Garmin GNC 300
Reams have been written about the advent of panel-mount GPS receivers that are IFR-approved for en route purposes and certain nonprecision approaches. But even as these receivers gain more acceptance, the GPS industry just can't sit still. Now comes a new species of IFR GPS — those incorporating built-in 760-channel communications transceivers.
The first of these boxes to hit the market is Garmin's GNC 300. This is a unit with navigation functions and architecture quite similar to that company's very popular GPS 155. Anyone who's ever come to terms with a 155 certainly won't have any problems with making the 300 sing. The keys at the bottom edge of the box call up the same functions — and then some — and you still have the option of punching a certain key repeatedly to call up different "pages" for data entry, status, and information purposes. The other way to do this is to rotate the 300's outer knob.
The fingerwork necessary to invoke the 300's instrument approach capabilities, like that of every other IFR-approved GPS box, takes some getting used to. Once you are navigating to a destination airport (one with an approach legal for GPS use), you hit the RTE (route) key, then rotate the 300's knob to bring up the menu for selecting an approach. Activate the cursor by pushing its button, then use the knob to highlight the approach you want to fly. Pick one, then hit ENT (enter) to make the selection final. If there's more than one initial approach fix, you have to do the cursor-highlight-and- enter drill to pick the one you want. When you're 30 nm from the airport, the 300 will automatically arm the selected approach, then provide navigation information as you sequence — again, automatically — from one fix to the next. In cases involving holding instructions or flying a procedure turn, you have to be sure to disable the auto sequencing by activating the HOLD feature of the internally illuminated GPS SEQ pushbutton, one of two annunciators situated directly in the pilot's view. Now the CDI on the airplane's HSI acts like a conventional VOR needle. Done with the hold or the vectors? Then hit the HOLD button again and the 300 switches back to automatic sequencing. However, before doing that you have to remember to set the HSI to the course to the next fix in the approach. This gives the unit — and the autopilot — the time it needs (two seconds) to reset for auto sequencing. Have to perform a missed approach? Hit the Direct key for sequencing to the MAP holding point.That's it in a very small nutshell.
The 300 will do much, much more than just described (such as fly SIDs and STARs), but to master that you'll need to practice in the cockpit.
Communications frequencies can be entered directly by using the outer and inner knobs, or "auto-tuned" by calling them up from the 300's database. These include airport-related frequencies as well as those for flight service. They reside in the NAV key's CDI page and in the NRST (nearest) pages and let you tune frequencies on the fly. You flip-flop frequencies from the standby to the active modes by pressing a double-arrowed key.
There's an automatic squelch feature, and 121.5 can be quickly tuned to active status by holding the double-arrowed key down for more than two seconds. Stuck-microphone protection cuts off your transmissions after 35 seconds of continuous broadcasting.
Special use airspace information is available, as are minimum safe altitudes and features that let you enter customized checklists. You get this, plus all the timers, E6-B functions, sunrise/sunset, and other goodies that we've all come to expect from GPS hardware. An optional rechargeable nicad battery backup pack gives you emergency power lasting about 45 minutes should the airplane experience a complete electrical failure. There's even a search and rescue feature that lets you fly a search pattern.
For $5,495, we have a right to expect all this capability. Conspicuously absent, though, is a moving map display.
The GNC 300 is further evidence that Garmin is here to stay as a big-league player in the general aviation avionics industry. Its product line seems to grow exponentially. Rolled out along with the 300 was the $3,250 GNC 250, a VFR version of its bigger brother. For more information contact Garmin International, 1200 East 151st Street, Olathe, Kansas 66062; telephone 913/397-8200; fax 913/397-8282. — Thomas A. Horne
Peltor 7006 headset
If it seems as though the Peltor 7004 headset has been around forever, your sense of time has not failed you. Introduced in the mid 1980s, the egg-shaped Peltor has cut a sizable hole in the conventional-headset market. Against stalwarts like David Clark and Telex, Peltor has been remarkably competitive. This success comes despite having just two basic models in the lineup — the electret- mike 7004 and the dynamic 7003 — as well as helicopter variants. Moreover, the 7004 has remained virtually unchanged. Even when duking it out on the dealer's shelves with ever-changing competitors — even the usually conservative David Clark has had more new models than Peltor — the Swedish company has held fast to the proven formula. So apart from a brief flirtation with active noise reduction — using electronics made by Sennheiser fitted to standard Peltor ear cups — there's been little new to report.
Now the competitors can stop sniggering. Peltor has revised its passive-attenuation headset and christened it the 7006. From across the sales counter, the new headset appears little changed from the old. Softly curved white ear cups remain, as do the thinly padded flat metal headband and height-adjustable stirrups that allow the headpad to fold flat against the cups for storage. Current owners of Peltor's 7004 will recognize the snap-in ear seals, too; they use a combination of soft foam and a thin ring of captive liquid to balance the needs of support and comfort.
So, what's new? The ear cups, for starters. Though the basic shape remains, they are deeper by about .25 inch and have molded recesses for twin volume controls and a completely new microphone mounting scheme. (The 7004, also stereo, has a single volume control along the bottom edge of one cup.) Additional depth gives the Peltor 7006 a bit more ear-swallowing room; before, members of the large-lobe crowd often discovered that the headset just wouldn't accommodate them. With the cups made deeper, Peltor was able to recess the speakers relative to the ear seals and fit a velvety speaker cover, as well.
These sound like minor alterations, hardly worthy of introducing a new model. But the improvements are substantial. The 7006 fits better than the 7004, with the speaker-cover pad just barely touching a normal wearer's ears. Moreover, the 7006 is quieter. Peltor says that it earns a 26 dB noise reduction rating, about 2 dB better than before.
Extra noise canceling pays off in the cockpit, too. You won't mistake the 7006 for a top-line active noise-canceling headset, but it is one of the quieter passive sets around. Compared directly with the 7004 and the industry standard David Clark H10-40, the 7006 more than holds its own. Admittedly, the differences are relatively subtle, and any headset's advantages can be offset by the overall fit of the headset and the type of sunglasses you choose to wear. Even so, Peltor has made a noticeable improvement to the already fairly quiet 7004.
Overall sound quality of both the microphone and speakers is good, and the general comfort level betters that of the well- received 7004. Some pilots complained of the thin padding across the headpad, but the set's light weight — Peltor says 13.2 ounces — means that there's little pressure exerted on the skull anyway. Although headset comfort can be a really subjective issue, the Peltor 7004 has in general been considered more pleasant for a day of flying than the more conventional sets.
Complaints? A few. White headsets are notoriously difficult to keep clean in an airplane, and the 7006 is no exception. The company used gray paint with its short-lived ANR model, and that would make a desirable option with the 7006. (It would also better set it apart, visually, from its precursor.) Also, the ear seals are not the plushest in existence, and their vinyl covers tend to hold sweat against the wearer's head, with predictably uncomfortable results. Aftermarket seals are available for the 7004, and they will fit the new model, too.
Peltor had not set the official retail price at press time but expects the 7006 to sell for about $30 more than the 7004. Call it a street price of $230.
For more information, contact Peltor, Inc., 41 Commercial Way, East Providence, Rhode Island 02914; telephone 800/327-6833 or 401/438-4800; fax 401/434-1708. — Marc E. Cook
Rubin IFR Flight File
Cockpit organization is obviously the bane of many pilots — witness the great variety of lapboards, kneeboards, clips, planners, organizers, and other cockpit contrivances. Most work well enough if they're used properly, but a rare few exceed expectations. One of that group is the IFR Flight File, by Tom Rubin Enterprises.
A remarkably simple idea well executed, the Flight File's lot is to organize as many as 24 NOS or Jeppesen approach plates in a logical fashion. With pockets for departure, destination, and alternate airports, plus a fourth pocket for miscellany like SIDs and STARs, it's easy to form a logical progression of charts without having to flip all around your usual approach binders. The Flight File gives you six viewing faces per section, and each section is highlighted by tabbed markers along the right border, so it's a no- brainer to find the right chart inside.
Made from a durable matte-finish vinyl, the Flight File proved hardy during our protracted attempts to cause failure — running over it with the seat tracks, cramming it carelessly in that last space in the flight bag — all the usual IFR-pilot tricks, in other words. Useful reference material is marked on the dividers, including such nuggets as position reporting requirements, alternate minimums, lost- communication procedures, and a sample flight plan.
Over the long haul, the Flight File has proven to be a useful and welcome addition to the cockpit. About the only criticism to be leveled here — and it has nothing to do with the Flight File itself — is the extra time required to pull the appropriate plates from the Jeppesen or NOS books, and then remembering to return them later. When Rubin figures out how to get the charts to leap from the binders to the Flight File and back again on their own, he'll be a rich man. Price for the IFR Flight File is $14.95.
For more information, contact Tom Rubin Enterprises, 940 East Becker Lane #2075, Scottsdale, Arizona 85260; telephone 602/451- 3344; fax 602/451-3070. — MEC
Briefly Noted
Still struggling with the recent conversion to METAR/TAF weather reporting? Learn and practice both new formats with a METAR/TAF instructional computer program written by Joseph Manor, an ATP and CFI. The program randomly generates an unlimited number of METARs and TAFs that can be used in two modes. A Learn option defines each report element and highlights it in a sample report. By striking the Tab key in the Practice mode, the user moves through METARs or TAFs one element at a time; the program provides a plain-English translation of the data and a detailed explanation. This program is not a translation program, however; no provision is made for user entry of either report. Computer requirements are minimal: an IBM 286 or compatible with DOS and a hard disk. For $15 postpaid, the program is available from Xetex International, 400 Clubhouse Court, Coram, New York 11727; telephone 516/736-6643 or E-mail [email protected]. ny.us. — Michael P. Collins
Back pain sufferers know full well that most aircraft seats might as well be a bed of nails, for all the comfort they afford. New Jersey Soaring Centers has a solution with OBUSForme seat cushions. Starting with a polycarbonate frame, the OBUSForme supports are layered in high-density urethane foam and covered with a breathable brushed-nylon material. The manufacturer says that the OBUSForme frame follows the contours of the back, acting as a spinal support; this should provide relief from a variety of disorders. Back supports start at $84.95, with seat bottoms — for additional thigh support — at $74.95. For more information, contact New Jersey Soaring Center, 36 Lambert Road, Blairstown, New Jersey 07845; telephone 908/362- 8311; fax 908/362-5655. — MEC
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