Any chance Garmin can add the seconds to the ETA? Right now it just shows ETA in hours & minutes. Mainly would be using it to hit precise flyover TOTs for the national anthem timing, missing man formations etc.
Sure we can use a stopwatch but having the seconds on the 660 would be an easy fix. I think my old 296 had seconds inside of 10 minutes but it's been so long I can't remember for sure.
Wow! I'm looking forward to seeing this, as I just (finally) placed my order for one last week. The bare wire cable was on backorder until tomorrow so it should be shipping shortly, and then i'll be able to take advantage of all of these great new features... I'm looking forward to it!Several customers asked that we provide more user selectable data fields on the main map, so the unit now offers up to 8 data fields (0 to 8 depending on your preferences).
Well, if Garmin adds the seconds to the ETA, you're not going to have an excuse anymore either...Not all of us are as good as BeeGee or Yobo to consistently hit a TOT to the SECOND every single time.
When I went online with my Aera660 for the first time, it updated the Firmware to the latest version. It didn't seem to do anything else
In the box with my new unit was a coupon for a free database update.
Does anyone know if this covers ALL of the databases, or just the map?
Without having the coupon in my hand, how long after purchase until this coupon expires?
Hi Seve,
thinking to install a Garmin G5 in my aircraft and would like to know if it can interface with the area 660 f.ex. attitude, barometric and autopilot information etc. to the area 660.
Does the G5 comes with a STC to install in certified aircraft?
Best regards
gFlyer
The 660 can display fuel prices right on the map. My question is how and how often are these prices updated? Is a 28 day download update necessary or can it be done for free via wifi somehow?
When you power up your Aera 660 today with it connected via WiFi to the internet it should automatically ask you if you wish to update to V2.80.
The image below shows two of the new features.
Several customers asked that we provide more user selectable data fields on the main map, so the unit now offers up to 8 data fields (0 to 8 depending on your preferences).
Another often requested feature for all of our products has been airspace segment altitude limit labeling. You have always been able to touch an airspace segment and see the altitude limits, but now you may have them turned on all the time so they are always visible (depending on zoom range). In the example below there is a class D airport with altitude limits from the surface to 3400 ft and two MOAs with 800 ft to 18,000 ft limits. The numbes are color coded to match the airspace segments.
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Change History
Changes made from version 2.70 to 2.80:
- Add airspace altitude labels to map
- Add option to remove facility names for Airports, VORs, and NDBs, to declutter map
- Add four additional data fields to overlay on map page
- General improvements to system operation
- Includes update to GDL39 software version 4.80
Thanks,
Steve
Does this bundle really include the VTA and VNC charts, or is it just the IFR charts? Will my "one free update" coupon allow me to download a set of these to see what i'll get?IFR/VFR Charts Canada by NavCanada
My 660 arrived yesterday and i've been playing with it for a while now.
Came with v2.40, took some tribulations to get it to v2.80... Didn't realize it wouldn't update once it was connected to WiFi.
The unit comes with a USB cable for hardwire updates.Had to download new software for updating it (old software for Aera 500 didn't work), and had to try three different cables to get the webupdater software to recognize it.
I went back and re-read the entire thread, to refresh my memory of things I had asked once before. Some things i'm still hoping to answer:
1. I see it came with US charts pre-loaded, so for me around the Victoria, BC area it's not too bad. Looking at the list of what's available on FlyGarmin though, I see this:
Does this bundle really include the VTA and VNC charts, or is it just the IFR charts? Will my "one free update" coupon allow me to download a set of these to see what i'll get?
2. Can the 660 share it's GPS signal via Bluetooth or WiFi, ie. to act as a GPS for another tablet that doesn't have an internal GPS?
3. What is the SD card slot good for, other than software updates? I would get a memory card for it so I have another option for updates, but if that's all it's for i'll just get a smaller card... If there is any value in having a bigger one (say a future update that might include an audio player?) it would be nice to know now rather than have to buy another. Would more memory be useful for maps or anything?
I saw that while reading through the rest of the thread yesterday, but I didn't read it until after I had finished the wired update......the 660 didn't get WiFi software download capability until V2.60, so of course there is no way your V2.40 software could have downloaded software using WiFi. Now that you have upgraded with V2.80, all future software updates may use WiFi.
Yes, however I still had the cable from my Aera 500 connected so I started with that... Being a Garmin cable and all. I suspect that this issue was related more to my computer than to the cables though: I don't use Windows all that often, so when I rebooted into Windows it spent a bunch of time doing updates in the background. I suspect the computer was *trying* to connect properly, but wasn't fast enough to make the USB connection before I misunderstood it as a timeout.The unit comes with a USB cable for hardwire updates.
That's excellent, thanks very much. I didn't realize you now had the actual Canadian charts available.Yes, your one free update coupon allows you to choose any of the available IFR/VFR chart options so you can try out the Canada charts.
Good to know. Is there a comfortable excess of storage in the unit, so if I choose all the Canadian and US charts there will be room? Or will I need to pick and choose to make sure I don't over-run the available mapping space?Other than screen shots, the SD card isn't generally used.
How does the update coupon work, exactly? Do I enter the number, and then it lets me download whatever I need for some period of time? Or do I have to know what I want before I start? I guess what i'm concerned about is that i'll enter the code, choose a bunch of stuff, and may find out later that it's not the bundle or combination of stuff that I need, and i'll have to come back and download more... Only to find out that the code is now used and i'm SOL...![]()
Is there a comfortable excess of storage in the unit, so if I choose all the Canadian and US charts there will be room? Or will I need to pick and choose to make sure I don't over-run the available mapping space?
Thanks again for all the answers on this device... Haven't flown with it yet but I can see now that it will be an awesome device in the cockpit. Head and shoulders above the 500 it's replacing.
I already had a flygarmin account for my Aera 500, so I didn't need to create another. I saw the "redeem a coupon" link, but I wanted to be sure what I was getting into before clicking on it.I couldn't find that you had created a free FlyGarmin account and added your Aera 660 to it, but once you do there will be a "Redeem a Coupon" button on the Aera 660 page.
****. Well, I guess there had to be *one* downside to this GPS, everything else is almost too-good-to-be-true.Well, you can only load one set of IFR/VFR charts at a time, so you would have to choose, for example, if you want to subscribe to the Canada charts or the U.S. charts. If you purchase the North American database bundle, FlyGarmin asks you to select whether U.S. or Canada IFR/VFR charts are in your annual database bundle.
Note, however, that if you want to do something like fly to Oshkosh once a year, you could buy a single U.S. IFR/VFR chart cycle for $39.99, load these charts for your U.S. travel, then re-load the Canada charts included in your annual subscription when you come home. Your North American database bundle would include navigation data for both the U.S. and Canada, so nothing to worry about for the core data which includes airports/runways/frequencies.
Has anyone else noticed that firmware 2.80 stops the QWERTY keyboard from displaying? Regardless of the keyboard setting the other keyboard is always displayed.
Hello,
Are you operating the Aera 660 in landscape or portrait mode?
This has nothing to do with upgrading to V2.80. As specificed on page 16 of the Rev. B User Manual, the QWERTY keyboard is only available when using the unit in landscape mode.
Thanks,
Steve
Hi - yes, I was in portrait mode and I have re-read the manual and see that it states QWERTY keyboard is only available in landscape mode.
I have to ask why ? How difficult would it have been to offer the QWERTY keyboard in portrait ? iPhones have been doing this on smaller screens since 2006 !
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The QWERTY is exclusively available in Landscape Mode due to limited display size in portrait mode
Did you update the software?
There have been several updates since they were built.
It is easy to do on wifi.
I downloaded the user manual on desktop and use it to look up stuff.
I got an aera 660 for Christmas. I have some questions.
I installed the battery, put it on the wall charger for about 12 hours. It wouldn't power up when I hit the power button. I removed the battery, reinstalled it, unit powered up fine.
Now, I rode around with my brother in the truck yesterday. I played with my new GPS with it plugged into the 12v in truck. Worked fine. Unplugged it from the 12v, it wouldn't power up. I removed/reinstalled the battery, powered up fine.
Flew with my daughter yesterday. Had the unit on it's own battery power. Had to r/r battery to get it to power up.....What am I doing wrong?
I seemed to struggle with similar issues (while first assembling the 660 in a dark room holding our infant). Then eventually realized one side of the battery cover wasn't completely seated and latched when I couldn't power it up w/o the wall charger. The difficulty powering it on hasn't repeated itself when the top and bottom are fully seated. With just one side properly in, it seems the battery contact sometimes isn't adequate. Maybe you also had one side of the battery cover not fully latched and thus it only powered up while plugged in, until R&R the battery fixed the latch.
If so, I feel better I'm not the only one. If not, now I might be a bit embarrassed for sharing my simple mistake.Inserting the end away from the Garmin letters, then clicking in the Garmin side in near the latch works every time now.