I don't have an automobile GPS but was just wondering if anyone here has ever brought their portable auto GPS on either a commercial flight or in a small single engine airplane, and what were the results?

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85' 300D No inspection, No registration fees, Cheap insurance
"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to see some serious %$&^."

I have used my Garmin 76c on planes from 172's to 767's.

My old Garmin worked when I started it when the plane was idle on the ground (to let it find satellites), but not if I powered it up after we were airborne. Haven't tried the newer generation Garmin yet.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

You need to open a door so you can get a signal.

or strap it to the boom.

The old Garmin had to sit on the "dash" in the cockpit to maintain a signal. I'll have to see how the new one does; these are the Forerunner wristband GPS units, though. The car ones would probably fare better I suppose -- better antenna.

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1992 300D 2.5T
1980 Euro 300D (sadly, sold)
1998 Jetta TDI, 132K "Rudy"
1974 Triumph TR6
1999 Saab 9-5 wagon (wife's)

I turned on my Tom Tom in the company plane once to check out take off ground speed (bored). It worked OK but once airborne it was having a hard time refreshing - but interesting.

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BENZ THERE DONE THAThttp://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/...c/progress.gif
15 VW Passat TDI
00 E420
98 E300 DT
97 E420 Donor Car - NEED PARTS? PM ME!
97 S500
97 E300D
86 Holden Jackaroo Turbo D
86 300SDL
(o\|/o)

I have folks bring them in the helicopters all the time. They seem to work fine.

Seems all the real estate folks now use them. For what – I have no idea. Everything they want to look at is on a map. I guess they do quick marks or something.

We’ve had a few folks bring them in the jets, with the same results posted here.
They are fine if they initiate them at a stop. But, trying to get one to auto-locate at Mach .8+ seems to be a no-go issue.

Everyone always asks up front if it’s ok. We never have a problem with them. They have no effect on anything in the cockpit whatsoever. I do recall a guy saying (in the jet) that putting the antenna on a lead and suction cupping it to the window worked pretty good. It stayed on track better than on his lap. We have AirShow in the airplane that puts all the same information and a map on a nice flat-screen for them. But they seem to think using their own unit is more fun. Whatever…..

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

I always assumed that Continental was using a GPS for it's seatback displays:

Yep.
That would be AirShow.

592 Westbound at FL290....not too bad.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

I put the Garmin up to the window and it showed me exactly where we were, and how fast we were traveling,,,, 547mph.

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95 SL500 Smoke Silver, Parchment 64K
07 E350 4matic Station Wagon White 34K
02 E320 4Matic Silver/grey 80K
05 F150 Silver 44K

I too my old Garmin GPS III+ up on a commercial flight and it initialized and read perfectly just holding it up to the window. Would be interesting to see how the new HP ipaq does.

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-Evan


Benz Fleet:
1968 UNIMOG 404.114
1998 E300
2008 E63


Non-Benz Fleet:
1992 Aerostar
1993 MR2
2000 F250

My Garmin Rino units do fine if they have a window seat/view. The only thing they can't handle is the takeoff roll. Too much change too fast. They'll often lock up and require a restart. One of mine has a barometric altimeter as well, and while I can't remember the pressure, I do remember that it equated to ~10,000 feet elevation.

When I first got them, I found no official statements regarding using them in flight. Now I read that you're not supposed to. And flight attendents seem to read the same. Bummer. All the more so since I find it so hard to believe that any equipment with receive only capabilities (while true that the Rino does have a built in two-way radio, it is able to be shut off independently from other features, in flight, mine always are), especially ones that are receiving the same signals as the plane itself, are likely to cause any sort of problems. If you're worried about tiny amounts of RF energy I'm receiving, maybe you ought to look twice at this big aluminum airplane that's being treated to all sorts of various waves.

MV

Toby Ziegler: We're flying in a Lockheed Eagle Series L-1011. Came off the line twenty months ago. Carries a Sim-5 transponder tracking system, and you're telling me I can still flummox this thing with something I bought at Radio Shack?

I’m thinking your altitude reading (BP) was reading the cabin altitude. It would have gone to maybe 10K and held from there on up.

The issue with them in commercial aircraft is solely based on the “Better safe then sorry.” attitude of the FAA and the airlines. It’s easier to just say “Turn off ALL electronic devises.” than to try to read out some ever changing list of what you can and can’t use.
I’m not saying that 250 people on their cell phones couldn’t have some effect. I’ve just never seen it.

As far as I’m concerned. I don’t care what you bring onboard to play with, so long as it doesn’t have the words JAMMING DEVICE written on it.

If I ever notice something weird in the cockpit (besides me), I figure I’ll ask if you have something turned on. If you do. I’ll ask that you turn it off. If the issue goes away, I’ll ask that you keep it off. Easy as that.

I’ve yet to have any problems with cell phones, GPSs, laptops, CB radios, two way walkie-talkies…..

My kids will take up their Motorola TalkAbouts in the helicopters, and use them all the time, ship to ground, ship to ship. We had Y adapters made for their headsets to go straight into their Motorolas as well as the ships icom system. It doesn’t do a thing to me up front.

Now when I key the mic on the VHF, it does put a pit of a high-whine in their units.

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1980 300D - Veggie Burner !

Sorry, suppose I should have mentioned, the Rino with barometric altimeter displays both GPS and Baro altitudes, I just liked comparing the two. Actually, I like doing that when not on a plane also. I haven't found either to to be better than the other for finding your elevation when stationary for long periods of time, but the baro is subject to a lot of erroneous readings if you move. I'm also not sure how changing weather affects it. That I'd be curious to know.

MV