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At 08:42 PM 10/22/2003 -0700, Hartmut Beil wrote: >I checked the Lowrance 500 at Lowrance website. >Main thing is that it is using it's own power supply cable to the Cigarette >lighter. You can not use just any cable on it because it is designed to use >low Voltage and the Voltage reducer is part of that cable. So in case you >misplace the cable , you need one from Lowrance. Yes, I have the same issue. Plus, I don't have a ciggy lighter outlet, I have a coaxial 12V power jack. I found that to be the straw that broke the camel's back, and went for the Garmin. For all of the GPS industry, not being able to feed power and charge batteries that will be used for backup in case the main power fails is a step backwards. Virtually none of the newer ones do that. Also, the 500 has the same screen real-estate as the 300, but in a different format (vertical). Well, I prefer to run the numerical info down one side of the display and put the map on the other 3/4 or 2/3. On a vertical display, that doesn't leave much context either side of course. The 196 is perfect for that. Finally, Garmin updates are downloads from the web. Lowrance updates are physical chip-swaps, with returns and other inconveniences of planning ahead. >The Lowrance 300 could use any Voltage from 7.5 V to over 30 Volts without >harm. Yep...as can nearly all Garmins. >Not so the 500. >Also the screen seems smaller and the antennae is integrated, making the >upper space of the unit just a waste . >With the 300 I can detach the antenna and the battery pack, using my own >shorter power supply cable and voila, I have something like a directional >Gyro , almost a HSI on the dashboard without using too much room. That was sweet. On N2096H, I had a big space above the normal 415 mixture and carb heat controls. The 300 was velcro'd high up on the panel, and it was an AHUD (Almost Heads Up Display). Sweet. >Can't do that this easy with the Lowrance 500. The upcoming Lowrance 1000 >seems too big for my panel anyway. The 1000 would have been intriguing. But it's currently vaporware, and I don't feel like waiting. It's probably a wiser move to switch to Garmin. It's like 'nobody ever got fired for buying IBM.' >I tried the GPS on the yoke and did not like it at all. It depends on the geometry. You need lots of adjustment. That really means you need the R-A-M system, and to fiddle with parts until you get it right. If you have pretzel yokes, forget it. But above and slightly forward of the ramshorns really works for me. Of course, I'm shorter and don't have to angle my head down so much to read it. Once I get the 196 set just right, I'll post pictures and a parts list, as I did with the Lowrance 300 and Garmin GPS II Greg ========================================================================== ==== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
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