Garmin SL60 User Manual

© 2003 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Garmin International, Inc., 1200 East 151st Street, Olathe Kansas 66062, U.S.A.
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Garmin (Europe) Ltd., Unit 5, The Quadrangle, Abbey Park Industrial Estate,
Romsey, Hampshire S051 9DL, U.K.
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Garmin Corporation, No. 68, Jangshu 2nd Road, Shijr, Taipei County, Taiwan
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

Garmin AT, Inc., 2345 Turner Road, S.E., Salem, OR 97302, U.S.A.
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Canada Tel: [phone]
International Tel: [phone]

Visit our web pages at http://www.garminat.com and http://www.garmin.com

Send comments about this manual by email to: [e-mail]

Except as expressly provided herein, no part of this manual may be reproduced,
copied, transmitted, disseminated, downloaded or stored in any storage medium, for
any purpose without the express written permission of Garmin. Garmin hereby grants
permission to download a single copy of this manual and of any revision to this
manual onto a hard drive or other electronic storage medium to be viewed for
personal use, provided that such electronic or printed copy of this manual or revision
must contain the complete text of this copyright notice and provided further that any
unauthorized commercial distribution of this manual or any revision hereto is strictly
prohibited.

Information in this document is subject to change without notice. Garmin reserves the
right to change or improve their products and to make changes in the content of this
material without obligation to notify any person or organization of such changes or
improvements.

Garmin®, Garmin AT™, II Morrow, Apollo, and GNS are trademarks of Garmin Ltd.
or its subsidiaries. These trademarks may not be used without the express
permission of Garmin.

Welcome ...

Welcome to a new era of aviation navigation
communication. Once again, Garmin AT, Inc. has
set new standards in features and ease of use for the
general aviation public. The Apollo SL50 and SL60
are unequaled in providing the features, level of
performance, and reliability that aviation users
require. The Apollo slim line series of avionics sets
a precedent that will be the standard that all other
avionics will be compared to. The Apollo SL50 is a
full-featured slim line GPS receiver. The Apollo
SL60 combines the capabilities of our outstanding
GPS receiver with a state-of-the-art VHF
communications transceiver in the same small
package. You can be confident in knowing that you
are the owner of the state-of-the-art in aviation
navigation and communication. Our products are
built to last and to satisfy your navigation needs.

Welcome ...

i

History of Revisions

History of Revisions

March 1997 Original Release
April 1997 Rev -01
September 1998 Rev -01a -Comm changes
February 2002 Rev-01b - User Comm Controls
September 2003 Rev 01c - Company name

change

Ordering Information

To receive additional copies of the Apollo SL50/60
manuals order the following part numbers:

User’s Guide 560-0955-xx
User’s Guide Binder (3/4”) 560-9002-xx
Installation Manual 560-0957-xx
SL50 Quick Reference 561-0235-xx
SL60 Quick Reference 561-0239-xx

Important Notice

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is operated by the United States Department of Defense which is solely
responsible for the accuracy, daily operation, and maintenance of the satellite constellation. System accuracy
is affected by the Department of Defense’s Selective Availability (SA) and the Dilution of Precision (DOP)
attributed to poor satellite geometry.

Due to implementation of Selective Availability by the United States Department of Defense (DoD), all GPS
receivers may suffer degradation of position accuracy. The DoD has stated that 95% of the time horizontal
accuracy will not be degraded more than 100 m and 99.9% of the time accuracy will not be degraded more
than 300 m.

Installations of TSO C-129 authorized Apollo SL50/60’s may be approved for supplemental navigation only.
The Apollo SL50/60 may be used as the primary navigation data display, however, other means of navigation
appropriate to the intended route of flight must be installed and operational. It is not required that these other
systems be monitored.

FCC Notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference during residential use. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not
cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If
this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from the one the receiver is connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Changes or modifications to this equipment not expressly approved by Garmin AT, Inc. could void the user’s
authority to operate this equipment.

DOC Notice

This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus as
set out in the radio interference regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome ... .........................................i

History of Revisions..................................ii

Ordering Information ................................ii

Introduction ........................................1

SL50 ............................................1

SL60 ............................................2

Display ..........................................3

Annunciators .....................................3

Relative Bearing Indicator ................3

Controls .........................................4

Keys ............................................4

Apollo SL50/60 Features ..............................6

Getting Started the First Time .........................9

Power Up ........................................9

Seed Position .....................................9

Entering a Seed Position............................10

Change Reference Waypoint ..............10

Change Lat/Lon Reference Position ..........11

Checking GPS Signal Strength.......................13

Entering a Destination Waypoint .....................14

Using the Nearest Waypoint Function .........14

Using the Direct-To Function ..............15

Navigation Basics...................................17

About the Navigation Function ......................17

About the Navigation Function Displays ...............17

Nav Home Page ..................................17

Autonav ........................................18

Nav Pages .......................................19

Nav Display Choices ..................19

iii

Emergency Search ................................25

Starting Emergency Search ...............25

Searching Around a Reference Waypoint........26

Setting Runway Limits .................27

Special Use Airspace ..............................28

Parallel Track Offset ..............................29

GPS Position.....................................30

Countdown Timer.................................30

From/To/Next Waypoint ...........................32

Creating From/To/Next Waypoints ...........32

Placing the To Waypoint on Hold............35

Using Direct-To ..................................36

Direct-To OBS ...................................36

Waypoint Functions ................................37

Waypoint Information .............................37

Available Waypoint Information .....................37

ARPT Waypoint Information ..............37

Getting Information about a Waypoint ................39

Database Update..................................40

Nearest (Emergency Search) Waypoint ................41

Starting Emergency Search ...............41

Create User Waypoint by Lat/Lon ....................42

Create User Waypoint by Radial/Distance..............44

Delete User Waypoint .............................45

Modify User Waypoint.............................46

Waypoint Comments ..............................46

Flight Plan Functions ...............................47

Flight Plan Pages .................................47

Reaching the Flight Plan Function ...........47

Active Flight Plan ....................48

iv

Creating a Flight Plan..............................48

Flight Plan Leg Information .........................50

Manual Leg Activation.............................53

Flight Plan Editing ................................53

Changing Existing Flight Plan Legs ..........54

Inserting a New Waypoint ...............54

Deleting a Waypoint ..................55

Flight Plan Options................................56

Activate .........................56

Rev Activate.......................56

Reactivate ........................56

Rename .........................56

Copy Plan ........................57

Estimate Ground Speed .................57

Clear Waypoints.....................57

Reverse Flight Plan ...................57

Estimated Fuel Flow ..................57

Delete Plan .......................58

Hold ...........................58

Continue .........................59

Destination Waypoint Information....................59

Flight Plan Comments .............................59

Copying the Active Flight Plan ......................60

System Functions ...................................61

Flight Plans......................................61

Waypoint Database................................61

Com Radio Information (SL60 Only) .................62

RF Signal Strength ...................62

Com Noise Level ....................63

Mic 1 and Mic 2 Squelch Level Adjustment ......63

v

Transmit Using .....................63

Intercom Level .....................64

Sidetone Level Adjustment ...............64

Headphone Level ....................65

Navigation Information ............................65

Airspace Setup .....................65

Airspace Buffers.....................66

Airspace Selections ...................66

Autonav Time ......................67

Navigation Mode Programmable Pages and Autonav Pages

..............................68

Creating a New Custom Nav Page ...........70

Setting Units.......................71

Magnetic Variation ...................72

Flight Timer Trigger ..................73

Direct-To Entry Options ................73

CDI Scaling .......................75

System Information ...............................76

Date and Time ......................76

Software Version ....................77

Fuel Measure Units ...................78

Test Display .......................78

Owner Information ...................78

GPS Sensor......................................80

Satellite Search Status ..................81

GPS Date and Time Page ................81

GPS Normal Reset Page.................81

Comm Radio Operation .............................83

Power On/Off ....................................83

Volume .........................................83

vi

Small and Large Knobs .................83

Selecting Frequencies ..............................83

Frequency Monitoring .............................84

Recalling a Frequency .............................85

TO, FROM, and INFO Frequency Database ......85

Auto Stored Frequencies (Auto) ............87

User Stored Frequencies ................88

Weather Channels ....................89

Emergency Channel ...................89

Intercom Function ................................90

Introduction to GPS Navigation.......................91

GPS Overview ...................................91

GPS System Accuracy .............................92

Summary .......................................92

Start Up Displays ...................................93

Owner Message ..................................93

Memory Tests....................................93

Software Memory Test .................94

Non-Volatile RAM Tests ................94

User Database Memory Failure .............94

Miscellaneous NVRAM Memory Failure........95

Database Test ......................95

Special Use Airspace Displays.......................96

Database Message ................................96

IFR Output Tests .................................96

Message Function ..................................97

New Messages ...................................98

Old Messages ....................................98

Messages .......................................98

Special Use Airspace Messages .............98

vii

Soon ...........................98

Close...........................99

Inside ..........................99

Empty To Waypoint: Cannot Compute Nav ......99

GPS Communications Failure..............99

GPS Command Failure .................99

GPS Self Test Failure .................100

GPS Sensor Lat/Lon Failure ..............100

GPS RAIM Not Available ...............100

GPS RAIM Position Error ...............100

GPS HDOP Position Error ...............100

Arrival At the To Waypoint ..............101

Holding at the To Waypoint ..............101

To Waypoint Sequence ................101

Auto OBS Crossing Holding Waypoint ........101

User Database Memory Loss .............102

Comm Radio Failure (SL60 only) ...........102

Flight Plan Memory Loss ...............103

User Memory Failure .................103

Database Expired ...................103

Database Invalid ....................103

Manual Magnetic Variation ..............103

Low Internal Battery Voltage .............104

High Battery Voltage .................104

Countdown Timer Expired...............104

Flight Simulator...................................105

Troubleshooting ...................................109

Contacting the Factory ............................109

Glossary of Navigation Terms .......................111

viii

Introduction

Introduction

This guide describes the operation of the Apollo
SL50 GPS Receiver and the Apollo SL60 GPS
Receiver and VHF Communication Transceiver.

SL50 The Apollo SL50 is a high performance GPS

receiver with a high intensity LED display packed
into a 1.3 inch high by 6.25 inch wide package that
conserves panel space. The SL50 uses the same
8-channel GPS engine that is used in Garmin AT’s
high end TSO C129 terminal and enroute certified
products. The 32 character alphanumeric LED
display uses an automatic intensity control to keep
it easily readable in all conditions from direct
sunlight to the dark of night.

Information

Display

GPS

Ete SLE 00:22 Brg 082 74 nm

OFF/ON

Photocell

Power

Nearest

Waypoint

Apollo SL50 Front Panel Description

Waypoint

Mode

Annunciator

WPT SYSNAV MSGNRST

Navigation

Mode

The Apollo SL50 has a wealth of easy to use
features that every pilot needs. The large waypoint
database has information about airports, VORs,
NDBs, intersections, and special use airspaces that
makes the Apollo SL50 an encyclopedia of
aviation. The database can be updated by
connecting the SL50 serial port to a computer with
Garmin AT’s innovative Waypoint Manager
software. The database can also include 200 custom

Message

System

Mode

Message

Mode

Large, Outer

D

Direct To

Knob

POLLOASL50

INFO ENT

SEL

Select

Info

Mode

Small, Inner

Knob

Enter

1

Introduction

waypoints created by the user. Ten flight plans can
be saved with up to twenty legs for setting up
custom tailored routes. The detailed Navigation
information displays are also customizable and can
be set to automatically scroll through the desired
information. The Emergency Search feature,
invented by Garmin AT, when used with the
Direct-To feature makes it easy to quickly select an
airport as a new destination whether because of a
change in plans, or to react to an emergency.

SL60 The Apollo SL60 combines all of the features of the

SL50 with a state-of-the-art VHF communications
transceiver in the same compact package. The VHF
comm radio covers all 760 channels with 8+ watts
(10 W typical for most frequencies) without any
external cooling devices required. A built-in
intercom capability works either with or replaces an
audio panel. The features and packaging of the
SL60 keeps your power requirements and
installation costs low. You can easily switch
between active and standby frequencies, select a
weather channel, activate the emergency channel, or
choose from one of ten customized frequencies or
one of the last ten used.

Apollo SL60 Front Panel Description

2

Introduction

Display The display is a 1-line by 32-character 5x7 dot

matrix alphanumeric display. A photocell is located
in the top left corner of the front panel display. The
photocell automatically controls the light intensity
of the display LEDs from low brightness at night to
high brightness during daylight operation.

Annunciators Several annunciators are used to help indicate the

operating modes of your SL60. The TX (Transmit)
annunciator is lighted whenever you are
transmitting. If the avionics bus drops below 9
VDC, the SL60 will not transmit. An LED will be
lighted above the WPT/COM, NAV, SYS, or MSG
keys when they are pressed. An “s” normally
appears to the left of the Standby frequency. An
“m” will appear to the left of the Standby frequency
when you are using the Monitor function.

TX - Transmit (SL60)
s - Standby Frequency (SL60)
m - Monitor Mode (SL60)

Relative Bearing Indicator

The Relative Bearing Indicator indicates an
approximate bearing to a waypoint or airspace
relative to the aircraft’s current Track when your
current ground speed is more than 5 knots. The
following illustration describes the bearing range
for each arrow.

MNOPQR\T

23º to

67º

68º to
112º

113º
to
157º

158º
to
202º

203º
to
247º

248º
to
292º

293º
to
337º

338º
to
22º

3

Introduction

Controls Power/Volume/Squelch Knob(SL60)

The knob on the left side of the SL60 controls power
on/off, volume, and squelch test. Rotate the knob
clockwise (CW) past the detent to turn the power on.
Continue rotating the knob to the right to increase
speaker and headphone amplifier volume level.
Rotate the knob to the left to reduce the volume
level. Pull the knob out to disable automatic squelch.

Power Knob (SL50)

The knob on the left side of the SL50 controls
power on/off. Rotate the knob clockwise (CW) past
the detent to turn the power on. Rotate the knob
fully counterclockwise to turn the power off.

Small and Large Knobs

The dual concentric knobs on the right side of the
front panel are used to select pages, edit characters
and values, or other options.

Keys Nine backlighted keys allow you access the

functions in your Apollo SL50/60.

Flip/Flop (Arrows) - SL60

Press the Flip/Flop key to switch between the
active (left-most) and standby (right-most)
frequency while in the Nav or Com functions. You
may use an optional external Flip/Flop key for the
same operation as the front panel control. Switching
between frequencies is disabled while you are
transmitting or editing in any function.

NRST

NRST (Nearest Waypoint) - SL50

The Nearest Waypoint (Emergency) mode displays
the closest waypoints to your position.

COM

COM (Communications Radio Mode) - SL60

Press the COM key to operate the Communications
radio functions.

4

Introduction

WPT

NAV

SYS

MSG

D

WPT (Waypoint) - SL50

The Waypoint key allows access to the waypoint
database. (SL60 accesses the database from within
the System function - see page 39.)

NAV (Navigation)

Press the NAV key to reach the navigation
functions.

SYS (System Mode)

Press the SYS key to reach the System mode
functions. System mode is used to make system
level adjustments, setup flight plans, access the
database, and modify Nav function displays.

MSG (Message)

Press the MSG key to reach the Message functions.
The MSG annunciator will flash when a new
message is provided. In the SL60, pressing MSG
twice will start the Nearest Waypoint mode just as
pressing NRST will on the SL50.

DIRECT-TO

The DIRECT-TO key is used to define a direct
course from your present position to a waypoint.

INFO

SEL

ENT

INFO (Information)

The Info function accesses supplementary
information about a waypoint.

SEL (Select)

The SELECT key activates editing or the selection
of options. Editing is active on the items that flash
on the display.

In the SL60 when the COM function is active,
pressing the SEL key will recall stored frequencies.

ENT (Enter)

The ENT key enters and saves the information
flashing on the display. If the ENT key is not
pressed after editing, any changes made are not
saved.

In the SL60 when the COM function is active,
pressing the ENT key will save the standby
frequency into the Auto Stack list.

5

Apollo SL50/60 Features

Apollo SL50/60 Features

SL50/60 GPS Navigation Features

10 Reversible Flight Plans with 20 Legs
Automatic Waypoint Sequencing
200 User-Defined Waypoints
Nav Displays

Lat/Lon
Bearing and Distance
Ground Speed and Track Angle
Desired Track and Distance

Internal CDI Display
32-Character High-Intensity Alphanumeric LED Display
Automatic Display Intensity Control
User-Selectable Nav Displays
User-Defineable Distance and Speed Settings:

nm, km (distance)

knots, kph (speed)
Clock and Countdown Timer
Auto/Manual Magnetic Variation Settings
Direct-To Nav Function
Parallel Track
Nearest Waypoint Search
Internal Database of Airports, VORs, NDBs, Intersections,

Frequencies, and Airport Info
Update the database through the serial port

SL50/60 GPS Receiver Performance Specifications

8-Channel Parallel GPS Receiver

Certified TSO C129 Class A2 for En Route and Terminal
Operation

6

Apollo SL50/60 Features

SL60 Comm Radio Features

760 Communication Channels
Frequency Range: 118 to 136.975 MHz
Weather Channels: Receive only
Active and Standby Flip/Flop Frequencies
Volume Control
32-Character High-Intensity Alphanumeric LED Display
Transmit Status Indicator
Backlit Keypad Controls
Automatic Display Intensity Control
2x10 Frequency Memory and Recall
Stores/Recalls Ten User-Defined Frequencies
Stores/Recalls Previous Ten Frequencies
Frequency Monitor Function (listens to standby while

monitoring the active)
Squelch Test Function
Stuck Mic Time-Out - 35 seconds

SL60 Comm Radio Performance

Transmit Power: 8 watts Carrier Power (35 watts Input Power)
Input Voltage Range: 10 to 40 VDC
Operating Temperature Range: -20° to +55° C
Certified TSO C37d (transmitting)
Certified TSO C38d (receiving)
Certified TSO C128 (microphone)

Physical Specifications

Height: 1.3 inches
Width: 6.25 inches
Depth: 11.45 inches

Weight:

SL50: 2.3 pounds

SL60: 2.8 pounds

Interfaces

External:

CDI Left/Right

TO/FROM Flag

Nav Valid Flag

Nav Superflag

Three External Annunciators

RS-232 Bi-Directional Serial Ports

Optional External:

Flip/Flop Switch

OBS/Hold

7

Apollo SL50/60 Features

Notes

8

Getting Started the First Time

Getting Started the First Time

This section explains how to get started using your
Apollo SL50/60. Information in this section
explains how to startup the unit, check signals from
the GPS satellites, enter a seed position, and GOTO
a destination waypoint.

It is necessary to enter a seed position and the
current time the first time you turn the unit on.
Power on



Enter a seed position (your dealer may have already



completed this step for you), if necessary
Enter the current time



Check satellite signal strength



Enter a “GOTO” waypoint



Begin navigating



Power Up Turn the Power knob clockwise to switch the unit

on. The startup screen, testing, position, and
database information shows on the display for
several seconds and then will go into the Navigation
function.

Seed

Position

Each time the Apollo SL50/60 is switched on, it must
locate satellites in the sky to acquire signals before
determining a position fix in a complex process
involving lengthy mathematical operations. Without a
seed position and the current UTC time and date, this
process can take 10 minutes or more to complete.
Enter a Seed Position to allow the receiver to quickly
locate and track available satellites.

Note

The seed position and current time only
need to be entered the first time the receiver
is switched on. This information is stored in
memory and need not be entered again. If
you move about three hundred miles
without the Apollo SL50/60 turned on and
tracking its position, reenter the seed
position.

9

Getting Started the First Time

Entering a

Seed

Position

SEL

After the start up tests, you will always have the
choice of entering a Seed Position. The Seed
Position is a starting reference point so the GPS
receiver knows what satellites it is looking for. If a
Seed Position has been previously entered, you do
not need to select a new Present Position or a
Reference Waypoint. If you do not make any
selections, the Apollo SL50/60 will automatically
progress into the Navigation function.

1. The previous Seed Position will display with the
choice of SEL/ENT for a few seconds. If you don’t
do anything, the Apollo SL50/60 will continue
normally. You can also press ENT to accept the
current position, though this is not required.

0.3nm 2770 To SLE SEL/ENT

2. Press SEL to change the Seed Position.

3. The current Reference Position will be displayed
and the Chg? prompt will flash.

10

ENT

ENT

44054.46N 122059.69W Ref: Chg?

Press ENT to change the Reference Waypoint or
turn the Large knob to change to Lat/Lon
Reference Position. Use the appropriate following
description: Change Reference Waypoint or Change
Lat/Lon Reference Position.

Change Reference Waypoint

1. After pressing ENT, the first character of the
Reference Waypoint name will flash. You can
change the waypoint type by turning the Large
knob ccw one click and the turning the Small
knob.

aPDX c PORTLAND OR USA

2. Turn the Large knob to each character of the

de

C

C

S

waypoint name. Change the character with the
Small knob.

aSLE c SALEM OR USA

3. Note that you can change the character just before
the airport name to either a “c” or an “f.” The “c”
indicates a “city” and the “f” indicates a “facility.”

Waypoint Type
(Airport shown here)

aSL c SALEM OR USAE

"c" =

ity

"f" = Facility

Getting Started the First Time

ity or Facility

Name

tate

Waypoint
In

ntifier

ENT

ENT

Underline indicates
flashing character

Country

4. When you have entered the waypoint name, press

ENT.

Change Lat/Lon Reference Position

1. Set the latitude and longitude coordinates near to
your current position. After turning the Large
knob, the first character of the Reference Position
Lat/Lon will flash.

44054.46N 122059.69W Ref: Chg?

2. Change the character with the Small knob. Turn the
Large knob to move to each character of the Lat/Lon
position and change it with the Small knob.

45054.46N 122059.69W

3. When you have entered the Lat/Lon position,
press ENT.

11

Getting Started the First Time

4. After entering the Seed Position, you will be
prompted next to clear the active flight plan.

ENT

Choose Yes or No with the Small knob. Press
ENT to now continue normal operations.

Clear Active Flight Plan YES?

12

Getting Started the First Time

Checking

GPS Signal

Strength

SYS

ENT

The unit shows the GPS signal strength screen in
the GPS Sensor function. Make it a habit to check
this screen to make sure that the unit is properly
tracking visible satellites before you fly. The Apollo
SL50/60 requires signals from at least four satellites
to calculate a 3D position fix (Lat/Lon and GPS
altitude). More details are available in the GPS
Sensor part of the System section of this manual,
see page 80.

1. Press SYS and turn the Large knob to display the
GPS Sensor function. Press ENT.

GPS Sensor: Press ENT

2. The GPS Health page is shown if GPS
information is received. The GPS number and
dimension (2D, 3D, or no position), number of
healthy, and number of visible satellites are
shown.

GPS 3D Pos Healthy: 25 Vis: 8 Y

3. Turn the Small knob to view the GPS Satellites
Used for Position fixes page.

GPS SVs: 31,27,26,19,07,02

4. Turn the Small knob again to view the GPS
Satellite Status, Elevation, SNR, and Azimuth
page. Turn the Small knob to view information
about each available satellite.

SV31 DATA el:210 sig:055 az:0430

13

Getting Started the First Time

The GPS antenna must be able to “see”
each satellite it is tracking. If a satellite is
“shaded” by the wing or fuselage during a
turn, it may temporarily lose track of that
satellite. If this happens, or if the geometry
of the satellites available is poor, the unit
may temporarily calculate a “2D Fix” and
Nav information will not be available. A
NAV INVALID FLAG will be generated and
all Nav information will be dashed.

Note

Entering a

Destination

Waypoint

With a seed position and the current UTC time and
date set, the Apollo SL50/60 is ready to begin
navigating a trip. Prepare for trip navigation by
entering a destination waypoint.

Using the Nearest Waypoint Function

1. Press the NRST key in the SL50 or press MSG
twice in the SL60. The GOTO Nearest Waypoint
function is displayed with the distance and
bearing from your present position to the
indicated waypoint. See page 41 in the Waypoint
section for a more complete description of using
the Nearest Waypoint function.

ARPT 1 SLE Brg 3520T 5.4nm

2. Turn the Large knob to view the different
waypoint types.

VOR 1 UBG Brg 3440T 26.6nm

14

3. Turn the Small knob to view the 20 nearest
waypoints.

VOR 2 CVO Brg 1890P 27.5nm

Getting Started the First Time

Using the Direct-To Function

D

1. Press the Direct-To key. Change the waypoint
type by moving to the character to the left of the
waypoint name with the Large knob.

vUBG f NEWBERG OR USA

2. Change the type of destination waypoint by
turning the Small knob to select: airport (a), NDB
(n), VOR (v), INT (i), or USER (u). For instance,
with ARPT (a) indicated as the type of
destination waypoint, only airports show on the
display as you select identifier characters.

aSLE c Salem OR USA

3. Turn the Large knob to each character of the
waypoint identifier. Change the character with
the Small knob.

aPAE c EVERETT WA USA

4. Turn the Large knob to the “c” or “f” character
before the waypoint city (c) or facility (f) name.
Change the character with the Small knob. A
plus (+) will appear when the same name is
available for multiple waypoints.

aPDX +c PORTLAND OR USA

5. You can also then turn the Large knob to each
character of the city/facility name. Change the
character with the Small knob.

aPDX +c PORTLAND OR USA

15

Getting Started the First Time

SEL

ENT

6. Press SEL again to select the entire city name.

aPDX +c PORTLAND OR USA

7. Turn the Small knob to view each airport with
the current city name. The city name can be a
maximum of 16 characters. Longer names will be
truncated.

aHIO +c PORTLAND OR USA

8. When you have entered the waypoint name, press
ENT. Your Apollo SL50/60 will now switch to
the Navigation function and show information
based on your present position to the Direct-To
destination waypoint.

ete HIO 00:13 Brg 345 36.6nm

16

Navigation Basics

This section explores the navigation function and
describes the powerful features it contains. When
you become comfortable operating the unit, you
may wish to “fly” the Apollo SL50/60 using the
built-in simulator. Follow the instructions in the
Simulator section for using the simulator.

About the

Navigation

Function

The navigation function is always active. When you
use other functions, the navigation function
continues to run “in the background” calculating
your present position, navigating your programmed
route (if active), and alerting you to events or
conditions important to navigation. When you
finish using other functions and return to the
navigation function, the last navigation display used
is shown.

Navigation Basics

About the

Navigation

Function
Displays

Nav Home

Page

While you navigate, the Apollo SL50/60 gives you
information in the Navigation function displays.
The navigation information displays and
sequencing speed are user-programmable. See the
Nav info section of the System Functions chapter
(see page 65). The Large knob will select the
higher level Nav functions: Nav pages, Emergency
Search, Parallel Track Offset, GPS Position,
Countdown Timer, and the From/To/Next
Waypoints. The Small knob will look at the pages
available for each function; a diamond will be
shown on the right side of the display if more pages
are available.

The Nav Home Page is a default page that is the
first page available in the Navigation function. The
Nav Home Page is not customizable. The
information in the Home Page shows the
Destination Waypoint identifier, Estimated Time
Enroute, Bearing, and Range (distance) to the
destination waypoint.

17

Navigation Basics

Ete aEUG 00:22 Brg 082 74nm Y

Turn the Small knob to view the other available
Navigation displays.

TAE = Difference between Track

and Desired Track

Bearing = Direction to waypoint

Course = Desired Track between

specific waypoints

Desired Track = Course direction

Track = Direction the aircraft is going

Heading = Direction the aircraft is

pointed

Distance Off Track or

Cross Track Deviation

FROM

WPT

North

Course

TRK

BRG

DTK

DTK

Heading

Present

Position

TO

WPT

Track

Angle

Error

(Tae)

Navigation Terms and Abbreviations

Autonav The Autonav feature lets you select certain Nav

display choices and have them rotate in sequence
displaying each one from one to nine seconds. The
selection of displays and sequencing time is
performed in the Nav Info part of the System
Functions (see page 67).

18

ENT

1. Start Autonav by pressing ENT while displaying
the Nav Home Page, or one of its sub-pages.

Ete aEUG 00:22 Brg 082 74nm Y

2. Stop Autonav rotation by pressing any key or
turning either knob.

Nav Pages

Navigation Basics

Nav Display Choices

Estimated Time Enroute (Ete)

ETE is to the current TO (destination) waypoint
from your present position based on the current
ground speed. The units shown are in hours and
minutes, 00:00 to 99:59. When the time is less than
one hour, time is shown in minutes and seconds. If
the ground speed is less than or equal to 5 knots, the
GPS receiver does not have a valid position, or
there is no TO waypoint, the ETE value will be
shown as dashes. If there is no TO waypoint, the
TO identifier location will be replaced by dashes.

Estimated Time
Enroute Label

Estimated Time
Enroute Value

Bearing Label Range to Destination

ete aEUG 16:22 Brg 173 45.5nm

Waypoint
Indentifier

Bearing Value

Bearing (Brg)

Bearing is the angle from your present position to
the TO waypoint. Bearing is shown from 0 to 359
degrees in one degree increments. Bearing is
computed using the magnetic variation at the
Present Position. The Bearing value will be dashed
if the FROM or TO waypoints are blank or the GPS
receiver does not have a valid position.

"Diamond" indicates
more pages can be
selected with the

Waypoint from your
Present Position

Y

knob.Small

19

Navigation Basics

Range (Rge)

The distance from your present position to the TO
waypoint. Units can be set as either nautical miles
or kilometers in the Nav Info section of the System
functions (see page 71). Nautical mile units are 0.00
to 9.00 nm in 0.01 nm increments, 10.0 to 99.9 nm
in 0.1 nm increments, and 100 to 9999 nm in 1 nm
increments. Kilometer units are 0.00 to 99.99 km in

0.01 km increments, 100.0 to 999.9 km in 0.1 km

increments, and 1000 to 9999 km in 1 km
increments. The Range value will be dashed if the
FROM or TO waypoints are blank or the GPS
receiver does not have a valid position.

Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) and Distance Off
Track

The airplane symbol (

A) referenced to a bar graph

shows your position relative to being on-course.
When the airplane is to the right of the center bar,
you must fly left to return on-course; the bar graph
indicates you are off-course to the right. Fly the
aircraft in the direction of the bar graph to return
on-course.

#### A Brg 173 42.4nm

CDI Sensitivity =

0.3 nm

each 7 = 0.01 nm each $ = 0.05 nm each H = 0.24 nm
each 6 = 0.04 nm each z = 0.14 nm each B = 0.71 nm

A 66666

(full scale) = 0.3 nm

CDI Sensitivity =

1.0 nm

A zzzzzz

(full scale) = 1.0 nm

CDI Sensitivity =

5.0 nm

A BBBBB

(full scale) = 5.0 nm

A single dot thickness bar indicates that CDI
sensitivity is set to 0.3 nm full scale per side. The
two dot bar indicates a sensitivity of 1.0 nm full
scale per side. The three dot bar indicates a
sensitivity of 5.0 nm full scale per side. The manual
sensitivity of the CDI may be set to 0.3, 1.0, or 5.0
nm full scale per side. The airplane symbol is also
used as a To-From indicator. When the airplane is

20