AnywhereMap Travel Companion

[FrankK90989]

In my RV-9A I have no issues with seeing my ATC screen its mounted on the panel in the center. I also have no button monster issues--flip on the master the ATC is near instant on--gps is ready very soon after and Im good to go, and havent even touched it yet! .The gps will even acquire inside my metal hanger with no ex antenna!
Yup it has a few minor bugs but they will be fixed. I like a company that will customize their product to what the majoity of their customers want.
I have been with Anywhere for a while- PDA now ATC. and I like them
And I only have 12 other gps units to compare with.

I have a hunch that MikeS has a axe that needs sharpening or works for the other GPS guys. and btw your photo is overexposed a few f stops.

PS. did you know that you can turn a Garmin Nivi (750 mine)into a poor mans aviation GPS? write up later.

[MikeS]

Sounds like you invested in the AnywhereMap lifetime update subscription Frank and you're gonna get your money's worth no matter what.

I agree with you that the ATC has got glitches and bugs which may get fixed over time. That's what they say, although with the most recent software upgrade they seem to be going backward instead of forward.

If I could see the **** thing I might be more tolerant.

I've only got one other GPS to compare it to. Backlights both full on.

[IMG][/IMG]

AnywhereMap actually advertises this thing as sunlight readable.

I invite you to post a picture of yours in direct sunlight such as in the attached picture. A picture says more than any number of words.

The Lowrance has a reflective screen like the monochrome/grayscale screens, although it's color. It doesn't depend solely on backlights to make it readable in sunlight. The backlights on the ATC are brighter than the 600C, something apparent if compared at night. So it's not weak backlights that makes the ATC sunlight unreadable. It's the design of the screen, and I see no way of that ever getting fixed until they go to the ATC Model II with a reflective screen like it should have had in the first place.

AWM took an inexpensive car GPS from HP and installed their software. BK did the same thing with the MIO, another car GPS. Both of them are unresponsive, glitch-riddled toys.

I agree the 22 channel GPS receiver that comes in the Ipaq 310 is excellent. Anything you buy these days is going to be excellent. The 2? year old 16 channel receiver in the 600C is excellent. It too will lock on in the hanger. The chipset in the HP is more sensitive, but receiver sensitivity is not a very important issue these days. People who rave about their 496's are using an ancient 12 channel receiver.

I just received a shade today for my ATC, bought off of eBay. I'm hoping this will make it useable. I do like some things about it, such as the daily airspace & fuel price updates. I'm going to Scottsdale in a couple days and found a number for an FBO there on the ATC that was not on Airnav. So I really want to like it, as anyone who has followed my posts on the AOPA threads can attest. My change of heart is strictly due to my experiences in trying to use it.

It's got some good things about it, which is why I've not tried to send it back or sell it. If I can somehow get it so the screen info is readable, I'll report that too.

Mike

[MikeS]

The hood/shade bought on eBay for $10 (including shipping), seller vistacalifornia has made the difference between being able to use the ATC and not use the ATC in my bright cockpit. It doesn't make it sun-proof, but it helps a lot and is now a permanent part of the unit as far as I'm concerned.

The latest software upgrade (10/29) has turned many ATC's into useless bricks which have to now be sent back to Kansas for re-installation of the software. This is so typical of the on-going software changes with AWM. They do an extremely poor job of testing their changes before releasing them. This latest fiasco is an exagerrated example of what goes on all the time with their "upgrades." It would be so simple to sit down with the unit after making changes and run through all the functions to see if the changes have inadvertently affected something else. Do they do that? Apparently not, as it seems with every software release users suddenly find problems with something that worked fine before the "upgrade."

I really would like to be more positive about the ATC but everytime I think I've come to terms with it I discover they've screwed something else up that worked before, or they pull a major blunder as with the recent software release. Plus they seem to give no attention to correcting basic deficiencies, such as the fact that all major and minor rivers and most lakes are missing from the database! Mississippi, Colorado, Hudson, Missouri Rivers . . . all missing.

And why can't they provide a name search function for navigational aids? To search for a VOR or Intersection in order to "Go To" or include in a Flight Plan, you have to know the name of the navaid before you can search for it! If you know the name already, you don't have to search . . . so why can't they fix this simple thing? My old 600C lets me search for anything by name whether it's an airport or obscure intersection. This is a really basic, fundamental and valuable function, yet after software upgrades you still can't do a name search for navaids with the ATC.

The ATC is still a half-baked potato with great potential.

The story continues.

Mike

[Steve]

I learned a long time ago to avoid any/all beta release software and I'm really dissapointed that CV would even advertise it is available for download. Those gotta-have-it-NOW users now own expensive bricks.
I waited 2 weeks after its final release before downloading the prior (1176) version, which went seamlessly and works well.

Steve

[MikeS]

It wasn't the "beta" release that bricked the ATC's. It was the "ready for prime time" version. Those that downloaded just the beta were okay - aside from the usual glitches.

Mine still works since I haven't downloaded anything in a week or more. They say the newest software upgrade is now safely downloadable, however I'm in no hurry and will just wait and see.

Their "quality control" with upgrades absolutely sucks.

Mike

[RickWoodall]

First, i dont have a dog in the race so i dont really care, but....

You have only ever posted 12 times total on VAF and everysingle one of them is slamming the atc. Whats your story? Get over it and move on.
Some folks like it,some love it. Good review, some great reviews.

[swaneymj]

Since there has been so much negative said about the ATC on this forum, I thought I'd chime in with my limited experience. I purchased a refurbished ATC unit about 2 weeks ago on sale. So far it works great, both in automotive mode and in AWM. Updates are working just fine too. I didn't purchase WxWorks or Pocket Plates, choosing first to see how the basic unit was going to perform. I concur with some on the issue of sunlight readability, but in most aircraft there are many displays and lights that can't be seen in direct sunlight. I don't think it makes sense to use a small/inexpensive PDA as a primary navigation instrument, so in my opinion, direct sunlight readability is somewhat superfluous. But related to screen brightness, I am also a bit disappointed that it's a bit bright at night. There are only 5 dimmer steps and the lowest level is still rather bright in a very dark cockpit. I'm still experimenting with the various map displays and options, but so far I'm very impressed with how much has been stuffed into a rather small package. Yes, it doesn't respond immediately to some inputs, like panning the map, but it's not unacceptable. I'd say the max time waiting for the screen to refresh is less than 5 seconds in the worst case. As far as customer support, I've sent a couple of emails to CV and had them answered in a short time. A friend a mine did have a problem with his first update which caused his ATC to freeze. Once again the CV staff were very helpful on the phone, but were unable to resolve the problem. They put a new unit in the mail to him that day. Bottom line: I don't know whether my experience is unique or not, but I'm quite satisfied with the product and support. I think the basic AWM ATC is a very good value for the money. If I had invested as much as Garmin asks for a similar product, my expectations would have been much higher.
Mark Swaney
Test Pilot Instructor & Rocket Builder