Lowrance electronic AirMap 500 User Manual



Handheld Mapping GPS Receiver

AirMap 500

Operation Instructions

AirMap

Jeppesen

Navionics

DURACELL

RAYOVAC

eXitSource Database, copyright  2001-2003 Zenrin Co.
Ltd. Exit Authority and eXitSource are trademarks of
Zenrin Co. Ltd.

Copyright © 2003 Lowrance Electronics, Inc.

All rights reserved.



, Lowrance Avionics and Lowrance are all registered

trademarks of Lowrance Electronics, Inc.



is a registered trademark of Jeppesen Sanderson, Inc.



is a registered trademark of Navionics, Inc.



is a registered trademark of Duracell, Inc.



is a registered trademark of Rayovac Corporation.

Points of Interest Data in this unit are by infoUSA,
copyright  2001-2003, All Rights Reserved. infoUSA is a
trademark of infoUSA, Inc.

Lowrance Electronics may find it necessary to change or end our
policies, regulations and special offers at any time. We reserve the right
to do so without notice. All features and specifications subject to change
without notice. All screens in this manual are simulated.

For free owner's manuals and other information,

visit our web site:

www.lowrance.com

Lowrance Electronics Inc.

12000 E. Skelly Dr.

Tulsa, OK USA 74128-2486

Printed in USA.

Table of Contents

Sec. 1: Read Me First! ............................................................... 1

Capabilities and Specifications .................................................... 3

Introduction to GPS and WAAS................................................... 7

How to Use this Manual: Typographical Conventions................ 9

Sec. 2: Installation & Accessories ........................................ 11

Power........................................................................................... 11

MMC or Sd Memory Card Installation...................................... 13

Aquabag Waterproof Travel Pouch Installation ....................... 14

External Active Antenna............................................................ 15

R-A-M

Sec. 3: Aviation Operation..................................................... 17

Keypad......................................................................................... 17

Power/Lights (Turn Unit On and Off) ....................................... 18

Main Menu .................................................................................. 18

Pages ........................................................................................... 19

Aviation GPS Quick Reference ............................................ 31

Find your Current Position ........................................................ 32

Moving around the Map: Zoom & Cursor Arrow Keys.............. 32

Selecting any Map Item with the Cursor .................................. 33

Searching..................................................................................... 33

Find Nearest Airport (Shortcut) ................................................ 35

Navigating to Nearest Airport with the Airmap....................... 35

Navigate Back to a Waypoint..................................................... 36

Navigate to Cursor Position on Map.......................................... 36

Navigate to a Point of Interest................................................... 37

Go "Direct to" (Using the Direct to Button)............................... 38

Airspace Status ........................................................................... 38

Airport Information .................................................................... 39

Transfer Custom Maps and GPS Data Files ............................. 40

Switch to Land Mode .................................................................. 42

Aviation Utilities ........................................................................ 42



Bracket Mounting System ............................................ 16

Satellite Status Page .............................................................. 19

Position Page........................................................................... 21

HSI Navigation Page .............................................................. 22

Navigating with OBS Hold................................................. 25

Map Page................................................................................. 26

Airport Orientation Page.................................................... 29

Runways .................................................................................. 39

Services.................................................................................... 40

Switch Back to Aviation Mode from Land Mode ................... 42

E6B Altitude/Airspeed Calculator.......................................... 42

E6B Wind Speed/Direction Calculator................................... 43

i

Vertical Navigation Calculator .............................................. 44

Sec. 4: Land Operation ........................................................... 45

Keypad......................................................................................... 45

Power/Lights (Turn Unit On and Off) ....................................... 46

Main Menu .................................................................................. 46

Pages ........................................................................................... 46

Satellite Status Page .............................................................. 46

Position Page........................................................................... 47

Navigation Page...................................................................... 48

Map Page................................................................................. 49

Moving around the Map: Zoom & Cursor Arrow Keys.............. 50

Find Distance from Current Position to Another Location ...... 50

Find Distance from Point to Point ......................................... 50

Find your Current Position ........................................................ 51

Icons............................................................................................. 51

Create Icon on Map................................................................. 51

Create Icon at Current Position ............................................. 52

Delete an Icon ......................................................................... 52

Load GPS Data Files from an MMC .......................................... 52

Navigate ...................................................................................... 53

Navigate Back to Man Overboard Waypoint......................... 53

Cancel Navigation................................................................... 54

Navigate a Route..................................................................... 54

Navigate to Cursor Position on Map...................................... 54

Navigate to an Icon................................................................. 54

Navigate to Point of Interest (POI) ........................................ 54

Navigate to a Waypoint .......................................................... 54

Navigate a Trail ...................................................................... 55

Routes.......................................................................................... 56

Create and Save a Route ........................................................56

Delete a Route ......................................................................... 60

Save GPS Data Files to an MMC............................................... 60

Searching..................................................................................... 60

Switch to Aviation Mode............................................................. 62

Switch Back to Land Mode from Aviation Mode ................... 62

Trails ........................................................................................... 62

Create and Save a Trail.......................................................... 63

Delete a Trail .......................................................................... 63

Edit a Trail Name ................................................................... 63

Transferring GPS Data Files ..................................................... 63

Transferring and Loading Custom Maps .................................. 63

Utilities........................................................................................ 64

Alarm Clock............................................................................. 64

ii

Sun/Moon Rise & Set Calculator............................................ 64

Trip Calculator........................................................................ 64

Trip Down Timer..................................................................... 64

Trip Up Timer ......................................................................... 64

Waypoints.................................................................................... 64

Create a Waypoint .................................................................. 64

Create a Man Overboard Waypoint ....................................... 65

Selecting a Waypoint .............................................................. 65

Delete a Waypoint................................................................... 65

Edit a Waypoint (Name, Symbol, Position, Altitude)............ 65

Sec. 5: System & GPS Setup Options................................... 67

Alarms ......................................................................................... 67

Aviation Alarms .......................................................................... 68

Auto Satellite Search.................................................................. 69

Check MMC Files and Storage Space........................................ 69

Com Port Configuration ............................................................. 70

Coordinate System Selection...................................................... 70

Map Fix.................................................................................... 72

Customize Page Displays ........................................................... 73

GPS Simulator ............................................................................ 74

Map Auto Zoom........................................................................... 74

Map Data..................................................................................... 75

Show Map Data....................................................................... 75

Pop-Up Map Info ..................................................................... 75

Map Boundaries ...................................................................... 75

Fill Land Gray......................................................................... 76

Map Overlays (Range Rings; Lat/Long Grid) ........................ 76

Map Datum Selection ................................................................. 76

Map Detail Category Selection................................................... 77

Map Orientation ......................................................................... 77

Navionics



Charts....................................................................... 78

Pop-Up Help................................................................................ 83

Power Saving .............................................................................. 83

Reset Options .............................................................................. 85

Require DGPS ............................................................................. 86

Screen Contrast and Brightness ................................................ 86

Set Local Time ............................................................................ 87

Software Version Information.................................................... 88

Sounds and Alarm Sound Styles................................................ 89

Track Smoothing......................................................................... 90

Trail Options ............................................................................... 90

Flash Trails on Screen Option................................................ 91

Update Trail Option................................................................ 91

iii

Update Trail Criteria (Auto, Time, Distance) ....................... 91

Trail Update Rate (Time, Distance)....................................... 92

New Trail................................................................................. 92

Units of Measure......................................................................... 93

Set Language .............................................................................. 94

Sec. 6: Searching...................................................................... 95

Aviation Mode Searches ............................................................. 95

Find an Airspace (Using Cursor) ........................................... 95

Find Airports (Aviation Mode only) ....................................... 96

Find Vors (Aviation Mode only).............................................. 97

Find Ndbs (Aviation Mode only)............................................. 98

Find Intersections (Aviation Mode only).............................. 100

Land Mode Searches................................................................. 101

Find Addresses...................................................................... 101

Find any Item Selected by Map Cursor ............................... 103

Find Interstate Highway Exits ............................................ 104

Find Map Places.................................................................... 105

Find Streets or (Street) Intersections .................................. 107

Find Waypoints ..................................................................... 108

Sec. 7: Supplemental Material............................................ 111

Index......................................................................................... 117

A CAREFUL NAVIGATOR NEVER RELIES ON ONLY ONE METHOD
TO OBTAIN POSITION INFORMATION.

When showing navigation data to a position (waypoint), a GPS unit will show
the shortest, most direct path to the waypoint. It provides navigation data to the
waypoint regardless of obstructions. Therefore, the prudent navigator will not
only take advantage of all available navigation tools when traveling to a way­point, but will also visually check to make sure a clear, safe path to the waypoint
is always available.

When a GPS unit is used in a vehicle, the vehicle operator is solely re­sponsible for operating the vehicle in a safe manner. Vehicle operators
must maintain full surveillance of all pertinent driving, boating or fly­ing conditions at all times. An accident or collision resulting in damage
to property, personal injury or death could occur if the operator of a
GPS-equipped vehicle fails to pay full attention to travel conditions and
vehicle operation while the vehicle is in motion.

WARNING!

CAUTION

WARNING!

iv

Section 1: Read Me First!

How this manual can get you flying, fast!

Welcome to the exciting world of GPS! We know you're anxious to take
off and begin navigating, but we have a favor to ask. Before you grab the
batteries and head for the plane, please give us a moment or two to show
you how to skip around our manual for the information you need. (Tips
start on page 2.) We want to help you get the best performance from this
versatile little GPS unit — in the air, on the ground and on the sea!

Before we go any further, we want to thank you for buying an AirMap

500. Whether you're a first time GPS user or a professional navigator,
you'll find that the AirMap 500 includes a complete set of powerful aero­nautical mapping and navigation features, yet is easy to use. How easy?

Well, if you've already figured out how to load the card and batter­ies yourself, and you just can't wait any longer, turn to the Quick
Reference on page 31 and head outside with your AirMap! You can
be practicing touch-and-goes at a nearby airport in only 12 steps.

Not in that big of a hurry? Good, because we really recommend you
practice a bit before taking your AirMap aloft. The AirMap 500 is a true
pocket-sized GPS+WAAS receiver, but its slim silhouette is crammed
with lots of extra features and value. You don't need to learn them all
right away, but a little practice on the ground will help you become fa­miliar with AirMap's capabilities — and make you a safer pilot. Flying,
of course, is why you bought an AirMap, but it's like having three dif­ferent GPS receivers in one. Here are the other two reasons why.



Need business or pleasure travel directions or phone numbers after
landing? You don't need another GPS — when you leave the cockpit,
just slip your AirMap into pocket or purse and take advantage of the
fully-functional Land Navigation Mode. With your own custom-built
MapCreate 6 map, your AirMap can use a massive searchable Point of
Interest database of businesses and attractions to lead you to your final
destination. (Land Mode Operation is described in Section 4; Searching
is covered in Section 6.)

And AirMap performance doesn't stop at the water's edge. If your des­tination is a boating or fishing adventure, your AirMap will help you
safely navigate the Great Lakes and coastal U.S. waters with our
70,000 item database of marine navigation aids, wrecks and obstruc­tions. (This also requires a MapCreate map; functions are discussed in
Section 4. The MapCreate manual has an Easy Mode Quick Reference
of its own; it'll help you make a map in just 6 steps.)

1

Whether your AirMap 500 is the only GPS in the cockpit or backing up
an in-panel display, you're using the most versatile and most affordable
hand-held GPS receiver in the aviation market today.

Our goal for this book is to get you in the air (or out on the road) fast,
with a minimum of fuss. Like you, we'd rather spend more time flying,
and less time reading the manual!

So, we designed our book so that you don't have to read the whole thing
from front to back for the information you want. At the start (or end) of
each segment, we'll tell you what content is coming up next. If it's a
concept you're already familiar with, we'll show you how and where to
skip ahead for the next important topic.

You may be the button-pushing type who just likes to play with the
GPS first, before peeking inside the manual. That’s fine, because Air­Map menus have a pop-up Help feature that will answer many of your
questions. If this is your learning style, turn to the installation instruc­tions in Section 2, then step outdoors with your unit. When you come to
a menu command you want to learn more about, jut turn to the Table of
Contents or the Index and look it up.

The manual is organized into six sections. If you’re new to GPS, prefer
a tutorial approach to learning or just want to explore more of the awe­some features in your AirMap, we suggest you skim some of these sec­tions more closely.

This first section is an introduction to AirMap, GPS and WAAS. It tells
you the basics you need to know before you can make AirMap look
around and tell you where you are.

Section 2, Installation, will help you get the batteries and MultiMedia
Card (MMC) correctly installed in your AirMap. (The card contains the
Jeppesen
bases.) We'll also show you how to install the RAM



Americas and Lowrance Obstructions aeronautical data-



mounting bracket
on a yoke and the RAA-3 remote active antenna in an aircraft window
or on top of the instrument panel.

Section 3 is really the heart of our book, Aviation Mode Operation. It
will introduce you to the basic airborne GPS functions. This section in­cludes the one-page Aviation Mode Quick Reference we mentioned ear­lier. The rest of Section 3 contains short, easy-to-scan lessons that fol­low one another in chronological order. They're all you'll need to know
to get in the air quickly.

Aviation Mode instructions are only 28 pages long, and these lessons
will meet the navigation needs of many pilots. But, after you've learned

2

the basics (or if you already have some GPS experience), you may want
to try out some of AirMap's many advanced features. That brings us to
Section Four, Land Mode Operation, which also includes its own one­page quick reference. After we introduce the Land Mode menus and
submenus, the rest of the section contains AirMap's more advanced
command functions.

Your AirMap is ready to use right out of the box, but you can fine tune
and customize its operation with dozens of options. We describe how to
use them in Section 5, System Setup and GPS Setup Options. This sec­tion covers both Aviation Mode and Land Mode options.

Finally, in Section 6, we go into more detail on one of AirMap's most
remarkable capabilities — Searching. We'll introduce a couple of search
examples in both the Aviation and Land mode sections, but there are so
many map and aeronautical items you can search for, we had to give
this function its own section in the manual! For example, we mentioned
telephone numbers earlier. Your AirMap can function as a virtual Yel­low Pages, and we’ll show you how in Section 6.

Now, if you're into the fine details, glance over the next segment on
specifications to see just how much GPS power you hold in your hand.
It's important to us (and our power users), but, if you don't care how
many waypoints AirMap can store or how long the batteries last, skip
ahead to important information on how AirMap works, on page 5.

Capabilities and Specifications

Display:............................ 3" (7.3 cm) diagonal high contrast Film Su-

perTwist.

Resolution:...................... 240 pixel x 180 pixel resolution; 43,200 total

pixels.

Backlighting:.................. White LED screen backlighting for night and

low-light viewing.

Input power:......................3 volts DC (two 1.5v AA batteries); operates up

to 12 hours on batteries when using one-second
position updates (longer update rates and op­tional power saving settings further extend
battery life, but will reduce GPS accuracy).
Cigarette lighter power adapter included.

Case size:......................... 5.6" H x 2.5" W x 0.9" D (142 x 65 x 25 mm);

water resistant to IPX-2 standards.

Weight:............................. 7.68 ounces (219 grams) with batteries.

3

Receiver: ......................... Internal, 12 parallel channel GPS+WAAS; ad-

vanced active remote external antenna included.

Recording: ...................... Removable MMC or SD memory cards for

recording GPS trip details, displaying cus­tom maps, upgrading operating system soft­ware and transferring trip data to personal
computer without a slow serial connection.
USB card reader included with unit.

MMC slots: ...................... One, inside battery compartment. Accepts

non-proprietary MMC or SD memory cards.

Aeronautical map: ........ Jeppesen



Americas database with airports,
VORs, NDBs, intersections and airspaces
(including Class D). Lowrance Obstructions
database displays ground obstructions in
AGL or MSL heights.

Background map:.......... Built-in custom, detailed Lowrance map.

Contains: low-detail maps of the whole world
(containing cities, major lakes, major rivers,
political boundaries); and medium-detail
maps of the United States (containing all in­corporated cities; Interstate, U.S. and state
highways; Interstate highway exits and exit
services information; large- and medium­sized lakes and streams.)

Custom mapping: .......... Accepts custom, higher-detail MapCreate 6

mapping on memory cards, with searchable
Points-of Interest database of hotels, restau­rants, shopping, services and more. Navion-



ics

charts (XL charts or HotMaps) on

MMC cards optional.

Mapping memory: ......... Up to 256 MB on one MMC (MultiMedia

Card) or SD (Secure Digital Card.)

Position updates: .......... Every one second.

Position points: ............. 1,000 waypoints; 1,000 event marker icons.

Graphic symbols for
waypoints or event

marker icons: ................. 42.

Routes:............................. 100; up to 100 waypoints per route.

Plot Trails: ...................... 99 savable; up to 9,999 points per trail.

4

Nearest Airport: ............ Quickly locates an airfield closest to your

current position. (Aviation Mode only.)

Man Overboard:............. MOB feature precisely marks man overboard

location with special icon, then automatically
displays navigation data to that position.
(Land Mode only.)

Com Port: ........................ One serial communications port, NMEA 0183

version 2.0 compatible. Allows exchange of
position data with another device, such as an
autopilot or personal computer. Optional
combination serial/power cable available.

Zoom range:.................... 39 ranges; 0.02 to 4,000 miles.

NOTE:

The above memory capacities refer only to AirMap's on-board mem­ory. The amount of GPS data you can record and save for recall later
is only limited by the number of MMC cards you carry with you.

How AirMap Works

You'll navigate faster and easier if you understand how AirMap scans
the sky to tell you where you are on the earth — and, where you're go­ing. (But if you already have a working understanding of GPS receivers
and the GPS navigation system, skip on ahead to Section 2, Installation
& Accessories on page 11. If you're new to GPS, read on, and you can
later impress your friends with your new-found knowledge.)

First, think of your AirMap as a small but powerful computer. (But
don't worry — we made AirMap so easy to use, you don't need to be a
computer expert to find your way!) The unit includes a keypad and a
screen with menus so you can tell AirMap what to do. The screen also
lets AirMap show your location on a moving map, as well as point the
way to your destination.

This pocket-sized computer also contains an antenna and specialized
scanning receiver, something like your car radio. But instead of your
favorite dance tunes or VOR signals, this receiver tunes in to a couple
of dozen GPS satellites circling the earth. (WAAS satellites, too, but
more about them later.)

AirMap listens to signals from as many satellites as it can "see" above
the horizon, eliminates the weakest signals, then computes its location
in relation to those satellites. Once the AirMap figures its latitude and
longitude, it plots that position on the map shown on the screen. While
the screen is updated once a second the internal calculations are done
several times a second.

5

The performance doesn't stop there. Stored in the permanent memory
of each AirMap is a basic background map of the entire world. (For just
what's in the map, see the preceding segment on specifications.) We
lock it in here at the factory — you can't change or erase this map.

The background map, along with the Jeppesen and Lowrance aeronautical
databases, are all you need for aerial navigation. (Your unit reads these
databases automatically from the MMC card included in the package.)

The background map is also suitable for many land and marine naviga­tion chores, but for maximum surface accuracy and much more detail,
you need a custom map from MapCreate 6. Some AirMap features —
such as searching for businesses and addresses — won't work without a
custom MapCreate Map. There is so much detail in our background
map (and even more in MapCreate) that we'll compare their contents
and differences in Section 3, Aviation Mode Operation.

Another portion of AirMap's onboard memory is devoted to recording GPS
navigation information, which includes waypoints, event marker icons,
trails and routes. This lets you plan a route for a flight or look back the
way you came. Think of this data storage like the hard drive memory in a
computer. You can save several different GPS data files, erase 'em and rec­ord new ones, over and over and over again. Like any computer file, these
GPS Data Files (file format *.usr) can be shared between AirMaps, other
Lowrance GPS or sonar/GPS units, even personal computers.

AirMap has one more thing in common with a personal computer. Just
as computers have a floppy disk drive for storing and exchanging files,
AirMap has a slot for an MMC (MultiMedia Card) or SD card (Secure
Digital Card) flash memory card. These solid-state memory devices are
about the size of a postage stamp, but can hold data ranging from 8 MB
to 256 MB in size. (Compare that to a floppy disk's 1.44 MB capacity!)
AirMap uses all that MMC space for two key purposes.

First, you can backup your onboard GPS Data Files by copying them to
the MMC. Since the MMC is removable (like a floppy disk or a video
tape), you can store these GPS Data Files on a personal computer
equipped with an MMC card reader. (Or store them on a pocketful of
MMCs, if you don't have a computer handy.) Our MapCreate mapping
software can save, edit or create its own GPS Data Files, which can be
copied to the MMC and then loaded from the MMC into AirMap's mem­ory. (NOTE: No matter where they come from, GPS Data Files must be
loaded from the MMC into memory before AirMap can use them.)

As we mentioned earlier, the other key use for MMCs is storage of the
aeronautical databases and high-detail maps from MapCreate. These

6

Custom Map Files (file format *.lcm) can also be shared between Air­Maps, other Lowrance GPS or sonar/GPS units and personal computers.

You make your own Custom Map Files with our MapCreate software,
but you don't have to. We also sell ready-to-use FreedomMaps. These
custom maps are pre-loaded on MMCs. (No computer work required!).

Introduction to GPS and WAAS

Well, now you know the basics of how AirMap does its work. You might
be ready to jump ahead to Section 2, Installation & Accessories, on page
11, so you can install the batteries. Or you might want to see how our
text formatting makes the manual tutorials easy to skim. If that's the
case, move on to "How to Use This Manual" on page 9. But, if you want
to understand the current state of satellite navigation, look over this
segment describing how GPS and its new companion WAAS work to­gether to get you where you're going.

First of all, why are pilots so excited about GPS navigation? GPS is
more accurate than other navaids, such as VOR and NDB. GPS is free
of environmental limitations that affect other navigation systems and
it's available worldwide. GPS receivers like your AirMap are highly af­fordable, easy to use and not confined to your cockpit! GPS frees a pilot
to accurately navigate to or from virtually any map place on earth —
navigation is no longer limited to the aeronautical navaid network.
With a mapping GPS, a pilot always knows exactly where he is. A GPS
receiver makes it easier for a pilot to apply wind correction angles and
fly true headings, as well as determine true ground speed.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) was launched July 17, 1995 by
the United States Department of Defense. It was designed as a 24­hour-a-day, 365-days-a-year, all weather global navigation system for
the armed forces of the U.S. and its allies. Civilian use was also avail­able at first, but it was less accurate because the military scrambled
the signal somewhat, using a process called Selective Availability (SA).

GPS proved so useful for civilian navigation that the federal govern­ment discontinued SA on May 2, 2000, after the military developed
other methods to deny GPS service to enemy forces. Reliable accuracy
for civilian users jumped from 100 meters (330 feet) under SA to the
present level of 10 to 20 meters (about 30 to 60 feet).

Twenty-four satellites orbit 10,900 nautical miles above the Earth,
passing overhead twice daily. A series of ground stations (with precisely
surveyed locations) controls the satellites and monitors their exact loca­tions in the sky. Each satellite broadcasts a low-power signal that identi­fies the satellite and its position above the earth. Three of these satellites

7

are spares, unused until needed. The rest virtually guarantee that at
least four satellites are in view nearly anywhere on Earth at all times.

A minimum of three satellites are required to determine a 2D fix.

The system requires signal reception from three satellites in order to
determine a position. This is called a 2D fix. It takes four satellites to
determine both position and elevation (your height above sea level —
also called altitude). This is called a 3D fix.

Remember, the unit must have a clear view of the satellites in order to
receive their signals. Unlike radio or television signals, GPS works at
very high frequencies. These signals can be easily blocked by trees,
buildings, an automobile roof, a wing, even your body.

Like most GPS receivers, AirMap doesn’t have a compass or any other
navigation aid built inside. It relies solely on the signals from the sat­ellites to calculate a position. Speed, direction of travel, and distance
are all calculated from position information. Therefore, in order for
AirMap to determine direction of travel, you must be moving and the
faster, the better. This is not to say that it won’t work at walking or
boat trolling speeds — it will. There will simply be more "wandering" of
the data shown on the display.

GPS is plenty accurate for route navigation, but the U.S. Federal Avia­tion Administration has special needs for aircraft traffic control that go
beyond basic GPS. The FAA has a plan under way to boost GPS per­formance even further with its Wide Area Augmentation System, or
WAAS. This GPS add-on will include a time control element that will
help airliners fly closer together while avoiding collisions. In addition to
carefully spacing airplanes along travel corridors, WAAS will eventu­ally make instrument landings and takeoffs more accurate as it re­places existing aviation navigation systems.

8

WAAS signals make your GPS navigation even more accurate. Your
AirMap automatically receives both GPS and WAAS signals. However,
WAAS has some limits you should know about.

First, the U.S. government has not completed construction of the WAAS
system, so it is not yet fully operational. The ground stations are in
place, but only a few of the needed WAAS satellites have been launched.

WAAS can boost the accuracy of land and marine GPS navigation, but the
system is designed for aircraft. The satellites are in a fixed orbit above the
Equator, so they appear very low in the sky to someone on the ground in
North America. Aircraft and vessels on open water can get consistently
good WAAS reception, but terrain, foliage or even large man-made struc­tures frequently block the WAAS signal from ground receivers.

You'll find that using your GPS+WAAS receiver is both easy and
amazingly accurate. It’s easily the most accurate method of electronic
navigation available to the general public today. Remember, however,
that this receiver is only a tool. As this manual goes to press, the FAA
has not yet certified any hand-held GPS+WAAS receivers for use as the
sole navigation aid for VFR pilots. Always have another method of
navigation available, such as a sectional chart and your aircraft's mag­netic and gyro compasses, or a conventional nav/com radio.

Also remember that this unit will always show navigation information
in the shortest line from your present position to an airport, VOR or
other waypoint, regardless of obstacles and terrain! It only calculates
position, it can’t know what’s between you and your destination, for
example. It’s up to you to safely navigate around obstacles and rising
terrain, no matter how you’re using this product.

How to use this manual: typographical conventions

Many instructions are listed as numbered steps. The keypad and arrow
"keystrokes" appear as boldface type. So, if you're in a real hurry (or
just need a reminder), you can skim the instructions and pick out what
menu command to use by finding the boldface command text. The para­graphs below explain how to interpret the text formatting for those
commands and other instructions:

Arrow Keys

The arrow keys control the movement of dotted cross-hair lines on your
mapping screen called the cursor. The arrow keys also help you move
around the AirMap menus so you can execute different commands.
They are represented by symbols like these, which denote the down ar­row key, the up arrow, the left arrow and the right arrow: ↓ ↑ ← →.

9

Keyboard

The other keys perform a variety of functions. When the text refers to a
key to press, the key is shown in bold, sans serif type. For example, the
"Enter/Save" key is shown as

ENT and the "Menu" key is shown as MENU.

Menu Commands

A menu command or a menu option will appear in small capital letters,
in a bold sans serif type like this:

SYSTEM SETUP. These indicate that you

are to select this command or option from a menu or take an action of
some kind with the menu item. Text that you may need to enter or file
names you need to select are show in italic type, such as trail name.

Instructions = Menu Sequences

Most functions you perform with AirMap are described as a sequence of
keystrokes and selecting menu commands. We've written them in a
condensed manner for quick and easy reading.

For example, instructions for deleting all icons from memory would look
like this:

1. Press

2. Press ← to

3. Press

MENU|↓ to DELETE MY ICONS|ENT|ENT.

YES|ENT.

EXIT.

Translated into complete English, step 1 means: "Press the Menu key.
Next, press the down arrow key to scroll down the menu and select
(highlight) the Delete My Icons menu command. Finally, press the En­ter key twice."

Step 2 means: "Press the left arrow key to select Yes, then press Enter."

Step 3 means: "Press the Exit key to clear the menu and return to the
Map Page."

Important Keyboard Shortcut Tip:

There are often three ways to move around an AirMap menu. For
simplicity, we've written our instructions using the Enter key (
to complete a move from one menu to the next. However, many
commands have shortcuts that will help your fingers fly across the
keys. Almost every page menu command lets you press ← or → in-
stead of
(

MAP DATA…) or an arrow (GPS SETUP ►). Our menus also "wrap

ENT. This is always true for commands with an ellipses

around;" that is, they form a circular loop. This means when you
open a menu and need to reach the bottom command, you can get
there by pressing ↑ one time instead of holding or repeatedly
pressing ↓. A cockpit can be a busy place; practice with these short­cuts and you can run AirMap commands faster, with less finger
movement from key to key.

ENT)

10

Section 2:

Installation & Accessories

Power

The AirMap operates from AA batteries or on 3 volts DC using an op­tional external power cable with a cigarette lighter adapter. If the
power cable is used, the AirMap automatically switches to it if the ex­ternal power is greater than the battery voltage. If the external power
fails, the unit automatically switches to the batteries.

NOTE:

Some pilots like to keep fresh batteries in their units, even when us­ing the external power. If the power fails, the unit will automatically
switch to the batteries, thus keeping the unit on without interruption.

Warning!

With earlier Lowrance Aviation units, some pilots liked to
remove the cigarette lighter plug from the adapter cable
and splice the exposed wires directly to their dash con­soles. However, the AirMap 500 cigarette lighter adapter
contains in the plug a voltage regulator to convert 12
volts down to about 3. Without this regulator, connecting
your unit to a 12-volt power source will destroy the unit –
and this damage will not be covered by your warranty.

Flash memory and an internal lithium battery will keep your stored
data safe and accessible for the life of the product.

Batteries

The unit requires two, 1.5 volt AA batteries. We recommend that you
use alkaline batteries for the best trade-off between battery life and
cost. We recommend DURACELL
If you're looking for an extended-life battery, the Duracell
tery has performed well in our tests.

You can also use rechargeable AA alkaline batteries, such as those
made by RAYOVAC
batteries. We do not recommend nickel cadmium (NiCd) rechargeable
batteries because you will get poor battery life.

Rechargeable alkaline batteries will not last as long as standard alka­line batteries. NiMH batteries are rechargeable and should also give
you suitable battery life.



, or rechargeable AA nickel metal hydride (NiMH)



brand, but other brands will work.

11



ULTRA bat-

Do not mix different battery types. Mixing battery types may cause leak­age. (For example, don’t use both alkaline and NiMH batteries at the
same time, and don't use standard alkalines with rechargeable alkalines.)

Battery Installation

Turn the unit over so that the back is facing you. Place your thumb on
the large arrowhead on the battery compartment cover. Press in and
down, toward the bottom of the unit (in the direction indicated by the
arrow). The battery cover will snap off.

Remove AirMap battery cover.

Install the batteries according to the decal in the battery compartment,
which shows the correct polarity. Point the positive pole of the upper bat­tery to the left; point the positive pole of the bottom battery to the right.

Replace the battery compartment cover. Align the cover latch tab with
the slot inside the case. With a finger, press the bottom of the cover in
and then up, toward the top of the unit

Replace battery compartment cover. Align

tab with slot, left. Press in cover bottom, right

12

Cigarette Lighter Power Adapter

To use external DC power: Plug the power cable's cigarette lighter
adapter into a cigarette lighter receptacle. Next, slide the other connec­tor over the power contacts on the bottom of the AirMap case.

Attach external power cable to AirMap.

MMC or SD Memory Card Installation

Your AirMap uses a MultiMedia Card to store information, such as cus­tom maps, waypoints and other GPS data. The unit can also use Secure
Digital Cards (SD cards) to store information.

NOTE:

Throughout this manual, we will use the term MMC, but just re­member that your unit can use an MMC or SD card to store data.

Both of these solid-state flash memory devices are about the size of a
postage stamp. An SD card is slightly thicker than an MMC. As this
manual went to press, MMCs were available in storage capacities of 8
MB, 16 MB, 32 MB and 64 MB. SD cards were available in capacities of
8 MB, 16 MB, 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB and up. We have tested
SD cards up to 256 MB.

Additional MMC cards are available from LEI Extras; see ordering in­formation inside the back cover of this manual. MMCs and SD cards
are also available at many consumer electronics stores.

The MMC slot is located in the battery compartment, behind the bat­teries on the right side of the unit. The battery compartment decal
points out the slot, which is also marked by small white letters on the
circuit board.

To remove an MMC

1. Remove battery compartment cover.

2. Remove batteries, if present.

13

3. Hold unit upright in left hand. Use a thumbnail or fingernail to grab
the groove in the bottom of the MMC.

4. Drag the MMC from the slot into the battery compartment.

5. Hold AirMap face up and give it a shake to dump the MMC into your
hand or onto a work surface.

To add an MMC or SD Card

1. Remove battery compartment cover.

2. Remove batteries, if present.

3. Hold unit upside down in left hand. Grasp the bottom corner of the
MMC with your other hand. The MMC label should be toward you.

4. Use the white lines and text on the circuit board as a guide and drop
the MMC into the slot.

5. Gently shake the unit or use your finger to nudge the MMC into verti­cal alignment. Then, gently push the card into the slot with your finger.

6. Replace the batteries and battery cover.

Aquabag Waterproof Travel Pouch Installation

The waterproof travel pouch keeps your GPS dry when the going gets
wet. An adjustable neck strap on the pouch keeps your unit within
reach. The pouch is made of a transparent material that is rugged, yet
easy to see through. The pouch is flexible enough for you to operate the
AirMap's keys with the unit inside. To use it, open the closure flap and
unroll the anti-moisture baffle to open the bag. Slip the unit inside. Roll
up the baffle and close the outer flap.

Insert AirMap into bag upside down, left. That makes it easier to read

when wearing the unit around your neck, right.

14

External Active Antenna

A GPS antenna requires a clear view of the sky for optimum operation.
Inside the cockpit, your AirMap can sometimes maintain satellite lock
while sitting on the seat beside you, but we don't recommend this for
optimum performance.

Since the "view" is restricted to what can be seen through the window,
this operating mode will reduce position accuracy and will increase the
chance of losing satellite lock. Inside a plane, the unit operates best
with an external antenna mounted on the windshield or dash.

Attach AirMap antenna to windshield bracket with two screws.

You may achieve good results by simply placing the external antenna
on the top of the dash, at the base of the windshield. Many pilots like to
attach the antenna to the top of their instrument panel glare shields.
Depending on the surface, a strip of adhesive Velcro



or a piece of the
rubber non-skid shelf liner material available in recreational vehicle
supply stores will help hold the antenna in place.

We recommend attaching the antenna to your windshield or other win­dow. For this reason, the remote active antenna packaged with your
AirMap includes a suction-cup mount. Be sure to mount the antenna in
a location where it will not obstruct your view.

15

Press suction cup plate firmly against a window with unobstructed view.

Wherever you mount the antenna, make sure it is in a location with an
unobstructed view of the sky. If you're sticking it to a window, moisten
the suction cups on the mounting plate and press firmly against the
window. Route the cable so that it won't interfere with flying. Then,
simply plug the connector into the unit's antenna socket, located on the
back, in the upper left corner of the case. The AM500 will automatically
switch to use the RAA-3 remote antenna when plugged in.

R-A-M Bracket Mounting System

A R-A-M mounting bracket is shipped with your AirMap. The mounting
arm and cradle can swivel on a ball for easy viewing in any type of vehicle.

Attach the mounting bracket to the stem of the yoke. Then, tighten the
knob at the bracket's base to keep the bracket from sliding around on
the yoke stem. Next, angle the arm so that the unit will be held in front
of the yoke. When you are satisfied with the bracket position, tighten
all the knobs to keep the bracket from shifting.

Find a good position for the R-A-M mounting bracket. Then, slide the

AirMap into the bracket, inserting the bottom of the unit first.

16

Section 3:

2

Aviation Operation

This section addresses AirMap's main aviation GPS functions. The
principles are the same in both operating modes, so this discussion also
serves as a good introduction to Land Mode work.

Before you turn on AirMap and find where you are, it's a good idea to
learn about the different keys, the five Page screens and how they all
work together. BUT, if you just can't wait to get outside, grab the bat­teries and turn to the one-page Quick Reference on page 31.

Keypad

7

3

5

1. PWR/LIGHT (Power & Light) – The PWR key turns the unit on and
off and activates the backlight.

2. PAGES – Pressing this key switches the unit between the five dif­ferent page screens in Aviation Mode. (Satellite, Position, HSI naviga­tion, Map and Airport Orientation.) Each page represents one of the
unit's major modes of operation.

3. MENU – Press this key to show the menus, which allow you to select
or adjust a feature from a list.

4. ARROW KEYS – These keys are used to navigate through the
menus, make menu selections, move the chart cursor and enter data.

5. ENT/SAVE (Enter & Save) – This key allows you to save data, to
accept values or to execute menu commands. Also use it to quickly cre­ate waypoints or icons.

8

4

9

AirMap 500 keypad.

17

6

1

6. EXIT – The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen, clear
data or erase a menu.

7. FIND
menus. It also allows you to go Direct To items shown in search lists.

8. ZOUT – (Zoom Out) – This key lets you zoom the screen out to see a
larger geographic are on the map. Less detail is seen as you zoom out.

9. ZIN – (Zoom In) – This key lets you zoom the screen in to see greater
detail in a smaller geographic area on the map.

(Direct To) – The Find key launches the AirMap search

Power/lights on and off

To turn on the unit, press PWR. To turn on the backlight, press PWR
again. Pressing PWR once again will turn off the backlight. (Press EXIT
to clear any message or alarm displays.)

Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the

PWR key for 3 seconds.

Main Menu

Aviation Mode has a single Main Menu, which contains some function
commands and some setup option commands. The tutorials in this section
will deal only with primary functions, the basic commands that make Air­Map do something. These lessons are designed for use with the unit's op­tions set at their factory defaults. But, if you want to learn more about the
various option settings, see Sec. 5, System Setup and GPS Setup Options.

To access the Main Menu from any Page: press
the menu screen and return to the page display, press

Main Menu, Aviation Mode.

The Main Menu commands and their functions are:
Screen command: changes the contrast or brightness of the display
screen.

MENU|MENU. To clear

EXIT.

Sounds command: enables or disables the sounds for key strokes and
alarms and sets the alarm style.

18

Alarms command: turns arrival, off course and anchor GPS alarms on
or off and changes alarm thresholds.

Aviation Alarms command: turns distance, time, near and inside air­space alarms on or off and changes alarm thresholds.

Route Planning command: used to plan, view or navigate a route.

My Trails command: shows, hides, creates and deletes plot trails. Also

used to navigate or backtrack a trail.

Cancel Navigation command: turns off the various navigation com­mands. Used to stop navigating after you have reached your destina­tion navaid, waypoint, Point of Interest or map cursor location; or after
you reach the end of a route or trail.

GPS Setup command: sets various GPS receiver options and runs the
GPS Simulator.

System Setup command: sets general configuration options.

Utilities command: controls several aeronautical calculators and other

time-related utilities. These include: E6B flight computer functions (true
air speed, wind speed, etc.); sun/moon rise calculator; trip status and sta­tistics, alarm clock, up timer and down timer.

Browse MMC Files command: this allows you to view the installed
MMC card and the files it contains.

Pages

Aviation Mode has five Page displays that represent the five major op­erating modes. They are the Satellite Status Page, the Position Page,
the HSI Navigation Page, the Map Page and the Airport Orientation
Page. They are accessed by pressing the
repeatedly scrolls among the five screens in an endless circular loop.

Each Page has a submenu screen associated with it. You access a Page
Submenu by pressing the
played. (Pressing the

MENU key one time while the page is dis-

MENU key twice takes you to the Main Menu.)

Satellite Status Page

This Page, shown in the following image, provides detailed information
on the status of AirMap's satellite lock-on and position acquisition. To
get to the Satellite Status Page: press
you want appears.

No matter what page you are on, a flashing current position indica­tor/question mark symbol and flashing GPS data displays indicate that
satellite lock has been lost and there is no position confirmed. This page
shows you the quality and accuracy of the current satellite lock-on and
position calculation.

PAGES key. Pressing PAGES

PAGES repeatedly until the page

19

WARNING:

Do not begin navigating with this unit until the numbers
have stopped flashing!

Satellite Page. Left view indicates unit has not locked on to any satellites
and does not have a fix on its position. Center view shows satellites being

scanned. Right view shows satellite-lock on with a 3D position acquired

(latitude, longitude and altitude) and WAAS corrections. The bottom of the

screen shows a battery power indicator with "E" for empty and "F" for full.

The light bulb indicates the backlight is on.

This screen shows a graphical view of the satellites that are in view.
Each satellite is shown on the circular chart relative to your position.
The point in the center of the chart is directly overhead. The small in­ner ring represents 45° above the horizon and the large ring represents
the horizon. North is at the top of the screen. You can use this to see
which satellites are obstructed by obstacles in your immediate area if
you hold the unit facing north.

The GPS receiver is tracking satellites that are in bold type. The re­ceiver hasn't locked onto a satellite if the number is grayed out, there­fore it isn't being used to solve the position.

Beneath the circular graph are the bar graphs, one for each satellite in
view. Since the unit has twelve channels, it can dedicate one channel
per visible satellite. The taller the bar on the graph, the better the unit
is receiving the signals from the satellite.

The EPE, "Estimated Position Error" (horizontal position error) shown
in the upper right corner of the screen is the expected error from a
benchmark location. In other words, if the EPE shows 50 feet, then the
position shown by the unit is estimated to be within 50 feet of the ac­tual location. This also gives you an indicator of the fix quality the unit
currently has. The smaller the position error number, the better (and
more accurate) the fix is. If the position error flashes dashes, then the
unit hasn't locked onto the satellites, and the number shown isn't valid.

20

The Satellite Status Page has its own menu, which is used for setting
various options. (Options and setup are discussed in Sec. 5.) To access
the Satellite Status Page Menu, from the Status Page, press

MENU.

Position Page

This page provides detailed textual information on your present position and
the status of your trip. For example, it can display information such as your
current latitude, longitude, travel time to destination and more. To get to the
Position Page: press

PAGE repeatedly until the page you want appears.

Position Page, left, Position Page Customize Menu, right.

The Position Page can be fully customized. The lower window can display
ten of 22 types of navigation information. For customization instructions
see the Customize Page Displays topic in Sec. 5, System and GPS Setup
Options. Some of the popular information displays include:

Altitude is height above sea level, not ground level. Speed (ground
speed) is the velocity you are making over the ground. Closing Speed
is also known as velocity made good. It's the speed that you're making
toward a destination.

Distance shows how far it is to the next waypoint you're navigating
toward. Total Distance tells how far to a final destination when navi-
gating a route or trail. If your route has multiple legs, this option will
total them for you.

Travel Time (ETE) is the time it will take to reach your destination at
your present closing speed. Arrival Time (ETA) is the local time that
it will be when you arrive at the destination, based upon your present
closing speed and track. Total Travel time tells how long it will take to
reach a final destination when navigating a route or trail.

Track is the heading, or the current direction you are actually traveling.
Bearing is the direction of a line-of-sight from your present position to a

destination. No matter what direction you are steering, the Bearing

21

shows the compass direction straight to the destination from your loca-

aircraft

tion at the moment. Off Course tells you how far you are to the left or
right of the intended direction or line of travel toward a destination.
Most of the unit's displays show Off Course as "Cross Track" or "XTK."

The Position Page has its own menu, which is used for setting various
options. (Options and setup are discussed in Sec. 5.) To access the Posi­tion Page Menu, from the Position Page, press

MENU.

HSI Navigation Page

The HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator) Navigation Page has a compass
rose. It shows your direction of travel and the direction to a recalled way­point or other destination, such as an airport or VOR. It can also show your
intended course and whether or not you are on course or off course. To get
to the HSI Page: press

PAGE repeatedly until the page you want appears.

The navigation screen looks like the one in the following image when
you're not navigating to a waypoint or other destination. No graphic course
information is displayed. Your position is shown by an airplane symbol in
the center of the screen. The arrow pointing down at the top of the compass
rose indicates the current track (direction of travel) over the ground.

Track or compass heading indicator, showing direction of travel

Compass rose

Present
position

HSI Navigation Page, traveling north. Page looks like this when AirMap is

not navigating to a waypoint, following a route, or backtracking a trail.

Navigation
information
displays

When navigating to a waypoint or following a route, the HSI screen
looks like the one shown in the next image. Navigation information
such as bearing, track and course can be shown in text displays.

22

Tip:

aircraft

arrow

Cross track error

Course arrow

You can fully customize the upper text displays, and there are 26
types of information to select from. For customization instructions
see the Customize Page Displays topic in Sec. 5, System and GPS
Setup Options.

The heart of this page is the Course Arrow with its Course Deviation
Indicator (CDI) needle. It gives you a quick, easy to read visual indica­tor of the relationship between your current direction (track) and de­sired direction (course). Pilots familiar with "fly to the needle" VOR in­struments or large in-panel GPS screens will quickly feel comfortable
with this HSI feature.

Track or compass heading indicator, showing direction of travel

Bearing arrow
(pointing to
destination)

Distance to waypoint

Ground speed

Navigating
TO waypoint

Course Deviation
Indicator needle

(CDI)

Present
position

Destination name

HSI Navigation Page, flying TO K11 on a course of 62º. The pilot needs

to turn left to "center the needle" and get on course. The plane is cur-

rently 1.53 nautical miles to the right of the course. The cross track

error range is set at 2.00 nautical miles. The flight is 8.96 nautical miles

from the target waypoint.

Compass rose

Cross track
error scale

Cross track
error range

Course

The course line is an imaginary line drawn from your position when
you started navigating to the destination waypoint. It's shown on the
HSI screen as a segmented course arrow. The cross track error is the
distance you are off-course to the side of the desired course line. The
current cross track error is shown in a text box (XTK), and graphically
by the CDI needle, which is the middle segment of the course arrow.

Dots on either side of the course arrow show the current cross track
error scale, which is a graphic depiction of the cross track error range.

23

The default for the cross track error range is 2.0 nautical miles, which

arrow

needle

arrow

is shown in a floating text box under the scale. If you veer 2 nautical
miles to the left or right of the course, the off course alarm will appear.

If you are off course to the right, the range box floats to the right of the
course line. If you are off to the left, the range box appears to the left of
the course arrow. You can use the

ZIN or ZOUT keys to change the cross

track error range.

Course

Fig. 1

TO

CDI

Fig. 2 Fig. 3

Following a course by "chasing the needle." Fig. 1, plane has veered off

course to the right by 1.34 nautical miles, away from the needle. Fig. 2,

pilot turns on heading of 297º, steering left toward CDI needle to in­tersect intended course. Fig. 3, pilot has intercepted his route and is

virtually on course.

The most important graphic element, however, is the CDI needle. The
CDI and the cross track error scale instantly show you the distance to
the course line, as well as the direction to steer to get back on course. In
the example above, fig. 1 shows the pilot off course to the right, so the
CDI needle appears to the left of the plane symbol. Fig. 3 shows the pi­lot back on course, so the CDI needle appears to line up with the course
arrow. If you steer toward the CDI needle line, you'll always be heading
in the correct direction to get back on course.

NOTE:

The examples above all show navigation to a waypoint, the most com­mon method of GPS navigation. To show navigation from a waypoint,
see the instructions on the OBS Hold feature later in this section.

The HSI Navigation Page has its own menu, which is used for some
advanced functions and for setting various options. (Options and setup
are discussed in Sec. 5.) To access the HSI Page Menu: from the HSI
Page, press

MENU.

24

Navigating with OBS Hold

AirMap contains an OBS Hold feature to help you navigate along a radial
from a location. You must first turn on navigation to a location before you
can access OBS Hold. While running a route or navigating to a waypoint,
you launch OBS Hold from the HSI Page; just press the right or left arrow
to initiate it.

NOTE:

You must be navigating to some destination to begin using OBS
Hold. Usually this will be a VOR, or some other Aviation Waypoint
in the Jeppesen database. See the entry Searching later in this sec­tion if you need help finding and setting up navigation to a waypoint.

In the example below, Air Traffic Control contacts the pilot flying south
across Oklahoma and warns him of a dangerous storm ahead. To avoid it,
they instruct him to fly out on a radial of 235° from the nearby VOR "ADH."

To use OBS Hold:

1. From the HSI Page, while navigating to something, press ← or →.

2. A window will pop up asking you if you want to activate OBS Hold.
Press ←|

ENT. Use ← or → to change the OBS Hold radial until it

reaches the angle you need. Press ← to decrease the angle, press → to
increase it.

OBS Hold

data box

Left, pilot navigating to VOR. Center, HSI Page with OBS Hold menu.

Right, HSI Page with OBS Hold activated. Note data box in the

bottom right corner showing OBS direction instead of Course. This

image shows the pilot has passed the VOR and is flying from it.

The navigation data will now begin showing directions along the OBS ra­dial instead of toward your original destination. The white arrow behind
the airplane icon indicates you are navigating FROM a waypoint. Re­member that you can change the radial of OBS Hold using the right and
left arrow keys. Press ← to decrease the angle, press → to increase it.

25

Use the Clear OBS Hold command to resume navigation. The HSI

Navigation displays will point to your original destination again. At

right, you can see the pilot's diversion in his trail on the map page.

You can turn off OBS Hold at any time using the HSI Page menu. Press

MENU|↓ to CLEAR OBS HOLD|ENT. The navigation data will once again

direct you to your destination, or the next waypoint in the route you're
navigating. Beginning navigation to a new destination will automatically
clear OBS Hold, as well.

Map Page

The map screens (including the Airport Orientation Page) show your
course and track from a "bird's-eye" view. By default, this unit shows
the Map Page map with north always at the top of the screen. (This can
be changed using options described in the topic Map Orientation, in
Sec. 5.) If you're navigating to a waypoint, the map also shows your
starting location, present position, course line and destination.

NOTE:

When our text says "navigating to a waypoint," we really mean navi­gation to any selected item, whether it is a waypoint you made, a
map feature or an item (like a VOR) from the Jeppesen database.

Using the map is as simple as pressing the

PAGES key. A screen similar to

those in the following images appears. The aircraft in the center of the
screen is your present position. It points in the direction you're traveling. A
solid line extending from the plane's tail is your plot trail, or path you've
taken. (Remember, a flashing question mark on you plane symbol or
flashing text displays means AirMap has not yet calculated a position.)

The map zoom range is the distance across the screen. This number
shows in the lower left corner of the screen. In the first example below
left, the range is 4,000 nautical miles from the left edge of the map to
the right edge of the map.

26

Far left, Map Page opening screen. Center, zoomed to 100 nautical miles

and right, zoomed to 6 nautical miles. (Note that the four data boxes ap-

pearing in the bottom of these images are on by default. They have been

turned off in most of the following images for the sake of clarity.)

The Zoom In and Zoom Out keys zoom the map to enlarge or reduce its cov­erage area and the amount of mapping detail shown. There are 39 available
map zoom ranges, from 0.02 nautical miles to 4,000 nautical miles.

AirMap's high resolution screen makes it possible to display aeronautical
chart features that look like the "real thing." If you're familiar with sectional
charts, you will instantly recognize items such as obstacles, VORs, special
airspaces, paved and unpaved airports and more. As you zoom in closer,
you'll see Class B airports appear at a fairly wide zoom. Zoom in closer and
Class C and D airports appear, as well as restricted airspaces. At closer
zooms still you can even see Class C airspace borders around airports.

If you're using only the factory-loaded background map, the maximum
zoom range for showing additional land map detail is 6 nautical miles. You
can continue to zoom in closer, but the map will simply be enlarged without
revealing more map content (except for a few major city streets.) Load your
own high-detail custom map made with MapCreate, and you can zoom in to

0.02 nautical miles with massive amounts of accurate map detail.

Map Pages with high-detail map of an urban area loaded on the MMC.

At left, arterial streets appear at the 4 nautical mile zoom range. At 1
nautical mile, minor streets appear, along with square dots represent­ing Points of Interest. Right, at the 0.4 nautical mile zoom, you can see
an interstate highway with an exit, major and minor streets as well as

Point of Interest icons for two hotels and two restaurants.

27

Background map vs. MapCreate map content

The background map includes: low-detail maps of the whole world (con­taining cities, major lakes, major rivers, political boundaries); and me­dium-detail maps of the United States.

The medium-detail U.S. maps contain: all incorporated cities; county
boundaries; some major city streets; Interstate, U.S. and state highways;
Interstate highway exits and exit services information; large- and me­dium-sized lakes and streams; and more than 60,000 navigation aids and
10,000 wrecks and obstructions in U.S. coastal and Great Lakes waters.

MapCreate custom maps include massive amounts of information not
found in the background map. MapCreate contains: the searchable
Points of Interest database, all the minor roads and streets, all the
landmark features (such as summits, schools, radio towers, etc.); more
rivers, streams, smaller lakes and ponds and their names.

What's more important is the large scale map detail that allows your
GPS unit to show a higher level of position accuracy. For example, the
background map would show you the general outline and approximate
shape of a coastline or water body, but the higher detail in MapCreate
shows the shoreline completely and accurately (finer detail). Many
smaller islands would not be included in the background map, but are,
of course, in MapCreate.

Cursor lineInterstate Major Street

POI

Markers

School POI

Zoom
Range

When the map is zoomed out far enough, most POIs appear as square dots.

As you zoom in closer, the symbols become readable icons. In the 0.2 nau-

tical mile zoom example at right, the cursor has selected the Cupps Café

POI, which triggers a pop-up box with the POI name. This pop-up box

works on POIs at any zoom range.

POI
Pop-up

Restaurant
POI

Position,
distance and
bearing data

28

Tip:

In some urban areas, businesses are so close to one another that
their POI icons crowd each other on the screen. In the preceding
figure, you can see a packed string of POIs all along the west half of
11th. You can reduce screen clutter and make streets and other
map features easier to see by simply turning off the display of POIs
you're not watching for. (To see how, check the text on Map Detail
Category Selection, in Sec. 5. It shows how to use the Map Catego­ries Drawn menu to turn individual POI displays off and on.) Even
though their display is turned off, you can still search for POIs and
their icons will pop-up when your unit finds them for you.

NOTE:

On the Map Page, the screen shows an indicator of what AirMap's
microprocessor is doing behind the scenes. In the lower right corner
of the screen, an MMC icon will flash when the AirMap is reading in­formation from the MMC.

1. To get to Map Page: Map page is the default when AirMap is turned
on. To switch from another page to the Map Page, press
edly until the page you want appears.

PAGE repeat-

2. To get to Map Page Menu: press

MENU.

Map Menu.

Map Page Menu

The map menu has many options. It allows you to get information on
the airspace you're in with the Airspace Status command. You can also
find distances, change the orientation of your map, view map data, and
other helpful map functions. Read more about these functions in Sec. 5,
System Setup and GPS Setup Options.

Airport Orientation Page

The Airport Orientation Page is a special version of the Map Page. This
page only appears when you are navigating to an airport that has run-

29

way position information listed in our database. Then, when you press

PAGE from the Map Page, it will switch to a split map, showing your

current position in the top map, and a zoomed view of the destination
airport in the bottom map. Both maps are always in "Track Up" mode.

There are several unique features built into the Airport Orientation
Page. You will notice in the following image that we have added four
customizable information displays on the left side of your position map.
The default options are intended to help in navigating to a landing.

In fact, everything about this page is intended to help you navigate to a
landing. The top position map is locked so that it will always show your
location relative to the destination airport. It is permanently in auto zoom,
so it will zoom in or out to keep you and the airport both on the screen.

The bottom airport map is not locked. You can scroll the cursor to look for
obstructions or known landmarks on the map. You can zoom it in or out to
get better detail or wider perspective. And, like the Map Page, pressing

EXIT will snap the map back to its starting point – but now it returns to

center on the airport, so you can always easily check your approach.

The Airport Orientation Page, showing an approach to

Tulsa International Airport.

We've done everything we could with AirMap to make it a powerful
navigation tool, but also to keep it simple to use. Sometimes describing
all of the options AirMap contains can make it sound hard to use, but
it's really not!

The following page contains a 12-step quick reference for the most basic
aviation GPS operations. If for some reason you don't want to carry the
manual with you as you practice with the AirMap, you might consider
photocopying this quick reference page and tucking it into your pocket
or flight bag.

30

Aviation GPS Quick Reference

Start outdoors, with a clear view of open sky. Imagine you're flying to a
nearby airport to practice landings. (If you're practicing on foot or by car,
substitute a restaurant for an airport. Pick one a few blocks away. While
learning, navigation in too small an area constantly triggers alarms.

1. Insert the MMC and batteries. Mount AirMap on the yoke. Connect to
electric power and the active antenna. (See install details on page 11.)

2. Turn on the AirMap: press and release
each of the two warning and copyright message screens.

3. Opening screen– displays map of North America at the 4,000 nautical
mile zoom range. Rotate through four main Page screens (Map Page, Sat­ellite Status Page, Position Page and HSI Navigation Page) by repeatedly
pressing

PAGES key. Switch pages to display Satellite Status Page.

4. Wait while unit locates satellites and calculates current position. Process
is visible on Satellite Page. This takes an average of 1 minute or less with
sky unobstructed by terrain or structures. When the unit acquires position,
a tone sounds and a position acquired message appears.

5. With position acquired, press

PAGES key to display Map Page, which

shows a bird's eye view of the earth. You can move around the map by:
Zoom in closer to see greater detail: press

Zoom out to see more area, less detail: press
Scroll map north, south, east or west using arrow keys ↑ ↓ → ← .
To stop scrolling and return to current position on map, press

6. At the airport, set a waypoint (Wpt 001) at your current position so
you can navigate back here: press
"001" appears.

7. Zoom/scroll map to find a nearby airport to go to. Use arrow keys to
center cursor cross-hair over the airport symbol or wherever you want
to enter the pattern.

8. Navigate to airport: press

MENU|↓ to GO TO CURSOR|ENT|EXIT, and take

off. Follow dotted course line on Map Page or Course Arrow on HSI Naviga­tion Page. (Remember to "steer to the needle.")

9. At airport, Arrival Alarm goes off; to clear it, press
and land. Cancel navigation: press

TION

|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

10. Return to Wpt 1 by Navigate To Waypoint: press

WAYPOINTS|ENT|ENT. Use ↑ or ↓ to select Wpt 001, press ENT|ENT; follow

navigation displays.

11. Back home, Arrival Alarm goes off; press
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

12. To turn off AirMap, press and hold

31

PWR key. Press EXIT to clear

ZIN (zoom in key.)

ZOUT (zoom out key.)

EXIT key.

ENT|ENT. Waypoint symbol and

EXIT. Enter pattern

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGA-

FIND|↓ to MY

EXIT. Cancel navigation:

PWR key for three seconds.

Find Your Current Position

Finding your current position is as simple as turning AirMap on. Under
clear sky conditions, the unit automatically searches for satellites and
calculates its position in approximately one minute or less.

NOTE:

"Clear sky" means open sky, unobstructed by terrain, dense foliage
or structures. Clouds do not restrict GPS signal reception.

If for some reason satellite acquisition takes longer, you may be inside
a structure or vehicle or in terrain that is blocking signal reception. To
correct this, be sure you are positioned so that the unit has as clear a
view of the sky as possible, then turn the unit off and back on again.

Moving Around the Map: Zoom & Cursor Arrow Keys

The map is presented from a bird's eye view perspective. The current
zoom range shows in the lower left corner of the screen.

1. Press the

ZIN key (zoom in) to move in closer and see greater detail in

a smaller geographic area.

2. Press the

ZOUT key (zoom out) to move farther away and see less map

detail, but a larger geographic area.

When you are walking or riding in a vehicle, the map will automatically
move as you move. This keeps your current location roughly centered
on the screen.

You can manually pan or scroll the map northward, southward, east­ward or westward by using the arrow keys, which launches the cross­hair map cursor. This allows you to look at map places other than your
current position. To clear the cursor, press
back to the current position or the last known position.

Selected airport

EXIT, which jumps the map

Cursor line

Cursor line

Distance
measured
by cursor

The selected airport to the northwest is 3.66 nautical miles away.

Tip:

Use the cursor to determine the distance from your current position
(or last known position, when working indoors) to any map object or
location. Simply use the arrow keys to position the cursor over the

32

object or place. The distance, measured in a straight line, appears in
the data box at the bottom of the map. Press

EXIT to clear the cursor.

Selecting Any Map Item With the Cursor

1. Use the zoom keys and the arrow keys to move around the map and
find the item you wish to select.

2. Use the arrow keys and center the cursor cross-hair on the desired ob­ject. On most items, a pop-up box will give the name of the selected item.

You will also notice a black ring surrounds the item as it becomes se­lected. Once that happens, if you press
with an extra option at the top of the list:

FIND the Find Menu will pop up

SELECTED ITEM. Press ENT to see

the Information screen for the selected item.

Searching

Now that you've seen how AirMap can find where you are, let's search
for something somewhere else. Searching is one of the most powerful
features in the Lowrance GPS product line.

In this example, we'll look for the nearest VOR. For more information
on different types of searches, refer to Sec. 6, Searching.

NOTE:

This example requires the Jeppesen database included with your Air­Map.

After AirMap has acquired a position:

1. Press

FIND|↓ to FIND VORS|ENT.

2. You could search the VOR category by any of these four criteria (by
Nearest, by Name, by Identifier or by City), but in this example we will
just search for nearest. When the Find By menu pops up, press

ENT.

3. AirMap says it is calculating, then a list of VORs appears, with the
closest at the top of the list, and the farthest at the bottom of the list.
The nearest is highlighted.

Find VORs Menu, left; Search Criteria menu, center; and

list of the nearest VORs, right.

33

4. If you wish, you could scroll ↑ or ↓ here to select another VOR, but
for now we will just accept the nearest one. Press

ENT.

5. The waypoint information screen appears. If you wanted to navigate
there, you press
just want to see it on the map, so press → to

ENT, since the GO TO command is highlighted. But we

FIND ON MAP|ENT.

Waypoint information screen on VOR nearest this position. Screen

shows name, identifier, city, radio frequency, latitude/longitude and its

compass bearing. It also shows both distance to the VOR and your "Ra-

dial From" – information ready at your fingertips when Air Traffic Con-

trol wants a position report! The figure at left shows Go To command;

right figure shows Find On Map command.

6. AirMap's map appears, with the cross-hair cursor highlighting the
VOR's symbol. A pop-up name box identifies the VOR. A data box at the
bottom of the screen continues to display the location's latitude and
longitude, distance and bearing.

Map screen showing Finding Waypoint,

the result of a VOR search.

7. To clear the search and return to the last page displayed, press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT. (Before you completely exited out of the Search menus,

you could have gone looking for another place.)

NOTE:

Search works from mapping data loaded in AirMap. Aviation Navi­gation searches also use information from a Jeppesen database, and

34

General Navigation searches use POI information available with a
MapCreate custom map. If you do not have a high-detailed Jeppe­sen map (or a custom map containing POI data) for the area you
are searching loaded on the MMC, you may not find anything.

Find Nearest Airport (shortcut)

One of flying's most terrifying events is having to make an emergency
landing. This situation can be deadly at any time. It's particularly dan­gerous when you're flying over unfamiliar territory, with no idea where
you can safely stop. Of course, the first thing to do is remain calm and
follow all standard emergency procedures. Naturally, no instrument by
itself can get you through an emergency situation, but we have done
our best to provide you with the tools you need as a pilot.

One of these emergency tools in the AirMap is a Find Nearest Airport
feature that automatically locates, selects, and shows navigation data
to the airport nearest the location where the feature was activated. To
activate Find Nearest Airport, press the

ZOUT and ZIN keys at the same

time. A Find By Nearest screen appears, showing a list of the closest
airports. Use ↑ or ↓ to select the best airport for your situation. Then
you can press
press

to begin navigating to the selected location.

ENT to get detailed information about the airport, or

Navigating to Nearest Airport with the AirMap

Find your way to the selected airport with the HSI Navigation Page or
Map Page. Any time navigation is activated, the HSI Navigation Page
shows the compass rose with its bearing arrow pointing toward the desired
destination position, and the destination name shown below. The Map
Page displays a dotted line from your start point to the desired airport, and
the Airport Orientation Page shows your position in the top map, and the
position and orientation of the selected airport in the bottom map.

Tip:

You don't need to have an emergency to use the Find Nearest Air­port feature. You can also use it to maintain positional awareness
by finding the nearest landing strip at any time.

To cancel navigation to Nearest Airport, press

NAVIGATION|ENT|← to YES|ENT. AirMap stops showing navigation in-

formation.

Setting a Waypoint

A waypoint is simply an electronic "address," based on the latitude and
longitude of a position on the earth. Both the Aviation and the Land
mode allow you to save waypoints to mark specific locations you'd like to

35

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL

return to (or maybe send a friend to, or even specifically avoid). To save a
waypoint: 1. Press and release
pears, with the

QUICK SAVE method selected. To place a waypoint at your

current cursor position, press

ENT. 2. The CREATE WAYPOINT menu ap-

ENT. The waypoint icon appears on the

map, and a pop-up box tells you the waypoint's name (in this case, "001."

Pop-up box

Create a waypoint. The pop-up box with waypoint name is shown at left.

At right, you can see Waypoint 001, with the default waypoint symbol.

This example shows a waypoint set at the cursor location. If the cursor
was not active, the point would be placed at the current position.

Navigate Back to a Waypoint

To navigate to a waypoint that you've created:

1. Press
the list the waypoint you want to navigate to, then press

FIND|↓ to MY WAYPOINTS|ENT|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to select from

ENT. Use the

navigation arrows on the Map Page or the compass rose on the HSI
Navigation Page to make your way to the selected waypoint.

To cancel navigation, press
to

YES|ENT. AirMap stops showing navigation information.

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|←

Navigate to Cursor Position on Map

The Go To Cursor command navigates to the current cursor position
on the map.

To navigate to a particular location on the map, find location, then select
the location with cursor. Use the Go To Cursor command to lead you there:

1. Use the cursor (controlled by the arrow keys) with the zoom in and
zoom out keys to maneuver around the map until you find a location
you want to go to.

2. Center the cursor over the location to select it. If you have selected a
location that contains navigation information, the icon you're pointing
at will be highlighted, indicating it's selected. See the example below.

36

Navigate to cursor. In this example, the cursor has selected

the town of Oologah, Oklahoma.

3. Press MENU|↓ to GO TO CURSOR|ENT and AirMap will begin navigat­ing to the cursor location.

The Map Page will display a dotted line from your current position to
the cursor position. The HSI Navigation Page displays a compass rose
showing navigation information to your destination. See examples in
the following images.

The 15- nautical mile zoom figure at left clearly shows the dotted
course line connecting your current position to your destination. The
40- nautical mile zoom, center, shows both current position and desti-

nation on screen. The HSI Navigation Page, right, will also show navi-

gation information.

To stop navigating to the cursor, use the Cancel Navigation command:
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|← to YES|ENT. AirMap

stops showing navigation information.

Navigate to a Point of Interest

AirMap can navigate to any Point of Interest (POI) you can look up
with the

FIND key. (For help with FIND's searching capabilities, see the

entry on Searching earlier in this section, or turn to Sec. 6, Searching,
for detailed instructions.)

37

After you have looked up an item with the find command, use the ← to
make sure the
then press

To cancel navigation, press
to

YES|ENT. AirMap stops showing navigation information.

GO TO command is highlighted at the bottom of the screen,

ENT. AirMap begins showing navigation information to the item.

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|←

Go "Direct To" (Using the Direct To Button)

You will notice a symbol on your
this:

. In addition to launching searches, the Find/Direct To button

FIND button that looks something like

also serves several other purposes, depending on when it is used.

For instance, you can use the Direct To shortcut in searches. Let's say
you've done a search for nearest VOR, and a long list of VORs appears. You
scroll through the list and select the one you want to navigate to. Instead of
pressing

ENT (which would bring up an information screen), if you press

it will automatically begin navigating to the selected item in the list.

You can also use Direct To when navigating a route, to force AirMap to
navigate toward a particular waypoint in the route. To do this (from the
Map Page), press

MENU|MENU|↓ to ROUTE PLANNING|ENT|↓ to route|ENT.

Now press ↓ to select the waypoint you want from the list, and then hit

. The AirMap will automatically begin navigating to the selected

waypoint, and on arrival will continue navigating the route from there.

Airspace Status

The AirMap can show you information about any airspace contained in
its database. While you are in motion, you can press
the

AIRSPACE STATUS command. (You can also press ENT whenever an

MENU|ENT to run

Aviation Alarm goes off to see this screen for the airspace that trig­gered the alarm.) A screen like the one in the following image appears,
showing you information about any controlled airspaces that you are
currently approaching.

Airspace Status page, showing information about

DFW International Airport.

Press ← or → to cycle through the various information pages. Press

EXIT to clear the Airspace Status page and return to the previous page.

38

Airport Information

We've already mentioned the waypoint information screen – this screen
pops up whenever you view the details of a selected item from the map,
or when you select an item from a search list. Different information
appears on the information screen depending on what kind of map ob­ject you have selected. Earlier, we had an example of a VOR informa­tion screen, complete with radio frequency and Morse identifier.

In the AirMap, airports have information screens packed with useful infor­mation. They include much of the same information as a VOR information
screen. In addition, airport information screens contain a line drawing
showing the general layout of the airport's runways. Also, note that the ra­dio frequencies listed at the bottom make a much longer list. You can press ↓
at the information screen to scroll down and see all of these frequencies.

When you first open the airport information screen, you'll see "Go To"
highlighted at the bottom. You already know how to use

ON MAP, but airports have two more options: RUNWAYS and SERVICES.

GO TO AND FIND

Airport information screen. Runways selected center, and Services at right.

Runways

The Runways screen shows you everything AirMap knows about the
runways at the selected airport. Display boxes contain the runway sur­face type, its length, its width and the light available.

Runways screen at left, with Extend option select. Center, map shows

the fan-shaped Runway Extension north of the airport. At right, you can

see where the runway extension begins at the very end of runway 18L.

39

At the runways screen you can press ← or → to cycle through the air­port's runways. In the previous image, you can see we've selected 18L,
so all of the information shown refers to that particular runway.

The previous images show not only the information available on this
screen, but also the Runway Extension feature. To turn on a runway ex­tension, use ← or → to select the desired runway, then make sure the
box at the bottom of the screen says "Extend" next to the runway name.
(As long as we have sufficient information about it in our database, Air­Map can display a runway extension for any runway.) Press

ENT and the

runways screen will go away, returning you to the airport information
screen. Now you can press

EXIT to see the runway extension on the map.

Runway extensions are meant to serve as visual references to help you
orient the plane as you approach an airport for a landing. The exten­sion appears as a fan-shape, with its tip pointing directly to the foot of
the runway you're approaching. This allows you to navigate toward the
wider end of the fan, so once you turn down the extension you can eas­ily judge how far you've got to touch-down.

To turn off an airport extension, press

Services

MENU|↓ to CLEAR RUNWAY EXT.

The Services screen shows you all of the published services available at
the selected airport. You can press ↑ or ↓ to scroll through the listed
items, in case the list runs past the bottom of the screen.

Airport Services screen for KTUL (Tulsa International).

Transfer Custom Maps and GPS Data Files
Custom maps work only from the MMC card or SDC card. When a

card containing a Custom Map File is loaded into the unit, AirMap
automatically loads the map into memory when the unit is turned on.

Instructions for copying Custom Map Files to an MMC are contained in
the instruction manual for your MMC card reader and MapCreate 6
software. For instructions on inserting an MMC into AirMap, see Sec. 2,
Installation/Accessories.

40

GPS Data files, containing waypoints, routes, trails and event marker
icons, must be copied from an MMC to AirMap's internal memory be­fore AirMap can read them. Here's how:

1. Press

MENU|↓ to TRANSFER MY DATA|ENT and the screen in the follow-

ing image appears.

The Transfer My Data submenu asks if you want to save data to the

MMC or load data from the MMC into AirMap's memory.

2. The Transfer My Data menu includes a message which tells you if an
MMC is present or not. If no MMC is present, you must first insert a
card into AirMap in order to activate the Load or Save commands.

To transfer data from AirMap to the MMC: press

To transfer data from the MMC to AirMap: press → to

ENT (for SAVE.)

LOAD|ENT.

3. Saving: To accept the default name "Data" for the GPS Data File,
press ↓ to
below), press

SAVE|ENT. If you wish to rename the file (as in the example

ENT to activate the selection box. Press ↑ or ↓ to change

the first character, then press → to the next character and repeat until
the name is correct. Then, press

ENT|↓ to SAVE|ENT.

From left to right, these figures show the menu sequence for naming

and saving a GPS Data File from an MMC into AirMap's memory.

The unit will display first a progress then a completion message when the
data transfer is finished. To return to the Page view, press

EXIT|EXIT.

41

4. Loading: There may be more than one GPS Data File (*.USR) on the
card. To select a file, press
to highlight the file, then press
↓ to

LOAD|ENT. The unit will display a completion message when the

data transfer is finished. To return to the Page view, press

ENT to activate the selection box, use ↓ or ↑

ENT to accept the selection. Next, press

EXIT|EXIT.

From left to right, these figures show the menu sequence for loading a

GPS Data File from an MMC into AirMap's memory.

Switch to Land Mode

To leave Aviation Mode and switch to Land Mode:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|↓ to DISABLE AIRMAP|ENT.

2. Unit asks, "Are you sure you want to turn on land navigation mode?"

3. Press ←|

ENT and the unit switches to Land Mode.

Switch Back to Aviation Mode from Land Mode

To leave Land Mode and switch back to Aviation Mode:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|↓ to ENABLE AIRMAP|ENT.

2. Unit asks, "Are you sure you want to turn on aviation mode?"

3. Press ←|

ENT and the unit switches to Aviation Mode.

Aviation Utilities

To help you with flight planning, this unit has four aviation utilities
built into it that let you calculate density altitude, true airspeed, wind
speed and direction, plus vertical navigation.

NOTE:

AirMap also includes a set of five general-purpose utilities. These
are discussed in Sec. 4, Utilities.

E6B Altitude/Airspeed Calculator

The Altitude/Airspeed Calculator lets you calculate density altitude or
true airspeed. The screen in the following image appears.

For each item in the top portion of the screen, press the enter key, use ↑ and
↓ to enter the field value, and then press
to enter indicated altitude (
mercury, outside air temperature (

ALTITUDE), barometric pressure (BARO) in inches of

TEMP), and calibrated airspeed (CAS).

EXIT when you're done. You’ll need

42

In the example shown, the indicated altitude is 5000 feet, barometric
pressure is 30.02”, outside air temperature is 59° Fahrenheit, and the
calibrated airspeed is 129 knots. This gives us a pressure altitude of
4908 feet, a density altitude of 5740 feet, and a true airspeed of 140.4
knots. Obviously, you don’t need airspeed to calculate density altitude,
this was done for illustration purposes.

E6B Altitude/Airspeed Calculator

To get to the altitude/airspeed calculator menu: while in Aviation Mode,
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILITIES|ENT|↓ to E6B ALT/AIRSPEED|ENT.

E6B Wind Speed/Direction Calculator

To determine the wind speed and direction, first find true airspeed us­ing the Altitude/Airspeed Calculator. Once you have that, open the
Wind Speed/Direction Calculator.

A screen similar to the one in the following image appears. The current
true airspeed is automatically used, and you only need to enter your
heading. Use the arrow keys to change the heading in the box at the top
of the screen.

In the example shown, the heading is 39° magnetic. This gives us a
wind speed of 11.4 knots on a bearing of 42° magnetic, for an 11.4 knot
headwind.

E6B Wind Speed/Direction Calculator

To get to the wind speed/direction calculator menu: while in Aviation
Mode, press

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILITIES|ENT|↓ to E6B W IND SPEED/DIR|ENT.

43

Vertical Navigation Calculator

With the Vertical Navigation Calculator, the AirMap 500 can help you de­cide when to let down for an approach to an airport. In the following exam­ple, we're travelling to the Wichita Mid-Continent airport in Wichita, Kan­sas. It’s identifier is shown at the bottom of the screen – KICT. We are
travelling at 4500 feet, and need to be at the pattern altitude (about 2300
feet) by 5 nautical miles from the airport using a 450 fpm descent.

After determining the above information, use ↑ or ↓ to highlight each
field, then press
When you’re finished, highlight
press

ENT. A screen similar to the one below appears.

ENT. In each box, use the arrow keys to enter the data.

ON next to the "Vertical Nav" label and

The solution to our vertical navigation problem shows at the top of the
screen. Our current altitude is 4500 feet and at our current airspeed,
we should begin our descent in 51 minutes and 18 seconds. If we main­tain a 450 fpm descent starting in about 51 minutes, then we should
reach pattern altitude 5 nautical miles before we reach the airport.

You can watch the clock count down your approach. If you increase
your speed, the clock will decrease more quickly. If you slow down, it
will take longer. Either way, when you reach the point at which you
should begin your descent, the box at the top of the screen changes.
Now in place of the timer, it indicates that you should be descending.
Above that, it shows the altitude you should be at.

Vertical Navigation Calculator

To get to the vertical navigation calculator menu: while in Aviation
Mode, press

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILITIES|ENT|↓ to VERTICAL NAV |ENT.

44

Keypad

2

Section 4:

Land Operation

7

3

5

1. PWR/LIGHT (Power & Light) – The PWR key turns the unit on and
off and activates the backlight.

2. PAGES – Pressing this key switches the unit between the five different
page screens in Land Mode. (Satellite, Position, Navigation, Map and
Split Map.) Each page represents one of the unit's major operation modes.

3. MENU – Press this key to show the menus, which allow you to select
or adjust a feature from a list.

4. ARROW KEYS – These keys are used to navigate through the
menus, make menu selections, move the chart cursor and enter data.

5. ENT/SAVE (Enter & Save) – This key allows you to save data, ac­cept values or execute menu commands. Also use it to quickly create
waypoints or icons.

6. EXIT – The Exit key lets you return to the previous screen, clear
data or erase a menu.

7. FIND – The Find key launches the AirMap search menus and some
navigation functions.

8. ZOUT – (Zoom Out) – This key lets you zoom the screen out to see a
larger geographic are on the map. Less detail is seen as you zoom out.

9. ZIN – (Zoom In) – This key lets you zoom the screen in to see greater
detail in a smaller geographic area on the map.

8

4

9

AirMap keypad.

45

6

1

Power/lights on and off

To turn on the unit, press PWR. To turn on the backlight, press PWR
again. Pressing PWR once again will turn off the backlight.

Turn off the unit by pressing and holding the

PWR key for 3 seconds.

Main Menu

Land Mode has a single Main Menu, which contains some function
commands and some setup option commands. The instructions in this
section will deal only with functions, the basic commands that make
AirMap do something. AirMap will work fine for these instructions
right out of the box with the factory default settings. But, if you want to
learn about the various options, see Sec. 5, System Setup and GPS
Setup Options.

To access the Main Menu from any Page: press
the menu screen and return to the page display, press

Main Menu, Land Mode.

MENU|MENU. To clear

EXIT.

Pages

Land Mode has four Page displays that represent the four major oper­ating modes. They are the Satellite Status Page, the Position Page, the
Navigation Page and the Map Page. They are accessed by pressing the

PAGES key. Pressing PAGES repeatedly scrolls among the four screens

in an endless circular loop.

Each Page has a submenu screen associated with it. You access a Page
Submenu by pressing the
played. (Pressing the

Satellite Status Page

This page provides detailed information on the status of AirMap's sat­ellite lock-on and position acquisition. No matter what page you are on,
a flashing current position indicator/question mark symbol and flashing

MENU key one time while the page is dis-

MENU key twice takes you to the Main Menu.)

46

GPS data displays indicate that satellite lock has been lost and there is
no position confirmed. This page shows you the quality and accuracy of
the current satellite lock-on and position calculation.

WARNING:

Do not begin navigating with this unit until the numbers have
stopped flashing!

NOTE:

Refer to Sec. 3, Aviation Operation, for further explanation and
more illustrations of the Satellite Page.

1. To get to the Satellite Status Page: press

PAGE repeatedly until the

page you want appears.

2. To get to Satellite Status Menu: press

MENU.

Satellite Status Page, left, Satellite Status Menu, right.

Status Menu

The Satellite Status Menu allows you to set your own GPS options such
as power saving, track smoothing, and whether you want the GPS en­gine to stop searching (a power-saving function for use indoors).

Position Page

This text page provides detailed information on the position of AirMap's
cursor. From this page you can determine your latitude, longitude, alti­tude, travel time, speed, and other useful information about your posi­tion and trip.

1. To get to Position Page: press

PAGE repeatedly until the page you

want appears.

2. To get to Position Page Sub Menu: press

47

MENU.

Position Page, left, Position Menu, right.

Position Menu

The Position Menu allows you to set your own coordinate system,
change your map datum or even set your local time.

Navigation Page

This screen has a compass rose that not only shows your direction of
travel, but also the direction to a recalled waypoint. The navigation screen
looks like the one in the following image when you’re navigating to a
waypoint. Your position is shown by an arrow in the center of the screen.
Your trail history, or path you’ve taken is depicted by the line extending
from the arrow. The large arrow pointing down at the top of the compass
rose indicates the current track (direction of travel) you are taking.

NOTE:

Refer to Sec. 3, Aviation Operation, for further explanation and
more illustrations of the Navigation Page.

1. To get to Navigation Page: press

PAGE repeatedly until the page you

want appears.

2. To get to Navigation Page Sub Menu: press

Navigation Page, left, Navigation Menu, right.

48

MENU.

Navigation Menu

The Navigation Menu allows you to cancel navigation, set up alarms,
and plan or edit your route.

Map Page

The map screens show your course and track from a “bird’s-eye” view.
By default, this unit shows the map with north always at the top of the
screen. (This can be changed. See the topic Map Orientation, in Sec. 5.)
If you’re navigating to a waypoint, the map shows your starting loca­tion, present position, course line and destination. You don’t have to
navigate to a waypoint, however, to use the map.

The Zoom In and Zoom Out keys zoom the map to enlarge or reduce its cov­erage area and the amount of mapping detail shown. There are 39 available
map zoom ranges, from 0.02 nautical miles to 4,000 nautical miles.

NOTE:

Refer to Sec. 3, Aviation Operation, for further explanation and
more illustrations of the Map Page.

1. To get to Map Page: Map page is the default when AirMap is turned
on. To switch from another page to the Map Page, press

PAGE repeat-

edly until the page you want appears.

2. To get to Map Page Menu: press

MENU.

NOTE:

On the Map Page, the screen shows an indicator of what AirMap's
microprocessor is doing behind the scenes, similar to the floppy drive
light on a PC. In the lower right corner of the screen, a special icon
will appear and disappear from time to time. When this icon ap­pears, AirMap is reading information from the MMC.

Map Page, left, Map Menu, right.

Map Menu

The map menu has many options. The map menu allows you to find
distances, change the orientation of your map, view map data, and
other helpful map functions.

49

Moving Around the Map: Zoom & Cursor Arrow Keys

The map is presented from a bird's-eye view perspective. The current
zoom range shows in the lower left corner of the screen. If the zoom
range says "4 mi," the map shows an area 4 nautical miles wide from
the left edge of the screen to the right edge of the screen.

1. Press the

ZIN key (zoom in) to move in closer and see greater detail in

a smaller geographic area.

2. Press the

ZOUT key (zoom out) to move farther away and see less map

detail, but a larger geographic area.

You can pan or scroll the map northward, southward, eastward or
westward by using the arrow keys, which launches the cross-hair map
cursor. To clear the cursor, press

EXIT, which jumps the map back to

the current position or the last known position.

Find Distance From Current
Position To Another Location

1. While on the Map page press: MENU|↓ to FIND DISTANCE|ENT.

2. Center your cursor over the position you want to find the distance to.
A rubber band line appears, connecting your current position to the
cursor's location. The distance along that line will appear in the lower
left-hand corner of the screen.

3. Press

EXIT to return to regular operation.

The distance to Dallas from the starting point is 214.0 nautical miles.

Find Distance From Point to Point

You can also measure distance between two other points on the map.

1. While on the Map page press:

MENU|↓ to FIND DISTANCE|ENT.

2. Center your cursor over the first position. (A rubber band line ap­pears, connecting your current position to the cursor's location.) Press

ENT to set the first point, and the rubber band line disappears.

50

3. Move the cursor to the second position. The rubber band line reap­pears, connecting the first point you set to the cursor. The distance
along that line will appear in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

4. Press

EXIT to clear the command and return to the page screen.

Find Your Current Position

Finding your current position is as simple as turning AirMap on. Under
clear sky conditions, the unit automatically searches for satellites and
calculates its position in approximately one minute or less.

NOTE:

"Clear sky" means open sky, unobstructed by terrain, dense foliage
or structures. Clouds do not restrict GPS signal reception.

If for some reason satellite acquisition takes longer, you may be inside
a structure or vehicle or in terrain that is blocking signal reception. To
correct this, be sure you are positioned so that the unit has as clear a
view of the sky as possible, then turn the unit off and back on again.

If you have the cursor activated, any information the unit gives you will
be based on the cursor position, not your own. If you want to find where
you are, just press

EXIT until the cursor goes away and the map snaps

back to center on your position.

Icons

Icons are graphic symbols used to mark some location, personal point of
interest or event. They can be placed on the map screen, saved and re­called later for navigation purposes. These are sometimes referred to as
event marker icons. AirMap has 42 different symbols you can pick from
when creating an icon.

Icons are similar to waypoints, but they do not store as much informa­tion (like names) as waypoints do. You can't use a menu to navigate to
icons as you can with waypoints.( But, you can use the map cursor and
navigate to any icon on the map.)

You can create an icon at the cursor position on the map, or at your
current position while you are navigating.

Create Icon on Map

1. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the place where you want
to make an icon.

2. Press and hold
release the

ENT key.

3. Press ← or ↑ or → or ↓ to select your icon symbol, then press

ENT until the screen shows a "Save Icon" menu, then

ENT.

The icon appears on the map.

51

Save icon menu, left, Select symbol menu, right.

Create Icon at Current Position

1. While you are traveling, press and hold ENT until the screen shows a
"Save Icon" menu, then release the

ENT key.

3. Press ← or ↑ or → or ↓ to select your icon symbol, then press

ENT.

The icon appears on the map.

Delete an Icon

You can delete all the icons at one time, you can delete all icons repre­sented by a particular symbol, or you can use the cursor to delete a se­lected icon from the map.

1. Press

2. Press ↓ to

press ENT

MENU|↓ to DELETE MY ICONS|ENT.

DELETE ALL ICONS, DELETE BY SYMBOL, or DELETE FROM MAP and

.

Delete icons menu.

Load GPS Data Files from an MMC

GPS Data files, containing waypoints, routes, trails and event marker
icons, must be copied from an MMC to AirMap's internal memory be­fore AirMap can read them. Here's how:

52

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|↓ to TRANSFER MY DATA|ENT

and the screen below appears.

The Transfer My Data submenu asks if you want to save data to the

MMC or load data from the MMC into AirMap's memory.

2. The Transfer My Data menu includes a message which tells you if an
MMC is present or not. If no MMC is present, you must first insert a
card into AirMap in order to activate the Load or Save commands.

To load data from the MMC to AirMap: press → to

LOAD|ENT.

3. Loading: There may be more than one GPS Data File (*.USR) on the
card. To select a file, press
to highlight the file, then press
↓ to

LOAD|ENT. The unit will display a completion message when the

ENT to activate the selection box, use ↓ or ↑

ENT to accept the selection. Next, press

data transfer is finished. To return to the Page view, press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT.

Navigate

Navigation is one of the most powerful reasons for owning an AirMap,
and has already been addressed in Sec. 3. Land navigation is just as
useful, though. Just like the air navigation options, you can get accu­rate information about where you want to go, how to get there, how
long it will take, and other useful trip information.

Navigate Back to Man Overboard Waypoint

In Land Mode, this unit has a man overboard feature that shows navi­gation data to the location where the feature was activated. (This fea­ture replaces Aviation Mode's "Find Nearest Airport" shortcut.) To acti­vate it, press the
the time these keys are pressed is used as the man overboard position.
The unit automatically begins navigating to the MOB waypoint.

ZOUT and ZIN keys at the same time. Your position at

53

Cancel Navigation

Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

Navigate a Route

1. From the
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to ROUTE PLANNING|ENT.

NAVIGATION PAGE, press MENU|ENT or from the MAP PAGE,

2. Press ↓ to select route name|

ENT|ENT.

3. Upon arrival at your destination, cancel navigation:
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

Navigate to Cursor Position on Map

1. Use arrow keys to center cursor cross-hair over the map object or lo­cation.

2. To navigate to the selected location: press

MENU|ENT|EXIT. Follow steer-

ing arrow on Map Page or compass bearing arrow on Navigation Page.

Navigate to an Icon

Use the Navigate to Cursor command above, and use the cursor to se­lect the icon.

Navigate to Point of Interest (POI)

For POIs that are in view on the map, you can easily use the Navigate
to Cursor command above; just use the cursor to select the POI. The
other method involves searching for POIs with the Find command. (see
Sec. 6, Searching, for detailed instructions on POI searches.)

Whenever you locate a POI, the Point of Interest information screen
appears (with phone number, position, etc.) and the

GO TO command is

automatically highlighted in the command box. To navigate to that
POI, press

ENT and AirMap begins displaying navigation information to

that location.

Navigate to a Waypoint

You can select any waypoint visible on the Map Page with the cursor,
then use the Navigate to Cursor command. However, you can avoid
scrolling the map to pick your waypoint if you use the Find commands:

1. Press
look by name (and scroll through the entire waypoint list), press ↓|

FIND|ENT. To look up the nearest waypoint, press ENT, or to

ENT.

For this example, look by name.

2. If your waypoint list is a long one, you can spell out the waypoint name
in the

FIND BY NAME box to search for it. (Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first

character, then press → to move the cursor to the next character and re­peat until the name is correct, then press

ENT to jump to the list below.)

54

3. If the list is short, you can jump directly to the
pressing
waypoint information screen appears with the

ENT. Use ↑ or ↓ to select the waypoint name, press ENT and the

GO TO command selected.

FIND IN LIST box by

4. To begin navigating to the waypoint, press

ENT.

Navigate a Trail
NOTE:

Trails are described in more detail later in this section, under the
heading "Trails." If you are unfamiliar with plot trails, consider
skipping ahead and reading the introduction to them before reading
about trail navigation.

There are two methods for following your back trail. The simplest re­quires no menu commands at all, but provides no navigation information
during the trip, such as the time to your destination. The other requires
only three key strokes and provides a full range of navigation data. Try
both methods and see which you prefer. When hiking at walking speed,
we often just use visual back trailing because it is better at following each
little turn on a foot path. At faster speeds, whether cruising at 120 kts or
zipping down the highway, the Navigate Trail command is handy.

Visual Back Trailing

1. On the Map Page, zoom (ZIN or ZOUT) so your flashing trail is visible.

2. Begin moving and watch the Map Page (or Navigation Page, if you
prefer). Simply walk or steer so that your current position arrow traces
along the trail you have just made.

Navigate a Back Trail

1. Press MENU|MENU|↓ to MY TRAILS|ENT and a screen similar to the
one in the following image appears.

Trails Menu.

2. Press ↓ then use ↓ or ↑ to select a trail to navigate.

3. With the trail name highlighted, press

ENT|↓ to NAVIGATE|ENT.

55

4. Wait while AirMap creates a route from the trail. When the progress
message disappears, the unit displays a trail information screen, with
the

NAVIGATE command highlighted in the top command box.

Tip: Back Track a Trail

Simply running the Navigate command will lead you along the trail
from its starting point to its ending point — forward order. You can
also back track a trail, or follow it in reverse order (from its ending
point to its starting point.) You must first select the Reverse com­mand to reverse the trail point order before you start navigating:
press → to

REVERSE|ENT|← to NAVIGATE.

5. To follow the trail, press

ENT. The unit begins showing navigation

data along the trail. Follow the steering arrow on the Map Page or the
compass bearing arrow on the Navigation Page.

NOTE:

If you are at or near the start of the trail, the arrival alarm will go
off as soon as navigation begins because of your proximity to the
trail's first point. Just press

EXIT to clear the alarm.

6. Upon arrival at your destination, cancel navigation:
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to CANCEL NAVIGATION|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

Backtrack a Trail

See the "tip" paragraph in the previous entry, Navigate a Trail.

Routes

A route is a series of waypoints, linked together in an ordered sequence,
that's used to mark a course of travel. You can visualize a route as a
string of beads: The beads represent waypoints and the string repre­sents the course of travel connecting waypoint to waypoint.

The course from one waypoint to the next is a leg; routes are composed
of one or more legs. The legs of all GPS routes are based on straight
lines between waypoints.

A route provides the automatic capability to navigate through several
waypoints without having to reprogram the unit after arriving at each
waypoint. Once programmed into the GPS unit, a route provides the
option of navigating forward through the route waypoints or in reverse
order (you can even begin navigating in the middle of a route!)

Create and Save a Route

You have the option of creating a route in the unit, or on your computer
if you have purchased our MapCreate 6 software.

56

PC-created Routes

When you're making routes exclusively for use in Land Mode, MapCre­ate is the easiest method for preparing them, simply because your PC's
larger screen, keyboard and mouse are easier to manipulate than the
pocket-sized AirMap.

To load a MapCreate route into AirMap, follow instructions in MapCre­ate's manual for creating a route and saving it as part of a GPS Data File
(file format *.usr). Copy the GPS Data File to an MMC and insert the
MMC in AirMap. (See Sec. 2 for instructions on installing MMCs. To load
the GPS Data File into AirMap memory, see the entry on Transferring
GPS Data Files between AirMap and a Computer in this section.)

Routes Created in AirMap

If you plan on flying the route – or if you just want to make it quickly
without using a computer – you can create a route in the unit. You do
this by selecting existing waypoints from your waypoint list or the
Aviation Waypoints, or by making new route waypoints on the map
with cursor arrows and the Enter key.

Route Planning on Main Menu is shown left. Center, New Route command

on the Routes Menu. Right, Edit Route Menu with no waypoints in the

waypoint list.

Adding Aviation Waypoints is the most effective way to build a route for a
flight plan. To begin, press
Make sure

ENT again.

NEW ROUTE is selected at the top of the Routes Menu, and press

MENU|MENU|↓ to ROUTE PLANNING|ENT.

To begin making your route, press ↓ to highlight the first empty space
in the waypoint list. Pressing
lowing image. Select

ADD AVIATION WAYPOINT and press ENT.

ENT will bring up the menu in the fol-

57

Process for adding an Aviation Waypoint to a route. At left, Find By

menu appears after selecting Add Aviation Waypoint. Center, select the

desired waypoint from the list (notice the symbols at the left showing

the type of waypoint). At right, Waypoint Information screen with "Add

to Route" option selected.

Keep adding routes in this way until you have plotted your whole route.
Of course, you don't have to use just one method. You could add a hand­ful of Aviation Waypoints but in between place some waypoints from
the map, if you want to detour over a particular landmark. Or even in­clude personal waypoints in your route, if you'd like to fly over a
friend's house. Since you add one waypoint at a time, you can choose
the best way to enter each one.

For another example, we'll go through the process of creating a Land
Mode route using only the map option.

1. From the
press

MENU|MENU|↓ to ROUTE PLANNING|ENT.

2. Press

NAVIGATION PAGE, press MENU|ENT or from the MAP PAGE,

ENT|↓ to (ROUTE END)|ENT|↓ to ADD FROM MAP|ENT. The Map

Page appears with the cursor showing.

3. Use the Zoom keys and arrow keys to move the map and cursor until
the cursor is centered on the spot where you want your route to begin.
(If you are starting at your current position or the current cursor posi­tion, you are already at the starting spot.)

4. Set the first route waypoint: press

ENT. In this example we moved to

the intersection of 11th Street and 145th E. Ave. to start our route to a
public hunting area next to a river.

58

1. 2. 3.

Route creation sequence, from left: Fig. 1. Set route waypoint (1) at 11th

St. & 145th Ave. Fig. 2. Zoom in; move cursor north to set point (2) at 145th

& Admiral. Fig. 3. With point (2) set, move cursor east to mark interstate

on-ramp with waypoint (3). In figures 2 and 3, notice the rubber band line

extending from the previously set waypoint to the cursor. This line will

become the course for the route.

4.

5. 6.

Route creation sequence, continued: Fig. 4. Point (3) set at on-ramp turn.

Fig. 5. Waypoint (4) set at highway exit to frontage road leading to river.

Waypoint (5) ends the route at a tree stand in the hunting area.

Fig. 6. Press EXIT to save the route and you return to this screen.

5. Move the cursor to the next point in the route, a spot where you need
to turn or change direction, and press

ENT to set the next waypoint.

6. Repeat step five until the route reaches your destination.

7. To save your route, press

EXIT. AirMap reverts to the Route screen,

with the route automatically named "Route 1" and stored in AirMap's
internal memory.

8. You can edit the name if you wish. Press ↑ to select the screen's
command box, then press → to

EDIT NAME|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to change

the first character, then press → to move the cursor to the next charac­ter and repeat until the name is correct, then press

ENT.

59

9. You can execute other route commands, such as

NAVIGATE. With the

command box active, just press → to highlight a different command,
then press

ENT.

10. If you are finished with the route for now, you can r etu rn to the
last page displayed by pressing

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT.

Delete a Route

1. From the

NAVIGATION PAGE, press MENU|ENT or from the MAP PAGE

press MENU|MENU|↓ to ROUTE PLANNING|ENT.

2. Press ↓ to the route list|press ↓ or ↑ to select route name|

3. Press ← to

DELETE|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

ENT.

Save GPS Data Files to an MMC

1. Press MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|↓ to TRANSFER MY

DATA|ENT.

2. The Transfer My Data menu includes a message which tells you if an
MMC is present. If no MMC is present, you must first insert a card into
AirMap in order to activate the Save command.

3. To save data from AirMap to the MMC: press

ENT (for SAVE.)

4. To accept the default name "Data" for the GPS Data File, press ↓ to

SAVE|ENT. (If you wish to rename the file, press ENT to activate the se-

lection box. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character, then press → to
the next character and repeat until the name is correct. Then, press

ENT|↓ to SAVE|ENT.)

The unit will display first a progress then a completion message when
the data transfer is finished. To return to the Page view, press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT.

Searching

In this example, we'll look for the nearest hotel or motel. For more in-
formation on different types of searches, refer to Sec. 6, Searching.

NOTE:

This example requires the Point of Interest (POI) database included
with MapCreate 6. Always use a custom map if you want to be able
to search for Points of Interest.

After AirMap has acquired a position:

1. Press

FIND|↓ to MAP PLACES|ENT|↓ to POI-LODGING.

2. You could search the entire lodging category, but in this example we
will narrow our search. Press → to

HOTELS/MOTELS|ENT|ENT.

60

3. AirMap says it is calculating, then a list of hotels and motels ap­pears, with the closest at the top of the list, and the farthest at the bot­tom of the list. The nearest is highlighted.

Find Map Places Menu, left; Category Selection menu, center;

and list of the nearest motels, right.

4. If you wish, you could scroll ↑ or ↓ here to select another motel or
hotel, but for now we will just accept the nearest one. Press

ENT.

5. The POI information screen appears. (This is what makes AirMap
handy as a business phone directory!) If you wanted to navigate there,
you could press Enter, since the Go To command is highlighted. But we
just want to see it on the map, so press → to

FIND ON MAP|ENT.

POI information screen on hotel nearest this position.

Screen shows name, street address, phone number, latitude/longitude,

distance to the hotel and its compass bearing. Figure at left shows Go To

command; right figure shows Find On Map command.

6. AirMap's map appears, with the cross-hair cursor highlighting the
hotel's POI symbol. A pop-up name box identifies the POI. A data box
at the bottom of the screen continues to display the location's latitude
and longitude, distance and bearing.

61

Map screen showing Finding Waypoint, the result of a lodging search.

7. To clear the search and return to the last page displayed, press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT. Press EXIT one more time if you want to clear the cur-

sor and let the map return to the current or last known position. (Be­fore you completely exited out of the Search menus, you could have
gone looking for another place.)

Switch to Aviation Mode

To leave Land Mode and switch to Aviation Mode:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|↓ to ENABLE AIRMAP|ENT.

2. Unit asks, "Are you sure you want to turn on aviation mode?"

3. Press ←|

ENT and the unit switches to Aviation Mode.

Switch Back to Land Mode from Aviation Mode

To leave Aviation Mode and switch back to Land Mode:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|↓ to DISABLE AIRMAP|ENT.

2. Unit asks, "Are you sure you want to turn on land navigation mode?"

3. Press ←|

ENT and the unit switches to Land Mode.

Trails

A trail, or plot trail, is a string of position points plotted by AirMap as
you travel. It's a travel history, a record of the path you have taken.
Trails are useful for repeating a journey along the same track. They are
particularly handy when you are trying to retrace your trip and go back
the way you came.

AirMap lets you save up to 10 trails in its memory. Since you can copy
these trails to MMCs in the form of GPS Data Files (*.usr format), the
only true limit on the number of trails you can record is the number of
MMCs you can carry in your pockets.

(For various trail options, see the Trail Options entry in Sec. 5.)

62

Create and Save a Trail

AirMap is set at the factory to automatically create and record a trail
while the unit is turned on. It will continue recording the trail until the
length reaches the maximum trail point setting (default is 2,000, but
the unit can record trails 9,999 points long). When the point limit is
reached, AirMap begins recording the trail over itself.

To preserve a trail from point A to point B, you must :"turn off" the trail
by making it inactive before heading to point C or even back to point A.
When a trail is set inactive, AirMap automatically creates and begins
recording a new trail.

Delete a Trail

To erase or delete a trail: Press
trail name|

Edit a Trail Name

To edit a trail name: press
name|
to the next character and repeat until the name is correct. Press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT|EXIT to return to the previous page display.

ENT|↓ to DELETE TRAIL|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

ENT|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character, then press →

MENU|MENU|↓ to MY TRAILS|ENT|↓ to

MENU|MENU|↓ to MY TRAILS|ENT|↓ to trail

Transferring GPS Data Files
Between AirMap and a Computer

To copy GPS Data Files from AirMap's memory to an MMC, see the
entry in this section on Save GPS Data Files to an MMC.

To copy GPS Data Files from an MMC into AirMap's memory, see the
entry in this section on Load GPS Data Files From an MMC.

To copy GPS Data Files from an MMC to your computer, see the in­struction manual that came with your MapCreate 6 mapping software
or your MMC card reader.

Transferring and Loading Custom Maps
From Computer to AirMap

Custom maps work only from the MMC card or SDC card. When a
card containing a Custom Map File is loaded into the unit, AirMap
automatically loads the map into memory when the unit is turned on.
The AirMap Express and Atlantis models are sold with a high-detail
custom map already loaded on the unit's MMC.

Instructions for copying Custom Map Files to an MMC are contained in
the instruction manual for your MMC card reader and MapCreate 6
software. For instructions on inserting an MMC into AirMap, see Sec.
2, Installation/Accessories.

63

Utilities

Utilities are useful tools for traveling or for outdoor activities.

NOTE:

AirMap also includes a set of four Aviation-only utilities. These are
discussed in Sec. 3, Aviation Utilities.

Alarm Clock

To get to the alarm clock menu: press
to

ALARM CLOCK|ENT.

Sun/Moon Rise & Set Calculator

To get to the Sun/Moon menu: press

TIES

|ENT|ENT.

Trip Calculator

To get to the Calculator menu: press
to

TRIP CALCULATOR|ENT.

Trip Down Timer

To get to the Down Timer menu: press

|ENT|↓ to DOWN TIMER|ENT.

TIES

Trip UP Timer

To get to the Up Timer menu: press
to

UP TIMER|ENT.

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILITIES|ENT|↓

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILI-

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILITIES|ENT|↓

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILI-

MENU|MENU|↓ to UTILITIES|ENT|↓

Waypoints

A waypoint is simply an electronic "address," based on the latitude and
longitude of a position on the earth. A waypoint represents a location,
spot, or destination that can be stored in memory, then be recalled and
used later on for navigation purposes. Simply think of it as an elec­tronic address. You can create a waypoint at the cursor position on the
map, or at your current position while you are navigating.

Create a Waypoint

These techniques use the Quick Save method, the fastest and easiest
way to create a waypoint.

Create Waypoint on Map

1. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to the place where you want
to make a waypoint.

2. Press
name with a sequential number, such as "waypoint 001." The waypoint
symbol and number appear on the map.

ENT|ENT. The waypoint is saved and automatically given a

64

Create Waypoint at Current Position

While you are traveling, press ENT|ENT. The waypoint is saved and
automatically given a name with a sequential number, such as "way­point 002." The waypoint symbol and number appear on the map.

Create a Man Overboard Waypoint

This unit has a man overboard feature that shows navigation data to
the location where the feature was activated. To activate it, press the

ZOUT and ZIN keys at the same time. Your position at the time these

keys are pressed is used as the man overboard position. The unit auto­matically begins navigating to the MOB waypoint. For further details,
see the subject Navigating Back to a Man Overboard Waypoint earlier
in this section.

Selecting a Waypoint

To select a waypoint on the map (for navigating to, for editing, etc.,) use
the arrow keys and center the cursor over the waypoint. A highlighted
halo will appear around the waypoint.

Delete a Waypoint

To delete a waypoint: press
point name|
vious page, press

ENT|→ to DELETE|ENT|← to YES|ENT. To return to the pre-

EXIT|EXIT.

FIND|ENT|↓ to NAME|ENT|ENT|↓ to way-

Edit a Waypoint

Waypoint Name

To edit waypoint name: press FIND|ENT|↓ to NAME|ENT|ENT|↓ to way­point name|

previous page, press

Waypoint Symbol

ENT|→ to EDIT NAME|ENT|← to YES|ENT. To return to the

EXIT|EXIT.

To edit waypoint symbol: 1. press FIND|ENT|↓ to NAME|ENT|ENT|↓ to
waypoint name|
desired symbol and press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT.
Waypoint Position

ENT|→ to EDIT SYMBOL|ENT. 2. Use arrow keys to select

ENT. To return to the previous page, press

To edit waypoint position: 1. press FIND|ENT|↓ to NAME|ENT|ENT|↓ to
waypoint name|

2. Latitude: press

ENT|→ to EDIT POSITION|ENT.

ENT, then press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character,

then press → to the next character and repeat until the latitude is cor­rect. Press

3. Longitude: press ↓|

EXIT.

ENT, then press ↑ or ↓ to change the first charac-

ter, then press → to the next character and repeat until the latitude is
correct. Press

EXIT.

65

4. When latitude and longitude are correct, return to the previous page:
press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT|EXIT.

Waypoint Altitude

To edit waypoint altitude: 1. press FIND|ENT|↓ to NAME|ENT|ENT|↓ to
waypoint name|

ENT|→ to EDIT ALTITUDE|ENT.

2. Press

ENT, then press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character, then press

→ to the next character and repeat until the altitude is correct. Press

EXIT.

3. To return to the previous page: press

EXIT|EXIT|EXIT.

66

Section 5:

System & GPS Setup Options

Alarms

This unit has several GPS alarms. The factory default setting has all
the alarms turned on.

You can set an arrival alarm to flash a warning message and sound a
tone when you cross a preset distance from a waypoint. For example, if
you have the arrival alarm set to 0.1 mile, then the alarm will flash a
message when you come within 0.1 mile of the recalled waypoint.

The off course alarm warns you when your track drifts too far to the
right or left of the course line to the waypoint. For example, if the
alarm is set to 0.1 mile, then the alarm flashes a message if you drift

0.1 of a mile or more to the right or left of the line to the waypoint.

The anchor alarm is triggered when you drift outside of a preset radius.
Again, using the 0.1 mile as an example, if you're anchored and your
boat moves more than 0.1 of a mile, the alarm will flash a message and
sound a tone.

You can use the Alarm Menu to adjust distance settings or to turn
alarms off or on.

NOTE:

The AirMap also includes several Aviation Alarms, which are only
available when the unit is in Air Mode. For detailed descriptions of
the Aviation Alarms, see the following entry.

Alarms command, left; Alarm menu, right.

To change alarm settings:

1. Press

2. Scroll ↓ or ↑ to select the desired category, then press

MENU|MENU|↓ to ALARMS|ENT.

67

ENT.

3. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character, then press → to the next
character and repeat until the distance is correct.

4. To return to the last page displayed, press

EXIT|EXIT.

IMPORTANT ALARM NOTES:

Anchor Alarm – The anchor alarm may be triggered even when
you're sitting still. This typically happens when using small (less
than 0.05 mile) anchor alarm ranges.

Arrival Alarm - If you set the arrival alarm's distance to a small
number and you run a route (see the Navigate Routes segment),
this unit may not show navigation data to the next waypoint, once
you arrive at the first one, since you may not be able to come close
enough to the first waypoint to trip the arrival alarm.

Aviation Alarms

This unit has three airspace alarms that are triggered by any airspace
that it’s capable of showing. The alarms are three-dimensional in nature;
that is, they are triggered by both horizontal distance and altitude.

The Time Alarm is a "look-ahead" alarm that (based on your current
speed and track) sounds an alarm 10 minutes before you reach an air­space. The Near Alarm sounds when you are within one nautical mile
of an airspace. Finally, the Inside Alarm sounds to let you know you
have entered an airspace.

All of these alarms can be turned on or off using the Aviation Alarms
menu. The limits that trigger them are adjustable from this menu as well.

Aviation Alarms menu, left; a Time Alarm showing arrival at

DFW International Airport in 10 minutes, right.

To change any of these settings while in Aviation Mode:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to AVIATION ALARMS|ENT.

68

2. Scroll ↓ or ↑ to select the desired category, then press

ENT.

3. In number boxes, press ↑ or ↓ to change the first character, then press
→ to the next character and repeat until the distance or time is correct.

4. To return to the last page displayed, press

EXIT|EXIT.

Auto Satellite Search

To lock onto the satellites, the GPS receiver needs to know its current
position, UTC time and date. (Elevation (altitude) is also used in the
equation, but it's rarely required to determine a position.) It needs this
data so that it can calculate which satellites should be in view. It then
searches for only those satellites.

When your GPS receiver is turned on for the first time, it doesn't know
what your position or elevation (altitude) is. The unit begins searching
for the satellites using data that it acquired the last time it was turned
on. This was probably at the factory. Since it's almost certain that
you're not at our factory, it's probably looking for the wrong satellites.

If it doesn't find the satellites it's looking for after a short time, it
switches to Auto Search. The receiver looks for any satellite in the sky.
Due to advanced technology, the auto search time has shrunk signifi­cantly from the early days of GPS.

Once the unit locks onto the satellites, it should take less than a minute to
find your position the next time it's turned on, provided you haven't moved
more than approximately 100 miles from the last location it was used.

Satellite Status Menu.

You can force the unit to immediately kick into auto search mode.
Here's how:

1. Press

2. Press

PAGES until you are on the "Satellites" screen.
MENU|↓ to GPS AUTO SEARCH|ENT then ← to YES|ENT.

Check MMC Files and Storage Space

To check MMC Files:

69

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to BROWSE MMC FILES|ENT.

Main Menu, left, MMC File Browser, center & right.

Com Port Configuration

AirMap has one NMEA 0183 version 2.0 compatible communication
ports, or com port for short. The Com Port Menu, which is accessed from
the System Setup Menu, allows you to configure the communications
port to send data to another electronic device, such as an autopilot.

Menus for changing Com Port settings.

For connectors and wiring information for another device, consult the
factory; phone numbers are in the back of this manual. To set Com Port
Configuration:

1. Press

2. Press ↓ to

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT.

COM PORT|ENT.

Coordinate System Selection

The Coordinate System Menu lets you select the coordinate system to
use when displaying and entering position coordinates.

70

Menus for changing coordinate system used to display positions.

To get to Coordinate System Selection:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT.

2. Press ↓ to

COORD SYSTEM|ENT.

This unit can show a position in degrees (36.14952°); degrees, minutes
and thousandths of a minute (36° 28.700'); or degrees, minutes, seconds
and tenths of a second (36° 28' 40.9"). It can also show position in: UTM
(Universal Transverse Mercator) projection; MGRS (Standard); MGRS
(Standard + 10); Map Fix; Loran TD; British, Irish, Finnish, German,
New Zealand, Swedish, Swiss, Taiwan and Military grids.

UTM's are marked on USGS topographic charts. This system divides
the Earth into 60 zones, each 6 degrees wide in longitude.

British, Irish, Finnish, German, New Zealand, Swedish, Swiss and
Taiwan grid systems are the national coordinate system used only in
their respective countries. In order to use these grid systems, you must
be in the respective country. This unit will pick the matching datum for
you when you select the grid. See the entry on Map Datum Selection for
more information.

The military grid reference system (MGRS) uses two grid lettering
schemes, which are referred to as standard and alternate MGRS on this
unit. Your position and datum in use determines which one to use. If
you use standard, and your position is off significantly, then try the al­ternate.

NOTE: When the position format is changed, it affects the way all posi­tions are shown on all screens. This includes waypoints.

To select a coordinate system:
To change the coordinate system, press

ENT while COORDINATE SYSTEM is

highlighted. Press the ↑ or ↓ arrow keys to highlight the desired for­mat. Press

ENT to select it. Press EXIT to erase the menus.

71

To setup Loran TD:

NOTE:

If the Loran TD conversion is chosen, you must enter the local Lo­ran chain identification for the master and slaves. Do this by se­lecting "Setup Loran TD" at the bottom of the "Coordinate System"
menu and select the ID. Press

Configure Loran TD menu.

EXIT to erase this menu.

Map Fix

Map Fix is used with charts or maps. This system asks for a reference
position in latitude/longitude, which you take from a marked location
on the map. It then shows the present position as distance on the map
from that reference point.

For example, if it shows a distance of UP 4.00" and LEFT 0.50", you
then measure up four inches and to the left a half-inch from the refer­ence point on the map to find your location.

To configure a map fix:

To use this format, you need to follow these steps in order. First, take
your map of the area and determine a reference latitude/longitude.
(Note: in order for this system to work, the latitude/longitude lines must
be parallel with the edge of the map. USGS maps are parallel, others
may not be. Also, this works better with smaller scale maps.) The refer­ence position can be anywhere on the map, but the closer it is to your
location, the smaller the numbers will be that you'll have to deal with.

Once you've decided on a reference position, you can save it as a waypoint.
See the waypoint section for information on saving a waypoint. Save the
reference position as a waypoint. Exit from the waypoint screens.

Now press

|ENT|↓ to SETUP MAP FIX|ENT. The following left screen appears, and

TEM

MAP SCALE is highlighted. Press ENT and enter the map's scale. This is

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT|↓ to COORDINATE SYS-

generally at the bottom of the paper map. It's shown as a ratio, for ex-

72

ample 1:24000. Press

EXIT and the unit returns to the Configure Map

Fix screen.

Configure a map fix so AirMap can find your position on a printed

chart, sectional or topographical map.

Press ↓ to SELECT ORIGIN|ENT|ENT (MY WAYPOINTS) if you saved the refer­ence point as a waypoint. Select the waypoint that you saved the refer­ence point under and press
tion screen with the command
unit returns to the Configure Map Fix menu. Finally, press
erase this menu. Now press ↑ to
the list and press

ENT. All position information now shows as a distance

ENT. The unit displays a waypoint informa-

SET AS ORIGIN selected; press ENT and the

EXIT to

COORD SYSTEM|ENT, select MAP FIX from

from the reference point you chose.

Customize Page Displays

The Position, Navigation, and Map pages all have customizable options.
These options decide which information is viewable on each page.

Customize Position Page

While on the Position Page press
↑ to select a display option. With the option highlighted, press

MENU|↓ to CUSTOMIZE|ENT. Press ↓ or

ENT to

check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off.) After all options are set,
press

EXIT to return to the page display.

Customize Navigation Page

While on the Navigation Page press
or ↑ to select a display option. With the option highlighted, press

MENU|↓ to CUSTOMIZE|ENT. Press ↓

ENT to

check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off.) After all options are set,
press

EXIT to return to the page display.

Customize Map Page

While on the Map Page press
select a display option. With the option highlighted, press

MENU|↓ to CUSTOMIZE|ENT. Press ↓ or ↑ to

ENT to check

it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off.) After all options are set, press

EXIT to return to the page display.

73

GPS Simulator

The GPS simulator lets you use the unit as if you were outdoors navi­gating somewhere. You can set the starting location in lati­tude/longitude (Starting Position) or from a stored waypoint location
(Select Starting Waypoint). You can steer your position on the map by
using the arrow keys (Steer With Arrows) or by setting the track and
speed in the boxes provided on simulator screen.

To get to the GPS Simulator:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT.

2. Press ↓ to

GPS SIMULATOR|ENT.

Make the desired settings, then turn the simulator on by highlighting
the

SIMULATOR ON box and pressing the ENT key. Press EXIT to erase this

menu. A message appears periodically, warning you that the simulator is
on. Repeat the above steps or turn the unit off to turn the simulator off.

GPS Setup Menu, left, GPS Simulator Menu, right.

Map Auto Zoom

This receiver has an auto zoom feature that eliminates much of the but­ton pushing that other brands of GPS receivers force you to make. It
works in conjunction with the navigation features.

First, start navigation to a waypoint. (See the waypoint section for
more information on navigating to a waypoint.) Then, with the auto
zoom mode on, the unit zooms out until the entire course shows, from
the present position to the destination waypoint. As you travel toward
the destination, the unit automatically begins zooming in — one zoom
range at a time — always keeping the destination on the screen.

To turn this feature on, from the

ZOOM|ENT. Repeat these steps to turn it off.

MAP PAGE, press MENU|↓ to AUTO

74

Map Data

This menu lets you turn the map off, if desired, which turns the map
screen into a GPS plotter; turn off or on the pop-up map info boxes;
draw the map boundaries or boxes around the areas of detail; or fill
land areas with gray. You can also turn on or off Map Overlays, which
display latitude and longitude grid lines or range rings on the map.
This menu lets you select Navionics Maps; for instructions, see the
Navionics Charts entry in this section.

To get to Map Data:

1. From the Map Page, press

Map Menu, left, Map Data Menu, right.

Show Map Data

Press

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT. Press ENT to adjust the level of detail

using

EARTH MAP DETAIL. After the option is set, press EXIT to return to

the page display.

NOTE:

In Aviation Mode, turning
map information from the map display, but the aviation map re­mains. You can also select other degrees of detail, from Low to
High. This is a good way to quickly control clutter if you need to fo­cus on just the air map.

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT.

EARTH MAP DETAIL to Off will clear all land

Pop-up Map Info

Press

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT. Press ↓ to POPUP MAP INFO. With the op-

tion highlighted, press
off). After the option is set, press

ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn

EXIT to return to the page display.

Map Boundaries

Press
option highlighted, press
off). After the option is set, press

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT. Press ↓ to MAP BOUNDARIES. With the

ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn

EXIT to return to the page display.

75

Fill Land Gray

Press

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT. Press ↓ to FILL LAND GRAY. With the op-

tion highlighted, press
off). After the option is set, press

ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn

EXIT to return to the page display.

Map Overlays (Range Rings; Lat/Long Grid)

The map screen can be customized with rings that are 1/2 and 1/4 of the
zoom range and/or grids that divide the plotter into equal segments of
latitude and longitude.

To set range rings: Press

RINGS. With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn on) and

uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set, press

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT. Press ↓ to RANGE

EXIT to return to the

page display.

To set Lat/Lon Grid: Press

LAT/LON GRID. With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn

on) and uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set, press

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT. Press ↓ to

EXIT to re-

turn to the page display.

Map Datum Selection

Maps and charts are based on a survey of the area that's covered by the
map or chart. These surveys are called "Datums." Maps that are cre­ated using different datums will show the same latitude/longitude in
slightly different locations.

All datums are named. The GPS system is based on the WGS-84 da­tum, which covers the entire world. Other datums may also cover the
entire world, or just a small portion of it. By default, your position
shows using the WGS-84 datum. However, it can show your position
using one of 191 different datums.

To change the datum:

1. Press

2. Scroll ↓ or ↑ to select the desired datum, then press

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT|↓ to MAP DATUM|ENT.

ENT.

3. To return to the last page displayed, press

EXIT|EXIT.

A list of the datums used by this unit is in the back of this manual.

76

GPS Setup Menu, left, Map Datum Menu, right.

Map Detail Category Selection

This menu determines which of the mapping features are shown on the
screen. This includes, waypoints, trails, icons, cities, highways, etc. You
can selectively turn on or off any of these items, customizing the map to
your needs.

To get to Map Categories:

1. Press

2. Press ↑ or ↓ to select a category or subcategory. Press
off (no check) or on (checked). You can also press ← or → to select sub-
categories, so you could turn off all Rural and Minor Roads to reduce
clutter, but leave on Major City Roads for landmarks.

3. To return to the last page displayed, press

MENU|↓ to MAP CATEGORIES DRAWN|ENT.

ENT to turn it

EXIT|EXIT.

Map Menu, left, Map Categories Menu, right.

Map Orientation

From the MAP PAGE, press MENU|↓ to MAP ORIENTATION|ENT. Press ↓ or ↑
to select an orientation option. With the option highlighted, press
to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set,
press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

77

ENT

Map Menu, left, Map Orientation window with

the North Up map orientation option selected.

By default, this receiver shows the map with north always at the top of
the screen. This is the way most maps and charts are printed on paper.
This is fine if you're always traveling due north. What you see to your
left corresponds to the left side of the map, to your right is shown on
the right side of the map, and so on. However, if you travel any other
direction, the map doesn't line up with your view of the world.

To correct this problem, a track-up mode rotates the map as you turn.
Thus, what you see on the left side of the screen should always be to
your left, and so on. Another option is course-up mode, which keeps the
map at the same orientation as the initial bearing to the waypoint.
When either the track-up or course-up mode is on, an "N" shows on the
map screen to help you see which direction is north .

To select the desired mode, first press the

ORIENTATION, then select the desired mode. Press the EXIT key to erase

MENU key, then select MAP

this menu.

Navionics Charts

Your AirMap can display Navionics electronic charts on MMCs. They
work just like a MapCreate custom map on an MMC.

To display a Navionics chart:

1. Install the Navionics MMC in the memory card compartment and
turn on the unit. (For full card install instructions, see Sec. 2.)

WARNING:

You should never format the MMC containing your
Navionics chart. Formatting the MMC will permanently
erase the chart from the card.

2. From the Map Page, press

CHOICE|ENT. Use ↑ or ↓ to select the Map Name, then press
ENT|EXIT|EXIT.

MENU|↓ to MAP DATA|ENT|↓ to MAP

78

icons

These figures show menu sequence (from left to right) for selecting a

Navionics chart for the South Chesapeake Bay area.

3. To turn off a Navionics chart, From the Map Page, press MENU|↓ to

MAP DATA|ENT|↓ to MAP CHOICE|ENT. Use ↑ or ↓ to select LOWRANCE, then

press

ENT|EXIT|EXIT.

Port Information

Navionics charts contain Port Services information, represented by anchor
icons on the map display. An example is displayed in the following figure.

To view Port Services information:

1. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor over a Port Services icon.
When selected, a pop-up name box appears.

2. Press

FIND|ENT to display the Port Services Information screen.

The Port Services information screen has two windows. The top window
lists the various service categories. The lower window lists the detailed
services available in each basic category.

Cursor lines

Pop-up
name box

Navionics chart showing Port Services icon selected by cursor.

Port Services

3. To scroll through the Service Categories window: press ENT then use
↑ or ↓ to see the types of services available. As you highlight a different
category, the list in the lower window changes. To return to the Map
Page, press

EXIT|EXIT.

79

4. The Repair Services category includes a long list of items in the De-

mode

tailed Services window. To scroll through the Detailed Services window:
from

SERVICE CATEGORIES, press ↓ to DETAILED SERVICES|ENT, then use ↑ or

↓ to read the list of available services. To return to the Map Page, press

EXIT|EXIT. To return to the top service category window, press ENT|↑.

Port Services information screens.

Tidal Current Information

Navionics charts contain Tidal Current information,
represented at large zoom ranges by a box icon with

the letter "C." The icon stands for a Tidal Current

Station location. An example is displayed at right.

When you zoom in to a sufficiently small zoom range, the icon itself be­comes an animated arrow showing tidal current velocity and direction
for the selected tidal station at the present time. At larger zoom ranges,

you can select the boxed "C" icon and it becomes an animated arrow

with a pop-up name box. An example is displayed in the following figure.

To view Tidal Current information:

1. Use the arrow keys to move the cursor over a Tidal Current Station
icon. When selected, a pop-up name box appears.

Tidal Current
Station icon
in animated

Pop-up
name box

Cursor lines

Navionics chart showing Tidal Current Station icon selected by cur-

sor. In this example, the current is flowing to the west at 0.2 kn.

80

2. Press FIND|ENT to display the Tidal Current Information screen.

Current Information screen.

The Tidal Current Information screen displays daily tidal current data
for this station on this date at the present time. The graph at the top of
the screen is an approximate view of the flood and ebb pattern for the
day, from midnight (MN), to noon (NN) to midnight (MN). The velocity
scale at the top left side of the graph changes dynamically based upon
the maximum velocity of the current for that day.

Slack water, the period of little or no current, is represented by the
Slack Water Line (SWL). The flood appears above the SWL and the ebb
appears below the SWL.

You can look up tidal current data for other dates by changing the
month, day and year selection boxes. To select another date:

1. Use → and ← to highlight month, day or year, then press

2. Use ↑ and ↓ to select the desired month, day or year, then press

To clear the information screen, press

EXIT.

ENT.

ENT.

Tide Information

Navionics charts contain Tidal Information, repre­sented at large zoom ranges by a box icon with the

letter "T." The icon stands for a Tidal Station location.

An example is displayed at right.

When you zoom in to a sufficiently small zoom range, the icon itself be­comes an animated gauge showing a rising or falling tidal height for the
selected station at the present time. At larger zoom ranges, you can se-

lect the boxed "T" icon and it becomes an animated gauge with a pop-up

name box. An example is displayed in the following figure.

To view tide information:

1. Select a Tide Station icon: use the arrow keys to move the cursor over
an icon. When it is selected, a pop-up name box appears.

81

2. After selecting the Tide Station icon, press

FIND|ENT to display the

Tide Information screen.

Cursor line

Pop-up
name box

Navionics chart showing Tide Station icon selected by cursor.

In the example above, the tide is at 1.5 feet and rising,

as shown by the up arrow at the top of the icon.

Tide Station
icon

Tide Information screen.

The Tide Information screen displays daily tidal data for this station on
this date at the present time. The graph at the top of the screen is an
approximate view of the tidal range pattern for the day, from midnight
(MN), to noon (NN) to midnight (MN). The dotted line across the graph
is the Mean Lower Low Water line (MLLW).

The height scale on the top right side of the graph changes, based upon
the maximum range of the tide for that day. The MLLW line also ad-
justs its position as the height scale changes.

You can look up tidal data for other dates by changing the month, day
and year selection boxes. To select another date:

1. Use → and ← to highlight month, day or year, then press

2. Use ↑ and ↓ to select the desired month, day or year, then press

To clear the information screen, press

EXIT.

ENT.

ENT.

82

Pop-up Help

Help is available for virtually all of the menu labels on this unit. By
highlighting a menu item and leaving it highlighted for a few seconds, a
"pop-up" message appears that describes the function of the menu item.
This feature is on by default.

To set up Popup Help: Press
to

POPUP HELP. With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it (turn

on) and uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set, press

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|↓

EXIT|EXIT to

return to the page display.

This example shows the Pop-up Help message for the Route Planning

command, located on the Main Menu.

Power Saving

AirMap contains a battery capacity indicator, and will also flash low
battery warning messages when battery power declines to a certain
level. When plugged into the DC cigarette lighter adapter, the power
indicator displays the "External Power" message.

Battery capacity shown in the Power box at bottom of Satellite Page.

Figure at left shows full power with fresh batteries. At right, batteries

show approximately 25 percent of their power is left.

The power save feature conserves battery power by changing the position
update rate. We recommend you test the power save feature in known sur­roundings and determine its capabilities before venturing into unknown

83

territory. Experiment with modest settings, such as 1 second update
(300ms) or 1 second update (200ms) and see if accuracy is adequate for you.

WARNING:

Full power settings will always give you the best, most accurate
performance with AirMap. Power save functions can extend battery
life, but aggressive power saving settings can reduce GPS accuracy,
particularly in demanding situations when signal availability is
less than ideal. It is up to you to decide if position accuracy or bat­tery consumption is the most important consideration for a par­ticular navigation situation.

In potentially risky navigation situations, we suggest you consider the
standard operating procedure of professional cave explorers, who never
enter an undeveloped cave with fewer than three sources of light (a
main light and two backups.) Even if you do carry a couple of spare sets
of batteries, remember: a prudent navigator never depends on only one
source of navigation information. A good map and compass are impor­tant companions for you and your AirMap.

To access the Power saving feature:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT|↓ to POWER SAVING|ENT.

2. Press → or ← to move the slider bar. The left end of the scale is
minimum power saving (full battery power); the right end of the scale is
maximum power saving (minimum battery power.)

3. To return to the last page displayed, press

EXIT|EXIT.

Power Saving command, left; and Power Save menu, right.

Stop GPS Engine

There is another function that will help preserve battery life when
practicing with the unit indoors. Most of the time, the unit will not be
able to find a satellite (unless you are practicing by a large window!)
After a few moments of unfruitful scanning, AirMap will ask you if it
should stop searching for satellites or continue searching. When this

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message appears, the
off the GPS engine and save power, press

STOP SEARCHING command is highlighted. To turn

ENT.

Use Indoors

If you don't want to wait for AirMap to prompt you to switch to the in­side setting, you can manually switch to indoor operation:

1. Press

2. To return to the last page displayed, press

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT|↓ to USE INDOORS|ENT.

EXIT|EXIT.

3. You can return to this command and press

ENT again to turn the fea-

ture off, or just turn the unit off and back on again. AirMap will auto­matically resume searching for satellites.

Use Indoors selection box on GPS Setup Menu. With the box selected

as in this figure, the GPS engine is turned off to save power.

Reset Options

To reset all features to their factory defaults:

1. Press
to

NOTE:

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|↓ to RESET OPTIONS|ENT|←

YES|ENT.

Reset Options does not erase any waypoints, routes, icons or plot trails.

Reset Options command, left, and the Reset Options Menu, right.

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Require DGPS

You can force AirMap to require DGPS for reporting a valid position.
(The default setting, off, uses DGPS automatically, but doesn't require
it to yield a position.) Here's how to turn it on and off.

1. Press

2. To return to the last page displayed, press

3. You can return to this command and press

MENU|MENU|↓ to GPS SETUP|ENT|↓ to REQUIRE DGPS|ENT.

EXIT|EXIT.

ENT again to turn the fea-

ture off.

Require DGPS command on the GPS Setup Menu.

Screen Contrast and Brightness

To access these screen commands, you first press MENU|MENU|ENT.

Once in the Screen menu:

To adjust the display's contrast:

1. The
bar. The left end of the scale is minimum contrast; the right end is
maximum contrast. Adjust the screen so that you see white, black & 2
shades of gray at the top of the screen.

CONTRAST slider bar is already selected. Press → or ← to move the

Screen Command, left, and Contrast bar, right.

To adjust the display's brightness:

1. Press ↓ to

BRIGHTNESS. Press → or ← to move the bar. The left end of

the scale is minimum backlight brightness; the right end is maximum
backlight brightness.

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Screen Command, left, and Contrast bar, right.

To adjust the screen's display mode:

1. Press ↓ to

DISPLAY MODE|ENT|press ↑ or ↓ to select mode|EXIT.

Display Mode menu.

To adjust the display's back light delay options:

1. Press ↓ to

LIGHT DELAY|ENT|press ↑ or ↓ to select mode|EXIT.

2. To leave the screen settings and return to the last page displayed,
press

EXIT|EXIT.

Light Delay menu. Setting shown is "continuous." The backlight time

will automatically change to "continuous" when the unit is attached to

an external power source.

Set Local Time

The local time and date are saved when a waypoint is created. Begin by
pressing

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|↓ to SET LOCAL TIME|ENT.

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Set Local Time Command: left, Main Menu; center System Setup menu.

At right, the Time Settings menu.

Once in the Time Settings menu:

To set Local Time: Press ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first charac-
ter, then press → to move the cursor to the next character. Repeat until
the time is correct, then press

To set the Month: Press ↓ to
month, then press

ENT.

To set the Day: Press ↓ to
then press

ENT.

To set the Year: Press ↓ to
then press

ENT.

ENT.

MONTH|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to select the

DAY|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to select the day,

YEAR|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to select the year,

Adjusting the time, left, Adjusting the month, right.

The last field in this menu is CONFIG DST. This feature allows your unit
to automatically adjust with the time change caused by Daylight Sav­ing Time (you should only have to set it once). You may select which set
of rules matches DST in your region, or simply accept the default.

Once you have each field set the way you want, press

EXIT repeatedly

until you return to the previous page.

Software Version Information

From time to time, Lowrance updates the operating system software in
some of its products. These software upgrades are usually offered to

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customers as free downloads from our web site, www.lowrance.com.
These upgrades make the unit perform better or introduce a new fea­ture or function. You can find out what software version is running in
your AirMap by using the Software Info command.

System Setup menu with Software Info command selected, left.

At right, the Software Info screen.

1. Press MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|↓ to SOFTWARE INFO|ENT.

2. Read the information displayed on the screen.

3. To return to the previous page, press

EXIT|EXIT.

Sounds and Alarm Sound Styles

Sounds triggered by key strokes and alarms can be adjusted.

To access the Sounds menu, press

At left, Main Menu with Sounds command selected.

At right, the Sounds menu.

Once in the Sounds menu:

To set Key Sounds: With the option highlighted, press ENT to check it
(turn on) and uncheck it (turn off). After the option is set, press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

To set Alarm Sounds: Press ↓ to
lighted, press
the option is set, press

ENT to check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off). After

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

MENU|MENU|↓ to SOUNDS|ENT.

ALARM SOUNDS. With the option high-

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To set Alarm Style: Press ↓ to ALARM STYLE|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to change

the style, then press

ENT. After the option is set, press EXIT|EXIT to re-

turn to the page display.

Track Smoothing

This is a factory setting that should always be left on. When stopped or
traveling at slow speeds (such as walking or trolling), Track Smoothing
prevents wandering of trails, the steering arrow, compass rose and a
map in track-up mode.

Track Smoothing option, turned on.

Trail Options

There are several options you can use with trails. Some affect all trails,
other options can be applied to a particular trail. You can change the
way trails are updated, you can display or hide trails, make them flash
on the screen or not flash, create a new trail, delete a trail, etc.

General Trail Options

To access the Trails Menu:

1. Press

MENU|MENU|↓ to MY TRAILS|ENT|ENT.

Main Menu, left, Trails Menu, center, Trail Options, right.

Delete All Trails

To remove all of the trails from memory: from the Trails Menu, press →
to

DELETE ALL|ENT|← to YES|ENT.

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Flash Trails on Screen Option

Press ↓ to

FLASH TRAILS. With the option highlighted, press ENT to check

it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off).

Trail Options menu: Flash Trails.

Update Trail Option

This menu lets you change the way the trail updates occur.

Trail Options menu.

WARNING:

If you uncheck the Update Trail option, automatic trail creation and
recording will be turned off, and you must turn it back on to record
trails. The default setting is on.

Press ↓ or ↑ to

UPDATE TRAILS. With the option highlighted, press ENT to

check it (turn on) and uncheck it (turn off).

Update Trail Criteria (Auto, Time, Distance)

The options are automatic, time, or distance. When it's in the default
automatic mode, the unit doesn't update the plot trail while you're
traveling in a straight line. Once you deviate from a straight line, the
unit "drops" a plot point (trail waypoint) onto the trail. This conserves
plot trail points. If a plot trail uses all of the available points allotted to
it, the beginning points are taken away and placed at the end of the trail.

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Trail Options menu.

Press ↓ to UPDATE CRITERIA|ENT|press ↓ or ↑ to select criteria type|ENT.

Trail Update Rate (Time, Distance)

You can update a trail by time, with a range from 1 second to 9999 sec­onds; the default is 3 seconds. You can update by distance, with a range
from 0.01 miles/nm/km to 9.99 miles/nm/km; the default is 0.10 miles.

With Update Criteria selected, press ↓ to either the rate or distance
data entry boxes and press

ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the first charac-

ter, then press → to the next character and repeat until the entry is
correct. Press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the Trail Options Menu.

Trail Options menu.

Specific Trail Options

New Trail

To manually start a new trail or delete a trail: From the Trail Options
Menu, press → to

NEW TRAIL|ENT. The trail menu appears as seen below:

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Trail menu.

The name, maximum number of points in the trail, activity, and visi­bility are all changed on this screen. The Active setting determines
whether or not AirMap is recording new points for a particular trail.

Press ↓ or ↑ to highlight the section you wish to change, then press

ENT. Press EXIT to erase this menu.

Units of Measure

This menu (shown below) sets the speed and distance (statute, nautical
miles, meters), depth (feet, fathoms, or meters), temperature (degrees
Fahrenheit or Celsius) and heading (true or magnetic) units. To change
the units, you first press

System Setup menu, left, Units of Measure Menu, right.

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT|ENT.

To set Speed/Distance Unit of Measure: Press ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to
change the Speed/Distance, then press
press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

To set Heading: Press ↓ to
heading, then press

ENT. After the option is set, press EXIT|EXIT to re-

HEADING|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to change the

ENT. After the option is set,

turn to the page display.

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To set Time Format: Press ↓ to
change the time format, then press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

TIME FORMAT|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to
ENT. After the option is set, press

To set Date Format: Press ↓ to
change the date format, then press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

DATE FORMAT|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓ to

ENT. After the option is set, press

Obstruction Mode determines how AirMap displays the height of ob­structions on the Map Page. If you change it to AGL (Above Ground
Level), then the Map Page will show an obstruction's height above the
surrounding terrain. If you set it on MSL (Mean Sea Level), the Map
Page will show the obstruction's altitude above sea level. Note that this
setting affects only the height of obstructions displayed on the Map Page.

To set Obstruction Mode: Press ↓ to
to change the mode, then press

EXIT|EXIT to return to the page display.

OBSTRUCTION MODE|ENT. Press ↑ or ↓

ENT. After the option is set, press

Set Language

This unit's menus are available in 10 languages: English, French, Ger­man, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Dutch and Finnish.
To select a different language:

1. Press

2. Press ↓ to

3. Use ↓ or ↑ to select a different language and press
now appear in the language you selected.

MENU|MENU|↓ to SYSTEM SETUP|ENT.

SET LANGUAGE…|ENT.

ENT. All menus

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