Garmin Pilot issues

[Htwjr]

Garmin Pilot won't display vfr or low altitude ifr charts at altitude.  I have Garmin Pilot on my ipad and iphone and have used it for a couple of years without an external antenna but when I would get above 5000' or so the charts would not display good.  I thought it was because it was too high to get a good cell signal.  I recently bought a GDL 39 3D antenna thinking it would solve the problem but today I flew from SC to St Petersburg, Fl at 8000' and it still would not display the charts properly.  The antenna seemed to work good for weather, traffic and attitude but the IFR low altitude chart was spotty on both the ipad and phone.  Has anyone else had this problem?  Does the chart detail only come from cell signal?  Thanks

 

[Godfather]

Not a Garmin pilot user but you should be able to download all the charts / maps before you leave home. Not sure what setting you need to change on your unit. 

[smccray]

It works on my iPad and my iPhone. The gdl39 is a non-factor- I've been able to use the charts disconnected from the cell network both with and without being connected to the gdl39.

I agree with Godfather- double check that you have the charts downloaded to the devices. The spotty chart coverage sounds like garmin pilot was displaying cached charts, not downloaded charts.

[Rmag]

29 minutes ago, Htwjr said:

Garmin Pilot won't display vfr or low altitude ifr charts at altitude.  I have Garmin Pilot on my ipad and iphone and have used it for a couple of years without an external antenna but when I would get above 5000' or so the charts would not display good.  I thought it was because it was too high to get a good cell signal.  I recently bought a GDL 39 3D antenna thinking it would solve the problem but today I flew from SC to St Petersburg, Fl at 8000' and it still would not display the charts properly.  The antenna seemed to work good for weather, traffic and attitude but the IFR low altitude chart was spotty on both the ipad and phone.  Has anyone else had this problem?  Does the chart detail only come from cell signal?  Thanks

 

Go to Home, Downloads, Garmin Pilot Downloads, US VFR Sectionals, CONUS, select from the map which ones you want to download.

Go to Home, Downloads, Garmin Pilot Downloads, IFR Enroute Low Charts, U.S. IFR Enroute Low Charts, CONUS, select from the map which ones you want to download.

[kortopates]

Like all iPad/android pilot apps, Garmin Pilot works by pre-downloading all maps, charts, including documents like AFD info onto the storage on your iPad or iPhone. So as said above, you need to download coverage for all areas you plan to fly before you intend to use in flight. So go to the Downloads section and select all the areas you need or intend to fly in. Your GDL 39 is only providing you with GPS position information to show your position on the downloaded maps/charts (and of course ADS-B weather and traffic). In fact, using your GDL 39 you can turn off the cellular  portion of your ipad/iphone by putting it in Airplane mode to save battery if you'd like; and just keep bluetooth on to interface with the GDL 39..

[Piloto]

Never had a problem displaying the charts at altitude (above 10,000ft) but I do the flight planning and weather checking on the ground. I have the Garmin Pilot on a Samsung S7 attached to the pilot visor with Velcro. This helps on getting weather above 10,000ft via the cell phone towers.

José

[flyboy0681]

Pilot does not need a cell signal to work at altitude, if it did it would be useless. Like others have said here, charts need to be downloaded when there is a connection. A new feature allows automatic, behind the scenes downloads as they become available.

[Bob_Belville]

Since adding a FS510 to my GTN 750 I've kept all the data files automatically updated from Fly.Garmin onto Garmin Pilot on both an Android phone and a tablet. When the 28 day cycle comes around the data files, including charts, transfer from one of the Android devices to the GTN. When I fly the charts et al are resident on 4 devices, the GTN, phone, tablet and a portable GPS 696. Real time info - weather, traffic etc - is continually updated to the GTN and via Bluetooth/wifi to the phone and tablet. IOW, no cellular connection required.

[carusoam]

Bob,

Do you approve the transfer?  Like before heading out on a long flight, I might not want to have any changes before going...

Or have I just step into the old man category again?

Best regards,

-a-

[ArtVandelay]

Pilot does not need a cell signal to work at altitude, if it did it would be useless.

I'm not sure that is true, when I fly with poor or no cell coverage, GP is sluggish responding, if I tap on a airport it sits there for spinning and will respond after a while (15 secs to several minutes).

[Bob_Belville]

8 hours ago, carusoam said:

Bob,

Do you approve the transfer?  Like before heading out on a long flight, I might not want to have any changes before going...

Or have I just step into the old man category again?

Best regards,

-a-

Yes, when the Bluetooth connection is made the 750 advises that there are files ready to load. You approve or skip.

[Bob_Belville]

1 hour ago, teejayevans said:

I'm not sure that is true, when I fly with poor or no cell coverage, GP is sluggish responding, if I tap on a airport it sits there for spinning and will respond after a while (15 secs to several minutes).

Airport (waypoint) info on the GTN (and the tablet) includes weather which is obviously not preloaded. Is that what you're seeing? How about when you get a chart?

[flyboy0681]

2 hours ago, teejayevans said:

I'm not sure that is true, when I fly with poor or no cell coverage, GP is sluggish responding, if I tap on a airport it sits there for spinning and will respond after a while (15 secs to several minutes).

If what you are saying is true, that a cell signal is needed, then Pilot would be worthless throughout the southwest, the Rockies and Alaska where there simply are no signals. 

[Marauder]

2 hours ago, teejayevans said:

I'm not sure that is true, when I fly with poor or no cell coverage, GP is sluggish responding, if I tap on a airport it sits there for spinning and will respond after a while (15 secs to several minutes).

I have noticed this (especially on the dynamic maps). I do wonder if it is either the app getting so fat with features that it has become inefficient or if there is some sort of algorithm it goes through to determine which source of connectivity to use. Have you tried turning the cell service off and see what happens? I haven't but will the next time I fly. 

[flyboy0681]

4 minutes ago, Marauder said:

I have noticed this (especially on the dynamic maps). I do wonder if it is either the app getting so fat with features that it has become inefficient or if there is some sort of algorithm it goes through to determine which source of connectivity to use. Have you tried turning the cell service off and see what happens? I haven't but will the next time I fly. 

How many of us have signed up for cell service on our iPads? I have never paid for it, and when I need to download something when there is no Internet connection, I turn on the Personal Hotspot from my iPhone and connect that way. Looking at my iPad mini right now I see that Cellular Data is turned off.

 

 

[larryb]

I have cell service on all of my iPads. At $10/month to add it to my family data plan I consider it a cheap convenience. Sure I can use the hot spot, but that is a hassle. 

[flyboy0681]

Just now, larryb said:

I have cell service on all of my iPads. At $10/month to add it to my family data plan I consider it a cheap convenience. Sure I can use the hot spot, but that is a hassle. 

On a bad day (greasy fingers and such), it takes eight to ten seconds to get the Hot Spot started. On a good day, four seconds.

[Marcopolo]

The need for cell service on the Ipad or phone while flying is dependent on what you want or have the device doing for you and whether there is another connectable source for that information.  If the cellular device is stand alone but has an integrated GPS receiver then as long as the charts are downloaded to the device and a GPS signal is present then your little blue plane should be represented in sync on any of the available downloaded charts.  When operating in this mode it is best to have the cell service turned off as not to compete with the on board information.  If you are using the cellular device to keep track of weather and it is not connected to an ADS-B in device then the cell service needs to be on and an adequate signal needs to be available (Piloto's MO I believe).  If the device is connected to an on-board ADS-B device and the app plays well with the on-board device then all that is needed is the appropriate wifi or bluetooth connection to enjoy all available information, but the charts and plates need to be resident (downloaded) on said portable devices.

I think!

Ron

[flyboy0681]

One thing that I am totally confused about with regard to Pilot is this...

When flying on a commercial carrier which has on-board WiFi, Garmin Pilot is able to gain access to the Internet even though I don't sign up for it (and it's not free). When I use Pilot, I'm receiving up to the minute weather reports, this is verified when I bring up an airport that we are passing over which has AWOS, it's reporting to me the current conditions as evidenced by the reported time. It's as if Pilot is tunneling through and gaining access even though I haven't layed out a credit card to pay for the service. Just over the past two weeks I experienced this on Southwest and American.

Can anyone answer that one?

 

[Bob_Belville]

17 minutes ago, flyboy0681 said:

One thing that I am totally confused about with regard to Pilot is this...

When flying on a commercial carrier which has on-board WiFi, Garmin Pilot is able to gain access to the Internet even though I don't sign up for it (and it's not free). When I use Pilot, I'm receiving up to the minute weather reports, this is verified when I bring up an airport that we are passing over which has AWOS, it's reporting to me the current conditions as evidenced by the reported time. It's as if Pilot is tunneling through and gaining access even though I haven't layed out a credit card to pay for the service. Just over the past two weeks I experienced this on Southwest and American.

Can anyone answer that one?

 

That's interesting. Is your device in "airplane mode"? did you check to see what wifi or Bluetooth connections your device sees or might be connected to?

[flyboy0681]

Just now, Bob_Belville said:

That's interesting. Is your device in "airplane mode"? did you check to see what wifi or Bluetooth connections your device sees or might be connected to?

Interesting question Bob. I was connected to the WiFi to take advantage of the free on-board TV. But when I brought up Safari to see if I could access the Internet, I was prompted to pay for a full day pass or just for the flight. So it seems that even though there is a connection, Pilot is creating a tunnel to access it without paying for it.

 

[Bob_Belville]

2 hours ago, flyboy0681 said:

Interesting question Bob. I was connected to the WiFi to take advantage of the free on-board TV. But when I brought up Safari to see if I could access the Internet, I was prompted to pay for a full day pass or just for the flight. So it seems that even though there is a connection, Pilot is creating a tunnel to access it without paying for it.

 

Someone here who knows more than I do may be able to explain. I suspect than the filter that caught you trying to use a browser was not set to catch an app that does not require one. When I go to fly.garmin on my laptop MSEdge asks me if I want to open a new app.  

[Htwjr]

Thanks for all of the responses.  I feel like a dumbass for not checking the downloaded charts first but the app was telling me that everything was current.  When I checked somehow the relevant charts were not selected.  Hopefully it will work as it should now.

[flyboy0681]

13 minutes ago, Htwjr said:

Thanks for all of the responses.  I feel like a dumbass for not checking the downloaded charts first but the app was telling me that everything was current.  When I checked somehow the relevant charts were not selected.  Hopefully it will work as it should now.

For the first few months of using it I fell into the same trap. I even flew IFR and didn't realize I hadn't downloaded the charts for the state where I was headed until a few hours into the trip - no low-altitude chart, no approach plates, no nothing. Lucky for me it was VFR the entire way and I was cleared for the visual.

[ArtVandelay]

Airport (waypoint) info on the GTN (and the tablet) includes weather which is obviously not preloaded. Is that what you're seeing? How about when you get a chart?

I don't know, it just sits there and spins, since I'm connected via FS210, it should be pretty fast, either you have the info or you don't.
It's pretty annoying and GPs worst problem, IMO. Software should never hang, period.