Which portable GPS do I need?

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M1tchell

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M1tchell
Gentlemen,

I'm aware that this is a question that has probably been discussed a million times, but bear with me...

I was out of the aviation game for a while. Got back into it in the last few years and oh my goodness... Now there's ipads and tablets and ADS-B and all kinds of other crap that's way over my head, which I could happily ignore, but now they're decommissioning my beloved VORs?!? C'mon, man! I love tracking VORs. When I go somewhere I like to go VOR to VOR as much as I can and follow along with the sectional. But at least one of the VORs near me has already been decommissioned, and most of the ones I use are on the chopping block. So I guess it's time to bite the bullet and step into the 21st century.

First off, I don't own a plane, I rent. Maybe someday ownership will be in the cards, but not any time soon. So it has to be portable.

Also I don't do apple products; it's nothing against the company I just get along much better with androids. I do have a samsung tablet and have played around with avare, and I'm really impressed with it. I love it actually. But I don't rely on it, nor do I want to become dependant upon it. But it's great for confirming my exact position, especially flying under and around the Class B airspace around here. So although it has worked flawlessly for me so far, at the end of the day it's a cheap tablet running a free app. Seems like it's just asking for trouble at the worst possible time. So for that reason I would like to have a dedicated aviation GPS. If nothing else, just for some extra peace of mind.

So all I really NEED it to do is show my position on a sectional, and of course the basic stuff that all of them do such as distance to an airport, etc. I don't care anything about weather or traffic (ok, I CARE about weather AND traffic, but I don't feel the need to have them on my GPS. I don't know if I even have the equipment to get that info on it and I doubt I'm smart enough to figure it out anyway). This thing won't be coupled to any other devices, hard wired, panel mounted, controlling radios or running autopilots or any of that. And it won't replace paper charts for me; the day they quit printing paper charts will be the day I quit using them.

But, it would be nice I think, if it would overlay my position on instrument approach plates which as far as I can tell is the biggest difference between the 2 units I'm considering: the Garmin Aera 660 and 760. Well ok, maybe that's the 2nd biggest difference, behind the price. Holy crap. I am instrument rated from back in the day, but I'm far from instrument current and even further from instrument proficient, so all of my flying at this time is VFR. But if I can find a CFII and an IFR airplane I would like to get back into the IFR game, and I think the overlay feature would be pretty slick, but is it worth 2x the cost? Or, for the type of flying I'm doing should I be looking at something even more basic than the Aera 660? After all, all I really need is to be able to confirm I am where I think I am and not busting some Class B airspace. But I'm also not afraid to spend some money on something with some nice features if it will be useful.

So if you guys have any input I would appreciate it. I am open to suggestions, unless it's "get an ipad and foreflight." :p

Thanks
 
What kind of transponder is in the rental aircraft? If it’s the Garman GTX345 then wirelessly stream weather, traffic, GPS position and backup attitude thru Bluetooth to the aera 660.
This is what I’ve been using the past two years – a glitch free two years.
 
I am not understanding the Apple problem, but that’s your prerogative. An iPad and Foreflight or even Garmin Pilot would serve you well although a panel mounted Navigator and a 345 would be the best solution.

I fly a 430W, 345 and iPad/Foreflight in the Mooney, I get by nicely with an Appareo Stratus ESG for pad In when flying the 140. If you don’t fly IFR, a panel mounted non WAAS navigator would work nicely for you at a fraction of the WAAS cost.

Whoops, I reread your post to find that you rent. I assume that you fly VFR. I think you need to get past your Apple problem and use an iPad and Foreflight or Garmin Pilot. Add a portable receiver like a Stratus or a Sentey and you can reap the benefits of ADS-B IN for weather and traffic. Try it, you’ll like it.:D
 
I use Avare on a tablet as my primary VFR navigation device. Avare on my phone as the backup. Paper chart as 3rd level backup. I don't see any need for a dedicated aviation GPS.
 
People use ForeFlight with an iPad for good reason. Those 2 combinations are the cheapest route to achieve what you want and the Apple/ForeFlight combo are great products.

Option A:
iPad: $800
ForeFlight $150/year
Sentry ADS B: $500

Here is option B:
Garmin Aera 660 ($749)
GDL 50 ADS-B In ($700)
Or GDL 52 ADS-B In and XM weather ($1149)

If there is a Garmin 345 Transponder in the rental plane then it will talk to the Aera 660 via Bluetooth to provide ADS-B in to then Aera 660 and you won’t need the GDL 50 or 52.

The Aera 660 is great and I like that it doesn’t have the over heat or sunlight issues you find with the iPad.

I have the 660 with Garmin 345 and GDL 51 in my plane. I also have an IPad using ForeFlight. The IPad/ForeFlight combo is really a powerful resource for pilots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I use AVARE(free open source) and a Samsung Galaxy tab A or my phone. I also have a Stratux I use for ADSB in. Works fine with AVARE.

AVARE only works with android. It s FREE and for most things works just fine. Android tablets with GPS are cheap.
 
Any way you can patch up your relationship with Apple?

An IPad mini is very useful when not flying.

Pair the iPad up with a GDL-50, Garmin Pilot & you have all you need.

Whatever transpired with Apple, forgive & forget.
 
Despite your request not to be advised "get an iPad and ForeFlight," that's still exactly what I'd recommend. Everything else is sort of a so-so second place option. The next best option is Garmin Pilot, but only the iPad version. The Android version is a little flaky and the release tempo is quite a bit behind the iPad version.

Understand you don't want an iPad. That's fine, just recognize that general aviation's most popular app is popular for good reason. And it only runs on the iPad.

Out of all the practical tests I've given, I can count on one hand applicants who showed up with something other than an iPad/Foreflight as their EFB of choice. Suggest you give Apple another chance. :)
 
Plus one for Avare.
The only reason I run an ipad is Foreflight.
When I started with a portable gps, FF was the best option.
Ran Avare on my phone until work gave me an iPhone.
Apple sucks, their hardware is short lived, expensive and locked.
If FF ran on android I’d be gone in a heartbeat.
 
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One other note on the Aera. Nice device, I have one. But it's too small to use as a chart viewer. Maybe in supplemental use. But not primary. You'd want a tablet for that.
 
If you are VFR only, your needs are pretty basic. And since you prefer humanoid robots to fruit, there are some excellent options.

in the free category are the open and crowdsourced Avare and the Garmin-owned FltPlan Go! I'm personally not a big fan of free software for mission criticality but that's just me. I'd rather pay the annual cost of one flight. Others are very happy with them,

in the pay category, my top choice is iFly GPS. It also has the advantage of being multi-platform, so you can plan on a Windows PC and sync to the tablet. A close second for VFR is DroidEFB which has the longest history of Android EFBs and very good support. If the airplanes you fly have Garmin avionics, Garmin Pilot has a very similar interface and flow to the newest Garmin panel GPS, so there's a bit less of a use transition.

the good news is that the pay ones all offer a free trial. And the free ones are, of course free. So you get to look at them and play with them.

For the hardware, just keep away from the cheap junk out there. I can run any of those on a basic Samsung Tab A. And if size is not important, they work just fine in my S10 phone.
 
I would not necessarily recommend purchasing a portable GPS unit, because what you likely need can easily be accomplished with a tablet and EFB software. I have a portable GPS (Garmin Aera 210) on a hard-mount on my airplane, but I have had it since before EFBs, and it gets XM weather. EFB mapping is larger and crisper than pretty much any portable GPS unit. There are lots of choices for EFB software and hardware. With almost any EFB, you can control what is displayed on a layers menu. You can have mapping, weather, traffic, fuel prices, tracks, track predictions, approach plates, airport info, flight log, etc. displayed as you wish. Most EFBs are pretty intuitive to use.

If you already have an Android tablet that is not running an ancient OS version, then you are ready to go. Avare, FltPlan Go, Garmin Pilot, and Droid EFB are popular options. There are others, too. I've used all of them. Currently, I keep Droid EFB and FltPlan Go on an aviation-dedicated tablet (a Samsung S5e). Droid EFB is my primary EFB. It has simple and intuitive user interaction, but is quite capable for IFR flight, including georeferenced approach plates, and communication capability with my NGT-9000 transponder for displaying FIS-B weather and TIS-B traffic. My secondary EFB is FltPlan Go. It has similar capabilities, but is a little more clumsy (in my opinion) to use. On the other hand, FltPlanGo is free. Droid EFB requires an annual subscription. I don't use Avare or Garmin Pilot because they will not communicate with my ADS-B equipment. Droid EFB and FltPlan Go will support a wide range of avionics for ADS-B display.

You don't need powerful hardware to use Android EFBs. Any reasonable tablet with internal GPS a readable display and 16 GB of memory should be fine. I've used both Droid EFB and FltPlan Go on a Nexus 9, but it will run more smartly on something more current, especially during updates. The nice thing about Android tablets is that virtually all of them, including wifi only models, have internal GPS.
 
Maybe try a Garmin 295, 395 or 495. I think you can pick them up used pretty cheap. Nothing to update no subscriptions just turn it on and have it running in the background.
I used a 295 for years and it was perfect.
 
A vote for Stratus + ForeFlight. ADS-B in, weather, W&B, AHRS, etc.. Worth the price.
 
M1tchell said:
So all I really NEED it to do is show my position on a sectional, and of course the basic stuff that all of them do such as distance to an airport, etc. I don't care anything about weather or traffic (ok, I CARE about weather AND traffic, but I don't feel the need to have them on my GPS.
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Start with the FltPlan Go app on your existing Android tablet, using its built-in GPS. $0 purchase price, $0/year subscription, covers both the U.S. and Canada, and includes sectionals, terminal area charts, IFR enroute charts, approach charts, and the AFD and CFS.
 
Alright guys thank you for all the replies. I understand that the most popular thing to use is an ipad with foreflight and for good reason, but I'm just not interested in that. I have a samsung tab A that works great with avare, and I did download iFly yesterday after reading a lot of great things about it on here in other threads. These things work great for what I need and will do more than I will ever need. But tablets and apps can have glitches and bugs, and in the plane is not the time I want to be dealing with that, so I would like to have another option in the form of a dedicated aviation GPS. Even if it's money down the drain, it would make me feel better. Just another tool in the bag, ya know?
 
NorthEast Ohio said:
What kind of transponder is in the rental aircraft? If it’s the Garman GTX345 then wirelessly stream weather, traffic, GPS position and backup attitude thru Bluetooth to the aera 660.
This is what I’ve been using the past two years – a glitch free two years.
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I'm not sure what transponder it has, but I'm flying tomorrow and I will try to remember to make a note of it. I know it's fairly new, they replaced it last year.

If it has that transponder, does this communication happen automatically? I apologize for my ignorance, I'm trying to learn about all this new stuff that has come out recently but there is a lot of it!
 
Dana said:
I use Avare on a tablet as my primary VFR navigation device. Avare on my phone as the backup. Paper chart as 3rd level backup. I don't see any need for a dedicated aviation GPS.
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I understand that a lot of people use tablets and ipads primarily, it just seems scary to me. Maybe as I use my tablet more I will have more confidence in it, but I'll probably always be wondering not if but when the darn thing is going to freeze up or something. I would just like to have one more option.
 
Fracpilot said:
People use ForeFlight with an iPad for good reason. Those 2 combinations are the cheapest route to achieve what you want and the Apple/ForeFlight combo are great products.

Option A:
iPad: $800
ForeFlight $150/year
Sentry ADS B: $500

Here is option B:
Garmin Aera 660 ($749)
GDL 50 ADS-B In ($700)
Or GDL 52 ADS-B In and XM weather ($1149)

If there is a Garmin 345 Transponder in the rental plane then it will talk to the Aera 660 via Bluetooth to provide ADS-B in to then Aera 660 and you won’t need the GDL 50 or 52.

The Aera 660 is great and I like that it doesn’t have the over heat or sunlight issues you find with the iPad.

I have the 660 with Garmin 345 and GDL 51 in my plane. I also have an IPad using ForeFlight. The IPad/ForeFlight combo is really a powerful resource for pilots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I understand the iPad is so popular for good reason. I'll have to look more into the sentry adsb and the GDLs you mentioned to find out what those even are. If my limited understanding of this stuff is correct, those are devices to get ADS B in, so I can see traffic and weather?
 
DFH65 said:
I use AVARE(free open source) and a Samsung Galaxy tab A or my phone. I also have a Stratux I use for ADSB in. Works fine with AVARE.

AVARE only works with android. It s FREE and for most things works just fine. Android tablets with GPS are cheap.
Click to expand...
I'm using a Galaxy Tab A with avare also and it is great, I'm just looking for another option. I'm kind of in the "two is one, one is none" mindset when it comes to some things I guess.
 
To keep things consistent you can get stratus or stratux devices to grab ADS-B that you can carry to any plane you rent. I like android too, but I bought an iPad and use flyQ, but your situation is equivalent. My backup is Avare on my android phone. I think I'll trial iFlyGPS and see how I like it on both android tablet and ipad.
If you go the portable route, use the tablet for the approach plates georeferenced for situational awareness. I personally like to print approach plates I think I'll use before any flight and review with highlighter and take notes.
 
M1tchell said:
I'm using a Galaxy Tab A with avare also and it is great, I'm just looking for another option. I'm kind of in the "two is one, one is none" mindset when it comes to some things I guess.
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As long as you are VFR, paper for backup. Sounds like you aren't close to being ready for IFR. Worry about adding gadgetry later when that time comes.

Also, the aera 660 can put your position on an approach plate. I just checked.
 
M1tchell said:
I'm using a Galaxy Tab A with avare also and it is great, I'm just looking for another option. I'm kind of in the "two is one, one is none" mindset when it comes to some things I guess.
Click to expand...


I use my phone as the backup and then have a paper chart.
 
M1tchell said:
Alright guys thank you for all the replies. I understand that the most popular thing to use is an ipad with foreflight and for good reason, but I'm just not interested in that. I have a samsung tab A that works great with avare, and I did download iFly yesterday after reading a lot of great things about it on here in other threads. These things work great for what I need and will do more than I will ever need. But tablets and apps can have glitches and bugs, and in the plane is not the time I want to be dealing with that, so I would like to have another option in the form of a dedicated aviation GPS. Even if it's money down the drain, it would make me feel better. Just another tool in the bag, ya know?
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You're right that dedicated aviation portable GPSs are more robust than tablets or phones, because they're designed to do just one thing and don't have to cope with random sets of apps installed by users (iPads, especially, are also notorious for overheating). However, dedicated portables are expensive, and they lock you into data subscriptions that you have to pay for, year after year.

If redundancy is your main concern, having both your phone and tablet with you will give you the hardware redundancy, while installing more than one free app on each of your devices will give you the software redundancy. Compare to nearly $1K for Garmin's smaller portable GPS, plus at least couple of hundred dollars/year for the data subscription.
 
First - you don't want an Apple product, which rules out ForeFlight - which offers not only real time mapping, traffic, weather, etc, but a host of other needed services (plates, current Metars, airport information, weight and balance, so much more). You've knocked out a significant option with that requirement.

IF the plane has a Status or Garmin GTX 345 transponder, then you'll have ADBS IN as well as OUT (all must have OUT, but IN is not mandated and may not be present in your rental). Those transponders will communicate with a tablet or Garmin Aera of choice either through Wi Fi or Blue Tooth.

No, it is not automatic. You will need to open the APP in the tablet or open the settings in the Aera to establish communications after the transponder is on. Think of what you do with your cell when in a new area and looking for a new WiFi signal. It may or may not have a passcode requirement, or may blink a code on the panel for you to use.



If they don't have ADSB In, then you get to buy a $700 Garmin GDL 50 portable ADBS In.

If you use an android based tablet, you can use Garmin Pilot.

If you skip the tablet you can buy an Aera. It has less features, but has the advantage of being very sharp and sunlight readable, and will connect for ADSB In to either the Garmin 345 transponder or the GDL 50. I'm not sure if it connect to the Stratus transponder (which is fairly popular).
 
M1tchell said:
Alright guys thank you for all the replies. I understand that the most popular thing to use is an ipad with foreflight and for good reason, but I'm just not interested in that. I have a samsung tab A that works great with avare, and I did download iFly yesterday after reading a lot of great things about it on here in other threads. These things work great for what I need and will do more than I will ever need. But tablets and apps can have glitches and bugs, and in the plane is not the time I want to be dealing with that, so I would like to have another option in the form of a dedicated aviation GPS. Even if it's money down the drain, it would make me feel better. Just another tool in the bag, ya know?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother with a dedicated GPS unit. Too much expense for essentially the same utility. (If you peek under the hood, you will discover your little portable Garmin runs on some version of *nix, too). Rather, put EFBs on both a tablet and your phone. Better yet, put TWO EFBs on your tablet and phone. Then you have two different versions of software on two different devices. I've not had my EFBs fail in flight in all the time I have used them, but if one goes wonky, I'll use the other. If you minimize the apps you put on your aviation tablet, you will reduce the risk of one of them crashing the whole system. I dedicate an older tablet to aviation-only use, with a minimum number of installed apps. My phone is a surprisingly usable EFB in a pinch. I've used it flying VFR when I've left my tablet EFB at home. Works fine. When flying with my spouse, I keep an EFB open on my tablet, and she keeps another open on a phone. If one dies, I can quickly swap to the other.
 
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M1tchell said:
But tablets and apps can have glitches and bugs, and in the plane is not the time I want to be dealing with that, so I would like to have another option in the form of a dedicated aviation GPS.
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I've had more than one dedicated aviation GPS develop issues and let me down mid flight. These days I wouldn't bother with anything other than a tablet and a paper chart as a backup. If you really want more of a back up than that, spend another $150 and buy a 2nd tablet to keep in the flight bag just in case. But honestly for VFR, a chart and a windshield should get you anywhere you need to go in a pinch.
 
WDD said:
First - you don't want an Apple product, which rules out ForeFlight - which offers not only real time mapping, traffic, weather, etc, but a host of other needed services (plates, current Metars, airport information, weight and balance, so much more). You've knocked out a significant option with that requirement.
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All of those things are available in FltPlan Go on Android or iOS for free as well. There are other bells and whistles that you can get only with the ($$$) subscriptions for Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight, but it's not any of those.

IMO, the two important things missing from FltPlan Go are obstacles and terrain, but those aren't critical if you're not living in the mountains, a heli pilot, or just fond of flying very low.
 
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For another quite biased opinion I'd recommend the iFly 740b.

Yes there is a subscription cost but you get a dedicated aviation GPS unit that is readable in direct sunlight (many tablets fall short on this). They also keep working when it gets hot. Apple iPads & iPhones are notorious for shutting off when they get hot (not sure about other tablet devices).

There are some very good reasons for going with an aviation purposed GPS unit. I've been using iFly for many years and have never had it not work correctly.
 
M1tchell said:
get an ipad and foreflight.
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That. Get a Stratus3 for GPS, traffic and weather. I understand that you haven't flown in a while and aren't used to the tech.... but the tech is pretty good and really useful for additional SA. And once you start to use it, you will like it...

If you don't want to spring for a Stratus3, get or build a cheap-o Stratux... but seriously, don't do that. Just spring for the Stratus3. I mean, you already laid out the money for the iPad and ForeFlight, right? Use your iPhone running the same ForeFlight subscription as a backup.

Use the paper sectionals to wrap Christmas presents.
 
The Aera 660 has an abandonware air to it..
 
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M1tchell said:
I understand the iPad is so popular for good reason. I'll have to look more into the sentry adsb and the GDLs you mentioned to find out what those even are. If my limited understanding of this stuff is correct, those are devices to get ADS B in, so I can see traffic and weather?
Click to expand...

That is correct. ADS B in will provide traffic and weather. It does have its limitations and will not show every traffic. If you’re in a rural area with non ADS-B equipped aircraft, it won’t show them. If you’re in a non-radar service area, with non ADS-B aircraft, it won’t show them either.

The GDL’s are great and like someone already mentioned, they also can be used with the IPad.


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David Megginson said:
All of those things are available in FltPlan Go on Android or iOS for free as well. There are other bells and whistles that you can get only with the ($$$) subscriptions for Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight, but it's not any of those.

IMO, the two important things missing from FltPlan Go are obstacles and terrain, but those aren't critical if you're not living in the mountains, a heli pilot, or just fond of flying very low.
Click to expand...

Yeah, those obstacles can never do you any harm.:rolleyes:
 
Start with free (Avare or other free app on an Android device you already own). If that works for you, great, if not, then look for something else.
 
Fracpilot said:
People use ForeFlight with an iPad for good reason. Those 2 combinations are the cheapest route to achieve what you want and the Apple/ForeFlight combo are great products.

Option A:
iPad: $800
ForeFlight $150/year
Sentry ADS B: $500

Here is option B:
Garmin Aera 660 ($749)
GDL 50 ADS-B In ($700)
Or GDL 52 ADS-B In and XM weather ($1149)

If there is a Garmin 345 Transponder in the rental plane then it will talk to the Aera 660 via Bluetooth to provide ADS-B in to then Aera 660 and you won’t need the GDL 50 or 52.

The Aera 660 is great and I like that it doesn’t have the over heat or sunlight issues you find with the iPad.

I have the 660 with Garmin 345 and GDL 51 in my plane. I also have an IPad using ForeFlight. The IPad/ForeFlight combo is really a powerful resource for pilots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


Here is Option C:
Android tablet. $150
Stratux. $250 assembled (less if you buy a kit)
FltPlnGo. Free
 
c177tx said:
This is why I went with an Aera 660, go tired of the ipad overheating in the Texas sun.

View attachment 94729
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Yep, I’ve read about people leaving it in direct sunlight and getting that result. I’ve been flying in Texas with an iPad for ten years now and have never had that problem. All you have to do is not leave it setting in direct sunlight. If you leave it on the seat for a fuel stop or something, just lay a piece of paper or a chart or something over it or set it in the shade. Ten years and with a tiny little bit of care I’ve avoided that problem.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Yep, I’ve read about people leaving it in direct sunlight and getting that result. I’ve been flying in Texas with an iPad for ten years now and have never had that problem. All you have to do is not leave it setting in direct sunlight. If you leave it on the seat for a fuel stop or something, just lay a piece of paper or a chart or something over it or set it in the shade. Ten years and with a tiny little bit of care I’ve avoided that problem.
Click to expand...


I haven’t had any problems in the Florida heat, either. Just don’t leave it the sun. Don’t set it on the glare shield!
 
Ryan F. said:
Understand you don't want an iPad. That's fine, just recognize that general aviation's most popular app is popular for good reason.
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Brainwashing and forcing people to use Apple because of lazy programming. That's the only reason.

If you only want a moving map without all the bloatware on an android device, all you need is Avare and a tablet.

But the Kool-Aid must be drank and sold. Chug away. Chug away.
 
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