Guys

 I'm driving along in middle of nothing in Wyoming.  Got to thinking.  My
 Goggle Maps Navigation on my Droid phone is way better than my Garmin
 GPS on my window. Goggle updates its maps automatically for free and
 also more accurate and talks the directions on Droid (wont talk on apple
 phone).  You can watch short utubes on each goggle navigation feature.

 So why don't one of you figure out a way to use goggle maps inconnectuon
 with ipad type device (Droid or apple) and make a navagation system for
 airplanes to replace those expensive Garmins.

 Snowing now so have to stop email.

 Van

 As I recall there is a rule against using a cell phone in an airplane.
 It works of course. The cell transmissions cut down the gain
 on the aircraft radio. I did it years ago when a cell phone weighed
 5 pounds and had a separate hand set :)

 Paul Lamar


It's GoOgle..  Not GoGgle. Did your Android device do your
spellchecking?  ;)

Apple can do turn by turn directions, but not for free. Or at least
not natively.

There are big swaths of the western US without cell coverage.  That
means you have to store the nav data on board the device. That's one
of the expenses covered when you buy a Garmin.

The Google data isn't monitored.  For some kinds of things (instrument
approaches), I'll pay to have someone make sure the data isn't wrong.
Jeppesen.

I've used a couple of cell phones in light airplanes. Many times they
don't work, even if I'm over a relatively populated area. I believe it
may have something to do with the antenna design on the towers. Or
with logic on the towers rejecting devices that connect to too many
towers at once. Or devices that are switching towers too quickly. Not
sure. But, I know it's not a reliable connection - even when I have
plenty of bars of signal strength.


Matt-


In much of the Eastern United States, celphones do not work when
airborne because of the contention between the large number of cell
sites and competing subnetworks.  At altitudes greater than a couple
thousand feet  over populated areas it is common for the battery to
become exhausted from the continuous attempt to negotiate a connection.
Cel technology presumes that only a few adjacent towers will be within
range of the phone, and that presumption is false when airborne.

Victor Roberts