Lowrance Are You Listening?
 

An Opinion:

Lowrance,

We like your little Airmap 600C handheld, and your controls and aviation software are pretty good, too. You're a much better value than Garmin. On the other hand, what medication were you on when you dreamed up the 2000C tablet-style portable?! The 2000C's form factor is terrible, and the poor resolution display (320x240 pixels) is a bad joke. We know that you have marine units similar in form factor to AvMap's Geopilot and Garmin's 296/396/496 series; why didn't you adopt one of your marine units? Yes, the marine units are a little too wide for a standard avionics rack, but they would still be better for aviation use than the 2000C.

How about introducing a 2000C replacement at Oshkosh 2008?! The new unit would have the form factor of the AvMap Geopilot II, a 5-inch screen, and at least a 640x420 pixel resolution. Then, YOU would be "King of the Aviation Portable Hill;" not Garmin or AvMap!

Happy New Year!

Bill Palmer :rolleyes:

Actually, I think the 2000c's vertical oriented screen is much more useful to pilots than the horizontally oriented Garmins, especially if you like to have track always pointed up.

As far as the lower resolution, I had it on a long trip just a couple weeks ago and found it more than adequate. (I usually turn the terrain feature off, because I can just look out the window to see terrain. It just clutters up the screen during VFR flying.)

If the price for higher resolution means paying $1499 for the cheapest color Garmin (w/out weather) or $650 for the 2000c, Lowrance is providing, by far, the best value out there.

AH, but then you never know.....

During the winter months, about three years ago; there was a Cessna 310 pilot flying parallel
to our north/south mountain range east of Salt Lake City. He had been fighting strong headwinds on a long cross country, and decided to re-fuel.

As he started his descent, he failed to notice a shorter east/west mountain (Point of the Mountain) because of broken clouds and haze.

Before he knew it, he was facing rising terrain directly in front of him; and was able to instantly push throttles full forward and haul back on the yoke, as it was his "only" survivable option.

The twin engine plane stalled at nearly the same angle as the rising terrain, just before contact. It then cartwheeled, but stayed mostly in one piece.

Luckily, both the pilot and his passenger survived, with little injury. I could see this plane from my house for several days until it was removed.

In this case, due to not flying in the clearest of VFR conditions, the terrain just gradually rose, without him defining the difference between it and the partial cloud/haze cover.

Terrain warning on the GPS would have made the difference!

We've also had several more "VFR" flight into terrain accidents around here; with one being just a month ago. Two planes flew into the same mountain range (about six years apart). One at night, and one with low visibility during daylight hours. Both aircraft had flight instructors on board. The night accident had GPS, but not a detailed map or terrain warning. I don't know about the recent accident, but it was an older Beechcraft.

However, in a re-creation of the night accident, I took along a Garmin GPS with terrain warning. It went to yellow, and then red, just as it should have!

And while I'm at it, just a few years back, a non-area pilot took off from the airport next door, in an attempt to "scud run" to clear VFR conditions that he could see in the distance. Unfortunately for him, he followed a road that split off the freeway into a dead end canyon to the east. He apparantly made several 360's before slamming into a vertical granite wall.

This is another case, where it was technically VFR, but a moving map & terrain features, would have made a big difference!

As to my Garmin, the terrain is just a lighter colored background and it doesn't bother me at all. Looks kind of "neat", actually. Once rising terrain is within specified altitude settings, that you set, another window will appear on whichever page you're using, to show imminent disaster ahead! :D

While none of these accidents happend in clear VFR "daylight" weather, and all took place in mountainous areas; I'm just pointing out the benefits of terrain mapping/warning in what was thought to be VFR conditions.

L.Adamson -- Garmin 296

Yes, if your listening, please make the display brighter... like the picture on the box. I have to say that I think that picture is so misleading that it is false advertising.

Karl

Actually, for those of you who are prone to scud running ;), you can have the terrain off and still have terrain warnings. Given the larger screen on the Lowrance, you can turn off the terrain on the main screen to get rid of unnecessary clutter and still have the screen show you a vertical profile of any obstacles or controlled airspace in front of you and give you warnings as you are approaching them. It will also give you a vertical track line showing whether or not you will clear the terrain at your present rate of climb. Thus, the only time I turn the full screen (topographical) terrain feature on is when flying at night.

The more I play around with my Lowrance the more impressed I am. Very hard to beat for $650!

Lowrance 2000c database does not have private airfields
 

Just a note: the Lowrance 2000c Jeppesen database does not include Private airfields. I know that cuts out a goodly number of possible fields in my area. Sure reduces the number of strips available in an emergency.

Sent Lowrance an email but got no answer. Asked them at Oshkosh, they told me to talk to Jeppesen. Jeppesen said that they include it but Lowrance for some reason takes it out.

Anyone knows the real answer?

I'd like to see it included.

Welcome!!!!!!
 

Jerry, welcome to VAF!!

Now, as to your user name----------:D

Sure does conjure up some strange images.:rolleyes:

Lowrance
 

I spent 15 minutes standing in front of their booth at Oshkosh 2 years ago with a 1/2 dozen other guys while they chatted among themselves about who knows what. Finally gave up, walked away and when I got home I mounted my 2000C in the back seat and got a Garmin. Garmin has always been fabulous with customer service despite their size. Have their product on my boat too. Don't short change them, they are the leader in this stuff and you'll find a lot of grumbling with Lowrance's "Customer Service" as they like to call it. :mad:

By the way, I wrote them about this experience and got the typical mumbo jumbo from some kid that read the proper response out of a book with absolutely no reference to my visit, my issue or my request. Could have come out of any "tame the upset masses" handbook.

Private airfields are included in the database. If you put the identifier into the 2000C as part of a route it will show on the map. But you are correct, they don't show up on the map if they're not part of a route. Anywhere Map shows all private strips.

I have two complaints about the 2000C. All airports show the runways oriented North/South. Garmins show them oriented in the actual direction that they run. The 2000C has a timer that can be used as a flight timer (for fuel planning purposes, etc) but it can't be displayed on the map page. I asked the guy at SNF about this and he looked at me like I had two heads. He said no one else had ever asked for a flight timer to be displayed on the map page and acted like I was some kind of oddball.

Yep, don't short change Garmin! Since my last post in this thread, I've switched from the Garmin 296 to 496 with XM Weather. It's like switching from a medium to a high powered computer. The 496 locks on to more satellites in probably 1/5th of the time. The graphics/screen resolution is like going from standard television to high definition! But the XM Weather is what it's really all about! :D

L.Adamson