 720 model.

[RV8505]

I have a garmin 796 and I really like it..

[WWhunter]

Sounds like the iFly is quite popular. I have an AvMap EKP IV that I bought several years ago and I have had no problems with it. My only negative is the cost of map updates. As for Garmin products, I think they got a little too big for their britches! Their customer service took a turn for the worse and even with my Garmin Nuvi I had problems. I used to be a big Garmin supporter but their products have gotten sub-par as far as I am concerned.

[DRGT]

In my humble opinion, a portable GPS is a supplement to navigation - not the primary tool. That said - my criteria for a portable GPS is pretty basic.
Wow - I am surprised by the number of iFly responses. I personnally use the the 700 - but as far as I know, I'm the only one at my home base who does. There are lots of Aera users - not a bad choice if cost is not a factor and lots of ipad users - good choice if you are going to use it for other things. Other problems with the iFly - no battery is the big one - I have had problems with the power cord. Also, it seems to refresh fairly slowly (my actual position is a few miles ahead of what is being depicted). Not a big issue for me in that I fly a slow airplane (<150 kts).
The iFly is expandable - I plan to add ADS-B in to pick up weather.

[1600vw]

Just purchased a new AV8OR handheld. My reason for purchase was price. I saved hundreds from what other GPS cost. I picked mine up new for 300 bucks. Its the perfect size for my small panel in my little airplane.
$35.00 updates, this unit links to a receiver to receive airplane traffic on the screen. Comes with mounts for airplane and car. Super easy to use, works great in the car for traveling. For the 300 bucks I paid its the best 300 bucks I have spent in a long time.
The gent I got her from has one more for 300 bucks. I might purchase this and give her as a gift to a friend.

H.A.S.

[Joe LaMantia]

Anyone out there using the new "mini IPad"? I guessing it eliminates the size and mounting issues while still delivering the great software features. I'm looking forward to getting one this spring!

Joe
:cool:

[pittsdriver3]

I have the IFly 720 and love it. One thing I like about the external battery pack is that it keeps the main unit light and compact so the suction cup mount works great. I fly a lot of different airplanes and so far the suction cup mount has worked in all of them. Also the touch screen isn't as sensitive as the Garmins so works a lot better in rough air. It is so intuitive that you can learn all the basic functions in about 15 min, I figured most of it out without looking at the manual. I used a Garmin 510 for awhile and hated it and my friend's 795 is not really that user friendly is bulky and weighs a ton. Don

[BushCaddy]

To me...the ifly and iPad both have readability issues, even with the screen protectors and for that reason I don't like them as a GPS...good to have for review on the ground but that's it...for me. I have an Aera 796...it's connected to a GTX 330 XPDR and GDL 39 for free ADS-B weather and traffic. I have had other gps's and they don't come close to the 796...big screen and very readable in sunlight. You get what you pay for.

[Racegunz]

This thread made me e-mail I-fly and ask a question, which they responded to almost immidiately (I was IMPRESSED!) but alas I was hoping they had included VHF data in their NEMA sentences for pushing the nearest airport freq into my stnadby chanel but they have not. So it looks like my next GPS is a garmin 296. Someday though I still might get one of these they sound sweet.

[pittsdriver3]

This thread made me e-mail I-fly and ask a question, which they responded to almost immidiately (I was IMPRESSED!) but alas I was hoping they had included VHF data in their NEMA sentences for pushing the nearest airport freq into my stnadby chanel but they have not. So it looks like my next GPS is a garmin 296. Someday though I still might get one of these they sound sweet.

You would pass on the 720 because of this one feature and buy a 296 instead? That's like comparing a Model T with a new Mercedes. I have had no readability issues with my 720 and have used it in 8 different airplanes. Don

[Wilfred]

I would NOT recommend a 296. I have a 396 that I had to buy in order to comply with ELSA requirements in my RV-12. The 296/396 man-machine interface really stinks. You have press button after button to get what you want...IF you can recall the sequence of buttons to push.

My HP4700 running Anywhere Map is so, so, much easy to use, and its years older....I consider the 396 (just a color version of the 296) to be junk.

[miemsed]

I often sense from this board a negative tone toward Garmin products. I have a Garmin 796 touch screen portable on a yoke mount. It is wired to my Panel mount Garmin GTN 650 so when I enter a flight plan into the GTN 650 it automatically goes to the 796. The Garmin 796 is an aviation dedicated GPS and I love it and have XM weather and approach plates on it. I used it for VFR before I got my IFR ticket in November of last year. Now of couse I use it IFR for the approach plates. It is a great portable GPS and I woudl highly recommend it.

I have foreflight on my Ipad and while I love it for flight planning, weather briefs and plan filing on the ground, I do not trust the Ipad in flight except for a backup. I have had the Ipad crash or lock up afew times and the glare in sun light in the cockit is not acceptable to me. In addition, if you are wearing polorized sun glasses, you have to position the Ipad a certain way in order to see the screen. I have none of these problems with the aviation dedicated Garmin 796.

The garmin products are expensive but if you can aford the cost, I save for it, then they are well worth the investment. Just my input but the Aviation dedicated GPS wins everytime for in flight use over the ipad, it is not even close.

[newamiga]

I would agree with the 796 recommendation. I have been using the 796 since it came out and have it mounted using the Air Gizmos dock. I also fly with Foreflight as a backup on the iPad and a secondary backup on the iPhone. Some positives of the 796 are of course the integration of both XM weather and radio for long cross countries. I am looking at ADSB options vice XM and perhaps the GDL 39 when all the towers are up in the states. Colorado just recently got coverage. I really like the terrain mapping feature of the 796. Flying in CO, NM, AZ, that feature can really be handy. The faux syn viz (no ADAHRS) is cool in some cases when approaching new airports. I have used the 796 on flights from Colorado Springs to Sebring FL, OSH, Tucson as well as a few shorter cross countries since buying it. I like the iPad but in a low wing with all the sun the canopy lets in, it just can't compare to the clarity of the 796 screen.

There have been a few speed bumps on the 796. Initially they had some issues of the unit randomly restarting if you pinched and zoomed too much. They have put out a few system software releases to fix those issues. It is a bit expensive but I think worth it. Updating the charts and other mapping products via the Garmin website is kind of buggy using a Mac and Garmin took a while to release a "fix" for the latest Mac OS. Lastly calling Garmin's tech support has proven to be a less than desirable experience. That said, I met with an engineer who worked on the 796 at Sun N Fun and the guy was absolutely great and very knowledgable.

To me the 796 is the go to GPS unit. It replaced a 496 in my LSA and the difference is like night and day.

Carl

[miemsed]

I replaced my Area 560 with the 796 and it was a great upgrade

[Racegunz]

You would pass on the 720 because of this one feature and buy a 296 instead? That's like comparing a Model T with a new Mercedes. I have had no readability issues with my 720 and have used it in 8 different airplanes. Don

Well I think the Model T comparison is much exagerated, and I have used Lowrance and garmin portables, I like the Lowrance 600c the best of all I've used but no more updates just leaves it behind. Not that I've made up my mind yet, but the no VHF data is not the only issue, no internal battery is also a consideration. I have enough GPS's for now it will take more that what the I-fly or the "x96" has currently to make me buy another.