Anywhere Map's New Quadra GPS Portable

[Bill Palmer]

Just a Reminder/Request: Can anyone attending Sun 'N Fun give us a report on AnywhereMap's Quadra?

Thanks,

Bill Palmer

[Steve]

I wandered by the CV booth about 11am Saturday. Their booth was closed and dark. Nobody around. Maybe it was break time.

[TrutrakTech]

Originally Posted by Steve

I wandered by the CV booth about 11am Saturday. Their booth was closed and dark. Nobody around. Maybe it was break time.

The Control Vision booth is always closed on Saturday due to religious observance. It is their Sabbath.

Just putting that out there since our booth is across the aisle and I saw the little sign posted on their backdrop.

[Bill Palmer]

Looks like I sent out my reminder on the wrong day!

Steve, Thanks for looking.

Lucas, Thanks for your explanation.

Bill Palmer

[avengingangel]

my quadra arrived finally last week. It's great, hi def, small and easy to operate. Works well for me.

[Jartz]

New information from actual users would be helpful in making a purchase decision.

Thanks!
John

[N64GH]

I have the Anywhere Map "ATC" and have had it almost from the time it came out. It works fine without a external GPS. It does wash out in the sun but so does me 396 although the ATC washes out a little more. I have a sun shade on both of them and it works for me. The 396 drives my AP but I really like the ATC better MUCH easier to get frequencies and other information from the ATC than the 396 (IMHO you may have another point of view). I got the sectional upgrade (MaxNav I think it is called). Not really needed and to be honest not worth it there ?base map? has everything you need. I almost never (actually never) have the MaxNav screen on. I have been keeping an eye on the Quadra as it looks like they have fixed the few things I did not like about the ATC. They say it is planned for it to drive an AP and have traffic. When it has the capacity to drive my AP I will get one and move the 396 over to the right side as a backup. The Anywhere map program is real easy to use and understand. There are tons of options and screens which till you figure out what you like can be a little irritating simply because there are so many choices. I would forget the external GPS unless for some reason the internal one will not work in your installation and don?t waste your money on the Sectional maps. Nice thought but in my opinion not clear enough for the price. I have the lifetime updates Garmin cannot touch the price. Updating is easy with the ATC and should be even more painless with the Quadra. Any those are my thoughts after flying with the ATC for however the heck long it has been available. No regrets.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Bill Palmer

The Quadra’s screen brightness is 380 nits. I don’t know how this compares with the Aera; my Google search skills must be meager! The AV8OR Horizon 3D has a screen brightness of 300 nits, but I could not find the screen brightness spec for the basic AV8OR. My guess is that the Quadra, Aera, and AV8OR all have about the same screen brightness; equivalent to the typical automobile touch-screen GPS and limited by their portability/battery life.

As a further data point: I compared my Aera to a fellow pilot's AV8OR and the screen brightness is definitely *not* comparable. The AV8OR was noticeably brighter. I have no quantitative measurement, but I would estimate anywhere from 20-40% brighter than the Aera when both were set to their highest settings.

I continue to fly with my Aera, and continue to think that the killer feature of the Aera is the data link between it and my radio. I abhor Garmin's pricing scheme (sorry, I should say "scam") for their updates, and as such mine will get updated at best once a year. It's the only way to keep it affordable. It's harder to read in direct sunlight, but otherwise it's perfect.

[lmuelly]

Just my 2 cents on this thread. I have been using anywhere map for 5 plus years and had bought the ATC but afterwards found out that it would NEVER be able to support my autopilot. Last month while at Oshkosh they explained that the Quadra would soon be able to use a bluetooth link for my auto pilot. He actually traded my ATC and gave me a resonable price on the Quadra. I am sure that the sectional feature is NOT worth the money (hard to see and not enough contrast) and it is hard to beat AWM update capability for the price not to mention the aboility to update each time before you fly using the wireless. Yes they are not bright enough but that is true of all of the small GPS units. A freind of mine went with the Aera and the screen looks too grainy compared to the Quadra. The processor still seems to lack in speed when you have all of the ground info turned on (cities, streets, lakes, etc.). While it does have some shortcomings it is hard to beat for the price and the most important feature to me is the presents of private airports, we have a lot of them in my area. I plan to upgrade to the weather this fall and am just waiting for some of the bugs to be worked out! and of course my auto pilot output.

[Bill Palmer]

Today, I was at Aircraft Spruce West and I noticed they had a new display with the Aera 500, AV8OR, and Quadra side-by-side. One of the ACS techs was setting up the display, so I asked him if I could see a maximum brightness comparison of each unit. He said sure. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the brightest, I would personally judge the relative maximum brightness/contrast levels as follows: Aera: 10, AV8OR: 9, Quadra: 7. The Aera was clearer and easier-to-read than the Quadra despite the Quadra?s higher resolution. The AV8OR was nearly as bright as the Aera and, in my opinion, was the easiest to use of the three. The Quadra definitely needs a shade. The Quadra?s higher resolution might come to the forefront when well-shaded.

As an aside, I ordered a Quadra about ten days ago (my Airmap 500 could no longer be updated), but I cancelled the order when I discovered that the Quadra does not yet talk to an external GPS Bluetooth receiver (I was hoping to panel-mount the unit). Anywhere Map says that a Quadra software change is in the works to provide the GPS external receiver link. The Duo already supports such a link.

A good friend just purchased the Adventure Pilot iFly 700 ($499), and it?s an impressive unit. The brightness is good; I would compare it with the AV8OR in terms of brightness/contrast. The large 7-inch diagonal screen really makes the North-Up Sectional presentation work. If I can figure out a way to squeeze its overall 7.25-inch width into my panel, I might go for it. Unlimited updates, via USB flash drive, are a very reasonable $69 per year (VFR Sectionals) or $89 per year (Sectionals plus IFR Low-Enroute Charts).

Well, anyway, the GPS portable market is getting interesting. Now, if someone would just come up with a 6-inch-diagonal, super-bright, portable GPS with an overall width no greater than 6.25 inches (avionics stack compatible) and a price less than $1K, I think they?d have a winner. Monthly database updates no greater than $100 a year would make it unbeatable.

See Y'All at Van?s Homecoming this weekend?

Bill