Garmin Pilot for Android -- Tech Support, Tips, Tricks

[TMetzinger]

I've had my sim's bluetooth serial port drive two Nexus/Pilot combinations at the same time... I'll try to set it up.

 

[LDJones]

Yup, i fly with the GDL-39. When combined with the Nexus 7 it gives us capabilities that were pipe dreams just a few years ago.

The Nexus 7 and iPads are giving capabilities that were a pipe dream a decade ago at a price point we couldn't have dreamed. Carrying current charts for the entire US all the time for $50 a year on a $200 device with GPS? Crazy talk! Geo-referenced no less? Fuggetaboudit!

It truly is amazing.

 

[Jay Honeck]

What's the bare minimum to get traffic on the Nexus? One of my glider club buddies uses a portable traffic alert when he flies. It keys off of xponders. Is the only thing out there for a Nexus an ADSB unit?

Hmmmm...great question. I wonder if anyone has tied one of those Zeon traffic alert units to a Nexus 7?

 

[Marauder]

The Nexus 7 and iPads are giving capabilities that were a pipe dream a decade ago at a price point we couldn't have dreamed. Carrying current charts for the entire US all the time for $50 a year on a $200 device with GPS? Crazy talk! Geo-referenced no less? Fuggetaboudit!

It truly is amazing.

The only downside on all this technology is that I miss those 6 pack nights spent changing out the pages in my Jepp books.

 

[LDJones]

The only downside on all this technology is that I miss those 6 pack nights spent changing out the pages in my Jepp books.

Well, now you can enjoy the six-pack watching a game while the tablet is updating them for you.

 

[Marauder]

Well, now you can enjoy the six-pack watching a game while the tablet is updating them for you.

Nah, prefer to do my update during the night while I'm getting my beauty sleep.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Challenged]

Naviator has support for Zaon traffic I believe, but I haven't tested that first hand. http://forum.naviatorapp.com/viewtopic.php?id=550

 

[LDJones]

Nah, prefer to do my update during the night while I'm getting my beauty sleep.

That's what I do, but still wake up looking as bad as when I went to sleep.

 

[JoeSelch]

Just a suggestion, if this is the purpose of the thread:
Re: Garmin Pilot for Android -- Tech Support, Tips, Tricks

....perhaps all the Facebook style chit-chat doesn't help? It just adds a zillion posts to the thread and then nobody new will read them all.......
I know some folks just need the social interaction, but geeeeeees the last thread went hundreds of posts, many useless, and it would be nice to keep valuable info here. After reading several pages of that thread and finally just giving up I was hoping this one would stick to the information a forum can be so good for..... can be......
I think that may have been the purpose of this thread and it's already going south with all the one liner nonsense.
Again, sorry to assume to be the voice of forum sensibility but if that's not reasonable, I'll move on and let you lonely folks chit chat to oblivion......

HEY! just a thought. Flame at your will......

I'm sorry this thread doesn't meet your needs.
Perhaps you can start your own with the rules stated up front?

 

[LDJones]

Just a suggestion, if this is the purpose of the thread:
Re: Garmin Pilot for Android -- Tech Support, Tips, Tricks

....perhaps all the Facebook style chit-chat doesn't help? It just adds a zillion posts to the thread and then nobody new will read them all.......
I know some folks just need the social interaction, but geeeeeees the last thread went hundreds of posts, many useless, and it would be nice to keep valuable info here. After reading several pages of that thread and finally just giving up I was hoping this one would stick to the information a forum can be so good for..... can be......
I think that may have been the purpose of this thread and it's already going south with all the one liner nonsense.
Again, sorry to assume to be the voice of forum sensibility but if that's not reasonable, I'll move on and let you lonely folks chit chat to oblivion......

HEY! just a thought. Flame at your will......

While its a nice thought, the reality is no single thread on a forum is going to accomplish what you might expect. Ideally, with enough support we could get the POA'S admin to create a sub forum here.

But you're never going to end the superfluous posts...that's just our social nature manifesting itself.

 

[Jay Honeck]

While its a nice thought, the reality is no single thread on a forum is going to accomplish what you might expect. Ideally, with enough support we could get the POA'S admin to create a sub forum here.

But you're never going to end the superfluous posts...that's just our social nature manifesting itself.

I support the idea, but...

Even in the Android forums, threads go all over the place. And they're not even pilots, the most ADD group on the planet!

 

[Jay Honeck]

Okay, back on track. Here are a couple of more thoughts Re: Garmin Pilot from today's flight.

1. Today I turned my Nexus 7 off, and then on right before flight, ensuring a clean start for the Garmin app. Usually I leave the N7 on for days/weeks, meaning that lots of apps may be running. This MAY be why Pilot didn't crash for me today, although I'm hopeful that it is actually due to their latest update fixing whatever the problem was.

2. Every, single time Garmin updates the app, we lose our personal settings on the map page. (I.E.: We have a specific layout with the data readout that matches the way data is displayed on our 496, with Track first, Bearing second, Groundspeed third, etc.). Given the frequent updates, this is becoming a big PIA.

3. The GPS did appear to lose lock twice, each time for less than 20 seconds. I have a feeling this is what used to cause the app to crash. Now, the app remains alive -- you can scroll, zoom, etc -- until it "finds itself" in the universe again.

4. Bluetoothing to the GDL-39 happened automatically today, with no input at all from me. Coincidence, or due to the latest update? Dunno, but welcome.

5. In the "Widget" screens, has anyone found a way to make them show data from your destination? For whatever reason, I can get them to report all sorts of great weather and fuel price info from where I *AM*, but not from where I'm going! This is less than useful, since I would really like a widget that shows me (for example) the weather at my destination.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Whoa. Just discovered a really neat feature, while searching for a record of today's flight in the Garmin Pilot app.

After going to the Active Flight plan page, and checking out the neat stuff from the flight (like average groundspeed, fuel burn, etc.), I went BACK to the Map page and noticed a slider at the bottom of the map.

Curious, I pulled the slider across the page (there is curiously no "play" button) -- and watched my whole flight, reviewed/reconstructed on the map -- including info from the two weather widgets I had open.

How long until this data gets incorporated into a Cloud Logbook, where you will be able to simply click on an entry and watch your whole flight, including all weather data, approaches -- the whole nine yards?

:

 

[Marauder]

Whoa. Just discovered a really neat feature, while searching for a record of today's flight in the Garmin Pilot app.

After going to the Active Flight plan page, and checking out the neat stuff from the flight (like average groundspeed, fuel burn, etc.), I went BACK to the Map page and noticed a slider at the bottom of the map.

Curious, I pulled the slider across the page (there is curiously no "play" button) -- and watched my whole flight, reviewed/reconstructed on the map -- including info from the two weather widgets I had open.

How long until this data gets incorporated into a Cloud Logbook, where you will be able to simply click on an entry and watch your whole flight, including all weather data, approaches -- the whole nine yards?

:

The slider was in the iPad version 2 updates ago. I like it a lot since you can add a whole bunch of different widgets and use the drag feature to check on things along your flight path.


What I don't like on the Nexus version is the lack of weather briefing you have on the iPad version. Unless I'm missing it somewhere.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

[Jay Honeck]

The slider was in the iPad version 2 updates ago. I like it a lot since you can add a whole bunch of different widgets and use the drag feature to check on things along your flight path.


What I don't like on the Nexus version is the lack of weather briefing you have on the iPad version. Unless I'm missing it somewhere.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Can you elaborate on that? What sort of a weather briefing are you getting on the iPad that we're not seeing on the N7?

 

[Marauder]

Can you elaborate on that? What sort of a weather briefing are you getting on the iPad that we're not seeing on the N7?

Check this out from my iPad. Can the Nexus version do this?

 

[Jay Honeck]

All that data is available in the Android version of Garmin Pilot, but not in that nice, concise format. That's neat!

Great. Now I'm pining for another feature I didn't know I needed.

 

[TMetzinger]

Jay, on the Widgets - there should be a slider on the bottom. Sliding it to the right shows data for places along your route, all the way to the destination.

Now I need to go look at the map page for the slider YOU mentioned.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Jay, on the Widgets - there should be a slider on the bottom. Sliding it to the right shows data for places along your route, all the way to the destination.

Now I need to go look at the map page for the slider YOU mentioned.

Cool beans. The sliders are actually the same sliders -- they just work either during or after the flight.

 

[aviatingfool]

While its a nice thought, the reality is no single thread on a forum is going to accomplish what you might expect. Ideally, with enough support we could get the POA'S admin to create a sub forum here.

But you're never going to end the superfluous posts...that's just our social nature manifesting itself.

You're right. I was out of line.......
Gotta wade through it -too much good info scattered in there!

 

[LDJones]

You're right. I was out of line.......
Gotta wade through it -too much good info scattered in there!

That's my conclusion. Gold mining requires sifting through a lot of worthless dirt! Unlike gold mining, you KNOW there are valuable nuggets here on POA.

 

[ryarya]

Okay, back on track. Here are a couple of more thoughts Re: Garmin Pilot from today's flight.

2. Every, single time Garmin updates the app, we lose our personal settings on the map page. (I.E.: We have a specific layout with the data readout that matches the way data is displayed on our 496, with Track first, Bearing second, Groundspeed third, etc.). Given the frequent updates, this is becoming a big PIA.

Are you installing over top the old version, or deleting the app first? If you install over top, it should retain most all of your settings (including how the nav bar was set up). It stays the same for me.

 

[sonex293]

New update!

Version 2.2.3

Fixed: User-reported errors.
Fixed: Better support for some legacy devices.

==
Michael




Sent from my ThinkPadTablet using Tapatalk HD

 

[Funkeruski]

Whoa. Just discovered a really neat feature, while searching for a record of today's flight in the Garmin Pilot app.

After going to the Active Flight plan page, and checking out the neat stuff from the flight (like average groundspeed, fuel burn, etc.), I went BACK to the Map page and noticed a slider at the bottom of the map.

Curious, I pulled the slider across the page (there is curiously no "play" button) -- and watched my whole flight, reviewed/reconstructed on the map -- including info from the two weather widgets I had open.

How long until this data gets incorporated into a Cloud Logbook, where you will be able to simply click on an entry and watch your whole flight, including all weather data, approaches -- the whole nine yards?

:

I tried this after my flight this afternoon and couldn't find any record of my flight. Is this like cloudahoy? Just curious how you get this fight history info because I'm not seeing that on the active flight plan.

 

[roddie]

I tried this after my flight this afternoon and couldn't find any record of my flight. Is this like cloudahoy? Just curious how you get this fight history info because I'm not seeing that on the active flight plan.

Same over here -- I flew a lot this weekend with the Garmin up, so it would have been cool to be able to see just how all over the place I really am up there

Naviator does have a route recording function, which is one of two things that it has over Garmin Pilot (the other being the ability to go dimmer than the dimmest Android setting, plus a red filter).

 

[NaviatorMike]

Naviator does have a route recording function, which is one of two things that it has over Garmin Pilot (the other being the ability to go dimmer than the dimmest Android setting, plus a red filter).

To be fair there are a few more than two things Naviator does that Garmin Pilot currently does not. Namely terrain, Zaon XRX support, an autopilot interface, custom chart support, etc. (I realize these features might not be useful to you, but I had to comment anyways )

Cheers,
Mike

 

[aviatingfool]

Same over here -- I flew a lot this weekend with the Garmin up, so it would have been cool to be able to see just how all over the place I really am up there

Naviator does have a route recording function, which is one of two things that it has over Garmin Pilot (the other being the ability to go dimmer than the dimmest Android setting, plus a red filter).

Does Garmin Pilot save your tracks? On their portables, like my 396, you can download the track, which includes altitude info, and convert the file to a file that Google Earth uses to view it in 3D like an example I think I saw somewhere in the 45 previous pages of posts on the subject.....

 

[roddie]

Does Garmin Pilot save your tracks? On their portables, like my 396, you can download the track, which includes altitude info, and convert the file to a file that Google Earth uses to view it in 3D like an example I think I saw somewhere in the 45 previous pages of posts on the subject.....

Not that I've seen -- I just downloaded an app called MyTracks that apparently does it. I'll try running that in parallel with Pilot to get the track. Naviator has this function built-in (the recording triggers after a set speed).

 

[LDJones]

Are we spoiled or what? Remember when you'd have to wait a year or two for a highly desired feature to make it into your favorite app? Now we get fixes and whole new features delivered days apart. It's mind-boggling for us techno oldies.

 

[Badger]

version 2.2.3 (26) is current

 

[mirage00]

Still missing right traffic runway information for both products. I mentioned this to Garmin 8 months ago and brought it up at their Oshkosh booth. No excuse for this info being missing.

 

[livitup]

So this is pretty annoying... It looks like Garmin doesn't have all the sectionals scanned in at the highest zoom level. I was playing with Pilot in a car trip today and ran across this. I'm zoomed in almost all the way in this screen shot, and you can tell the maps aren't the same scale on both sides of the horizontal stitching line. The magenta class D outline and the text of "Spotsylvania" don't match.

This is exactly the kind of "fit and finish" thing that drives me batty. Is this a common occurrence with Pilot? Should I report it to Garmin?

 

[LDJones]

So this is pretty annoying... It looks like Garmin doesn't have all the sectionals scanned in at the highest zoom level. I was playing with Pilot in a car trip today and ran across this. I'm zoomed in almost all the way in this screen shot, and you can tell the maps aren't the same scale on both sides of the horizontal stitching line. The magenta class D outline and the text of "Spotsylvania" don't match.

This is exactly the kind of "fit and finish" thing that drives me batty. Is this a common occurrence with Pilot? Should I report it to Garmin?

I think you're just seeing the higher resolution terminal area chart being woven into the mosaic when zoomed in. These hi res charts are obviously not available other than the big Class B airports.

 

[LDJones]

Garmin is making progress, but still frustrated by lack of weather imagery in the smaller form factor devices that's available on larger iPad. Also wish they had the complete DUATS briefing dump.

 

[Matthew]

Yeah when you zoom in on an area covered by a TAC you'll see the difference between that and the sectional.

 

[Marauder]

And it happens on the iPad version as well. Here is a screen shot for my area (outside of Philly).

 

[livitup]

OK, that makes a lot of sense. Since there's a logical explanation, I guess I'll not get too bent out of shape about it. I never use the DCA TAC because I don't fly close enough to DC to need the added precision, and it didn't even occur to me that the TAC covered this far south of "metro" DC.

Thanks for the explanation and the example on the iPad.

 

[livitup]

Next complaint... Font weirdness as per the attached screenshot. I'm using a Samsung galaxy tab, not the nexus that all the cool kids have. Is this an Android setting, or something Samsung specific, or a Garmin issue? On several airports either the name runs into the "done" box, the text doesn't beak well inside the columns, or both.

 

[LDJones]

Next complaint... Font weirdness as per the attached screenshot. I'm using a Samsung galaxy tab, not the nexus that all the cool kids have. Is this an Android setting, or something Samsung specific, or a Garmin issue? On several airports either the name runs into the "done" box, the text doesn't beak well inside the columns, or both.

I'm guessing its just a Garmin formatting glitch. Watch fora petition to shorten airport names!

 

[Marauder]

Can someone tell me how to do a screen capture on a Nexus 7?

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD