Does the etrex work inside a plane ???

[Guest TheUnreal]

As the subject states, I am very interested if the etrex works inside the passenger-cabin of a plane.

Has anybody ever tried this, and if so, do you get a decent sattelite lock ???

Does a GPS actually send anyting or does it only recive the signal ???

[Guest happeninghap]

I got my etrex to work in a train, my house, cars, outside, and a helicopter so far.

hap

Hap McDaniel

Phoenix AZ USA

n. 33.51556

w. 112.12350

happeninghap@hotmail.com

602-909-8672

[Guest peter]

quote:

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Originally posted by TheUnreal:

As the subject states, I am very interested if the etrex works inside the passenger-cabin of a plane.

Has anybody ever tried this, and if so, do you get a decent sattelite lock ???

Does a GPS actually send anyting or does it only recive the signal ???

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Yes, it usually works, but only if you hold the eTrex near a window. Reception may be somewhat better on the south side of the plane if you're in the northern hemisphere.

GPS receivers aren't deliberately designed to transmit any signals. However, there will be some unintentional transmitted signals as a result of the high speed digital circuits and because of the intermediate frequency oscillator in the radio receiver circuits. Neither should cause any harmful interference for equipment more than a few inches away and a typical GPS receiver should transmit less than a typical laptop computer or many electronic games. Nevertheless, some airlines have chosen to ban use of GPS receivers and I'd strongly urge you to comply if asked to turn yours off or if you know that the airline does not allow its use. You should also have it off (along with other consumer electronics) while the airplane is below 10 kft. Interference from a passenger's malfunctioning electronic device has a much greater potential for harm if it happens at low altitude and in the congested airspace near airports.

[Guest Cape Cod Cache]

I will concur with the last post; turn off electronics for takeoff/landing. Get to your flight early, ask a crew member if you see one in the terminal, or ask the 'flight attendant'. GPS doesn't send info out, just recieves,like a FM radio,not a VHF-type radio. However they are available to send location data to a satellite. UPS, semi-trailers, and shipping containers have them now, about $600+ US and service charges.

[Guest scott]

I am interested in hearing the results of this. I took my Magellan 315 on a flight from LA to Australia. I'd turn it on once in awhile to see where we were at (despite what the air map said). If I held it up to the window I could get enough satellites to get a decent location, but not even a good guess at altitude. (It usually said we were at 500 feet. At 600 MPH, in the dark, I sure hoped it was wrong. Or if it wasn't, I REALLY hoped the pilots knew about it!

 

-scott

[Guest scott]

I am interested in hearing the results of this. I took my Magellan 315 on a flight from LA to Australia. I'd turn it on once in awhile to see where we were at (despite what the air map said). If I held it up to the window I could get enough satellites to get a decent location, but not even a good guess at altitude. (It usually said we were at 500 feet. At 600 MPH, in the dark, I sure hoped it was wrong. Or if it wasn't, I REALLY hoped the pilots knew about it!

 

-scott

[Guest kbraband]

I get good results with my eMap next to the window on commercial flights. With the mapping feature, it's easy to tell what lake, river, city, or highway you're passing over.

[Guest peter]

e determined the last time it had a good fix - or you could manually enter a known altitude which would also improve the accuracy of the lat/long position.

[Guest buddhavista]

On the last trip I took I asked the flight attendant if it was OK to use a GPS. She gave me a very positive "Oh Yes!". That was on NorthWest. Holding the eTrex right up to the window, I was able to get enough satelites to get a position. Although, the best fix I could get was about 120 ft. I found the Altitude to be very squirrly at first. It still thought I was on the ground. But after a couple of reboots it was able to get a fix. Altitude are dislayed in thousand feet incements. It was cool to see my little GPS at 27.4 kft and travling at 600+ mph. I think I will keep that max speed for a while!

[Guest Gweebaroo]

I was flying from Charlotte to St. Louis and got a great signal. Airspeed reached 551 mph. Altitude according to the pilot was 30,000 ft, according to the ETrex Summit - 24,780. Well, we all know how accurate the altimeters are, but it was cool to get the readings.

 

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Garmin ETrex Summit / DeLorme Topo 2.0

[Guest Troll]

A GPS will give you your track or groundspeed.. I wouldn't reccomend using one as an Airspeed Indicator..

[Guest guest]

I've used my Garmin 3+ on planes (from the window seat) with great results. However I stopped using it when I found out it is not an FAA approved electronic device. In fact, according to the list in the fligh magazine, GPS units can not be used on an commercial US flight

[Guest peter]

The FAA leaves it up to each airline as to which electronic devices to approve. Some approve of GPS receivers, some do not, and some don't say either way. Final say on any flight is always up to the pilot, but you can find a fairly current list of airline policies on Joe Mehaffey's site (joe.mehaffey.com).

[Guest Mike_Teague]

about the guy with the etrex summit..

 

for one thing, if the pilot said 30,000, he was lyin' to ya, that is not a valid altitude for flight to start with.. (31000 would be closest, going westbound like that)

 

I also wonder if the etrex summit uses it's barometric sensor to augment the gps altitude data... if so, an 8000 foot cabin pressure would drive it nuts when gps is telling it 25000+

[Guest Florian]

I bought my etrex last May with the thought of using it in Australia during the summer. I was really hoping it would work on the plane, but alas, we did not have window seats either going or returning and i got no reception at all from where i was seated. I did try holding it up to a window back by the restrooms but didn't get a signal. Perhaps i didn't wait long enough. Did have great fun with the GPS in Oz however! ;-)

 

-Florian

 

http://www.stargazer.org/geocaching.html

[Guest PipersDad]

I tried my EMap last October on a trip from San Diego to New York with no results. Window seat and all. This was American Airlines. I am going to Reno in May and will try it again.

[Guest peter]

quote:

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Originally posted by PipersDad:

I tried my EMap last October on a trip from San Diego to New York with no results. Window seat and all. This was American Airlines. I am going to Reno in May and will try it again.

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Did you hold the eMap right up next to the window for at least 5-10 minutes with the screen (and antenna) facing the window? I've found that once I get a lock I can move the unit back away from the window some, but getting the lock initially is best done with it right up to the window and facing out. I can usually lower the window shade on the eMap to hold it in place.

 

BTW, I believe American is still one of the airlines that unfortunately does not allow use of GPS receivers.

[Guest FAA-ATCS]

Originally posted by Mike_Teague:

for one thing, if the pilot said 30,000, he was lyin' to ya, that is not a valid altitude for flight to start with.. (31000 would be closest, going westbound like that)

 

Not entirely true Mike. For the con-us it would be, but for oceanic flight we can reduce seperation to 1000 feet. Thus, 30,000 would be a valid altitude.