New (March 1, 2016) Garmin aera 660 Portable GPS

[g3xpert]

Originally Posted by PaulR

Any chance that it will still fit in the 5XX AirGizmo mount???

Hi Paul,

Sorry, no idea, but the aera 660 5.1" diagonal display is quite a bit larger than the 4.3" in the aera 5XX.

The outside dimensions of the aera 660 are 5.5" wide x 3.4" tall if you want to check that against your mount.

Update: AirGizmo now sells a panel mount for the Aera 660 that uses the same panel space as the one for the Aera 5XX.

Thanks,
Steve

[g3xpert]

Originally Posted by uk_figs

Flygarmin does not appear to reflect the $149 bundle price at this time, for my 796 it still lists the bundle at $299, is this just a timing/website upgrade issue?

Hello Figs,

The FlyGarmin support for adding an aera 660 doesn't start until later this week, so the database bundle mentioned above for the 660 won't be visible yet and not until a 660 is added to an account.

We think there are plans to convert the 796 bundle to be more like the 660 and use the new improved Garmin Navigation Database, but not yet sure of the timing. Our team has been pretty heads down getting the new area 660 ready for launch. Hardly any time for flying and BBQ.

Thanks,
Steve

[g3xpert]

Originally Posted by PCHunt

Is the display the same as the 500 series, or a new screen? My main concern is readability in the cockpit.

Is there a link to the screen tech specs?

Hello Pete,

The aera 660 is a ground up new design. One of the project goals was to incorporate a cap touch display with dramatically improved touch screen performance, brightness, and sunlight readability compared to the aera 5XX and we are proud to say this was achieved.

Not only does the aera 660 have the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution as the larger 7" aera 796, but it is just as bright or brighter than the aera 796, which also has excellent sunlight readability.

The most common response to someone seeing the aera 660 for the first time is "wow, it is so bright and easy to read!".

Thanks,
Steve

[rjtjrt]

Originally Posted by g3xpert

........

One of the project goals was to incorporate a cap touch display with dramatically improved touch screen performance, brightness, and sunlight readability compared to the aera 5XX and we are proud to say this was achieved.

Not only does the aera 660 have the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution as the larger 7" aera 796, but it is just as bright or brighter than the aera 796, which also has excellent sunlight readability.

........
Steve

Steve
Is the new 660 capacitance Touch performance the same as the 796 or better? I see brightness and sunlight readability are same.

[Snowflake]

Two questions:

Is the brightness and readability significantly improved over the older Aera 500 series?

What is the cost for database updates for a Canadian pilot wanting a Canadian database?

[Jermechanic]

Will XM weather be an option? In Canada we don't have adsb so xm is our only real time weather option.

[PCHunt]

Originally Posted by g3xpert

Hello Pete,

The aera 660 is a ground up new design. One of the project goals was to incorporate a cap touch display with dramatically improved touch screen performance, brightness, and sunlight readability compared to the aera 5XX and we are proud to say this was achieved.

Not only does the aera 660 have the same 800 x 480 pixel resolution as the larger 7" aera 796, but it is just as bright or brighter than the aera 796, which also has excellent sunlight readability.

The most common response to someone seeing the aera 660 for the first time is "wow, it is so bright and easy to read!".

Thanks,
Steve

Thanks for the quick and detailed response!

Next questions: when will the 660 be available with New Zealand maps and data? Same price? Easy to update? Probably the same question for Australia, as well.

[Mancival]

Relatively to the above pictures posted by G3Xpert, they show that the 660 has VNAV navigation. Could somebody please specify if the VNAV angle of descent can be explicitly input by the user, as is possible on the G1000/G900X but NOT yet possible on the G3X (despite being an upgrade announced by Garmin a few months ago for the G3X)? This is a key feature for the safe operation (i.e. terrain-clearance) of VNAV navigation, as opposed to being able to only input rate of descent in FPM, which produces an impredictable descent profile influenced by GS and therefore by wind

[g3xpert]

Originally Posted by rjtjrt

Steve
Is the new 660 capacitance Touch performance the same as the 796 or better? I see brightness and sunlight readability are same.

Yes, as good or better than the 796.

Thanks,
Steve

[g3xpert]

Originally Posted by Snowflake

Two questions:

Is the brightness and readability significantly improved over the older Aera 500 series?

What is the cost for database updates for a Canadian pilot wanting a Canadian database?

Hello Rob,

The Aera 5XX was released in 2009 and LCD touch screen technology has advanced quite a bit since then.

The display brightness and readability of the aera 660 is dramatically improved over the aera 5XX.

I updated the second posting above to include some detail on the new database bundles offered for the aera 660. Customers in Canada will find the "North American Database Bundle" to be the best choice.

Our database team continues to expand our data sources and offerings and we are pleased to be able to offer very complete Canadian database coverage including the new Garmin Navigation Database which covers Alaska, Canada, the Continental USA, and Latin America.

Thanks,
Steve